Fei Comapny

U.S. Philips Corporation

Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Philips Electron Optics B.v.

Alexander Henstra

Peter Christiaan Tiemeijer

Yuchen Deng

Ali Mohammadi-Gheidari

Holger Kohr

Bart Buijsse

Pleun Dona

Marcellinus P Krijn

Karel D Van Der Mast

Marcellinus P C M Krijn

Luigi Mele

Marcel Niestadt

Kars Z Troost

Marcellinus Petrus Carolus Michael Krijn

Pieter Kruit

Milos Toth

Gregory A Schwind

Richard J Young

Kun Liu

Jan Martijn Krans

Johannes Jacobus Lambertus Mulders

Uwe Luecken

Bohuslav Sed'a

Alan Frank De Jong

Erik René Kieft

Petrus Hubertus Franciscus Trompenaars

Otger Jan Luiten

Maarten Bischoff

Sorin Lazar

Gerbert Jeroen Van De Water

Michael Ross Scheinfein

Stan Johan Pieter Konings

Lubomir Tuma

Galen Gledhill

Jaydeep Sanjay Belapure

Stefano Vespucci

Petrus Henricus Antonius Mutsaers

Arthur Reinout Hartong

Fredericus Bernardus Kiewiet

Lubomír Tuma

Jaroslav Chmelik

Edgar Jan Dirk Vredenbregt

Adam Christopher Lassise

Karel D Van Den Mast

Tomas Radlicka

Michael Patrick Janus

Jaydeep Belapure

Michael Janus

Johannes Mulders

The present invention is directed to an electrode component with at least two electrodes or a multipole component as generally known in the art. Each of the electrodes can be provided with a beam neighboring section or end section forming the free electrodes. This section is the section exposed to high voltages, i.e. more than 10 KV, and is intended to nevertheless work very reliable and precise with respect to the guidance and/or controlling of a beam of a charged particle beam in a microscope or lithographic apparatus. This neighboring section are positioned in the vicinity or close to a charged particle beam or even facing it. This bears the preferred advantage that high voltages can be generated by the electrodes or to the electrode component and they can withstand those high voltages. This assists in a better guidance and/or controlling of the charged beam, such as for compensating aberration etc. The beam neighboring section can have a surface configured to face the beam. This neighboring section or surface are fabricated with absolute dimensional tolerances less than a desired maximum absolute dimensional tolerance wherein the desired maximum absolute dimensional tolerance is based at least on a maximum voltage to be applied to the electrode. With such a precisely fabricated surface, a more precise and/or efficient field can be generated being able to control the charged particle beam more precisely and efficiently.

Charged particle optics components and their fabrication

Methods and systems for automatically tuning an EELS spectrometer according to the present disclosure include obtaining an initial measurement of an EELS spectrum, generating an simulated EELS spectrum fit to the initial measurement of the EELS spectrum, and estimating one or more values of one or more aberration parameters based on the simulated EELS spectrum. Then, using the value(s) of the aberration parameter(s) to tune the optical elements of the EELS spectrometer to remove and/or reduce aberrations in the EELS system.

EELS auto-alignment using full image simulation

An ion beam system for modifying a sample or workpiece surface, comprises: an ion source for generating ions; an ion beam focusing column configured to direct ions from the ion source to form an ion beam and focus the ion beam towards a target area; and a sample stage for receiving and positioning the sample or workpiece at the target area, wherein the ion beam focusing column comprises: an aperture plate having a non-circular beam limiting aperture configured to limit the extent of a transmitted ion beam; and a multipole aberration compensator configured to apply a four-fold astigmatism to the ion beam to compensate spherical aberration produced by one or more lenses in the ion beam focusing column. The multipole aberration compensator may be a multipole element that generates an octupole field. A corresponding method is provided.

Focused ion beam system and method

Compact correctors for correcting spherical aberrations of a particle-optical lens in a charged particle microscope system, according to the present disclosure a strong hexapole configured to generate a strong hexapole field when a voltage is applied to it, and a weak hexapole positioned between the strong hexapole and a sample. The strong hexapole is positioned such that the crossover of a charged particle beam of the charged particle system does not pass through the center of the strong hexapole, such that the strong hexapole field applies at least an A2 aberration and a D4 aberration to the charged particle beam. The weak hexapole is further positioned or otherwise configured such that, when a voltage is applied to the weak hexapole it generates a weak hexapole field that applies at least a combination A2 aberration and a combination D4 aberration to the charged particle beam of the charged particle microscopy system.

Simple spherical aberration corrector for SEM

Optical corrector modules for charged particle columns can include at least one split multipole that includes two multipoles separated by a distance less than 10 mm. Each of the individual multipoles may include at least two electrodes positioned to partially define a beam path through the multipole. Each of the electrodes can include a first surface that faces upstream of a charged particle beam when used in the charged particle column and a second surface that faces downstream of the charged particle beam when used in the charged particle column. The thickness between the first surface and the second surface for each of the electrodes may be less than 10 mm. The split multipoles may be electrostatic and may correspond to hexapoles.

Methods for using a single electron microscope system for investigating a sample with twin electron beams having different focal lengths include the steps of emitting electrons toward the sample, forming the electrons into a two beams, and then modifying the focal properties of at least one of the two beams such that they have different focal planes. Once the two beams have different focal planes, the first electron beam is focused at the sample, and the second electron beam is focused so that it acts as a TEM beam that is parallel beam when incident on the sample. Emissions resultant from the first electron beam and the TEM beam being incident on the sample can then be detected by a single detector or detector array and used to generate a TEM image.

Bifocal electron microscope

An energy spectrometer with dynamic focus for a transmission electron microscope (TEM) is disclosed herein. An example energy spectrometer and TEM at least includes a charged particle column including a projection system arranged after a sample plane, the projection system is operated in a first configuration; an energy spectrometer coupled to the charged particle column to acquire one or more energy loss spectra. The energy spectrometer including a dispersive element, a bias tube, optics for magnifying the energy loss spectrum and for correcting aberrations, and a detector arranged conjugate to a spectrum plane of the energy spectrometer, wherein the energy spectrometer further includes an optical element electrically biased to refocus at least a portion of a spectrum onto the detector, and wherein the value of the electrical bias is at least partially based on the first configuration of the charged particle column.

Energy spectrometer with dynamic focus

Systems for reducing the generation of thermal magnetic field noise in optical elements of microscope systems, are disclosed. Example microscopy optical elements having reduced Johnson noise generation according to the present disclosure comprises an inner core composed of an electrically isolating material, and an outer coating composed of an electrically conductive material. The product of the thickness of the outer coating and the electrical conductivity is less than 0.01Ω. The outer coating causes a reduction in Johnson noise generated by the optical element of greater than 2×, 3×, or an order of magnitude or greater. In a specific example embodiment, the optical element is a corrector system having reduced Johnson noise generation. Such a corrector system comprises an outer magnetic multipole, and an inner electrostatic multipole. The inner electrostatic multipole comprises an inner core composed of an electrically isolating material and an outer coating composed of an electrically conductive material.

Reduction of thermal magnetic field noise in TEM corrector systems

Methods for using electron diffraction holography to investigate a sample, according to the present disclosure include the initial steps of emitting a plurality of electrons toward the sample, forming the plurality of electrons into a first electron beam and a second electron beam, and modifying the focal properties of at least one of the two beams such that the two beams have different focal planes. Once the two beams have different focal planes, the methods include focusing the first electron beam such that it has a focal plane at or near the sample, and focusing the second electron beam so that it is incident on the sample, and has a focal plane in the diffraction plane. An interference pattern of the first electron beam and the diffracted second electron beam is then detected in the diffraction plane, and then used to generate a diffraction holograph.

Electron diffraction holography

Crystallographic information of crystalline sample can be determined from one or more three-dimensional diffraction pattern datasets generated based on diffraction patterns collected from multiple crystals. The crystals for diffraction pattern acquisition may be selected based on a sample image. At a location of each selected crystal, multiple diffraction patterns of the crystal are acquired at different angles of incidence by tilting the electron beam, wherein the sample is not rotated while the electron beam is directed at the selected crystal.

Methods and systems for acquiring three-dimensional electron diffraction data

An electron optical module for providing an off-axial electron beam with a tunable coma, according to the present disclosure includes a structure positioned downstream of an electron source and an electron lens assembly positioned between the structure and the electron source. The structure generates a decelerating electric field, and is positioned to prevent the passage of electrons along the optical axis of the electron lens assembly. The electron optical module further includes a micro-lens that is not positioned on the optical axis of the electron lens assembly and is configured to apply a lensing effect to an off-axial election beam. Aberrations applied to the off-axial electron beam by the micro-lens and the electron lens assembly combine so that a coma of the off-axial beam has a desired value in a downstream plane.

Electron optical module for providing an off-axial electron beam with a tunable coma

Systems and methods for reducing the buildup of charge during the investigation of samples using charged particle beams, according to the present disclosure include irradiating a first portion of a sample during a first time period, wherein the irradiating the first portion of the sample causes a gradual accumulation of net charge in the first portion of the sample, generating imaging data based on emissions resultant from irradiating the first portion of the sample, and then irradiating a second portion of a sample holder for a second time period. The methods may further includes iteratively repeating the irradiation of the first portion and the second portion during imaging of the sample region. When more than one region of interest on the sample is to be investigated, the method may also include continuing to image additional portions of the sample by iteratively irradiating a region of interest on the sample and a corresponding portion of the sample holder.

System and method for reducing the charging effect in a transmission electron microscope system

Diffraction patterns of a sample at various tilt angles are acquired by irradiating a region of interest using a first charged particle beam. Sample images are acquired by irradiating the region of interest using a second charged particle beam. The first and second charged particle beams are formed by splitting charged particles generated by a charged particle source.

Methods and systems for acquiring 3D diffraction data

An adjustable magnetic field free objective lens for a charged particle microscope is disclosed herein. An example charged particle microscope at least includes first and second optical elements arranged on opposing sides of a sample plane, a third optical element arranged around the sample plane, and a controller coupled to control the first, second and third optical elements. The controller coupled to excite the first and second optical elements to generate first and second magnetic lenses, the first and second magnetic lenses formed on opposing sides of the sample plane and oriented in the same direction, and excite the third optical element to generate a third magnetic lens at the sample plane that is oriented in an opposite direction, where a ratio of the excitation of the third optical element to the excitation of the first and second optical elements adjusts a magnetic field at the sample plane.

Magnetic field free sample plane for charged particle microscope

Growing community of inventors

Utrecht, Netherlands

Alexander Henstra