Patent · US Expired

Method of cleaning a charged beam apparatus

US5312519A · kind A · utility

56Cited by
3References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 2, 1992
Grant dateMay 17, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 2, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J2237/022
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of cleaning a charged beam irradiating apparatus having a part exposed to a charged beam in a vacuum chamber to contaminate the part with organic contaminations, the method including the selective introduction of electrically neutral active species into the vacuum chamber, after it has been exhausted, to remove the contaminations from the part by exposure to the introduced neutral active species. The neutral active species are formed outside of the chamber in a plasma discharging gas with other species including electrons or positive ions. Only the electrically active neutral species are selected for introduction into the evacuated container.

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