A cathode holding assembly to be mounted on an arc chamber support of an ion implanter includes a cathode holding plate, an insulator block, and a shield cap. The cathode holding plate has a protruding outer rib towards the shield cap and an opening with a protruding inner rib. A protrusion of the insulator block passes through the opening of the cathode holding plate. The insulator block abuts the protruding inner rib of the opening of the cathode holding plate at an edge of the insulator block to precisely fit the insulator block into the opening of the cathode holding plate. The shield cap is arranged to a side of the insulator block opposing the protrusion. A gap extends between the cathode holding plate and the shield cap, then between the cathode holding plate and the insulator block where it ends.

A system for preventing collisions between components in a particle beam instrument is disclosed. The system is particularly beneficial in use with instruments wherein moveable components are used within a chamber that obscures them from being viewed from outside the chamber. The system comprises: a capacitance sensor configured to monitor the capacitance between a first component and a second component of the instrument, and a proximity module configured to: derive a capacitance parameter from the monitored capacitance between the first component and the second component; and output a proximity alert signal in accordance with a comparison between the derived capacitance parameter and a predetermined capacitance parameter threshold value.

Provided is a substrate processing method in which a liner layer is formed on the photo resist underlayer, followed by forming SiO.sub.2 patterning layer thereon. According to the embodiment, the liner layer is formed by providing a silicon-containing layer, followed by inert gas activated by providing a high frequency RF power and a low frequency RF power together simultaneously. Thus, a loss of photo resist underlayer may be minimized within the range that does not affect the device performance and the wet etch properties and the width between fine patterns may be kept constant while the thickness of the liner layer is thin.

The present invention provides a photoplasma etching device and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a member for a plasma etching device, which is improved in plasma resistance through deposition of a rare-earth metal thin film and surface heat treatment and the optical transmittance of which is maintained, thus being useful as a member for analyzing the end point of an etching process, and a method of manufacturing the same.

A charged-particle beam microscope is provided for imaging a sample. The microscope has a vacuum chamber to maintain a low-pressure environment. A motorized stage is provided to hold and move a sample in the vacuum chamber. A charged-particle beam source generates a charged-particle beam. Charged-particle beam optics converge the charged-particle beam onto the sample. A detector is provided to detect charged-particle radiation emanating from the sample. A controller analyzes the detected charged-particle radiation to generate an image of the sample. A power supply powers at least the charged-particle beam optics and the controller. The charged-particle beam microscope weighs less than about 50 kg.

The invention provides a charged particle beam apparatus capable of observing a sample even when light is emitted from the sample, and a sample observation method using the charged particle beam apparatus. The charged particle beam apparatus includes: a charged particle beam source configured to irradiate a sample with a charged particle beam; a detector configured to detect charged particles emitted from the sample; and a control device configured to generate an image based on an output signal from the detector. The charged particle beam apparatus further includes a filter configured to allow at least a part of the charged particles emitted from the sample to transmit through the filter and configured to shield light emitted from the sample. The filter covers a detection surface of the detector expected from the sample.

A system and method for etching workpieces in a uniform manner are disclosed. The system includes a semiconductor processing system that generates a ribbon ion beam, and a workpiece holder that scans the workpiece through the ribbon ion beam. The workpiece holder includes a portion that extends beyond the workpiece, referred to as a halo. The halo may be independently heated to compensate for etch rate non-uniformities. In some embodiments, the halo may be independently biased such that its potential is different from the potential applied to the workpiece. In certain embodiments, the halo may be divided into a plurality of thermal zones that can be separately controlled. In this way, various etch rate non-uniformities may be addressed by controlling the potential and/or temperature of the various thermal zones of the halo.

An electron beam system and method are provided. The system includes a detector having a detector face configured to detect back-scattered electrons reflected off of a sample. The system further includes an annular cap disposed on the detector face, and a protective pellicle disposed on the annular cap, covering the detector face. The protective pellicle is transparent to back-scattered electrons and provides a physical barrier to particles directed at the detector face.

A sintered body contains perovskite YAlO.sub.3 (YAP) as a main phase exhibited in X-ray diffractometry, and has a Vickers hardness of 11 GPa or more. In the case where the sintered body contains a composition other than YAlO.sub.3, the composition preferably substantially consists of Y.sub.3Al.sub.5O.sub.12 and Y.sub.4Al.sub.2O.sub.9. The sintered body preferably has an absolute density of 5.1 g/cm.sup.3 or more. The sintered body preferably has an open porosity of 1% or less, and also preferably has an average crystal grain size of 10 μm or less.

An electron beam system and method are provided. The system includes a detector having a detector face configured to detect back-scattered electrons reflected off of a sample. The system further includes an annular cap disposed on the detector face, and a protective pellicle disposed on the annular cap, covering the detector face. The protective pellicle is transparent to back-scattered electrons and provides a physical barrier to particles directed at the detector face.