Low voltage electron beam system
US5789748A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 29, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 4, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 29, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01J2237/2448
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An electron beam system provides low aberration, 10 nm resolution at 100 eV landing energy. The system comprises a lens unit 46! having a built-in semiconductor junction detector 58!. The detector surrounds the sample-side of a focusing electrode 48! just upstream from a retarding electrode 50! which is positioned less than a millimeter from the sample 34!. Because the detector is within a few millimeters of the sample, it provides efficient detection of secondary electrons from the sample. The retarding electrode decreases the energies of the primary beam 22! from 10 keV to less than 100 eV, reduces distortions due to sample surface topography, and serves to accelerate secondary electrons back toward the detector, further improving detection efficiency.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.