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:
May. 20, 2025
Filed:
Apr. 27, 2022
Ict Integrated Circuit Testing Gesellschaft Für Halbleiterprüftechnik Mbh, Heimstetten, DE;
Dominik Ehberger, Ebersberg, DE;
John Breuer, Munich, DE;
Abstract
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.