US 11,810,751 B2 · Method of imaging a specimen using a transmission charged particle microscope

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method of imaging a specimen using a transmission charged particle microscope, said method comprising providing a specimen, and providing a charged particle beam and directing said charged particle beam onto said specimen for generating a flux of charged particles transmitted through the specimen. The method comprises the step of generating and recording a first energy filtered flux of charged particles transmitted through the specimen, wherein said first energy filtered flux of charged particles substantially consists of non-scattered and elastically scattered charged particles. The method as disclosed herein comprises the further step of generating and recording a second energy filtered flux of charged particles transmitted through the specimen, wherein said second energy filtered flux of charged particles substantially consists of inelastically scattered charged particles. Said first and second recorded energy filtered flux are then used for imaging said specimen with increased contrast.

Claims15

Dependent claims

Method of imaging a specimen using a transmission charged particle microscope, said method comprising:

providing the specimen;
directing a charged particle beam onto said specimen;
filtering out inelastically scattered charged particles from a flux of charged particles transmitted through the specimen based on energy-loss to obtain a first energy filtered flux of the charged particles transmitted through the specimen, wherein said first energy filtered flux substantially consists of non-scattered and elastically scattered charged particles;
detecting the first energy filtered flux;
filtering the flux of charged particles transmitted through the specimen based on energy-loss to obtain a second energy filtered flux of the charged particles transmitted through the specimen, wherein said second energy filtered flux of charged particles substantially consists of inelastically scattered charged particles;
generating an image of the specimen based on said detected first energy filtered flux and said detected second energy filtered flux.

3 more elements

Transmission charged particle microscope, comprising:

A charged particle beam source for emitting a charged particle beam;
A specimen holder for holding a specimen;
An illuminator;
A detector;
A dispersive device for dispersing a flux of the transmitted charged particles into an energy-resolved array of spectral sub-beams;
One or more slit elements;
and
A control unit connected to the illuminator, the dispersive device, and the detector wherein the control unit is arranged to:
direct, via the illuminator, the charged particle beam emitted from the charged particle beam source onto the specimen;
adjust the slit element to filter out inelastic scattered charged particles from the spectral sub-beams and obtain a first energy filtered flux of the transmitted charged particles, wherein the first energy filtered flux substantially consists of non-scattered and elastically scattered charged particles;
detect, via the detector, the first energy filtered flux;
adjust the slit element to filter the spectral sub-beams and obtain a second energy filtered flux of the transmitted charged particles, wherein the second energy filtered flux substantially consists of inelastically scattered charged particles;
detect, via the detector, the second energy filtered flux;
and
generate an image of the specimen based on the first energy filtered flux and the second energy filtered flux.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of imaging a specimen using a transmission charged particle microscope

Life of this patent

Method of imaging a specimen using a transmission charged particle microscope

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15