Particle-Optical Component
First Claim
1. A particle-optical component for manipulating a plurality of beamlets of charged particles, the particle-optical component comprising:
- a first multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures and a second multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures, wherein the second multi-aperture plate is spaced apart from the first multi-aperture plate such that a gap is formed therebetween;
wherein the plurality of apertures of the first multi-aperture plate is arranged such that each aperture of the plurality of apertures of the first multi-aperture plate is aligned with a corresponding aperture of the plurality of apertures of the second multi-aperture plate;
wherein a first width of the gap at a location of a first aperture of the plurality of apertures of the first multi-aperture plate is by at least 5% greater than a second width of the gap at a location of a second aperture of the plurality of apertures of the first multi-aperture plate.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a particle-optical component comprising a first multi-aperture plate, and a second multi-aperture plate forming a gap between them; wherein a plurality of apertures of the first multi-aperture plate is arranged such that each aperture of the plurality of apertures of the first multi-aperture plate is aligned with a corresponding aperture of a plurality of apertures of the second multi-aperture plate; and wherein the gap has a first width at a first location and a second width at a second location and wherein the second width is by at least 5% greater than the first width. In addition, the present invention pertains to charged particle systems and arrangements comprising such components and methods of manufacturing multi aperture plates having a curved surface.
156 Citations
70 Claims
-
1. A particle-optical component for manipulating a plurality of beamlets of charged particles, the particle-optical component comprising:
-
a first multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures and a second multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures, wherein the second multi-aperture plate is spaced apart from the first multi-aperture plate such that a gap is formed therebetween; wherein the plurality of apertures of the first multi-aperture plate is arranged such that each aperture of the plurality of apertures of the first multi-aperture plate is aligned with a corresponding aperture of the plurality of apertures of the second multi-aperture plate; wherein a first width of the gap at a location of a first aperture of the plurality of apertures of the first multi-aperture plate is by at least 5% greater than a second width of the gap at a location of a second aperture of the plurality of apertures of the first multi-aperture plate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 61, 62, 63)
-
-
22. A method of operating a particle-optical system, comprising:
-
positioning a testing aperture plate having at least one aperture in a first position relative to a multi-aperture component comprising a plurality of apertures such that in the first position, a first set of apertures of the testing aperture plate is in alignment with a first set of apertures of the multi-aperture component, with the respective sets of apertures comprising at least one aperture each, transmitting a set of beamlets of charged particles through the first set of apertures of the testing aperture plate and the first set of apertures of the multi-aperture component aligned therewith, determining at least one of positions, shapes and dimensions of the transmitted beamlets in a predetermined plane and a total intensity or individual intensities of the transmitted beamlets, positioning the testing aperture plate in a second position relative to the multi-aperture component such that the first set of apertures of the testing aperture plate is in alignment with a second set of apertures of the multi-aperture component, transmitting a set of beamlets of charged particles through the first set of apertures of the testing aperture plate and the second set of apertures of the multi-aperture component aligned therewith, determining at least one of positions, shapes and dimensions of the transmitted beamlets in the predetermined plane and a total intensity or individual intensities of the transmitted beamlets. - View Dependent Claims (23)
-
-
46. A method of manufacturing a multi-aperture plate having at least an area having a curved surface, comprising:
-
etching a pattern of holes into a substrate from a front surface of the substrate, processing a back surface of the substrate such that at least a portion of the back surface of the substrate has a curved shape, and etching the back surface of the substrate to such an extent that at least a portion of the holes etched into the substrate extend through the entire substrate to form apertures. - View Dependent Claims (47, 49, 52, 53, 54)
-
-
48. A method of manufacturing a multi-aperture plate having at least an area having a curved surface, comprising:
-
etching a pattern of holes into a substrate from a front surface of the substrate, processing the front surface of the substrate such that at least a portion of the front surface of the substrate has a curved shape, and at least one of processing and etching the back surface of the substrate to such an extent that at least a portion of the holes etched into the substrate extend through the entire substrate to form apertures.
-
-
50. A method of manufacturing a multi-aperture plate having at least an area having a curved surface, comprising:
-
etching a pattern of apertures into a substrate, processing one surface of the substrate such that the surface has a curved surface. - View Dependent Claims (51)
-
-
55. A particle-optical arrangement, comprising:
-
a charged particle source for generating at least one beam of charged particles; at least one magnetic lens configured to generate a first magnetic field in a path of the at least one beam; at least a first multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures, wherein the at least first multi-aperture plate is disposed to be traversed by a beam path of the at least one beam of charged particles; at least one coil arrangement configured to generate a second magnetic field such that a magnetic flux density at the at least first multi-aperture plate is substantially zero. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57)
-
-
58. A method of manipulating charged particle beamlets, the method comprising:
-
generating at least one of a charged-particle beam and a plurality of charged-particle beamlets; transmitting the at least one of the charged-particle beam and the plurality of charged-particle beamlets through at least one magnetic lens generating a first magnetic field; transmitting the at least one of the charged-particle beam and the plurality of charged-particle beamlets through at least one multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures; and generating a second magnetic field by applying a predetermined electric current to a coil arrangement traversed by the plurality of charged particle beamlets such that the second magnetic field at least partially compensates the first magnetic field and a magnetic flux density at the at least one multi-aperture plate is substantially zero.
-
-
59. A method of focusing a plurality of charged particle beamlets, the method comprising:
-
transmitting at least one of a charged particle beam and a plurality of charged-particle beamlets through a first multi-aperture plate and a second multi-aperture plate, each having a plurality of apertures, with centres of the first and second multi-aperture plates being spaced a distance w0 apart, applying a first electric potential U1 to the first multi-aperture plate, applying a second electric potential U2 to the second multi-aperture plate, the second electric potential being different from the first electric potential; at least one of generating an electrical field traversed by the beam path upstream of the first multi-aperture plate and an electrical field traversed by the beam path downstream of the second multi-aperture plate, such that a first field strength E1 of an electrical field upstream and in the vicinity of the first multi-aperture plate differs from a second field strength E2 of an electrical field downstream and in the vicinity of the second multi-aperture plate by at least about 200 V/mm, wherein for charged particles having a charge q and having and a kinetic energy Ekin upon traversing the first multi-aperture plate, the following relationship is fulfilled; - View Dependent Claims (60)
-
-
64. A method of focusing a plurality of charged particle beamlets, the method comprising:
-
generating an electrical field of at most 5000 V/mm between a first multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures and a first electrode such that the first multi-aperture plate has a first focussing power F1, wherein the first electrode is spaced a distance of at least 1 mm apart from the first multi-aperture plate; transmitting at least one of a charged particle beam and a plurality of charged-particle beamlets through the electrical field, the plurality of apertures of the first multi-aperture plate and the first electrode; transmitting the at least one of the charged particle beam and the plurality of charged-particle beamlets through apertures of a particle-optical component comprising at least a second multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures, the particle-optical component being configured and operated so as to provide a second focussing power F2, wherein the second focussing power F2 of the particle-optical component is at least five times smaller than the first focussing power F1.
-
-
65. A particle-optical component, comprising
a first multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures, a fourth aperture plate having at least one aperture, and a mounting structure comprising at least one actuator for displacing the fourth aperture plate relative to the first multi-aperture plate to a first position and to a second position, which is different from the first position.
-
68. A particle-optical component, comprising
a first multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures, and a third multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures, wherein the plurality of apertures of the third multi-aperture plate is arranged such that each aperture of the plurality of apertures of the third multi-aperture plate is aligned with a corresponding aperture of the plurality of apertures of the first multi-aperture plate, and wherein a diameter of an aperture of the third multi-aperture plate is smaller than a diameter of a corresponding aperture of the first multi-aperture plate aligned with the aperture of the third multi-aperture plate.
Specification