Scanning charged-particle-beam microscopy with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy
US12094684B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 5, 2019 |
| Grant date | Sep 17, 2024 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 5, 2039 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01J2237/2807
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A compact charged-particle-beam microscope, weighing less than about 50 kg and having a size of less than about 1 m×1 m×1 m, is provided for imaging a sample. The microscope has a vacuum chamber to maintain a low-pressure environment, a stage to hold a sample in the vacuum chamber, a charged-particle beam source to generate a charged-particle beam, charged-particle beam optics to converge the charged-particle beam onto the sample, and one or more beam scanners to scan the charged-particle beam across the sample. A charged-particle detector is provided to detect charged-particle radiation emanating from the sample and generate a corresponding charged-particle-detection signal. At least one energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (EDS) is provided to detect x-rays emanating from the sample and generate a corresponding x-ray-detection signal. A controller analyzes the charged-particle-detection signal and the x-ray-detection signal to generate an image of the sample and a histogram of x-ray energies for at least a portion of the sample.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.