Method and device for characterizing an electron beam

• US 10,586,683 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2017
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arcam Ab (Danaher Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Arcam Ab (Danaher Corporation)
• Inventors: Lock, Tomas
• Primary Examiner(s): McCormack, Jason L
• Application Number:
  US15/630,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20170294288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 250305, 250306, 250307, 250311, 2504921, 2504923
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/28 Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/31 Calibration of process steps or apparatus settings, e.g. before or during manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/44 characterised by the configuration of the radiation means
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/49 Scanners
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/55 Two or more means for feeding material
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/90 Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/0013 Positioning or observing workpieces, e.g. with respect to the impact; Aligning, aiming or focusing electronbeams
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/002 Devices involving relative movement between electronbeam and workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/0026 Auxiliary equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/0086 welding for purposes other than joining, e.g. built-up welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/02 Control circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 1/001 Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 17/00 Details of, or accessories for, apparatus for shaping the material; Auxiliary measures taken in connection with such shaping moulds B28B7/00; after-treatment B28B11/00; feeding or discharging B28B13/00; arrangements for embedding elements in the material B28B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 17/0081 Process control
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/153 using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/364 Conditioning of environment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 40/00 Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 : for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/295 : using coded aperture devices, e.g. Fresnel zone plates handling of radiation of particles, e.g. using diaphragms, collimators, diffraction G21K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/0453 : multiple apertures
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2445 : Photon detectors for X-rays, light, e.g. photomultipliers
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2448 : Secondary particle detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/24514 : Beam diagnostics including control of the parameter or property diagnosed H01J2237/30472 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2826 : Calibration for object processing apparatus H01J2237/30433
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/30433 : System calibration for microscopes H01J2237/2826
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/3045 : Deflection calibration deflecting in general H01J2237/15; specific to material treating H01J2237/30483
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/30472 : Controlling the beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/3128 : Melting
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/09 : Diaphragms; Shields associated with electron or ion-optical arrangements; Compensation of disturbing fields
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/244 : Detectors; Associated components or circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/30 : Electron-beam or ion-beam tubes for localised treatment of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3005 : Observing the objects or the point of impact on the object
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/304 : Controlling tubes by information coming from the objects or from the beam, e.g. correction signals
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3045 : Object or beam position registration
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/305 : for casting, melting, evaporating or etching methods for casting or melting of metals with electron beam or gas discharges C22B9/22
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/317 : for changing properties of the objects or for applying thin layers thereon, e.g. for ion implantation H01J37/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 : Process efficiency

Abstract

A device for detecting X-rays radiated out of a substrate surface, said device comprising at least one X-ray detector, a resolver grating and a modulator grating, said resolver grating with at least one opening facing towards said X-ray detector is arranged in front of said X-ray detector. Said modulator grating is provided between said resolver grating and said substrate at a predetermined distance from said resolver grating and said substrate, where said modulator grating having a plurality of openings in at least a first direction, wherein said x-rays from said surface is spatially modulated with said modulator grating and resolver grating.

Claims

1. A device for detecting X-rays emanating from a substrate surface, said device comprising:

at least one first X-ray detector;

a patterned aperture resolver; and

a patterned aperture modulator,

wherein;

said patterned aperture resolver includes at least one opening facing towards said X-ray detector, the patterned aperture resolver being positioned in front of said X-ray detector, the at least one opening defining a first pattern;

said patterned aperture modulator is positioned between said patterned aperture resolver and said substrate at a predetermined distance from said patterned aperture resolver and said substrate, where said patterned aperture modulator has a plurality of openings in at least a first direction, the plurality of openings defining a second pattern, the second pattern being different, other than in a relative scale, from the first pattern, the plurality of openings comprising a first opening comprising a first micro-pattern and a second opening comprising a second micro-pattern different than the first micro-pattern, wherein the first micro-pattern is arranged in a first non-periodic pattern and the second micro-pattern is arranged in a second non-periodic pattern that is different than the first non-periodic pattern; and

said x-rays emanating from said substrate surface are intensity modulated with said patterned aperture modulator and patterned aperture resolver before being detected by said X-ray detector.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said first and second patterns are each either a 1-dimensional pattern or a 2-dimensional pattern.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein:

an opening at a first position of said patterned aperture resolver is configured with a first type of micro-pattern; and

an opening at a second position of said patterned aperture resolver is configured with a second type of micro-pattern, said second type of micro-pattern being different relative to said first type of micro-pattern.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein said first type of micro-pattern is a plurality of slots in a first direction.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein said second type of micro-pattern is a plurality of slots in a second direction, said second direction being different relative to said first direction.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein a base material of said patterned aperture modulator and said patterned aperture resolver is designed for shielding x-ray radiation.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein a vacuum window is positioned between said X-ray detector and said patterned aperture resolver with the X-ray detector disposed external of the vacuum window and the patterned aperture resolver disposed internal of the vacuum window.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein said substrate is provided with a reference pattern.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein said patterned aperture resolver is arranged at a distance from said X-ray detector.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein said patterned aperture resolver is replaced by a patterned detector.

11. The device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one second X-ray detector arranged with a patterned aperture resolver and a patterned aperture modulator, said patterned aperture resolver having at least one opening facing towards said at least one second X-ray detector being arranged in front of said at least one second X-ray detector, said patterned aperture modulator being provided between said patterned aperture resolver and said substrate at a predetermined distance from said patterned aperture resolver and said substrate, said patterned aperture modulator having a plurality of openings in at least a first direction, said x-rays from said surface being intensity modulated with said patterned aperture modulator and said patterned aperture resolver before being detected by said at least one second X-ray detector, said at least one first X-ray detector and said at least one second X-ray detector being arranged at a predetermined distance from each other for detecting height variations in a surface of said substrate.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein said first and second x-ray detectors are positioned in a plane in parallel with the substrate and said height information is determined by triangulation.

13. The device according to claim 11, wherein said first detector is essentially in parallel with said substrate and said second detector is essentially perpendicular with the substrate.

14. The device according to claim 11, wherein said at least one first and said at least one second detectors are configured as a single unit.

15. The device according to claim 11, wherein said at least one first and said at least one second detectors are configured as separate units.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

said at least one opening in said patterned aperture resolver comprises two or more openings; and

said first pattern defined by said two or more openings is a non-periodic pattern.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein said non-periodic pattern of said two or more openings in said patterned aperture resolver is either a one-dimensional pattern or a two-dimensional pattern.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein:

said first pattern is defined by a first set of spacing between each of the two or more openings of said patterned aperture resolver; and

said second pattern is defined by a second set of spacing between each of the plurality of openings of said pattern aperture modulator, the second set of spacing being different, other than in a relative spacing scale, from the first set of spacing.

19. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

said second pattern defined by said plurality of openings in said patterned aperture modulator is a non-periodic pattern, and

the non-periodic pattern is either a 1-dimensional pattern or a 2-dimensional pattern.

20. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

the first micro-pattern comprises a plurality of slits in a first direction; and

the second micro-pattern comprises a plurality of slits in a second direction different than the first direction.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate is configured to receive the X-rays in a first direction and to emanate said X-rays in a second direction toward the patterned aperture modulator and the patterned aperture resolver, wherein the second direction is opposite the first direction.

22. The device of claim 7, wherein the vacuum window forms a vacuum chamber such that the patterned aperture resolver disposed internally of the vacuum window is sealed within the vacuum chamber.