Apparatus and method of applying small-angle electron scattering to characterize nanostructures on opaque substrate

A high angular resolution electron scattering method for characterizing surface features in nanometers from a sample in either a reflection mode, or a backscattering mode or both, wherein the substrate comprises an opaque substrate which is made of materials with a thickness that is impenetrable by electrons in KeV ranges, and the sample has a diameter of up to 40 cm or larger, the method comprising:

• holding the sample by a sample stage which allows for a positioning of the sample in all three directions and all three Euler angles;
• producing an electron beam;
• directing the electron beam to a sampling area of the sample by electron collimation optics;
• receiving the scattered electrons from the sample and magnifying their angular distribution by electron projection optics, and angular resolution is in a range from about 10−4 rad to about 10−5 rad;
• collecting the scattered electrons by an electron detector module, wherein a value of effective distance from the sample to the detector module is up to about 100 meters or more;
• and
• outputting a data array with the angular information encoded in the position of the array, and/or outputting a data array which has been energy resolved in each data point of the array via an energy filter incorporated in the electron projection optics or via a detector with an energy resolving capacity at each pixel.

A high angular resolution electron scattering system for characterizing surface features in nanometers from a sample in either a reflection mode, or a backscattering mode or both, wherein the substrate comprises an opaque substrate which is made of materials with a thickness that is impenetrable by electrons in KeV ranges, and the sample has a diameter of up to 40 cm or larger, the electron scattering apparatus comprising:

• means to generate an electron beam;
• means to receive, to collimate and to direct the electron beam to a sampling area on the sample;
• means to hold the sample and to allow for a precise positioning of the sample in all three directions and all three Euler angles;
• means to receive and to magnify scattered electrons from the sample;
• means to collect the electrons from the electron projection optics and to output a two dimensional data array with the angular information encoded in the position of the array;
• and
• means to collect the electrons from the electron projection optics and to output a two dimensional data array with the data which has been resolved in each point of the data array,
• wherein a value of effective distance from the sample to a position where the electron is collected is up to about 100 meters or more.