Charged particle apparatus and method
AssigneeASML Netherlands B.V.
InventorsErwin Slot, Mans Johan Bertil Osterberg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A charged particle apparatus, configured to project a charged particle multi-beam toward a sample, comprises: a charged particle source configured to emit a charged particle beam; a light source configured to emit light; and a charged particle-optical device configured to project toward the sample sub-beams of a charged particle multi-beam derived from the charged particle beam; wherein the light source is arranged such that the light is projected along paths of the sub-beams through the charged particle-optical device so as to irradiate at least a portion of the sample.
Claims20
A charged particle apparatus configured to project a charged particle multi-beam toward a sample, the charged particle apparatus comprising:
- a charged particle source configured to emit a charged particle beam;
- a light source configured to emit light;
- a charged particle-optical device configured to project toward the sample sub-beams of a charged particle multi-beam derived from the charged particle beam;
- the charged particle-optical device comprising at least one charged particle-optical element comprising respective array of apertures, the apertures of the respective arrays of apertures of the respective charged particle-optical elements corresponding to respective sub-beams of the charged particle multi-beam,
- wherein the light source is arranged such that the light is projected along paths of the sub-beams through the charged particle-optical device so along paths of the sub-beams through the apertures of respective sub-beams of the at least one charged particle element so as to irradiate at least a portion of the sample.
A method for projecting a charged particle multi-beam toward a sample, the method comprising:
- emitting a charged particle beam;
- projecting toward the sample sub-beams of a charged particle multi-beam derived from the charged particle beam using a charged particle-optical device;
- emitting light;
- and
- projecting the light along paths of the sub-beams through the charged particle-optical device so as to irradiate the sample.
A charged particle apparatus configured to project a charged particle multi-beam toward a sample, the charged particle apparatus comprising:
- a charged particle source configured to emit a charged particle beam;
- a light source configured to emit light;
- and
- a charged particle-optical device configured to project toward the sample sub-beams of a charged particle multi-beam derived from the charged particle beam;
- wherein the light source is arranged such that the light is projected along paths of the sub-beams through the charged particle-optical device so as to irradiate at least a portion of the sample,
- wherein at least one of:
- the light source is adjacent to the charged particle source,
- the light source is arranged such that the charged particle beam, in plan view, is radially inward of the light up-beam of the charged particle-optical device,
- the charged particle source is located between the light source and the sample;
- or
- the light source is located at at least two positions spaced from, in plan view, the charged particle beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.