US 2024/0304407 A1 · Device and Method for Calibrating a Charged-Particle Beam

Abstract

A beam calibration device is presented for calibrating a charged-particle beam in a charged-particle processing apparatus in relation to a positioning of the beam with respect to a target. The beam calibration device includes a detector for the charged particles that are arriving at a registering structure of said device. The beam is deflected from a designated target position towards the device, by means of a lateral initial deflection, thus allowing the beam to impinge on at least one of the registering structures. The beam is scanned over the beam calibration device, thus covering a pre-defined region on this device including the registering structure, and using the detector, an electric current is measured as a current signal and is evaluated, to determine a central relative position of the beam with respect to an optimal position predefined on the beam calibration device surface. Using this optimal position, the beam is deflected back to the designated target position by a reverse lateral deflection which is an inverse of said initial deflection combined with a deflection correction, which represents a correction of the lateral beam position to compensate the central relative position.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A method for calibrating a charged-particle beam in a charged-particle processing apparatus in relation to a positioning of said beam with respect to a target plane of said processing apparatus, comprising the steps of

providing a beam calibration device, which includes a detector for said charged particles impinging on the device and arriving at least one registering structure provided in a surface of said device, and positioning said beam calibration device to have said surface substantially in the target plane of said processing apparatus;
generating a beam of said charged particles in said processing apparatus, said beam having a predefined shape, and imaging said beam to the target plane at a designated target position;
deflecting the beam from the designated target position to the beam calibration device, by means of a predefined lateral initial deflection, said lateral deflection being transversal to the beam direction, thus allowing the beam to impinge on at least one of the registering structure(s);
performing a scan of the beam on the beam calibration device, thus covering a pre-defined region on said device which includes said at least one registering structure;
measuring, using the detector, an electric current caused by the beam during the scan, to obtain a current signal as a function of the position in said region;
evaluating the current signal thus measured and determining therefrom a central relative position of the beam with respect to an optimal position predefined on the beam calibration device surface.

3 more elements

A beam calibration device for calibrating a charged-particle beam of a predetermined type, said beam calibration device intended to be used in a charged-particle processing apparatus employing a charged-particle beam of said predetermined type, comprising:

a registering surface provided with at least one registering structure, said registering surface being oriented substantially perpendicular to an axis direction along which said beam is to be irradiated onto the beam calibration device;
and
a detector configured to measure the amount of charged particles arriving at the at least one registering structure as an output signal upon being irradiated by said beam;
said beam calibration device being configured to transmit the output signal to a calibration controller to which the beam calibration device is connectable, for having the output signal evaluated.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Device and Method for Calibrating a Charged-Particle Beam

Life of this patent

Device and Method for Calibrating a Charged-Particle Beam

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19