Charged particle detector assembly, charged particle beam apparatus and method for generating an image
AssigneeICT Integrated Circuit Testing Gesellschaft für Halbleiterprüftechnik mbH
InventorsGilad Almogy, Dror Shemesh, Pavel Adamec
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Abstract
A charged particle detector assembly comprises a particle detector, which has at least one particle sensitive region for detecting at least a portion of the spatial distribution of charged particles and for generating a two-dimensional optical signal which correlates to the detected spatial distribution. Further, an image conduit has an input coupled to the particle sensitive region of the particle detector for transmitting the two-dimensional optical signal to at least one optical detector. Further, a selecting means is adapted for selecting at least a portion of the two-dimensional optical signal.
Claims22
A charged particle beam apparatus comprising:
- an objective lens adapted for focusing a primary charged particle beam on a specimen plane, so that charged particles are emitted from a specimen with a spatial distribution;
- and
- a charged particle detector assembly for detecting a spatial distribution of charged particles, the charged particle detector assembly comprising:
- a particle detector having at least one particle sensitive region for detecting at least a portion of the spatial distribution of charged particles and for generating a two-dimensional optical signal which correlates to the detected spatial distribution, wherein the particle sensitive region is an essentially singly connected region;
- an image conduit having an input coupled to the particle sensitive region of the particle detector for transmitting the two-dimensional optical signal to at least one optical detector;
- and
- a selecting means for selecting at least a portion of the two-dimensional optical signal, wherein the particle detector is arranged in front of the specimen with respect to a main propagation direction of the primary charged particle beam.
A method for generating an image of a specimen by means of charged particles, the method comprising:
- (a) placing the specimen into a vacuum chamber;
- (b) scanning a focused primary charged particle beam over a at least a portion of the specimen for generating charged signal particles having a spatial distribution;
- (c) detecting at least a portion of the spatial distribution of the charged signal particles, the portion being an essentially singly connected region, and generating a two-dimensional optical signal which correlates to the detected spatial distribution by a particle detector;
- (d) selecting a portion of the two-dimensional optical signal;
- (e) detecting the selected portion by at least one optical detector;
- and
- (f) generating an image of the specimen using the detected portion of the optical signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.