Luminous body, electron beam detector using the same, scanning electron microscope, and mass analysis device

• US 7,910,895 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2005
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics KK
• Original Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics KK
• Inventors: Kondo, Minoru, Niigaki, Minoru, Uchiyama, Shoichi, Takagi, Yasufumi, Mizuno, Itaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Souw; Bernard E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Logie; Michael J
• Application Number:
  US11/547,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20080116368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,175 Days
• Field of Search: 250/306, 250/310, 250/311, 250/399, 250/492.2, 250/281, 250/283, 250/397, 257/290, 257/10
• US Class Current: 250/397
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2443 Scintillation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/244 Detectors; Associated components or circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/025 Detectors specially adapted to particle spectrometers data acquisition H01J49/0036; detectors per se G01T, e.g. G01T1/28, G01T1/29
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/502 Wavelength conversion materials

Abstract

A light-emitting body of rapid speed of response and high light emission intensity, and an electron beam detector, scanning electron microscope and mass spectroscope using this are provided. In the light-emitting body 10 according to the present invention, when fluorescence is emitted by a nitride semiconductor layer 14 formed on one face 12a of a substrate 12 in response to incidence of electrons, at least some of this fluorescence is transmitted through this substrate 12, whereby that fluorescence is emitted from the other face 12b of the substrate. The response speed of this fluorescence is not more than μsec order. Also, the intensity of emission of this fluorescence is almost identical to that of a conventional P47 phosphor. Specifically, with this light-emitting body 10, a response speed and light emission intensity are obtained that are fully satisfactory for application to a scanning electron microscope or mass spectroscope. In addition, a cap layer 16 contributes to improvement in the persistence rate of light emission in the nitride semiconductor layer 14, so, with this light-emitting body 10, not only high-speed response and high light emission intensity are obtained, but also an excellent persistence rate.

Claims

1. An electron beam detector, comprising:

a light-emitting body that emits fluorescence in response to incidence of electrons, said light-emitting body comprising;

a substrate;

a nitride semiconductor layer having a quantum well structure formed on one of faces of said substrate;

a cap layer formed on said nitride semiconductor layer, said cap layer having an electron incidence face; and

a metal backing layer formed on the cap layer; and

wherein a thickness of said cap layer is not more than 10 nm.

2. The light-emitting body according to claim 1, wherein a well width of the quantum well structure is not more than 4 nm.

3. The light-emitting body according to claim 1, wherein said nitride semiconductor layer is comprised of InGaN or GaN, and said cap layer is comprised of A1GaN.

4. The light-emitting body according to claim 1, further comprising a reflective film laminated on said cap layer.

5. The light-emitting body according to claim 4, wherein a thickness of said reflective film is at least 800 nm.

6. The electron beam detector of claim 1 comprising:

a photodetector having sensitivity for the fluorescence generated by said light-emitting body.

7. A scanning electron microscope comprising:

the electron beam detector of claim 1 and a photodetector having sensitivity for the fluorescence generated by said light-emitting body; and

a vacuum chamber in which at least said light-emitting body is arranged,

wherein an image of a sample is picked up by scanning a surface of the sample arranged in said vacuum chamber with an electron beam, thereby directing secondary electrons generated from the sample to said electron beam detector, and then correlating a scanning position of the sample and output of said electron beam detector.

8. A mass spectroscope comprising:

the electron beam detector of claim 1 and a photodetector having sensitivity for the fluorescence generated by the light-emitting body;

a vacuum chamber in which at least said light-emitting body is arranged;

a separating section for separating in spatial or time-wise fashion the ions generated from a sample in the vacuum chamber in accordance with mass of the ions; and

a dynode that is irradiated with ions separated by said separating section,

wherein secondary electrons generated from said dynode in response to incidence of ions on said dynode are directed to the electron detector and mass spectroscopy of the sample is performed from output of said electron beam detector.