# US 10,121,635 B2 · Charged particle beam system and method of operating the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,121,635 B2 - Document ID: US10121635B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/026,189 - Filed: 2014-09-30 - Published: 2016-08-25 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-09-30 - Assignees: Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH; Applied Materials Israel Ltd. - Applicants: Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH; Applied Materials Israel, Ltd. - Inventors: Stefan Schubert; Thomas Kemen; Rainer Knippelmeyer - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10121635B2 ## CPC - H01J 37/28: with scanning beams {(H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence)} - H01J 37/1472: {Deflecting along given lines} - H01J 2237/047: Changing particle velocity - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) ## Abstract A method of operating a charged particle beam system, the method comprises extracting a particle beam from a source; performing a first accelerating of the particles of the beam; forming a plurality of particle beamlets from the beam after the performing of the first accelerating; performing a second accelerating of the particles of the beamlets; performing a first decelerating of the particles of the beamlets after the performing of the second accelerating; deflecting the beamlets in a direction oriented transverse to a direction of propagation of the particles of the beamlets after the performing of the first decelerating; performing a second decelerating of the particles of the beamlets after the deflecting of the beamlets; and allowing the particles of the beamlets to be incident on an object surface after the performing of the second decelerating. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operating a charged particle beam system, the method comprising: extracting a particle beam from a source; performing a first accelerating of at least some particles of the particle beam; forming a plurality of particle beamlets from the particle beam downstream from the first accelerating; performing a first accelerating of at least some particles of the particle beamlets downstream from the first accelerating of particles of the particle beam and downstream from the forming of the plurality of particle beamlets; performing a first decelerating of at least some particles of the particle beamlets downstream from the first accelerating of the particles of the particle beamlets; deflecting the particle beamlets in a direction oriented transverse to a direction of propagation of the particles of the particle beamlets downstream from the first decelerating; and performing a second decelerating of at least some particles of the particle beamlets downstream from the deflecting of the particle beamlets, wherein the particles of the particle beamlets are incident on an object surface downstream from the second decelerating. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a first converging of the particle beam upstream from the deflecting of the particle beamlets; wherein the first converging is performed upstream from the forming the plurality of particle beamlets. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising performing a second converging of the particle beamlets upstream from the deflecting the particle beamlets; wherein the second converging is performed such that a bundle of the particle beamlets forms a crossover; and wherein the crossover is formed downstream from the second accelerating and upstream from the second decelerating. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising performing a third accelerating of at least some particles of the particle beamlets upstream from the crossover; wherein the third accelerating increases the kinetic energy of the particles an energy amount greater than 10 keV. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first accelerating of the particles of the particle beam and the first accelerating of the particles of the particle beamlets increases a kinetic energy of the particles by more than a first energy amount; wherein at least one of the first decelerating and the second decelerating decreases the kinetic energy of the particles by more than the first energy amount; and wherein the first energy amount is greater than 10 keV. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein forming the plurality of particle beamlets includes generating beamlet foci and imaging the beamlet foci onto the substrate surface. ### Claim 7 A method of operating a charged particle beam system, the method comprising: extracting a particle beam from a source; performing a first accelerating of at least some particles of the particle beam; forming a plurality of particle beamlets from the particle beam downstream from the first accelerating of the particles of the particle beam; performing a first decelerating of at least some particles of the particle beamlets downstream from the forming of the plurality of particle beamlets; performing a first accelerating of at least some particles of the particle beamlets downstream from the first decelerating of the particles of the particle beamlets; deflecting the particle beamlets in a direction oriented transverse to a direction of propagation of the particles of the particle beamlets downstream from the first decelerating of the particles of the particle beamlets; and performing a second decelerating of at least some particles of the particle beamlets downstream from the deflecting the particle beamlets, wherein the particles of the particle beamlets are incident on an object surface after performing the second decelerating. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising performing a first converging of the particle beam upstream from the deflecting the particle beamlets; wherein the first converging is performed upstream from the forming the plurality of particle beamlets. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising performing a second converging of the particle beamlets upstream from deflecting the particle beamlets; wherein the second converging is performed such that a bundle of the particle beamlets forms a crossover; and wherein the crossover is formed downstream from the second accelerating and upstream from the second decelerating. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising performing a third accelerating of at least some particles of the particle beamlets upstream from the crossover; wherein the third accelerating increases the kinetic energy of the particles an energy amount greater than 10 keV. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first accelerating and the second accelerating increases a kinetic energy of the particles by more than a first energy amount; wherein at least one of the first decelerating and the second decelerating decreases the kinetic energy of the particles by more than the first energy amount; and wherein the first energy amount is greater than 10 keV. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein forming the plurality of particle beamlets includes generating beamlet foci and imaging the beamlet foci onto the substrate surface. ### Claim 13 A method of operating a charged particle beam system, the method comprising: extracting a particle beam from a source; performing a first accelerating of at least some particles of the particle beam; performing a second accelerating of the particles of the particle beam downstream the first accelerating; performing a first decelerating of at least some particles of the particle beam downstream from the second accelerating; forming a plurality of particle beamlets from the particle beam downstream from the first decelerating, and accelerating at least some particles of the particle beamlets downstream of said forming; deflecting the particle beamlets in a direction oriented transverse to a direction of propagation of particles of the particle beamlets downstream from the forming of the plurality of particle beamlets: and performing a first decelerating of at least some particles of the particle beamlets downstream from the deflecting the particle beamlets, wherein the particles of the particle beamlets are incident on an object surface after performing the second decelerating. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising performing a first converging of the particle beam upstream from the deflecting the particle beamlets; wherein the first converging is performed upstream from the forming the plurality of particle beamlets. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising performing a second converging of the particle beamlets upstream from deflecting the particle beamlets; wherein the second converging is performed such that a bundle of the particle beamlets forms a crossover; and wherein the crossover is formed downstream from the second accelerating and upstream from the second decelerating. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising performing a third accelerating of at least some particles of the particle beamlets upstream from the crossover; wherein the third accelerating increases the kinetic energy of the particles an energy amount greater than 10 keV. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first accelerating and the second accelerating increases a kinetic energy of the particles by more than a first energy amount; wherein at least one of the first decelerating and the second decelerating decreases the kinetic energy of the particles by more than the first energy amount; and wherein the first energy amount is greater than 10 keV. ### Claim 18 A method of operating a charged particle beam system, the method comprising: extracting a particle beam from a source; performing a first accelerating of at least some particles of the particle beam; performing a first decelerating of at least some particles of the particle beam downstream from the first accelerating; performing a second accelerating of at least some particles of the particle beam downstream from the first decelerating; forming a plurality of particle beamlets from the particle beam downstream from the second accelerating, and accelerating at least some particles of the particle beamlets downstream of said forming; deflecting the particle beamlets in a direction oriented transverse to a direction of propagation of particles of the particle beamlets downstream from the forming of the plurality of particle beamlets: and performing a first decelerating of at least some particles of the particle beamlets downstream from the deflecting the beamlets, wherein the particles of the particle beamlets are incident on an object surface after performing the second decelerating. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising performing a first converging of the particle beam upstream from the deflecting the particle beamlets; wherein the first converging is performed upstream from the forming the plurality of particle beamlets. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, further comprising performing a second converging of the particle beamlets upstream from the deflecting the particle beamlets; wherein the second converging is performed such that a bundle of the particle beamlets forms a crossover; and wherein the crossover is formed downstream from the second accelerating and upstream from the second decelerating. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, further comprising performing a third accelerating of the particles of the particle beamlets upstream from the crossover; wherein the third accelerating increases the kinetic energy of the particles an energy amount greater than 10 keV. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein at least one of the first accelerating and the second accelerating increases a kinetic energy of the particles by more than a first energy amount; wherein at least one of the first decelerating and the second decelerating decreases the kinetic energy of the particles by more than the first energy amount; and wherein the first energy amount is greater than 10 keV.