Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Ict Integrated Circuit Testing Gesellschaft Fur Halbleiterpruftechnik Mbh

Applied Materials, Inc.

Ebetech Electron-beam Technology Vertriebs Gmbh

Act Advanced Circuit Testing Gesellschaft

Ict Integrated Circuit Testing Gesellschaft F&uuml;r Halbleiterpruftechnik Mbh

Hans-Peter Feuerbaum

Dieter Winkler

Ralf Degenhardt

Pavel Adamec

Juergen Frosien

Harry Munack

Peter Fazekas

Joseph Bach

Ulrich Knauer

Jürgen Frosien

Matthias Brunner

Reinhold Schmitt

Johann Otto

Eckhard Wolfgang

Gerald Schonecker

Carlo Salvesen

Rainer Spehr

Toshimichi Iwai

Koshi Ueda

Dirk Hambach

Dror Kella

Uli Hoffmann

Walter Kögler

The invention provides a charged particle beam device to inspect or structure a specimen with a primary charged particle beam propagating along an optical axis; a beam tube element having a tube voltage; and a retarding field analyzer in the vicinity of the beam tube element to detect secondary charged particles generated by the primary charged particle beam on the specimen. According to the invention, the retarding field analyzer thereby comprises an entrance grid electrode at a second voltage; at least one filter grid electrode at a first voltage; a charged particle detector to detect the secondary charged particles; and at least one further electrode element arranged between the entrance grid electrode and the at least one filter grid electrode. The at least one further electrode element reduces the size of the stray fields regions in the retarding electric field region to improve the energy resolution of the retarding field analyzer. The improvement of the energy resolution is significant, in particular when the beam tube element is part of a high voltage beam tube.

Charged particle beam device with retarding field analyzer

A focussing lens for focussing a charged particle beam onto a specimen at a predetermined landing angle. The focussing lens comprises at least one first electrode having a first aperture to generate a focussing electric field for focussing the charged particle beam onto the specimen and a correcting electrode having a curved surface to compensate for landing angle dependent distortions of the focussing electric field caused by the specimen. With the curved surface of the correcting electrode, it is possible to improve the focussing of a charged particle beam at landing angles that differ from the perpendicular landing angle.

Focussing lens for charged particle beams

The present invention provides a charged particle beam device. The device comprises an emitter array for emitting a plurality of charged particle beams. The plurality of charged particle beams are imaged with a lens. An electrode unit is provided for accelerating the plurality of charged particle beams. The potential differences between a first potential of the emitter array, a second potential of the electrode unit, and a third potential of a specimen, are controlled by a first control unit and a second control unit. Thereby, the second potential is capable of accelerating the plurality of charged particle beams with respect to the first potential, and the third potential is capable of decelerating the plurality of charged particle beams with respect to the second potential.

Imaging system with multi source array

The invention refers to an apparatus () for inspecting a sample () of a specimen () by means of an electron beam () comprising a vacuum chamber (); an ion beam device () for generating an ion beam () used for etching a sample () from the specimen () within said vacuum chamber (); an electron beam device () having a scanning unit () for scanning the electron beam () across said specimen () within said vacuum chamber (); said electron beam device () having a first detector () positioned to detect electrons () that are released from the specimen () in a backward direction with respect to the direction of the electron beam (); and said electron beam device () having a second detector () positioned to detect electrons () that are released from the sample () of the specimen () in a forward direction with respect to the direction of the electron beam (); and separation means () within said vacuum chamber () to separate the sample () from the specimen () for the inspection of the sample () by means of the second detector (). With the apparatus according to the invention, it is possible to perform a transmission inspection of a sample of a specimen, e.g. a thin slice of a semiconductor wafer, at a high throughput at comparably low costs.

Apparatus and method for inspecting a sample of a specimen by means of an electron beam

A charged particle beam apparatus is provided which comprises a charged particle source for producing a primary beam of charged particles, aperture means for collimating said primary beam of charged particles, wherein said aperture means is adapted to switch between a collimation of said primary beam resulting in a width appropriate for serial imaging of a sample as well as a collimation of said primary beam to a width appropriate for parallel imaging of said sample, a condenser lens for condensing said primary beam of charged particles, scanning means for deflecting said primary beam of charged particles, an objective lens for focusing said condensed primary beam, a sectorized detector for detecting a secondary charged particles. Also, several different operation modes of the beam apparatus are described allowing for serial imaging as well as parallel imaging.

Charged particle beam apparatus and method for operating the same

One embodiment of the present invention is an electron microscope that includes: (a) a main vacuum chamber housing a stage therein and connected to a vacuum pump; (b) a load lock for loading a specimen into said main vacuum chamber; (c) a minicolumn non-translatably positioned inside said main chamber; and (d) a vacuum pump situated inside the main vacuum chamber and external to and connected to the minicolumn.

Charged particle beam microscope with minicolumn

A charged particle beam apparatus is provided which comprises a charged particle source for producing a primary beam of charged particles, aperture means for collimating said primary beam of charged particles, wherein said aperture means is adapted to switch between a collimation of said primary beam to a width appropriate for serial imaging of a sample as well as a collimation of said primary beam to a width appropriate for parallel imaging of said sample, a condenser lens for condensing said primary beam of charged particles, scanning means for deflecting said primary beam of charged particles, an objective lens for focusing said condensed primary beam, a sectorized detector for detecting a secondary charged particles. Also, several different operation modes of the beam apparatus are described allowing for serial imaging as well as parallel imaging.

The present invention provides an improved column for a charged particle beam device. The column comprises an aperture plate having multiple apertures to produce multiple beams of charged particles and a deflector to influence the beams of charged particles so that each beam appears to come from a different source. Furthermore, an objective lens is used in order to focus the charged-particle beams onto the specimen. Due to the deflector, multiple images of the source are created on the surface of the specimen whereby all the images can be used for parallel data acquisition. Accordingly, the speed of data acquisition is increased. With regard to the focusing properties of the objective lens, the beams of charged particles can basically be treated as independent particle beams which do not negatively affect each other. Accordingly, each beam basically provides the same resolution as the beam of a conventional charged particle beam device.

Multi beam charged particle device

The invention provides a miniaturized optical column for a charged particle beam apparatus for examining a specimen (). The column is constituted by, among other things, a charged particle source () for providing a beam of charged particles (); a lens system for guiding the beam of charged particles () from the source () onto the specimen (); and a housing () which, during operation, is set on beam boost potential.

Optical column for charged particle beam device

A charged particle beam microscope is described, which is equipped with a minicolumn. Various embodiments are disclosed, suitable for various uses. According to one embodiment the minicolumn is situated inside a mini-environment and can be introduced into and withdrawn from the main vacuum chamber. According to other embodiments, the minicolumn is situated inside the main vacuum chamber. According to further embodiments, a turntable stage is used and the minicolumn is attached to an arm movable in the radial direction of the turntable.

The invention provides a charged particle device ( ) comprising: a particle source ( ) for providing a charged particle beam ( ), and objective lens ( ) for directing the particle beam onto a specimen ( ), said objective lens ( ) having an optical axis ( ); a particle mirror ( ) located on the optical axis ( ) of the objective lens ( ), said particle mirror having a front surface, a back surface, a drift region ( ) reaching from the back surface to the front surface for letting the charged particle beam pass from the back surface to the front surface, said drift region ( ) being positioned away from the optical axis ( ), and a deflecting region located on the front surface for deflecting charge particles coming from the specimen towards a detector ( ).

Charged particle device

A charged particle beam column with a first vacuum chamber further comprises a particle source for providing a beam of charged particles and a multi aperture unit with at least two beam defining apertures for shaping the beam of charged particles. The particle source and the beam defining apertures are located within the first vacuum chamber. A separation unit for isolating a second vacuum chamber from the first vacuum chamber whereby the separation unit comprises a path aperture for the charged particle beam is arranged between the first and second vacuum chamber. A first deflecting unit directs the beam of charged particles through one of the beam defining apertures and a second deflecting unit directs the beam of charged particles through the path aperture.

Beam column for charged particle beam device

An apparatus for examining a specimen with a beam of charged particles, where charging of the specimen is avoided or reduced by injecting inert gas onto the sample's surface. In order to avoid interactions with the electron optics, various embodiments are disclosed for providing a rotationally symmetrical nozzles and/or electrodes. Additionally, embodiments are disclosed wherein a plurality of gas conduits are arranged in a rotationally symmetrical manner. Alternatively, the conduit is incorporated into an element of the electron optics, such as the magnetic lens. Also, in order to reduce or eliminate interaction of the electrons with the gas molecules, embodiments are disclosed wherein the gas is pulsated, rather than continually injected.

Apparatus and method for examining specimen with a charged particle beam

The invention provides an objective lens for focusing a charged particle beam on a specimen. The objective lens comprises a first focusing lens positioned between a charged particle source and the specimen for finely focusing the beam of charged particles on the specimen. The objective lens further comprises a second focusing electrostatic lens positioned between the first focusing lens and the specimen for coarsely focusing the beam of charged particles on the specimen.

Method and device for focusing a charged particle beam

The invention relates to a method as well as to apparatus for testing the function of microstructure elements, wherein the microstructure element is driven for testing the emission and/or mechanical properties and the corpuscles emitted or reflected by it are detected and evaluated.

Growing community of inventors

Munich, Germany

Hans-Peter Feuerbaum