In Situ Reactivation of Fluorescence Marker
AssigneeFEI Company
InventorsAurélien Philippe Jean Maclou Botman, Cameron James Zachreson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Vapor is provided locally at a sample surface to allow fluorescence of the fluorescent markers in a vacuum chamber. For example, a nanocapillary can dispense a liquid near a region of interest, the liquid evaporating to increase the vapor pressure near the fluorescent markers. The increase in vapor pressure at the fluorescent marker is preferably sufficiently great to prevent deactivation or to reactivate the fluorescent marker, while the overall pressure in the vacuum chamber is preferably sufficiently low to permit charged particle beam operation with little or no additional evacuation pumping.
Claims26
A method of processing a samplework piece, comprising:
- a. placing a work piece in a vacuum chamber;
- b. evacuating the vacuum chamber;
- c. exposing a new surface of the work piece;
- d. illuminating fluorescent markers in the new surface while maintaining a background vacuum pressure in the vacuum chamber by locally providing vapor at the new surface, wherein the background vacuum pressure is lower than a local vapor pressure at the new surface;
- f. acquiring an optical image of the fluorescent markers in the new surface;
- and
- g. repeating steps b through e.
A method of examining a sample in a vacuum chamber, comprising:
- providing within the vacuum chamber a sample having at least one fluorescent marker;
- evacuating the vacuum chamber to a pressure of less than 1×10−2 mbar;
- illuminating the fluorescent marker by providing at the fluorescent marker a vapor that increases an activity of the fluorescent marker in the evacuated vacuum chamber, wherein a vapor pressure at the fluorescent marker is greater than a background pressure in the vacuum chamber;
- and
- detecting light emitted from the fluorescent marker.
12-13. (canceled)
20-30. (canceled)
A method of examining a sample in a vacuum chamber, comprising:
- providing within the vacuum chamber a sample having at least one fluorescent marker;
- evacuating the vacuum chamber to a pressure of less than 1×10−2 mbar;
- providing at the fluorescent marker a vapor that increases an activity of the fluorescent marker in the evacuated vacuum chamber, wherein providing a vapor that increases an activity of the fluorescent marker includes dispensing a liquid from a nanocapillary, the liquid evaporating to provide the vapor, and wherein a vapor pressure at the fluorescent marker is greater than a background vapor pressure in the vacuum chamber;
- illuminating the fluorescent marker;
- and
- detecting light emitted from the fluorescent marker.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.