Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for measuring time dependent signals with a particle probe

US4748407A · kind A · utility

8Cited by

2References

9Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

Matthias Brunner · Tauberbischofsheim, DE
Reinhold Schmitt · Munich, DE
Dieter Winkler · Munich, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Jan 28, 1987
Grant date	May 31, 1988
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Jan 28, 2007

Classification

Technology area (CPC G)Physics
CPC primaryG01R31/305
WIPO fieldMeasurement
WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

To measure high frequency signal curves at nodes and interconnections of integrated circuits and achieve a good chronological resolution in accordance with the sampling method, extremely short primary electron pulses are used. For such extremely short pulse widths obtainable with beam blanking systems, only individual statistically appearing secondary electrons are registered per pulse, these electrons generating current pulses having different amplitudes and different time behaviors at the output of an energy analyzer. It is proposed that the number of current pulses occurring at the output of the energy analyzer within a prescribed time interval be identified and the quotient, or ratio, thereof, be kept constant with the assistance of a feedback circuit for connection to the voltage of a retarding field electrode. The feedback circuit includes a pulse counter, a digital-to-analog converter, and a spectrometer drive.

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