Ict Integrated Circuit Testing Gesellschaft Fur Halbleiterpruftechnik Mbh

John Breuer

Matthias Firnkes

Dominik Patrick Ehberger

Stefan Lanio

Florian Lampersberger

Pieter Kruit

Jürgen Frosien

Alex Goldenshtein

Ivo Liska

Alexander Goldenstein

Aleksandra Kramer

Shem Yehoyda Prazot Ofenburg

Johannes Hopster

Hanno Kaupp

Thomas Kernen

Rony Reuveni

Christian Droese

Kathrin Mohler

A method of forming a multipole device () for influencing an electron beam () is provided. The method is carried out in an electron beam apparatus () that comprises an aperture body () having at least one aperture opening (). The method comprises directing the electron beam () onto two or more surface portions of the aperture body () on two or more sides of the at least one aperture opening () to generate an electron beam-induced deposition pattern () configured to act as a multipole in a charged state, particularly configured to act as a quadrupole, a hexapole and/or an octupole. The electron beam-induced deposition pattern () can be an electron beam-induced carbon or carbonaceous pattern. Further provided are methods of influencing an electron beam in an electron beam apparatus, particularly with a multipole device as described herein. Further provided is a multipole device for influencing an electron beam in an electron beam apparatus in a predetermined manner.

Method of forming a multipole device, method of influencing an electron beam, and multipole device

A corrector for correcting aberrations of a charged particle beam in a charged particle beam device is described. The corrector includes a plurality of wires configured to be in a plane perpendicular to a beam axis. The wires forming two or more openings for passing of the charged particle beam through the two or more openings. The plurality of wires includes at least a first wire having a first connector configured to provide a first voltage to the first wire and a second wire having a second connector configured to provide a second voltage to the second wire. The second voltage being different than the first voltage.

Charged particle beam system, corrector for aberration correction of a charged particle beam, and method thereof

A method of determining a brightness (B) of a charged particle beam () focused by a focusing lens () toward a sample () in a charged particle beam imaging device () is described. The method includes (a) taking one or more images (h) of the sample with the charged particle beam imaging device; (b) retrieving one or more beam profiles (g) of the charged particle beam from the one or more images; and (c) determining the brightness (B) of the charged particle beam () based on at least the one or more beam profiles (g, g), a probe current (I) of the charged particle beam, and a landing potential (LE) of the charged particle beam. Optionally, the brightness (B) determined as above can be used for determining a size (D) of a source () of the charged particle beam (). Further, a charged particle beam imaging device () configured for any of the methods described herein is provided.

Method of determining a brightness of a charged particle beam, method of determining a size of a source of the charged particle beam, and charged particle beam imaging device

A method of determining aberrations of a charged particle beam () focused by a focusing lens () with a given numerical aperture (NA) toward a sample () in a charged particle beam system is described. The method includes: (a.) simulating, based at least on the given numerical aperture (NA), one or more beam cross sections at one or more first defocus settings for each of two or more different values of a first beam aberration coefficient (C) of a set of beam aberration coefficients (C), to provide a plurality of first simulated beam cross sections; (b.) extracting two or more values of a first aberration characteristic (C) that is related to the first beam aberration coefficient (C) from the plurality of first simulated beam cross sections; (c.) determining a first dependency between the first beam aberration coefficient (C) and the first aberration characteristic (C); (d.) taking one or more images of the sample at the one or more first defocus settings or at one or more second defocus settings, to provide one or more taken images, and retrieving one or more retrieved beam cross sections from the one or more taken images; (e.) extracting a retrieved value of the first aberration characteristic from the one or more retrieved beam cross sections; and (f.) determining an actual value of the first beam aberration coefficient based on the first dependency and based on the retrieved value of the first aberration characteristic.

Methods of determining aberrations of a charged particle beam, and charged particle beam system

It is provided a current measurement modulefor measuring a current of a primary charged particle beamof a charged particle beam device, the current measurement moduleincluding a detection unitconfigured for detecting secondary and/or backscattered charged particlesreleased on impingement of the primary charged particle beamon a conductive surfaceof a beam dumpof the charged particle beam device.

Primary charged particle beam current measurement

A method of determining aberrations of a charged particle beam () focused by a focusing lens () toward a sample () in a charged particle beam system is described. The method includes: (a) taking one or more images of the sample at one or more defocus settings to provide one or more taken images (h...); (b) simulating one or more images of the sample taken at the one or more defocus settings based on a set of beam aberration coefficients (C) and a focus image of the sample to provide one or more simulated images; (c) comparing the one or more taken images and the one or more simulated images for determining a magnitude (Ri) of a difference therebetween; and (d) varying the set of beam aberration coefficients (C) to provide an updated set of beam aberration coefficients (C) and repeating (b) and (c) using the updated set of beam aberration coefficients (C) in an iterative process for minimizing said magnitude (R). Alternatively, in (b), one or more beam cross sections may be simulated, and, in (c) the simulated beam cross sections may be compared with one or more retrieved beam cross sections retrieved from the one or more taken images for determining a magnitude (R) of a difference therebetween. Further, a charged particle beam system for imaging and/or inspecting a sample that is configured for any of such methods is provided.

A method of determining a beam convergence of a charged particle beam () focused by a focusing lens () toward a sample () in a charged particle beam system () is provided. The method includes (a) taking one or more images of the sample when the sample is arranged at one or more defocus distances from a respective beam focus of the charged particle beam; (b) retrieving one or more beam cross sections from the one or more images; (c) determining one or more beam widths from the one or more beam cross sections; and (d) calculating at least one beam convergence value based on the one or more beam widths and the one or more defocus distances. Further, a charged particle beam system for imaging and/or inspecting a sample that is configured for any of the methods described herein is provided.

Method of determining the beam convergence of a focused charged particle beam, and charged particle beam system

A charged particle beam apparatus with a charged particle source to generate a primary charged particle beam, a sample holder to hold a sample for impingement of the primary charged particle beam on the sample, a pulsed laser configured to generate a pulsed light beam for impingement onto an area on the sample, and an electrode to collect electrons emitted from the sample in a non-linear photoemission.

Charged particle beam apparatus and method of controlling sample charge

Provided is an aberration corrector having a plurality of magnetic poles including a first magnetic pole and further magnetic poles, a ring that magnetically connects the plurality of magnetic poles with one another, the ring having a constant spacing to at least the first magnetic pole, a plurality of magnetic field modulators including a first magnetic field modulator and further magnetic field modulators, and a plurality of guides including a first guide and further guides; wherein the first magnetic field modulator includes a soft magnetic material, wherein the first magnetic field modulator is disposed in a first position, the first position being one of the following: adjacent to a first air gap separating the first magnetic pole and the ring, or at an inner ring surface or radially outward of the inner ring surface along an axis of the first magnetic pole, and wherein the first guide constrains the first magnetic field modulator to positions along a first axis substantially parallel to or coincident with the axis of the first magnetic pole.

Aberration corrector and method of aligning aberration corrector

A method of operating a charged particle beam device is disclosed, including focusing a charged particle beam onto a sample with an objective lens assembly; passing a reflected light beam through a bore of the objective lens assembly to an interferometer; and interferometrically determining a z-position of the sample with the interferometer. A charged particle beam device is disclosed, including a charged particle beam generator which has a charged particle source. A charged particle path for the charged particle beam extends through a bore of an objective lens assembly toward a sample stage. An interferometer is arranged to receive a reflected light beam which passes through the bore of the objective lens assembly.

Charged particle beam device with interferometer for height measurement

A charged particle beam device for inspecting a specimen is described. The charged particle beam device includes a beam source for emitting a charged particle beam, an electrode for influencing the charged particle beam, and a damping unit provided on the electrode for damping vibrations of the electrode. Further, an objective lens module with an electrode is described, wherein a damping unit is provided on the electrode. Further, an electrode device is described, wherein a mass damper is mounted on a disk-shaped electrode body of the electrode device.

Charged particle beam device, objective lens module, electrode device, and method of inspecting a specimen

A charged particle beam device for inspection of a specimen with an array of primary charged particle beamlets is described. The charged particle beam device includes a charged particle beam source to generate a primary charged particle beam; a multi-aperture plate having at least two openings to generate an array of charged particle beamlets having at least a first beamlet having a first resolution on the specimen and a second beamlet having a second resolution on the specimen; an aberration correction element to correct at least one of spherical aberrations and chromatic aberrations of rotational symmetric charged particle lenses; and an objective lens assembly for focusing each primary charged particle beamlet of the array of primary charged particle beamlets onto a separate location on the specimen.

Aberration-corrected multibeam source, charged particle beam device and method of imaging or illuminating a specimen with an array of primary charged particle beamlets

An electron beam device for inspecting a sample with an electron beam is described. The electron beam device includes an electron beam source including a thermal field emitter, which includes an emitter tip having an emission facet configured for electron emission, wherein the emission facet has an emission facet width; and a first side facet and a second side facet, wherein an edge facet is formed between the first side facet and the second side facet, which has an edge facet width. The edge facet width is between 20% and 40% of the emission facet width. The electron beam source further includes an extractor device; and a heating device for heating the thermal field emitter. The electron beam device further includes electron beam optics and a detector device for detecting secondary charged particles generated at an impingement or hitting of the primary electron beam on the sample.

Thermal field emitter tip, electron beam device including a thermal field emitter tip and method for operating an electron beam device

A beam separator device () is described. The beam separator device () includes a first deflector () providing a first magnetic deflection field (B) for deflecting a charged particle beam () propagating along a beam entrance axis (A) by a first deflection angle (&#x3b1;); a second deflector () arranged downstream from the first deflector () providing a second magnetic deflection field (B) for deflecting the charged particle beam by a second deflection angle (&#x3b1;) in the direction of an intermediate beam axis (A), wherein the second deflector () is configured for deflecting the charged particle beam () re-entering the beam separator device () along the intermediate beam axis (A) by a third deflection angle (&#x3b1;); a third deflector () arranged downstream from the second deflector () providing a third magnetic deflection field (B) for deflecting the charged particle beam () by a fourth deflection angle (&#x3b1;) in the direction of a beam exit axis (A); a first rotation-free lens to be arranged at a first crossover (X) of the charged particle beam between the first deflector () and the second deflector () for at least partially compensating for a dispersion introduced by at least one of the first deflector and the second deflector; and a second rotation-free lens to be arranged at a second crossover (X) of the charged particle beam between the second deflector () and the third deflector () for at least partially compensating for a dispersion introduced by at least one of the second deflector and the third deflector.

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Munich, Germany

John Breuer