公开(公告)号：US20240347314A1

公开(公告)日：2024-10-17

申请号：US18299635

申请日：2023-04-12

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Peter Christiaan Tiemeijer ,  Sorin Lazar ,  Bert Henning Freitag ,  Paolo Longo

IPC分类号： H01J37/244

CPC分类号： H01J37/244 ,  H01J2237/1514 ,  H01J2237/1523 ,  H01J2237/24485 ,  H01J2237/2826

摘要： Systems, devices, methods, and techniques for energy-loss spectroscopy at relatively large energy losses are described. A charged particle microscope system can include a beam column section. The beam column section can include one or more charged particle optical elements calibrated for a first energy and one or more charged particle optical elements calibrated for a second energy. The charged particle microscope system can include a detector section. The detector section can be disposed at a position downstream of the beam column section. The detector section can include an electrostatic or magnetic prism and one or more charged particle optical elements calibrated for the second energy. The first energy and the second energy can be different.

公开(公告)号：US12117406B2

公开(公告)日：2024-10-15

申请号：US17770495

申请日：2020-11-09

申请人： VG System Limited ,  FEI Company

发明人： Bryan Barnard ,  Pavel Stejskal

IPC分类号： G01N23/2273

CPC分类号： G01N23/2273 ,  G01N2223/07 ,  G01N2223/501

摘要： A method and apparatus for detection of charged particles in spectroscopy. Charged particles, received from an energy dispersive spectroscopic analyser as a charged particle beam, are accelerated towards a detector. The accelerated charged particles are received at an array of detecting pixels, the array of detecting pixels forming the detector. The charged particles arriving at the detector have a spread in the energy dispersive direction.

公开(公告)号：US12074007B2

公开(公告)日：2024-08-27

申请号：US18357904

申请日：2023-07-24

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Bart Jozef Janssen ,  Edwin Verschueren ,  Erik Franken

IPC分类号： H01J37/20

CPC分类号： H01J37/20 ,  H01J2237/20214 ,  H01J2237/226

摘要： A sample holder retains a sample and can continuously rotate the sample in a single direction while the sample is exposed to a charged particle beam (CPB) or other radiation source. Typically, the CPB is strobed to produce a series of CPB images at random or arbitrary angles of rotation. The sample holder can rotate more than one complete revolution of the sample. The CPB images are used in tomographic reconstruction, and in some cases, relative rotation angles are used in the reconstruction, without input of an absolute rotation angle.

公开(公告)号：US12070753B2

公开(公告)日：2024-08-27

申请号：US16834973

申请日：2020-03-30

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Jakub Drahotsky

IPC分类号： B01L7/00 ,  G01N1/28 ,  G01N1/42 ,  H01J37/20 ,  H01J37/26 ,  G01N23/203 ,  G01N23/225

CPC分类号： B01L7/50 ,  G01N1/2813 ,  G01N1/42 ,  H01J37/20 ,  H01J37/26 ,  G01K2203/00 ,  G01N23/203 ,  G01N23/225 ,  G01N2223/053 ,  G01N2223/071 ,  G01N2223/102 ,  H01J2237/2001 ,  H01J2237/2065 ,  H01J2237/24585

摘要： Temperatures of cryo-electron microscopy samples are assessed based on images portions associated with high temperature superconductor (HTSC) areas or other thermal sensor materials that are thermally coupled to or thermally proximate the samples. Such thermal areas can be provided on sample mounts such as metallic grids, carbon films, or on sample stages. In examples using HTSCs, HTSCs having critical temperatures between −175° C. and −135° C. are typically used.

公开(公告)号：US20240249905A1

公开(公告)日：2024-07-25

申请号：US18409499

申请日：2024-01-10

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Alexander Henstra ,  Ali Mohammadi-Gheidari

IPC分类号： H01J37/04 ,  H01J37/26

CPC分类号： H01J37/04 ,  H01J37/261

摘要： Charged particle optical devices, systems, and methods are provided. A charged particle optical device can include a dispersing element disposed substantially on a beam axis, the dispersing element being configured to disperse particles of a beam of charged particles by energy in a dispersal plane parallel with the beam axis. The charged particle optical device can include a selector, disposed on the beam axis at a position substantially corresponding to a first crossover plane. The charged particle optical device can include an undispersing element. The charged particle optical device can include a cutoff disposed on the beam axis downstream of the selector at a position substantially corresponding to a second crossover plane on the beam axis. The second crossover plane can be downstream of the first crossover plane. The cutoff can include a material that is opaque to electrons and defining an aperture substantially aligned with the beam axis.

公开(公告)号：US12040196B2

公开(公告)日：2024-07-16

申请号：US17578903

申请日：2022-01-19

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： James Clarke ,  Micah LeDoux ,  Jason Lee Monfort ,  Brett Avedisian

IPC分类号： G01N1/32 ,  G11C5/02 ,  G11C5/06 ,  H01J37/305 ,  H01L21/3213 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H10B41/27 ,  H10B43/27

CPC分类号： H01L21/32131 ,  G01N1/32 ,  G11C5/025 ,  G11C5/06 ,  H01J37/3056 ,  H01L21/67069 ,  H10B41/27 ,  H10B43/27

摘要： Apparatus and methods are disclosed for sample preparation, suitable for online or offline use with multilayer samples. Ion beam technology is leveraged to provide rapid, accurate delayering with etch stops at a succession of target layers. In one aspect, a trench is milled around a region of interest (ROI), and a conductive coating is developed on an inner sidewall. Thereby, reliable conducting paths are formed between intermediate layers within the ROI and a base layer, and stray current paths extending outside the ROI are eliminated, providing better quality etch progress monitoring, during subsequent etching, from body or scattered currents. Ion beam assisted gas etching provides rapid delayering with etch stops at target polysilicon layers. Uniform etching at deep layers can be achieved. Variations and results are disclosed.

公开(公告)号：US20240222067A1

公开(公告)日：2024-07-04

申请号：US18393233

申请日：2023-12-21

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Radek Smolka ,  Lukas Zabransky ,  Branislav Straka ,  Marek Melichar

IPC分类号： H01J37/244 ,  H01J37/10 ,  H01J37/24

CPC分类号： H01J37/244 ,  H01J37/10 ,  H01J37/24 ,  H01J2237/24578 ,  H01J2237/2826

摘要： Disclosed herein are systems and methods for calibration of a charged particle beam microscope, including a source configured to generate a CPB comprising a plurality of charged particles having a known energy; at least one lens; a detector; and a controller. According to various disclosed embodiments, the controller may determine, based on a calibration characteristic, that the CPB microscope requires recalibration. Based on that determination, the controller may operate the source to generate a calibration CPB and configure the at least one lens to act as a charged particle mirror. The controller may receive data from the detector associated with the plurality of charged particles after reflecting off the charged particle mirror. The controller may then analyze the data from the detector and automatically recalibrate the CPB microscope based on calibration characteristics in the data from the detector.

公开(公告)号：US12020895B2

公开(公告)日：2024-06-25

申请号：US17666385

申请日：2022-02-07

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Jakub Kuba ,  John M. Mitchels ,  Jakub Drahotský ,  Michal Valík

IPC分类号： H01J37/18 ,  H01J37/28 ,  G01N1/42

CPC分类号： H01J37/185 ,  H01J37/28 ,  G01N1/42 ,  H01J2237/184 ,  H01J2237/186

摘要： Various approaches are provided for contamination-free vacuum transfer of samples. As one example, an apparatus includes a compartment configured to store multiple samples held by a cartridge removably coupled to the compartment, a sample port for transferring the cartridge between a charged particle system and a position within the compartment, and a valve configured to seal the compartment at vacuum pressure during transport of the multiple samples between charged particle systems. In this way, samples such as lamellae may be transferred between charged particle systems while maintaining the samples at vacuum pressure, thereby reducing the possibility of sample contamination during sample transfer.

公开(公告)号：US20240203685A1

公开(公告)日：2024-06-20

申请号：US18068769

申请日：2022-12-20

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Bart Buijsse ,  Pleun Dona

IPC分类号： H01J37/20 ,  H01J37/26 ,  H01J37/28

CPC分类号： H01J37/20 ,  H01J37/261 ,  H01J37/28

摘要： Systems, methods, and components of charged particle microscopes affording improved contrast in dose sensitive samples are described. A pole piece for an electron microscope can include a body, being substantially concentric with a central axis. The body can define an upper surface, substantially normal to the central axis, a lower surface, substantially normal to the central axis, a central aperture formed in the body from the upper surface to the lower surface. The central aperture can be substantially rotationally symmetrical about the central axis. The body can define a lateral surface, inclined relative to the central axis and tapering toward the upper surface and a plurality of lateral apertures formed in the body from the lateral surface to the central aperture. The plurality of lateral apertures can be arrayed substantially symmetrically about the central axis.

公开(公告)号：US12000789B2

公开(公告)日：2024-06-04

申请号：US17561497

申请日：2021-12-23

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Libor Novak ,  Krishna Kanth Neelisetty ,  Veronika Hammerova ,  Jan Lasko

IPC分类号： G01N23/2204 ,  G01N23/2251 ,  G01N23/2273 ,  H01J37/20

CPC分类号： G01N23/2204 ,  G01N23/2251 ,  G01N23/2273 ,  H01J37/20

摘要： A system for positioning a sample in a charged particle apparatus (CPA) or an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) system includes a sample carrier coupled to a stage inside the vacuum chamber of the CPA or XPS system. The system allows transferring of the sample carrier among multiple CPAs, XPS systems and glove boxes in inert gas or in vacuum. The sample carrier is releasably coupled with the stage in the vacuum chamber of the CPA or the XPS. Multiple electrodes in a sample area of the sample carrier are electrically connectable with the stage by multiple spring contacts between the sample carrier and the stage.