H01J2237/0432

Attomicroscopy: attosecond electron imaging and microscopy

System and method for Ultrafast Electron Diffraction (UED) and Microscopy (UEM) configured to image atomic motion in real time with sub-femtosecond temporal resolution. Presented methodology utilizes the interaction of the pump optical pulse with the initial electron pulse that has been gated with the gating optical pulse. The initial electron pulse is generated in the electron microscope by the pulse of auxiliary light. In one case, the pump and gating pulses have attosecond duration and are duplicates of one another. The use of attosecond optical pulse (with frequency spectrum extending over two octaves in the visible and flanking spectral ranges) for optical gating of a pulse of electrons.

Charged particle beam device with transient signal correction during beam blanking

A charged particle apparatus including a charged particle source unit; a blanking electrode unit that blanks a charged particle beam launched from the charged particle source unit; a deflecting electrode unit that deflects the charged particle beam; an objective lens unit that converges the charged particle beam deflected by the deflecting electrode unit and radiates the charged particle beam to a surface of a sample; a secondary charged particle detection unit that detects a secondary charged particle generated from the sample; a signal processing unit that processes a signal obtained by detecting the secondary charged particle; and a control unit that corrects a transient signal when the blanking of the charged particle beam is turned off by the blanking electrode, such that an image with no distortion can be obtained even when the blanking electrode is operated to turn on and off at a high speed.

Electron energy loss spectrometer using direct detection sensor

An electron energy loss spectrometer is described having a direct detection sensor, a high speed shutter and a sensor processor wherein the sensor processor combines images from individual sensor read-outs and converts a two dimensional image from said sensor into a one dimensional spectrum and wherein the one dimensional spectrum is output to a computer and operation of the high speed shutter is integrated with timing of imaging the sensor. The shutter is controlled to allow reduction in exposure of images corresponding to the individual sensor readouts. A plurality of images are exposed by imaging less than the full possible exposure and wherein the plurality of images are combined to form a composite image. The plurality of images can be comprised of images created by exposing the sensor for different exposure times.

System and method of arc detection using dynamic threshold
10515780 · 2019-12-24 · ·

The present invention is directed to circuits, systems, and methods to quickly to quench an arc that may form between high voltage electrodes associated with an ion source to shorten the duration of the arc and mitigate non-uniform ion implantations. In one example, an arc detection circuit for detecting an arc in an ion implantation system includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and an analysis circuit. The ADC is configured to convert a sensing current indicative of a current being supplied to an electrode in the ion implantation system to a digital current signal that quantifies the sensing current. The analysis circuit is configured to analyze the digital current signal to determine if the digital current signal meets threshold parameter value and in response to the digital current signal meeting the threshold parameter value, provide an arc detection signal to a trigger control circuit that activates an arc quenching mechanism.

Broad band tunable energy electron beam pulser

An electromagnetic mechanical pulser implements a transverse wave metallic comb stripline TWMCS kicker having inwardly opposing teeth structured to retard a phase velocity of an RF traveling wave propagated therethrough to match the kinetic velocity of a continuous electron beam simultaneously propagated therethrough. The kicker imposes transverse oscillations onto the beam, which is subsequently chopped into pulses by an aperture. The RF phase velocity is substantially independent of RF frequency and amplitude, thereby enabling independent tuning of the electron pulse widths and repetition rate. The exterior surface of the kicker is conductive, thereby avoiding electron charging. In embodiments, various elements of the kicker and/or aperture can be mechanically varied to provide further tuning of the pulsed electron beam. A divergence suppression section can include a mirror TWMCS and/or magnetic quadrupoles. RF can be applied to a down-selecting TWMCS downstream of the aperture to reduce the pulse repetition rate.

Charged particle beam deflection device
10490387 · 2019-11-26 · ·

According to one embodiment, a charged particle beam deflection device includes a substrate, a plurality of charged particle beam transmission apertures provided in the substrate, a plurality of electrode pairs deflecting charged particle beams passing through the charged particle beam transmission apertures, a light receiving element controlling a voltage applied to one electrode of the electrode pair, and an optical waveguide providing an optical signal to the light receiving element. A distance between the charged particle beam transmission aperture and the light receiving element is shorter than a distance between mutually-adjacent charged particle beam transmission apertures.

ATTOMICROSCOPY: ATTOSECOND ELECTRON IMAGING AND MICROSCOPY
20190333731 · 2019-10-31 ·

System and method for Ultrafast Electron Diffraction (UED) and Microscopy (UEM) configured to image atomic motion in real time with sub-femtosecond temporal resolution. Presented methodology utilizes the interaction of the pump optical pulse with the initial electron pulse that has been gated with the gating optical pulse. The initial electron pulse is generated in the electron microscope by the pulse of auxiliary light. In one case, the pump and gating pulses have attosecond duration and are duplicates of one another. The use of attosecond optical pulse (with frequency spectrum extending over two octaves in the visible and flanking spectral ranges) for optical gating of a pulse of electrons.

Charged particle beam writing apparatus and method for diagnosing failure of blanking circuit
10460902 · 2019-10-29 · ·

In one embodiment, a charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a blanking circuit applying a blanking voltage to a blanking deflector, a stage on which a substrate is placed, a mark on the stage, a detector detecting an irradiation position of the charged particle beam based on irradiation of the mark with the charged particle beam, and a diagnostic electric circuitry that causes the charged particle beam to enter a predetermined defocused state relative to the mark, obtains a difference between a first irradiation position when the mark is scanned under first irradiation conditions and a second irradiation position when the mark is scanned under second irradiation conditions in which at least either of irradiation time and settling time in the first irradiation conditions is varied, and determines occurrence of a failure of the blanking circuit when the difference is a predetermined value or more.

CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM DEFLECTION DEVICE
20190295809 · 2019-09-26 · ·

According to one embodiment, a charged particle beam deflection device includes a substrate, a plurality of charged particle beam transmission apertures provided in the substrate, a plurality of electrode pairs deflecting charged particle beams passing through the charged particle beam transmission apertures, a light receiving element controlling a voltage applied to one electrode of the electrode pair, and an optical waveguide providing an optical signal to the light receiving element. A distance between the charged particle beam transmission aperture and the light receiving element is shorter than a distance between mutually-adjacent charged particle beam transmission apertures.

Beam blanker and method for blanking a charged particle beam
10410820 · 2019-09-10 · ·

The present invention relates to a beam blanker for a scanning particle microscope for blanking a charged particle beam having a beam axis, along which charged particles propagate before entering the beam blanker, wherein the beam blanker comprises: (a) at least one stop having an aperture, through which the charged particle beam can pass; (b) at least one first and one second deflection element, which are each configured to deflect the particle beam from the beam axis in a first and a second direction, respectively, upon a voltage being present; and (c) a deflection controller configured to apply a first AC voltage having a first frequency to the first deflection element and a second AC voltage having a second frequency to the second deflection element, wherein the deflection controller sets a difference frequency between the first and second AC voltages such that pulses of the charged particle beam have a predefined pulse period and during the pulse period outside the pulse duration substantially no charged particles pass through the aperture of the stop.