The stability of operations of an EUV light generating apparatus is improved. A droplet detector may include: a light source unit configured to emit illuminating light onto a droplet, which is output into a chamber and generate extreme ultraviolet light when irradiated with a laser beam; a light receiving unit configured to receive the illuminating light and to detect changes in light intensities; and a timing determining circuit configured to output a droplet detection signal that indicates that the droplet has been detected at a predetermined position within the chamber, based on a first timing at which the light intensity of the illuminating light decreases due to the droplet being irradiated therewith and a second timing at which the light intensity of the illuminating light increases.

A doubly bent X-ray spectroscopic device (1) according to the present invention includes: a glass plate (3) which is deformed into a shape having a doubly bent surface by being sandwiched between a doubly curved convex surface (21a) of a convex forming die (21) and a doubly curved concave surface (22a), of a concave forming die (22), that matches the doubly curved convex surface (21a), and being heated to a temperature of 400° C. to 600° C.; and a reflection coating (5) configured to reflect X-rays, which is formed on a concave surface (3a) of the deformed glass plate (3 ).

Methods and systems for characterizing dimensions and material properties of semiconductor devices by transmission small angle x-ray scatterometry (TSAXS) systems having relatively small tool footprint are described herein. The methods and systems described herein enable Q space resolution adequate for metrology of semiconductor structures with reduced optical path length. In general, the x-ray beam is focused closer to the wafer surface for relatively small targets and closer to the detector for relatively large targets. In some embodiments, a high resolution detector with small point spread function (PSF) is employed to mitigate detector PSF limits on achievable Q resolution. In some embodiments, the detector locates an incident photon with sub-pixel accuracy by determining the centroid of a cloud of electrons stimulated by the photon conversion event. In some embodiments, the detector resolves one or more x-ray photon energies in addition to location of incidence.

Methods and systems for characterizing dimensions and material properties of semiconductor devices by transmission small angle x-ray scatterometry (TSAXS) systems having relatively small tool footprint are described herein. The methods and systems described herein enable Q space resolution adequate for metrology of semiconductor structures with reduced optical path length. In general, the x-ray beam is focused closer to the wafer surface for relatively small targets and closer to the detector for relatively large targets. In some embodiments, a high resolution detector with small point spread function (PSF) is employed to mitigate detector PSF limits on achievable Q resolution. In some embodiments, the detector locates an incident photon with sub-pixel accuracy by determining the centroid of a cloud of electrons stimulated by the photon conversion event. In some embodiments, the detector resolves one or more x-ray photon energies in addition to location of incidence.

An example method for aligning a spectrometer is described herein. The spectrometer includes a radiation source, a crystal analyzer, and a detector that are all positioned on an instrument plane. The method includes rotating the crystal analyzer about an axis that is within the instrument plane and perpendicular to a rotation plane such that (i) a reciprocal lattice vector of the crystal analyzer is within the instrument plane or (ii) a component of the reciprocal lattice vector within the rotation plane is perpendicular to the instrument plane. An origin of the reciprocal lattice vector is located on the axis. The method further includes tilting the crystal analyzer or translating the detector such that the reciprocal lattice vector bisects a line segment that is bounded by the detector and the radiation source. Example spectrometers related to the example method are also disclosed.

The present disclosure provides a ray calibration device and a working method thereof, and a radiation imaging system and a working method thereof, and belongs to the field of radiation imaging technology. The present disclosure can solve the problems that the existing calibration devices have low calibration efficiency and require relatively large spaces. The ray calibration device of the present disclosure includes a driving part, a cam part and a calibration part, wherein the calibration part is located below the cam part; the driving part is adapted to drive the cam part to rotate; and the cam part is adapted to exert a force on the calibration part to enable the calibration part to move into a ray area downwards.

Methods and systems for characterizing dimensions and material properties of semiconductor devices by transmission small angle x-ray scatterometry (TSAXS) systems having relatively small tool footprint are described herein. The methods and systems described herein enable Q space resolution adequate for metrology of semiconductor structures with reduced optical path length. In general, the x-ray beam is focused closer to the wafer surface for relatively small targets and closer to the detector for relatively large targets. In some embodiments, a high resolution detector with small point spread function (PSF) is employed to mitigate detector PSF limits on achievable Q resolution. In some embodiments, the detector locates an incident photon with sub-pixel accuracy by determining the centroid of a cloud of electrons stimulated by the photon conversion event. In some embodiments, the detector resolves one or more x-ray photon energies in addition to location of incidence.

[PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED] To provide a radiation phase contrast imaging device having a small device configuration [SOLVING MEANS] The present invention focused on the findings that the distance between the phase grating 5 and the FPD 4 does not need to be the Talbot distance. The distance between the phase grating 5 and the FPD 4 can be more freely set. However, a self-image cannot be detected unless the self-image is sufficiently magnified with respect to the phase grating 5. The degree on how much the self-image is magnified on the FPD 4 with respect to the original phase grating 5 is determined by a magnification ratio X2/X1. Therefore, in the present invention, the magnification ratio is set to be the same as the magnification ratio in a conventional configuration. With this, even if the distance X2 between the radiation source 3 and the FPD 4 is reduced, a situation in which the self-image cannot be detected by the FPD 4 due to the excessively small size thereof does not occur.

A method for producing a microstructure component, a microstructure component and an x-ray device are disclosed. In the method, a plurality of punctiform injection structures are inserted in a grid in a first substrate direction and a second substrate direction, standing at right angles thereto, into a first surface of a wafer-like silicon substrate. The injection structures are lengthened into drilled holes in the depth direction of the silicon substrate in a first etching step. A second surface of the silicon substrate is then at least partly removed for rear-side opening of the drilled holes in a second etching step and in a third etching step, an etching medium acting anisotropically is poured alternately through the drilled holes from both surfaces of the silicon substrate, so that drilled holes arranged next to one another in the first substrate direction connect to form a column running in the first substrate direction.

A method for producing a microstructure component, a microstructure component and an x-ray device are disclosed. In the method, a plurality of punctiform injection structures are inserted in a grid in a first substrate direction and a second substrate direction, standing at right angles thereto, into a first surface of a wafer-like silicon substrate. The injection structures are lengthened into drilled holes in the depth direction of the silicon substrate in a first etching step. A second surface of the silicon substrate is then at least partly removed for rear-side opening of the drilled holes in a second etching step and in a third etching step, an etching medium acting anisotropically is poured alternately through the drilled holes from both surfaces of the silicon substrate, so that drilled holes arranged next to one another in the first substrate direction connect to form a column running in the first substrate direction.