Drift control in a charged particle beam system
AssigneeFEI Company
InventorsCasper Maria Smit, Johannes Antonius Maria van den Oetelaar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for reducing drift in a charged particle beam system. The method includes providing a charged particle beam column including a charged particle beam, a lens system, and a sample chamber; disposing a temperature-controlled device between the lens system and the sample chamber to control heat transfer between the lens system and the sample chamber; and controlling the temperature of the temperature-controlled device to reduce or eliminate the thermal drift of the position of a sample within the sample chamber relative to the position of the charged particle beam.
Claims23
A method for reducing drift in a charged particle beam system, the method comprising:
- providing a charged particle beam column including a charged particle beam, a lens system, and a sample chamber;
- disposing a temperature-controlled device between the lens system and the sample chamber to control heat transfer between the lens system and the sample chamber;
- and
- controlling the temperature of the temperature-controlled device to reduce or eliminate the thermal drift of the position of a sample disposed within the sample chamber relative to the position of the charged particle beam.
An apparatus for reducing drift in a charged particle beam system, the apparatus comprising:
- a temperature-controlled device disposed between a lens system of a charged particle beam column and a sample chamber of the charged particle beam column;
- a temperature controller in thermal communication with the temperature-controlled device, the temperature controller comprising means for controlling heat transfer between the lens system and the sample chamber to reduce or eliminate the thermal drift of a charged particle beam.
A charged particle beam system comprising:
- a charged particle source;
- a focusing column, the focusing column including a lens system;
- a sample chamber, the sample chamber including a sample;
- a temperature-controlled device disposed between the lens system and the sample chamber to control heat transfer between the lens system and the sample chamber;
- and
- a temperature controller in thermal communication with the temperature-controlled device to control the temperature-controlled device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.