公开(公告)号：EP2579578A1

公开(公告)日：2013-04-10

申请号：EP12187329.3

申请日：2012-10-05

申请人： FEI COMPANY

发明人： Janssen, Bart ,  Van Hoften, Gerald ,  Luecken, Uwe

IPC分类号： H04N5/32 ,  H04N5/374 ,  H04N5/357

CPC分类号： H04N5/335 ,  H01L27/146 ,  H04N5/32 ,  H04N5/3575 ,  H04N5/374

摘要： The invention relates to a method of using a CMOS chip for direct charged particle counting. To avoid reset noise, it is known to use Correlative Double Sampling: for each signal value the pixel is sampled twice: once (204) directly after reset and once (206) after an integration time. The signal is then determined (208) by subtracting the reset value from the later acquired value, and the pixel is reset again (202). Typically the integration time is chosen sufficiently short that the chance that two particles impinge on one pixel is negligible, thereby enabling event counting.
Although this technique removes reset noise and fixed pattern noise, it also lowers the image rate to half the frame rate, as a pixel needs to be sampled twice for one signal value.
The invention proposes to reset the pixel only after a large number of read-outs. This is based on the insight that typically a large number of events, typically approximately 10, are needed to cause a full pixel. By either resetting after a large number of images, or when one pixel of the image shows a signal above a predetermined value (for example 0.8 x the full-well capacity), the image speed can be almost doubled when compared to the prior art method, using a reset after acquiring a signal.

摘要翻译： 本发明涉及使用CMOS芯片进行直接带电粒子计数的方法。 为了避免复位噪声，已知使用相关双倍采样：对于每个信号值，像素被采样两次：复位后直接（204），积分时间后一次（206）。 然后通过从稍后获取的值中减去复位值来确定（208）信号，并且再次复位像素（202）。 通常，积分时间被选择得足够短，使得两个粒子撞击在一个像素上的可能性是可忽略的，从而使事件计数。 虽然这种技术消除了复位噪声和固定模式噪声，但是由于像素需要对一个信号值进行两次采样，所以它也将图像速率降低到帧速率的一半。 本发明提出仅在大量读出之后才复位像素。 这基于通常需要大量事件（通常约10个）来引起完整像素的洞察。 通过在大量图像之后复位，或者当图像的一个像素显示高于预定值（例如0.8×全阱容量）的信号时，与现有技术方法相比，图像速度可以几乎翻倍 在获取信号后使用复位。

公开(公告)号：EP3062126A1

公开(公告)日：2016-08-31

申请号：EP16156848.0

申请日：2016-02-23

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Kontaras, Nikolaos ,  Janssen, Bart ,  Kooijman, Cornelis ,  Antunes, Duarte

IPC分类号： G01T1/17

CPC分类号： H01J37/244 ,  G01T1/17 ,  H01J37/28 ,  H01J2237/22

摘要： The invention relates to a method for analyzing an analogue signal (fig. 3, 400) comprising randomly spaced events (301, 302), the event having an event height, the method comprising:
• Converting the signal to a series of samples S(t), with t the moment of sampling, thereby forming a sampled, discrete time signal,
• Detecting the presence of an event, the event detected at t = T,
• Estimating the event height using a number of samples preceding the event and a number of samples following S(T),
the method further comprising:
• Using a model (412, fig. 5) to estimate a noise contribution N(t) for t = (T-Δ 1 ) to t = (T+Δ 2 ), the noise contribution derived from samples S(t) with t ≤ (T-Δ 1 ) and/or samples S(t) with t ≥ (T+Δ 2 ), with Δ 1 and Δ 2 predetermined or preset time periods, Δ 1 having a value such that the event has a negligible contribution to samples taken before (T-Δ 1 ) and Δ 2 having a value such that the event has a negligible contribution to samples taken after (T+Δ 2 ),
• Estimating the event height E by integrating the series of samples from (T-Δ 1 ) to (T+Δ 2 ) minus the noise contribution for said samples, E = ∑ t = T − Δ 1 t = T + Δ 2 S t − ∑ t = T − Δ 1 t = T + Δ 2 N t = ∑ t = T − Δ 1 t = T + Δ 2 S t − N t .
In an important aspect of the invention, the sampled signal is subjected to a sparsification operation that causes said event to be temporally compressed.
This method is particularly useful for X-ray detectors, such as Silicon Drift Detectors, used in a SEM. By estimating the noise contribution to the signal, the step height is estimated with improved accuracy. The invention further describes several methods to be used as a model.

摘要翻译： 本发明涉及一种用于分析包含随机间隔事件（301,302）的模拟信号（图3，400）的方法，所述事件具有事件高度，所述方法包括：将信号转换为一系列样本S （t），t为采样时刻，从而形成采样的离散时间信号，¢检测事件的存在，t = T时检测到的事件，¢使用前面的多个样本估计事件高度 事件和S（T）之后的多个样本，该方法还包括：使用模型（412，图5）估计t =（T-1）到t =的噪声贡献N（t） （T +“2），从t‰（T - 1）和/或样本S（t）得到的样本S（t）的噪声贡献与t‰（T +”2），“1和”2 预定或预设的时间段，“1具有使得事件对（T-1）之前采取的样本的贡献可忽略不计的值，并且”2具有使得事件具有可忽略的公理 对（T +“2）之后采样的样本的贡献，¢通过将来自（T-1）到（T + 2）的一系列样本减去所述样本的噪声贡献来估计事件高度E，E ='t = T'“1 t = T +”2 S t“t = T'”1 t = T +“2 N t ='t = T'”1 t = T + t'N t。 在本发明的一个重要方面，采样信号经受使所述事件被时间压缩的稀疏化操作。 该方法对于SEM中使用的X射线检测器，例如硅漂移探测器特别有用。 通过估计对信号的噪声贡献，以提高的精度估计台阶高度。 本发明还描述了用作模型的几种方法。

公开(公告)号：EP3062125A1

公开(公告)日：2016-08-31

申请号：EP15156716.1

申请日：2015-02-26

申请人： FEI COMPANY

发明人： Kontaras, Nikolaos ,  Janssen, Bart ,  Kooijman, Kees ,  Antunes, Duarte

IPC分类号： G01T1/17

CPC分类号： H01J37/244 ,  G01T1/17 ,  H01J37/28 ,  H01J2237/22

摘要： The invention relates to a method for analyzing an analogue signal (fig. 3, 400) comprising randomly spaced events (301, 302), the event having an event height, the method comprising:
• Converting the signal to a series of samples S(t), with t the moment of sampling, thereby forming a sampled, discrete time signal,
• Detecting the presence of an event, the event detected at t = T,
• Estimating the event height using a number of samples preceding the event and a number of samples following S(T),
Characterized in that the method further comprises
• Using a model (412, fig. 5) to estimate a noise contribution N(t) for t = (T-Δ 1 ) to t = (T+Δ 2 ), the noise contribution derived from samples S(t) with t ≤ (T-Δ 1 ) and/or samples S(t) with t ≥ (T+Δ 2 ), witch Δ 1 and Δ 2 predetermined or preset time periods, Δ 1 having a value such that the event has a negligible contribution to samples taken before (T-Δ 1 ) and Δ 2 having a value such that the event has a negligible contribution to samples taken after (T+Δ 2 ),
• Estimating the event height E by integrating the series of samples from (T-Δ 1 ) to (T+Δ 2 ) minus the noise contribution for said samples, E = ∑ t = T - Δ 1 t = T + Δ 2 S t - ∑ t = T - Δ 1 t = T + Δ 2 N t = ∑ t = T - Δ 1 t = T + Δ 2 S t - N t .
This method is particularly useful for X-ray detectors, such as Silicon Drift Detectors, used in a SEM. By estimating the noise contribution to the signal, the step height is estimated with improved accuracy. The invention further describes several methods to be used as a model.

摘要翻译： 本发明涉及一种用于分析包含随机间隔事件（301,302）的模拟信号（图3，400）的方法，所述事件具有事件高度，所述方法包括：将信号转换为一系列样本S （t），t为采样时刻，从而形成采样的离散时间信号，¢检测事件的存在，t = T时检测到的事件，¢使用前面的多个样本估计事件高度 事件和S（T）之后的多个样本，其特征在于该方法还包括使用模型（412，图5）估计t =（T-1）至 t =（T +“2），样本S（t）与t‰（T-”1）和/或样本S（t）t +（T +“2）的噪声贡献， “2个预定或预设时间段”1具有使得该事件对（T-1）之前采取的采样具有可忽略的贡献的值，并且“2具有使得偶数 对（T +“2）之后采样的样本贡献可以忽略不计，通过将来自（T-1）到（T + 2）的一系列样本减去所述样本的噪声贡献来估计事件高度E，E = t = T - “1 t = T +”2 S t - 't = T - “1 t = T +”2 N t ='t = T - “1 t = T + t - N t。 该方法对于SEM中使用的X射线检测器，例如硅漂移探测器特别有用。 通过估计对信号的噪声贡献，以提高的精度估计台阶高度。 本发明还描述了用作模型的几种方法。

公开(公告)号：EP2690648A1

公开(公告)日：2014-01-29

申请号：EP12178060.5

申请日：2012-07-26

申请人： FEI COMPANY

发明人： Foord, David ,  Miller, Thomas ,  Routh, Brian ,  Tiemeijer, Peter ,  Janssen, Bart ,  Lazic, Ivan

IPC分类号： H01J37/305 ,  H01J37/26 ,  H01J37/295

CPC分类号： H01J37/28 ,  B82Y35/00 ,  G01Q10/04 ,  H01J37/26 ,  H01J37/295 ,  H01J37/3056 ,  H01J2237/2067 ,  H01J2237/208 ,  H01J2237/226 ,  H01J2237/2442 ,  H01J2237/24455 ,  H01J2237/2447 ,  H01J2237/2611 ,  H01J2237/2614 ,  H01J2237/31749

摘要： The invention relates to a method of preparing and imaging a sample (101) using a particle-optical apparatus ( 100 ), equipped with an electron column (120) and an ion beam column (140), a camera system (110), a manipulator (160)
the method comprising the steps of
Deriving a first ptychographic image of the sample from a first electron image,
then thinning the sample, and forming a second ptychographic image of the sample.
In an embodiments of the invention the seed image used for the second image is the first ptychografic image. In another embodiment the second ptychographic image is the image of the layer removed during the thinning, In yet another embodiment the inner potential of the sample is determined and dopant concentrations are determined.

摘要翻译： 本发明涉及一种使用配有电子柱（120）和离子束（140）的粒子光学装置（100）制备和成像样品（101）的方法，相机系统（110）， 操纵器（160），该方法包括以下步骤：从第一电子图像中导出样品的第一ptychographic图像，然后使样品变薄，并形成样品的第二ptychographic图像。 在本发明的一个实施例中，用于第二图像的种子图像是第一个ptychografic图像。 在另一个实施方案中，第二ptychographic图像是在稀化期间去除的层的图像。在另一个实施方案中，确定样品的内部电位并确定掺杂剂浓度。

公开(公告)号：EP2579575A1

公开(公告)日：2013-04-10

申请号：EP11184107.8

申请日：2011-10-06

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Janssen, Bart ,  Van Hoften, Gerald ,  Luecken, Uwe

IPC分类号： H04N5/32 ,  H04N5/374 ,  H04N5/357

CPC分类号： H04N5/335 ,  H01L27/146 ,  H04N5/32 ,  H04N5/3575 ,  H04N5/374

摘要： The invention relates to a method of using a CMOS chip for direct charged particle counting. To avoid reset noise, it is known to use Correlative Double Sampling: for each signal value the pixel is sampled twice: once (204) directly after reset and once (206) after an integration time. The signal is then determined (208) by subtracting the reset value from the later acquired value, and the pixel is reset again (202). Typically the integration time is chosen sufficiently short that the chance that two particles impinge on one pixel is negligible, thereby enabling event counting.
Although this technique removes reset noise and fixed pattern noise, it also lowers the image rate to half the frame rate, as a pixel needs to be sampled twice for one signal value.
The invention proposes to reset the pixel only after a large number of read-outs. This is based on the insight that typically a large number of events, typically approximately 10, are needed to cause a full pixel. By either resetting after a large number of images, or when one pixel of the image shows a signal above a predetermined value (for example 0.8 x the full-well capacity), the image speed can be almost doubled when compared to the prior art method, using a reset after acquiring a signal.

摘要翻译： 本发明涉及使用CMOS芯片进行直接带电粒子计数的方法。 为了避免复位噪声，已知使用相关双采样：对于每个信号值，像素被采样两次：在复位后直接一次（204），在积分时间后一次（206）。 然后通过从稍后获取的值中减去复位值来确定（208）信号，并且再次复位像素（202）。 通常选择的积分时间足够短，以至于两个粒子撞击一个像素的机会可以忽略不计，从而实现事件计数。 尽管此技术可消除复位噪声和固定模式噪声，但它也会将图像速率降低到帧速率的一半，因为对于一个信号值，像素需要采样两次。 本发明提出仅在大量读出之后重置像素。 这是基于以下认识：通常需要大量的事件（通常大约10次）来产生全像素。 通过在大量图像之后重置，或者当图像的一个像素显示高于预定值（例如0.8×全阱容量）的信号时，与现有技术方法相比，图像速度可以几乎加倍 ，在获取信号后使用复位。

公开(公告)号：EP4123682A3

公开(公告)日：2023-05-17

申请号：EP22180090.7

申请日：2022-06-21

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Janssen, Bart ,  Van Veen, Gerard ,  Kieft, Erik

IPC分类号： H01J37/244

摘要： Electron beam modulation in response to optical pump pulses applied to a sample is measured using SPAD elements. Individual detection events are used to form histograms of numbers of events in time bins associated with pump pulse timing. The histograms can be produced at a SPAD array, simplifying data transfer. In some examples, two SPAD arrays are stacked and a coincidence circuit discriminates signal events from noise events by determining corresponding events are detected withing a predetermined time window.

公开(公告)号：EP3223039A1

公开(公告)日：2017-09-27

申请号：EP16161322.9

申请日：2016-03-21

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Janssen, Bart ,  Franken, Erik ,  Kuijper, Maarten ,  Yu, Lingbo

IPC分类号： G01T1/24

CPC分类号： G01T1/247

摘要： When detecting particulate radiation, such as electrons, with a pixelated detector, a cloud of electron/hole pairs is formed in the detector. Using the signal caused by this cloud of electron/hole pairs a position of the impact is estimated. Inventors found that, when the size of the cloud is comparable to the pixel size, or much smaller, the estimated position shows a strong bias to the center of the pixel and the corners, as well to the middle of the borders. This hinders forming an image with super-resolution. By shifting the position or by attributing the electron to several sub-pixels this bias can be countered, resulting in a more truthful representation.
Inventors further found that by spreading the image Moiré-effects and interferences in the image can be countered. As long as the image is a sparse image (almost all pixels representing one or no impact) this spreading is a reversible process. After spreading (effectively a spatial low-pass filtering) a high-pass filtering may be used to crisp the image.
It is noted that shifting and/or spreading the information over several image pixels should take place before adding the events per image pixel. When said spreading is done after combining detector images, information is lost. It is noted that shifting cannot take place after combining detector images.

公开(公告)号：EP3168651A1

公开(公告)日：2017-05-17

申请号：EP16198005.7

申请日：2016-11-09

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Janssen, Bart ,  Franken, Erik ,  Kuijper, Maarten ,  Yu, Lingbo

IPC分类号： G01T1/24

摘要： When detecting particulate radiation, such as electrons, with a pixelated detector, a cloud of electron/hole pairs is formed in the detector. Using the signal caused by this cloud of electron/hole pairs a position of the impact is estimated. Inventors found that, when the size of the cloud is comparable to the pixel size, or much smaller, the estimated position shows a strong bias to the center of the pixel and the corners, as well to the middle of the borders. This hinders forming an image with super-resolution. By shifting the position or by attributing the electron to several sub-pixels this bias can be countered, resulting in a more truthful representation.
Inventors further found that by spreading the image Moiré-effects and interferences in the image can be countered. As long as the image is a sparse image (almost all pixels representing one or no impact) this spreading is a reversible process. After spreading (effectively a spatial low-pass filtering) a high-pass filtering may be used to crisp the image.
It is noted that shifting and/or spreading the information over several image pixels should take place before adding the events per image pixel. When said spreading is done after combining detector images, information is lost. It is noted that shifting cannot take place after combining detector images.

摘要翻译： 当使用像素化检测器检测诸如电子的微粒辐射时，在检测器中形成电子/空穴对的云。 使用由这个电子/空穴对云引起的信号估计影响的位置。 发明人发现，当云的大小与像素大小相当或更小时，估计的位置对像素和角落的中心以及边界的中间显示出强烈的偏差。 这妨碍了以超分辨率形成图像。 通过改变位置或通过将电子归于若干子像素，可以抵消这种偏差，从而产生更真实的表示。 发明人进一步发现，通过传播图像可以抵制图像中的莫尔效应和干扰。 只要图像是一个稀疏图像（几乎所有的像素代表一个或没有影响），这种传播是一个可逆过程。 在扩展（有效地进行空间低通滤波）之后，可以使用高通滤波来清晰化图像。 注意到在每个图像像素添加事件之前应该在多个图像像素上移动和/或扩展信息。 当合并检测器图像之后进行所述扩散时，信息丢失。 注意到在组合探测器图像之后不能进行移位。

公开(公告)号：EP4198576A1

公开(公告)日：2023-06-21

申请号：EP21214549.4

申请日：2021-12-14

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Janssen, Bart ,  Franken, Erik ,  Van der Heide, Auke

IPC分类号： G01T1/17 ,  G01T1/24

摘要： Disclosed herein are methods, apparatuses, systems, and computer-readable media related to defective pixel management in charged particle microscopy. For example, in some embodiments, a charged particle microscope support apparatus may: identify a working pixel region of a charged particle camera, wherein the working pixel region is proximate to a defective pixel region in which the charged particle camera cannot detect charged particle events; generate a set of charged particle event indicators that represent a charged particle event in the working pixel region; adjust the set of charged particle event indicators so that a charged particle event intensity over the working pixel region is not significantly greater than a charged particle event intensity over the defective pixel region; and output charged particle event data, wherein the charged particle event data includes data representative of the adjusted set of charged particle event indicators.

公开(公告)号：EP4123682A2

公开(公告)日：2023-01-25

申请号：EP22180090.7

申请日：2022-06-21

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Janssen, Bart ,  Van Veen, Gerard ,  Kieft, Erik

IPC分类号： H01J37/244

摘要： Electron beam modulation in response to optical pump pulses applied to a sample is measured using SPAD elements. Individual detection events are used to form histograms of numbers of events in time bins associated with pump pulse timing. The histograms can be produced at a SPAD array, simplifying data transfer. In some examples, two SPAD arrays are stacked and a coincidence circuit discriminates signal events from noise events by determining corresponding events are detected withing a predetermined time window.