Adjustable attenuation optical unit
AssigneeApplied Materials Israel Ltd.
InventorsEitam Yitzchak Vinegrad, Itay Asulin
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Abstract
An adjustable attenuation optical unit that may include a lightguide that includes a core, wherein the core comprises an output, an input and an exterior surface; and an adjustable attenuator that is configured to define an interfacing parameter related to an area of the exterior surface thereby receiving at least some of the light that impinges on the area.
Claims13
An adjustable attenuation optical unit, comprising:
- a lightguide having an input, an output and an exterior surface extending between the input and output that surrounds a core, wherein the light guide is configured such that light received at the input propagates through the core of the lightguide and exits from the output;
- a photomultiplier tube operatively coupled to receive light that propagates through the lightguide;
- and
- an adjustable attenuator coupled between the input of the lightguide and the photomultiplier tube and configured to reduce an intensity of light that propagates through the lightguide prior to the light reaching the photomultiplier tube.
A method of attenuating an intensity of light that impinges upon a photomultiplier tube operatively coupled to detect electrons scattered or reflected from a sample illuminated by a charged particle column of scanning electron microscope, the method comprising:
- receiving light generated by the scattered or reflected electrons at an input of a light guide;
- propagating the light through a core of the lightguide;
- reducing an intensity of the light with an adjustable attenuation optical unit prior to the light reaching the photomultiplier tube.
An adjustable attenuation optical unit, comprising:
- a lightguide having an input, an output and an exterior surface extending between the input and output that surrounds a core, wherein the light guide is configured such that light received at the input propagates through the core of the lightguide and exits from the output;
- and
- an adjustable attenuator coupled to and disposed inline with the output of the lightguide, the adjustable attenuator configured to receive light from the lightguide and reduce an intensity of the received light by adjusting one or more of the transparency of the adjustable attenuator or an aperture of the adjustable attenuator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.