Patent · US Expired

Scanning and high resolution electron spectroscopy and imaging

US5444242A · kind A · utility

26Cited by
15References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 25, 1994
Grant dateAug 22, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 25, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J2237/2522
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An instrument for surface analysis includes rastering an electron beam across an anode to generate x-rays. A concave Bragg monochromator focuses an energy peak of the x-rays to a specimen surface, the x-rays rastering the surface to emit photoelectrons. An analyzer provides information on the photoelectrons and thereby chemical species in the surface. A second detector of low energy photoelectrons is cooperative with the rastering to produce a scanning photoelectron image of the surface for imaging of the specimen. Alternatively a lens formed of two concave grids transits the photoelectrons to the analyzer with selectively modified energy so that the analyzer detects either higher energy electrons characteristic of chemical species or lower electrons for the image. The monochromator is formed of platelets cut from an array of platelets in a single crystal member. For imaging of insulating specimens, the surface is flooded periodically with electrons, and the signals are omitted from the image during the flooding. For chemometric information summed over the surface of insulators, data from the edges is omitted from the summing.

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