The present invention provides for a high voltage direct current power supply including a primary high voltage direct current supply offering a primary output; a floating secondary output floating with respect to the primary output and fed by the primary output: an output terminal at the floating secondary output for providing an output voltage; a controller operative to detect a change in the output voltage at the output terminal and to generate a control signal responsive to the change in output voltage; and a controllable current source, which can comprise a programmable current source, arranged to provide current at the floating secondary output responsive to the said control signal and whereby the said current is provided to reduce charging of a secondary output capacitance as the output voltage changes.

A sample may be inspected by making particles traverse the sample. The particles that have traversed the sample hit a detector one-by-one. In response thereto, the detector provides a sequence of respective detection outputs. The sequence of respective detection outputs is processed so as to identify respective locations where respective incident particles have hit the detector. An image is generated on the basis of the respective locations that have been identified. In order to determine a location where an incident particle has hit the detector, an evaluation is made with regard to pre-established respective associations between, on the one hand, respective locations where incident particles have hit the detector and, on the other hand, respective detection outputs.

The present disclosure provides a method to adjust asymmetric velocity of a scan in a scanning ion beam etch process to correct asymmetry of etching between the inboard side and the outboard side of device structures on a wafer, while maintaining the overall uniformity of etch across the full wafer.

An etching uniformity regulating device and method. The device comprises an inductor and a capacitor connected in parallel. One end of the etching uniformity regulating device is connected to a built-in ring located at the edge of an electrostatic chuck of an etching machine, and the other end is grounded. The purpose of controlling the edge electric field is achieved by regulating a capacitance of the capacitor, so as to regulate the etching rate of the edge, thereby achieving etching uniformity.

A high voltage power system is disclosed. In some embodiments, the high voltage power system includes a high voltage pulsing power supply; a transformer electrically coupled with the high voltage pulsing power supply; an output electrically coupled with the transformer and configured to output high voltage pulses with an amplitude greater than 1 kV and a frequency greater than 1 kHz; and a bias compensation circuit arranged in parallel with the output. In some embodiments, the bias compensation circuit can include a blocking diode; and a DC power supply arranged in series with the blocking diode.

Systems and methods of measuring beam current in a multi-beam apparatus are disclosed. The multi-beam apparatus may include a charged-particle source configured to generate a primary charged-particle beam, and an aperture array. The aperture array may comprise a plurality of apertures configured to form a plurality of beamlets from the primary charged-particle beam, and a detector including circuitry to detect a current of at least a portion of the primary charged-particle beam irradiating the aperture array. The method of measuring beam current may include irradiating the primary charged-particle beam on the aperture array and detecting an electric current of at least a portion of the primary charged-particle beam.

The present invention relates to a method and a system for compensating interference in a charged particle beam microscopy system. A step of capturing data obtained from irradiation of a sample for a sampling duration can be implemented. In the system a respective data storage is provided for capturing and/or storing this data. Further steps of dividing at least representative parts of the sampling duration into time-windows and constructing, for each of the time-windows, an intermediate image, can be implemented. Detecting shift between the intermediate images and determining a compensation function for the shift between the intermediate images is realized as well. In a system the latter steps are automated by a respective processing component. The shift between intermediate images can be a two-dimensional shift and the compensation function represents a shift of the intermediate images in the two dimensions over time.

The present invention relates to a method and a system for compensating interference in a charged particle beam microscopy system. A step of capturing data obtained from irradiation of a sample for a sampling duration can be implemented. In the system a respective data storage is provided for capturing and/or storing this data. Further steps of dividing at least representative parts of the sampling duration into time-windows and constructing, for each of the time-windows, an intermediate image, can be implemented. Detecting shift between the intermediate images and determining a compensation function for the shift between the intermediate images is realized as well. In a system the latter steps are automated by a respective processing component. The shift between intermediate images can be a two-dimensional shift and the compensation function represents a shift of the intermediate images in the two dimensions over time.

Provided is a charged particle beam device that can impart a function of an energy filter to even a small BSE detector. The charged particle beam device includes a fluorescent substance that converts charged particles generated by irradiation of a sample with a charged particle beam into light; a detector that detects the light emitted from the fluorescent substance; a light guide element for guiding the light from the fluorescent substance to the detector; a light amount adjuster that adjusts the amount of light that is received by the detector through the fluorescent substance and the light guide element; and a control unit that controls the light amount adjuster.

A method of producing an induced pluripotent stem cell, comprising the step of introducing at least one kind of non-viral expression vector incorporating at least one gene that encodes a reprogramming factor into a somatic cell. In some embodiments, the gene that encodes a reprogramming factor is one or more kind of genes selected from the group consisting of an Oct family gene, a Klf family gene, a Sox family gene, a Myc family gene, a Lin family gene, and the Nanog gene.