Gatan, Inc.

Kla-tencor Technologies Corporation

Kla Tencor Corporation

Kla-technologies Corporation

Alexander Jozef Gubbens

Matthew Lent

Mehran Nasser-Ghodsi

Colin Trevor

Edward Michael James

Ye Yang

Ray Dudley Twesten

Rudy Flores Garcia

John Andrew Hunt

Paul E Mooney

Niles MacDonald

Doug Keith Masnaghetti

Chris Booth

Masoud Azimi

Radosav Pantelic

Roice Joseph

SanJay Parekh

Ron Zolkowski

Thomas Sha

Gabor D Toth

Paul F Petric

Stuart L Friedman

David Aitan Soltz

Gian Francesco Lorusso

Andrew Abbott

Laurence S Hordon

John W Coburn

Mark Borowicz

Mark Lin

Ondrej L Krivanek

Robert Anthony Watts

Michael Karl Kundmann

Melanie Barfels

Harold Winters

Sanjay Parekh

A workstation is described for mounting specimens into a cryotransfer holder at cryogenic temperature. The workstation allows rotation about the cryotransfer holder axis to improve access to the sample placement area on the holder and to facilitate easy removal and retrieval of the sample after imaging. The cryotransfer holder includes a cylindrical dewar configured to maintain a constant center of mass about the holder axis regardless of orientation of the dewar.

Cryotransfer holder and workstation

A cryotransfer holder for mounting a specimen held at cryogenic temperature in an electron microscope is described. The holder includes a cylindrical dewar configured to maintain a constant center of mass about the holder axis regardless of orientation of the dewar. The holder further includes a sample shutter control mechanism that can be decoupled from the shutter to reduce vibration during imaging. There is also described a workstation for mounting specimens into the cryotransfer holder at cryogenic temperature. The workstation allows rotation about the cryotransfer holder axis to improve access to the sample placement area on the holder and to facilitate easy removal and retrieval of the sample after imaging.

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.

Electron energy loss spectrometer using direct detection sensor

A hybrid arrangement of more than one electron energy conversion mechanism in an electron detector is arranged such that an image can be acquired from both energy converters so that selected high-illumination parts of the electron beam can be imaged with an indirectly coupled scintillator detector and the remainder of the image acquired with the highsensitivity/direct electron portion of the detector without readjustments in the beam position or mechanical positioning of the detector parts. Further, a mechanism is described to allow dynamically switchable or simultaneous linear and counted signal processing from each pixel on the detector so that high-illumination areas can be acquired linearly without severe dose rate limitation of counting and lowillumination regions can be acquired with counting.

Hybrid energy conversion and processing detector

An electron energy loss spectrometer for electron microscopy is disclosed having an electrically isolated drift tube extending through the bending magnet and through subsequent optics that focus and magnify the spectrum. An electrostatic or magnetic lens is located either before or after or both before and after the drift tube and the lens or lenses are adjusted as a function of the bending magnet drift tube voltage to maintain a constant net focal length and to avoid defocusing. An energy selecting slit is included in certain embodiments to cleanly cut off electrons dispersed outside the energy range incident on the detector, thereby eliminating artifacts caused by unwanted electrons scattering back into the spectrum.

Electron energy loss spectrometer

There is disclosed a hybrid arrangement of more than one electron energy conversion mechanism in a detector arranged physically such that the electron image can be acquired from both energy converters in such a manner that selected high-illumination parts of the image can be imaged with an indirectly coupled scintillator detector and the remainder of the image acquired with the high-sensitivity/direct electron portion of the detector without readjustments in the beam position or mechanical positioning of the detector parts. Further, a mechanism to allow dynamically switchable or simultaneous linear and counted signal processing from each pixel of the image so that high-illumination areas can be acquired linearly without the severe dose rate limitation of counting and low-illumination regions can be acquired with counting, the switchover point determined by the dose rate at which signal quality breaks even between linear and counting modes.

One embodiment relates to an objective lens utilizing magnetic and electrostatic fields which is configured to focus a primary electron beam onto a surface of a target substrate. The objective lens includes a magnetic pole piece and an electrostatic deflector configured within the pole piece. An electrostatic lens field is determined by the pole piece and the electrostatic deflector, and the electrostatic lens field is configured by adjusting offset voltages applied to plates of the electrostatic deflector. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.

Objective lens with deflector plates immersed in electrostatic lens field

One embodiment relates to an electron beam apparatus including an electron beam column, an immersion objective lens, a Wien filter, a bright-field/dark-field detector, and an electron energy spectrometer. The bright-field/dark-field detector comprising an opening configured to pass through bright field secondary electrons and one or more detector segments around the opening configured to detect dark field secondary electrons. The electron energy spectrometer configured to detect the bright field secondary electrons passed through the opening and to measure an energy spectrum of the bright field secondary electrons. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.

Bright-field/dark-field detector with integrated electron energy spectrometer

An electron beam apparatus is configured for dark field imaging of a substrate surface. Dark field is defined as an operational mode where the image contrast is sensitive to topographical features on the surface. A source generates a primary electron beam, and scan deflectors are configured to deflect the primary electron beam so as to scan the primary electron beam over the substrate surface whereby secondary and/or backscattered electrons are emitted from the substrate surface, said emitted electrons forming a scattered electron beam. A beam separator is configured to separate the scattered electron beam from the primary electron beam. The apparatus includes a cooperative arrangement which includes at least a ring-like element, a first grid, and a second grid. The ring-like element and the first and second grids each comprises conductive material. A segmented detector assembly is positioned to receive the scattered electron beam after the scattered electron beam passes through the cooperative arrangement. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed. The apparatus is configured to yield good topographical contrast, high signal to noise ratio, and to accommodate a variety of scattered beam properties that result from different primary beam and scan geometry settings.

Apparatus and method for obtaining topographical dark-field images in a scanning electron microscope

A voltage-isolating passageway for providing high voltage isolation between a component maintained at high DC voltage and a component maintained at a substantially lower voltage is described. The voltage-isolating passageway incorporates a transverse magnetic field across its passageway, which reduces the potential energy of charged particles (e.g., electrons) passing through the passageway. The voltage-isolating passageway includes a passageway and at least two magnets. The passageway has two openings and the two magnets are positioned along opposite and exterior surfaces of the passageway wherein the first and second magnets impose a magnetic field in a transverse direction with respect to a lengthwise axis of the passageway. In one embodiment, each of the passageways have small diameters and transfer gases at small flow rates. A support structure secures the passageways and magnets in position relative to each other and a magnetic shield encases the components to prevent the magnetic field from affecting external components.

Transverse magnetic field voltage isolator

One embodiment relates to a high-resolution Auger electron spectrometer in a scanning electron beam apparatus. An electron source generates a primary electron beam, and an immersion objective lens is configured to focus the primary electron beam onto a surface of a target substrate. A Wien filter is configured within the immersion objective lens and to deflect and disperse secondary electrons from the surface. A position sensitive detector is configured to receive the secondary electrons so as to detect an Auger electron spectrum. A first electron-optical lens may be positioned after the Wien filter so as to transfer a minimal-dispersion plane to an aperture plane. A second electron-optical lens may be positioned after the aperture so as to transfer a virtual focused-spectrum plane to a detector plane. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.

High-resolution auger electron spectrometer

One embodiment relates to a method of electron beam imaging of a target area of a substrate. During an imaging phase, an electron beam is controllably scanned over the target area of the substrate, and extracted secondary electrons are detected. An electric field at a surface of the substrate is changed from an original electric field after the imaging phase. During a charge control phase, the electron beam is controllably scanned over the target area of the substrate. The electric field at the surface of the substrate is reverted back to the original electric field after the charge control phase. The imaging and charge control frames are interleaved. Other embodiments and features are also disclosed.

Charge-control method and apparatus for electron beam imaging

Methods and systems for preparing a substrate for analysis are provided. One method includes removing a portion of a copper structure on the substrate using an etch chemistry in combination with an electron beam. The etch chemistry is substantially inert with respect to the copper structure except in the presence of the electron beam. Other methods involve forming masking layers on a substrate that will protect the substrate during etching. For example, one method includes exposing a first portion of the substrate to an electron beam. A second portion of the substrate not exposed to the electron beam includes a copper structure. The method also includes exposing the substrate to a fluorine containing chemical. The fluorine containing chemical bonds to the first portion but not the second portion to form a fluorine containing layer on the first portion.

Growing community of inventors

Redwood City, CA, United States of America

Alexander Jozef Gubbens