公开(公告)号：US20230101676A1

公开(公告)日：2023-03-30

申请号：US18059585

申请日：2022-11-29

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Edwin Verschueren ,  Paul Tacx

IPC分类号： H01J37/02 ,  H01J37/28 ,  H02N2/06

摘要： A positioning system can include a drive unit having an actuator element and a control system. The actuator element can include a piezoelectric material. The control system can be configured to select a path between a first position and a second position, identify at least one change of direction of the actuator element along the selected path, generate a hysteresis-compensated drive signal based at least in part on the change in direction, and apply the hysteresis-compensated drive signal to the actuator element to move an object along the path.

公开(公告)号：US20230040961A1

公开(公告)日：2023-02-09

申请号：US17393890

申请日：2021-08-04

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Marcos Hernandez

IPC分类号： G01R31/00

摘要： Electrostatic discharge (ESD) test systems include a FET-based pulse generator using pairs of back-to-back FETs coupled to produce an ESD pulse based on discharging a capacitor that is coupled in series with a device under test (DUT). A number of FETs can be selected based on an intended ESD test voltage magnitude.

公开(公告)号：US11562877B2

公开(公告)日：2023-01-24

申请号：US16685897

申请日：2019-11-15

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Edwin Verschueren ,  Paul Tacx

IPC分类号： H01J37/02 ,  H01J37/28

摘要： A method of producing a compensation signal to compensate for misalignment of a drive unit clamp element can include applying a clamp element drive signal to a drive unit clamp element to engage a mover element. A first displacement of the mover element can be determined. A first compensation signal to be applied to one or more drive unit shear elements can be determined based at least in part on the first displacement. The first compensation signal can be applied to the one or more drive unit shear elements and the clamp element drive signal can be applied to the drive unit clamp element. A second displacement can be determined in response to the application of the first compensation signal and the clamp element drive signal. The second displacement can then be compared to a preselected threshold. For a second displacement less than the preselected threshold, combining the first compensation signal with an initial shear element drive signal to produce a modified shear element drive signal, and for a second displacement greater than the preselected threshold, determining a second compensation signal to be applied to the one or more drive unit shear elements.

公开(公告)号：US20230020957A1

公开(公告)日：2023-01-19

申请号：US17374459

申请日：2021-07-13

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Bart BUIJSSE ,  Bart Jozef JANSSEN

IPC分类号： H01J37/26 ,  H01J37/295

摘要： Method and system for generating a diffraction image comprises acquiring multiple frames from a direct-detection detector responsive to irradiating a sample with an electron beam. Multiple diffraction peaks in the multiple frames are identified. A first dose rate of at least one diffraction peak in the identified diffraction peaks is estimated in the counting mode. If the first dose rate is not greater than a threshold dose rate, a diffraction image including the diffraction peak is generated by counting electron detection events. Values of pixels belonging to the diffraction peak are determined with a first set of counting parameter values corresponding to a first coincidence area. Values of pixels not belonging to any of the multiple diffraction peaks are determined using a second, set of counting parameter values corresponding to a second, different, coincidence area.

公开(公告)号：US20230005705A1

公开(公告)日：2023-01-05

申请号：US17364621

申请日：2021-06-30

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Bart Jozef Janssen ,  Gerard van Veen ,  Erik Kieft

IPC分类号： H01J37/244 ,  H01J37/04

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：US20230005702A1

公开(公告)日：2023-01-05

申请号：US17364802

申请日：2021-06-30

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Erik Michiel FRANKEN ,  Bart Jozef JANSSEN

IPC分类号： H01J37/20 ,  H01J37/244 ,  H01J37/26 ,  H01J37/22

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 include: first logic to identify a defective pixel region of a charged particle camera, wherein the charged particle camera cannot detect charged particle events in the defective pixel region; second logic to generate a first charged particle event indicator that identifies a first time and a first location of a first charged particle event outside the defective pixel region, wherein the first charged particle event is detected by the charged particle camera; third logic to generate a second charged particle event indicator that identifies a second time and a second location in the defective pixel region; and fourth logic to output data representative of the charged particle event indicators.

公开(公告)号：US20230003675A1

公开(公告)日：2023-01-05

申请号：US17365832

申请日：2021-07-01

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Oleksii KAPLENKO ,  Jan KLUSCÁEK ,  Tomás TÛMA ,  Mykola KAPLENKO ,  Ondrej MACHEK

IPC分类号： G01N23/2252 ,  G01N23/20 ,  G01N23/203 ,  G01N23/04 ,  G01N23/083 ,  G06N3/02

摘要： Method and system are disclosed for determining sample composition from spectral data acquired by a charged particle microscopy system. Chemical elements in a sample are identified by processing the spectral data with a trained neural network (NN). If the identified chemical elements not matching with a known elemental composition of the sample, the trained NN is retrained with the spectral data and the known elemental composition of the sample. The retrained NN can then be used to identify chemical elements within other samples.

公开(公告)号：US20220412900A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-29

申请号：US17357409

申请日：2021-06-24

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Han Han ,  Libor Strakos ,  Thomas Hantschel ,  Tomas Vystavel ,  Clement Porret

IPC分类号： G01N23/203 ,  H01J37/28 ,  H01J37/244

摘要： Methods and apparatus determine offcut angle of a crystalline sample using electron channeling patterns (ECPs), wherein backscattered electron intensity exhibits angular variation dependent on crystal orientation. A zone axis normal to a given crystal plane follows a circle as the sample is azimuthally rotated. On an ECP image presented with tilt angles as axes, the radius of the circle is the offcut angle of the sample. Large offcut angles are determined by a tilt technique that brings the zone axis into the ECP field of view. ECPs are produced with a scanning electron beam and a monolithic backscattered electron detector; or alternatively with a stationary electron beam and a pixelated electron backscatter diffraction detector. Applications include strain engineering, process monitoring, detecting spatial variations, and incoming wafer inspection. Methods are 40× faster than X-ray diffraction. 0.01-0.1° accuracy enables semiconductor applications.

公开(公告)号：US11508549B2

公开(公告)日：2022-11-22

申请号：US16664661

申请日：2019-10-25

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Herman Carlo Floresca ,  Brian Tilley

IPC分类号： H01J37/252 ,  H01J37/30 ,  H01J37/153 ,  H01J37/28

摘要： Beam intercept profiles are measured as a particle beam transversely scans across a probe. A current of beam particles, a detector intensity, or image pixel intensities can variously be measured to obtain the profiles. Multiple profiles are used to determine geometric parameters which in turn can be used to configure equipment. In one application, transverse beam intercept profiles are measured for different waist heights of the particle beam. Steepness of the several profiles can be used to determine a height of the probe as the height at which the profile is steepest. The known probe height enables placing the probe in contact with a substrate at another known height. In another application, transverse beam intercept profiles of orthogonal probe edges are used to position a beam waist, reduce spot size, or reduce astigmatism. Techniques are applicable to SEM, FIB, and nanoprobe systems. Methods and apparatus are disclosed, with variations.

公开(公告)号：US20220317067A1

公开(公告)日：2022-10-06

申请号：US17219627

申请日：2021-03-31

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Bart BUIJSSE ,  Hans RAAIJMAKERS ,  Peter Christiaan TIEMEIJER

IPC分类号： G01N23/2055 ,  G01N23/207 ,  G01N23/20025

摘要： Molecular structure of a crystal may be solved based on at least two diffraction tilt series acquired from a sample. The two diffraction tilt series include multiple diffraction patterns of at least one crystal of the sample acquired at different electron doses. In some examples, the two diffraction tilt series are acquired at different magnifications.