Credence Systems Corporation

Nptest, Inc.

Hui Wang

Kenichi Kanai

Lokesh Johri

Madhumita Sengupta

James Siebert

Dennis McCarty

Simon Voong

Hiroyasu Koike

A charged particle beam system and scanning control method capable of imaging, and possibly editing, a device under test (DUT). The charged particle beam system contains a charged particle beam generation unit, such as a focused ion beam (FIB) column, which emits a charged particle beam onto the DUT. Also included is a scan controller arrangement implementing a finite state machine to control the application of the charged particle beam onto the DUT according to a plurality of scanning control parameters. The scanning control parameters may describe one or more scan regions that are rectangular in shape. Further, the parameters may describe one or more scan regions describing other shapes by way of a bit-map. Similarly, a method for controlling the scanning of a charged particle beam that involves obtaining a set of scanning control parameters, and then directing the charged particle beam as specified by the scanning control parameters by way of a finite state machine, is disclosed.

Enhanced scanning control of charged particle beam systems

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for open-loop waveform acquisition. In general, in one aspect, the invention provides a method for open-loop waveform acquisition. The method includes acquiring an S-curve of an acquisition loop of an electron-beam probe system. The S-curve represents a response of the acquisition loop to changes of potential differences between the acquisition loop and a device under test. The method includes calibrating the acquisition loop to obtain a linear region in the acquired S-curve and using the linear portion of the acquired S-curve to calculate voltage at a probe point of the device under test.

Open-loop for waveform acquisition

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Newark, CA, United States of America

Hui Wang