Cameca Instruments, Inc.

Imago Scientific Instruments Corporation

Jesse D Olson

Joseph Hale Bunton

Daniel Robert Lenz

Tye Travis Gribb

A laser atom probe situates a counter electrode between a specimen mount and a detector, and provides a laser having its beam aligned to illuminate the specimen through the aperture of the counter electrode. The detector, specimen mount, and/or the counter electrode may be charged to some boost voltage and then be pulsed to bring the specimen to ionization. The timing of the laser pulses may be used to determine ion departure and arrival times allowing determination of the mass-to-charge ratios of the ions, thus their identities. Automated alignment methods are described wherein the laser is automatically directed to areas of interest.

Laser atom probe methods

In an atom probe or other mass spectrometer wherein a specimen is subjected to ionizing pulses (voltage pulses, thermal pulses, etc.) which induce field evaporation of ions from the specimen, the evaporated ions are then subjected to corrective pulses which are synchronized with the ionizing pulses. These corrective pulses have a magnitude and timing sufficient to reduce the velocity distribution of the evaporated ions, thereby resulting in increased mass resolution for the atom probe/mass spectrometer. In a preferred arrangement, ionizing pulses are supplied to the specimen from a first counter electrode adjacent the specimen. The corrective pulses are then supplied from a second counter electrode which is coupled to the first via a passive or active network, with the network controlling the form (timing, amplitude, and shape) of the corrective pulses.

Methods and devices for atom probe mass resolution enhancement

A laser atom probe () situates a counter electrode between a specimen mount and a detector (), and provides a laser () having its beam () aligned to illuminate the specimen () through the aperture () of the counter electrode (). The detector, specimen mount (), and/or the counter electrode may be charged to some boost voltage and then be pulsed to bring the specimen to ionization. The timing of the laser pulses may be used to determine ion departure and arrival times allowing determination of the mass-to-charge ratios of the ions, thus their identities. Automated alignment methods are described wherein the laser is automatically directed to areas of interest.

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Madison, WI, United States of America

Jesse D Olson