The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 08, 2019
Filed:
Feb. 08, 2016
Fei Company, Hillsboro, OR (US);
Thomas G. Miller, Portland, OR (US);
FEI Company, Hillsboro, OR (US);
Abstract
A method for rapid switching between operating modes with differing beam currents in a charged particle system is disclosed. Many FIB milling applications require precise positioning of a milled pattern within a region of interest (RoI). This may be accomplished by using fiducial marks near the RoI, wherein the FIB is periodically deflected to image these marks during FIB milling. Any drift of the beam relative to the RoI can then be measured and compensated for, enabling more precise positioning of the FIB milling beam. It is often advantageous to use a lower current FIB for imaging since this may enable higher spatial resolution in the image of the marks. For faster FIB milling, a larger beam current is desired. Thus, for optimization of the FIB milling process, a method for rapidly switching between high and low current operating modes is desirable.