The present application discloses an accelerator system for mineral component analysis and system and method for mineral component analysis. The accelerator system includes an electron gun for generating an electron beam; an accelerating tube for accelerating an electron beam emitted by the electron gun to a predetermined energy; a composite target for generating a radioactive ray on the composite target after receiving bombardment of the electron beam; and a shielding mechanism for shielding the radioactive ray.

There is provided an electron microscope capable of producing good images by reducing contrast nonuniformity. The electron microscope (1) includes: an electron beam source (11) for producing an electron beam; a noise cancelling aperture (12) and an amplifier (42) for detecting a part of the electron beam; an effective value computing circuit (44) and a low frequency cut-off circuit (46) for extracting a DC component of an effective value of a detection signal emanating from the amplifier (42); an image detector (15) for detecting a signal produced in response to impingement of the beam on a sample (A); a preamplifier circuit (20) and an amplifier circuit (30); a divider circuit (54) for performing a division of the output signal (X) from the amplifier circuit (30) by the output signal (Y) from the amplifier circuit (42) and producing a quotient signal indicative of the result of the decision (X/Y); and a multiplier circuit (58) for multiplying the quotient signal by a signal (Z) extracted by the low frequency cut-off circuit (46).

An aberration measurement method for an objective lens in an electron microscope including an objective lens which focuses an electron beam that illuminates a specimen, and a detector which detects an electron beam having passed through the specimen, includes: introducing a coma aberration to the objective lens; measuring an aberration of the objective lens before introducing the coma aberration to the objective lens; measuring an aberration of the objective lens after introducing the coma aberration to the objective lens; and obtaining a position of an optical axis of the objective lens on a detector plane of the detector based on measurement results of the aberration of the objective lens before and after introducing the coma aberration.

There is provided an electron microscope capable of producing good images by reducing contrast nonuniformity. The electron microscope (1) includes: an electron beam source (11) for producing an electron beam; a noise cancelling aperture (12) and an amplifier (42) for detecting a part of the electron beam; an effective value computing circuit (44) and a low frequency cut-off circuit (46) for extracting a DC component of an effective value of a detection signal emanating from the amplifier (42); an image detector (15) for detecting a signal produced in response to impingement of the beam on a sample (A); a preamplifier circuit (20) and an amplifier circuit (30); a divider circuit (54) for performing a division of the output signal (X) from the amplifier circuit (30) by the output signal (Y) from the amplifier circuit (42) and producing a quotient signal indicative of the result of the decision (X/Y); and a multiplier circuit (58) for multiplying the quotient signal by a signal (Z) extracted by the low frequency cut-off circuit (46).

X-ray CT apparatus is provided in which the photon energy distribution of X-rays to be radiated is flattened. X-ray CT apparatus includes an X-ray tube, a detector, a data acquisition system, a tube voltage generator, and a grid controller. The X-ray tube radiates X-rays onto a subject. The detector includes multiple detection elements for detecting photons forming the X-rays. The data acquisition system counts the number of the detected photons to acquire projection data based on the counted photons. The tube voltage generator applies the tube voltage to the X-ray tube while changing the tube voltage of the X-ray tube in a predetermined cycle. A tube current controller decreases the tube current upon an increase in the tube voltage, and increases the tube current upon a decrease in the tube voltage. Thus, the photon energy distribution of the X-rays radiated from the X-ray tube is flattened.

Systems, methods, and media for calibrating a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The system includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the system to perform operations. An electron microscope image of a periodic structure is generated by the SEM. A Fourier transform of the electron microscope image is computed to generate a spectrum. Reciprocal lattice vectors are computed based on a known periodicity of the periodic structure. A pixel mask is generated based on the reciprocal lattice vectors and applied to filter the spectrum. A quality metric is generated based on an aggregate magnitude of the filtered spectrum and a magnitude of a zero-frequency component of the filtered spectrum. A pixel scaling parameter, focus parameter, and/or stigmation parameter of the SEM are determined based on the quality metric.

A particle beam apparatus is used for imaging, processing and/or analyzing an object. A computer program product may be used to facilitate imaging, processing and/or analyzing the object. A magnification may be chosen from a first magnification range of the particle beam apparatus by driving a first amplifier unit and a second amplifier unit. If it is established that there are prerequisites which would actually result in the particle beam apparatus being switched to a different magnification from a second magnification range, the switching is avoided by feeding an analog amplifier signal from an amplifier unit to a scanning unit of the particle beam apparatus, guiding the particle beam over the object using the scanning unit, and imaging, processing and/or analyzing the object with the particle beam.

Disclosed example ion emitters include: a body; a plurality of emitter nozzles on the body; a power supply configured to supply a high frequency alternating current (AC) signal to the plurality of emitter nozzles; an antenna configured to measure an ion balance of ions emitted by the plurality of emitter nozzles; control circuitry configured to control the power supply based on the ion balance measured via the antenna; and an antenna hanger supported by the body and configured to position the antenna within an emission path of the plurality of emitter nozzles.

A system including a sparse sampling system having a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The sparse sampling system generates, a first programmable primary carrier signal and a first secondary programmable signal that modulates the first programmable primary carrier signal through a first randomized modulation that defines X-coordinates of a set of scan pattern coordinates of an object scan, a second programmable primary carrier signal and a second secondary programmable signal that modulates the second programmable primary carrier signal through a second randomized modulation that defines Y-coordinates of the set of scan pattern coordinates of the object scan, and a third programmable output signal that defines Z-coordinates of the set of scan pattern coordinates of the object scan based on a predetermined rule. The sparse sampling system also transmits the generated signals to a scanning probe device.