Energy beam input to atom probe specimens from multiple angles
AssigneeCameca Instruments, Inc.
InventorsJoseph Hale Bunton, Daniel Robert Lenz, Dana Jeffrey Shepard
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An atom probe directs two or more pulsed laser beams onto a specimen, with each laser beam being on a different side of the specimen, and with each laser beam supplying pulses at a time different from the other laser beams. The laser beams are preferably generated by splitting a single beam provided by a laser source. The laser beams are preferably successively aligned incident with the specimen by one or more beam steering mirrors, which may also scan each laser beam over the specimen to achieve a desired degree of specimen ionization.
Claims20
An atom probe including:
- a. a laser beam source, and
- b. a beam splitter situated to:
- (1) receive a laser beam from the laser beam source along a beam path, and
- (2) split the laser beam into sub-beams which travel along different sub-beam paths, the different sub-beam paths being directed toward a specimen within an atom probe chamber,
- c. a steering mirror or beam strength adjuster configured to provide:
- (1) different ones of the sub-beams incident on the specimen over time,
- (2) with only one of the sub-beams incident on the specimen at a time.
A method for collecting atom probe data including the steps of:
- a. splitting a laser beam into sub-beams which travel along different sub-beam paths,
- b. directing the sub-beams toward a specimen within an atom probe chamber, with:
- (1) different sub-beams falling incident on the specimen over time, and
- (2) only one of the sub-beams being incident on the specimen at a time.
An atom probe data collection arrangement including:
- a. a laser beam source;
- b. a steering mirror situated to receive a laser beam from the laser beam source;
- c. a beam splitter situated to receive the laser beam from the steering mirror, wherein the beam splitter splits the laser beam into sub-beams which travel along different sub-beam paths toward a specimen;
- wherein the steering member is adjustable to selectively direct any selected one of the sub-beams onto the specimen, such selectable direction directing the other sub-beams off of the specimen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.