Abstract:
An apparatus for increasing electric conductivity to a wafer substrate, when exposed to electron beam irradiation, is disclosed. More specifically, a methodology to breakdown the insulating layer on wafer backside is provided to significantly reduce the damage on the wafer backside while proceeding with the grounding process.
Abstract:
A wafer grounding apparatus and method adaptable to a charged particle beam apparatus is disclosed. A wafer substrate is supported by a wafer mount. A grounding pin is arranged to be in contact with a backside film formed on a backside of the wafer substrate. A grounding pulse generator provides at least one pulse to drive the grounding pin such that dielectric breakdown occurring at the backside film leads to establishment of a current path through the backside films. Accordingly, a current flows in the wafer substrate through this current path and then flows out of the wafer substrate via at least one current return path formed from capacitive coupling between the wafer substrate and the wafer mount.
Abstract:
Defects in a patterned substrate are detected by inspection with a charged particle beam inspection tool which generates an image of a portion of the patterned substrate and compares the image with a reference in order to identify any defects in the patterned substrate. Parameters of the tool are optimized to improve image uniformity and contrast, particularly voltage contrast. Prior to imaging an area of the substrate, the tool charges an area surrounding the image area to eliminate or reduce the effects caused by asymmetrical charging in the surrounding area. The tool alternates between charging the surrounding area and imaging the image area to produce a plurality of images of the image area, which are then averaged. The result is a highly uniform image with improved contrast for accurate defect detection.
Abstract:
A roller-synchronized one-way clutch assembly includes a ring-shaped first retainer element, a ring-shaped second retainer element, a plurality of rollers and at least one spring extending between the first and second retainer elements. In the preferred embodiment, each of the first and second retainer elements is generally U-shaped and different in size and one of the first and second retainer elements is received in a U-shaped channel of the other. The first and second retainer elements are operatively coupled together such that they may move relative to each other in a circumferential direction over a predetermined angle. Alll of the rollers are movably supported by a retainer sub-assembly to provide a complete full phase function.
Abstract:
A tester exercises a DUT with a repetitive signal pattern, supplying a trigger signal for each repetition. The waveform on a conductor of the DUT is to be acquired by repeatedly measuring voltage at each of a number of sample points following the trigger, using a charged-particle probe system having an integrator-filter loop for analyzing energy of secondary particles. Before measurement at a sample point, integrator is reset and the filter voltage needed to settle the loop for the sample point is set using a predictive scheme. When the measurement is made, the predicted filter voltage is summed with the integrator output voltage to produce the actual filter voltage. The integrator then measures the error between the predicted filter voltage and the actual filter voltage needed to settle the loop. The time needed to settle the loop is thereby minimized. Various predictive schemes can be used. An adaptive predictive scheme uses the error measured by the integrator to update the filter voltage prediction for the next measurement at the same sample point. The predicted filter voltage can be a previous measurement or an average of previous measurements taken at that sample point or an average of previous measurements taken over some time interval or a value determined by any other desired predictive scheme.
Abstract:
A p-aminophenol derivative having anti-inflammatory activity, represented by the formula ##STR1## wherein each of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 is independently a hydrogen atom or a C.sub.1-6 acyl group; Ar is a pyrazine, pyrazine N-oxide, thiazole, benzene, pyridine, pyridazine, pyrimidine or triazine ring; R.sup.3 is a hydrogen atom, a C.sub.1-6 alkyl group, a C.sub.1-6 alkoxy-carbonyl-C.sub.1-6 alkyl group, a C.sub.1-6 alkoxy group, a halogen atom or a carboxy-C.sub.1-6 alkyl group; A is a C.sub.1-6 alkylene group; and B is a C.sub.1-6 alkyl group, or a salt thereof.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for open-loop waveform acquisition. In general, in one aspect, the invention provides a method for open-loop waveform acquisition. The method includes acquiring an S-curve of an acquisition loop of an electron-beam probe system. The S-curve represents a response of the acquisition loop to changes of potential differences between the acquisition loop and a device under test. The method includes calibrating the acquisition loop to obtain a linear region in the acquired S-curve and using the linear portion of the acquired S-curve to calculate voltage at a probe point of the device under test.
Abstract:
A toner level sensor for detecting the presence or absence or the level of residual amount of the toner of an electronic copier or the like. In order to secure stable operation regardless of changes of external environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, a pair of transformers are provided with primary coils and secondary coils respectively wound on magnetic cores having a magnetic gap. When a magnetic member is present in the vicinity of a magnetic gap, the phases of the outputs of the secondary coils are opposite to each other, so that the differential output of the secondary coils is phase detected to determine the presence or absence of the residual toner amount or the level of residual amount.
Abstract:
An apparatus for controlling the toner concentration of a developer includes a detector 14, 15 disposed at a predetermined position in a container containing a developer 5 having magnetic carrier and color toner, whereby the color toner is replenished into the container depending on the output of the detector until the toner concentration of the developer lies within a predetermined range. The detector has a plurality of magnetic circuits each having magnetic gaps, and the coupling coefficient of one of the magnetic circuits is set at a value equivalent to the coupling coefficient exhibited when the toner concentration of the developer lies within a predetermined range, while the coupling coefficient of another magnetic circuit is changeable in response to the actual toner concentration. The differential output of the two magnetic circuits is subjected to phase detection for comparing the coupling coefficient values of the two magnetic circuits and thereby detecting the toner concentration.
Abstract:
An apparatus basically uses a simple and compact multi-axis magnetic lens to focus each of a plurality of charged particle beams on sample surface at the same time. In each sub-lens module of the multi-axis magnetic lens, two magnetic rings are respectively inserted into upper and lower holes with non-magnetic radial gap. Each gap size is small enough to keep a sufficient magnetic coupling and large enough to get a sufficient axial symmetry of magnetic scale potential distribution in the space near to its optical axis. This method eliminates the non-axisymmetric transverse field in each sub-lens and the round lens field difference among all sub-lenses at the same time; both exist inherently in a conventional multi-axis magnetic lens. In the apparatus, some additional magnetic shielding measures such as magnetic shielding tubes, plates and house are used to eliminate the non-axisymmetric transverse field on the charged particle path from each charged particle source to the entrance of each sub-lens and from the exit of each sub-lens to the sample surface.