Methods and apparatus for modulating a particle pulse include a succession of Hermite-Gaussian optical modes that effectively construct a three-dimensional optical trap in the particle pulse's rest frame. Optical incidence angles between the propagation of the particle pulse and the optical pulse are tuned for improved compression. Particles pulses that can be modulated by these methods and apparatus include charged particles and particles with non-zero polarizability in the Rayleigh regime. Exact solutions to Maxwell's equations for first-order Hermite-Gaussian beams demonstrate single-electron pulse compression factors of more than 100 in both longitudinal and transverse dimensions. The methods and apparatus are useful in ultrafast electron imaging for both single- and multi-electron pulse compression, and as a means of circumventing temporal distortions in magnetic lenses when focusing ultra-short electron pulses.

A method, a system and computer program product for controlling exposure of a substrate positioned on a platen in an ion implantation system to an ion beam. A first current value determined based on a powering potential powering an ion source is received. A second current value determined based on an accelerating potential or a decelerating potential supplied to the ion implantation apparatus and affecting generation of the ion beam by the ion source for application to a substrate positioned on a platen is received. One or more energy filter supply current values are determined based on one or more energy filter supply potentials supplied to an energy filter positioned in the path of the ion beam. Platen position values are generated based on the first and second current values and energy filter supply current values. A position of the platen is adjusted using platen position values.

An ion implantation system includes an ion source, a beamline that extracts and shapes an ion beam from the ion source, a deceleration stage that reduces the energy of the ion beam while focusing the ion beam in the direction of a workpiece. A workpiece support has a structure that determines an implant plane position, which is the position of a workpiece surface that receives the ion beam. The workpiece support is configured to translate the implant plane along a path of the ion beam so as to shorten or lengthen the path without changing the tilt angle of the workpiece. The beam optics may be fixed and the focal point of the ion beam may be allowed to vary with a decel ratio. The workpiece support may translate the implant plane to a focal point of the ion beam or to some fixed offset from that focal point.

A decelerating electrode of an energy filter includes an electrode pair that has an opening and a cavity portion provided in a rotationally symmetrical manner with the center of the opening as the optical axis. Voltages with electric potentials that are substantially the same as that of a charged particle beam are independently applied to both sides of the decelerating electrode. When an electrical field protrudes into the cavity portion, a saddle point having the same electric potential as that of incident charged particles is formed inside the decelerating electrode. The saddle point acts as a high pass filter for incident charged particles at an energy resolution of 1 mV or less. By analyzing charged particles which have been energy-separated, it is possible to measure the energy spectrum and E at the high resolution of 1 mV or less and to obtain an SEM/STEM image with a high resolution.

The invention relates to interacting, with a particle beam, with an optical lithography object, comprising: application of a first voltage to the object with respect to a reference potential, in order to influence the particle beam. The invention also relates to a testing of a positionable contact element, comprising: provision of a particle beam with a predetermined particle beam current on an object; determination of a contact quality of the positionable contact element based at least in part on the particle beam current and an electric current which flows through the positionable contact element.

A charged particle optics for a charged particle beam apparatus having a charged particle beam and a beam propagation direction of the charged particle beam apparatus is described. The charged particle optics includes a focusing lens. The focusing lens includes a first electrode with a first aperture; a second electrode with a second aperture, the second electrode being mechanically movable at least in a first direction perpendicular to the beam propagation direction; and an actuator coupled to the second electrode to move the second electrode in at least the first direction for displacement of the second aperture with respect to the first aperture. The charged particle optics further includes a deflection system positioned upstream of the second electrode to deflect the charged particle beam, based on the displacement, to guide the charged particle beam through the second aperture.