Patent · US Active

Methods of operating particle microscopes and particle microscopes

US10468231B1 · kind B1 · utility

0Cited by
0References
31Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 13, 2018
Grant dateNov 5, 2019
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 13, 2038

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J2237/216
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A particle microscope includes a particle beam system directing a particle beam onto a sample. The particle beam system includes a magnetic lens energized by an adjustable lens current. The sample is positioned at an adjustable distance from the lens, and particles of the beam have an adjustable kinetic energy. A method of operating such microscope includes positioning a sample at a distance from the lens, adjusting the kinetic energy, changing the lens current at plural different lens current change rates, determining a lens current at focus for each of the plural different lens current change rates, and determining an optimized lens current based on the determined lens currents at focus and the lens current change rates.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.