Patent · US Expired

Charged particle beam system with optical microscope

US5905266A · kind A · utility

29Cited by
3References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 19, 1996
Grant dateMay 18, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 19, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J2237/30438
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A charged particle beam system such as a focused ion beam system includes a vacuum chamber; an optical microscope located so as to have a filed of view within a first region of the chamber; a laser aligned with the optical microscope so as to project a laser beam into the first region; a charged particle beam column located within the chamber and arranged so as to focus a charged particle beam into a second region of the chamber; and specimen support located in the chamber and moveable between a first position in the first region and a second position in the second region. The laser is used to mark a DUT with a registration mark which is visible in the images from the optical microscope and the charged particle beam. The position of the registration mark can be accurately determined in the optical image and the position of features which would otherwise be invisible in the charged particle beam image inferred.

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