Charged particle-optical systems, methods and components
First Claim
1. A charged particle multi-beam system comprising:
- a charged particle source configured to generate at least one beam of charged particles;
a stage configured to hold a flat substrate to be inspected; and
a particle-optical component disposed in a beam path of the at least one beam of charged particles downstream of the charged particle source, 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; and
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;
wherein the system further comprises;
a voltage supply system configured to apply different electric potentials to the first and second multi-aperture plates of the particle-optical component; and
at least one focusing particle-optical lens disposed in the beam path of the at least one charged particle beam downstream of the particle-optical component and configured to focus charged particle beamlets having traversed the particle-optical component onto the flat substrate.
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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.
68 Citations
57 Claims
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1. A charged particle multi-beam system comprising:
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a charged particle source configured to generate at least one beam of charged particles; a stage configured to hold a flat substrate to be inspected; and a particle-optical component disposed in a beam path of the at least one beam of charged particles downstream of the charged particle source, 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; and 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; wherein the system further comprises; a voltage supply system configured to apply different electric potentials to the first and second multi-aperture plates of the particle-optical component; and at least one focusing particle-optical lens disposed in the beam path of the at least one charged particle beam downstream of the particle-optical component and configured to focus charged particle beamlets having traversed the particle-optical component onto the flat substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A particle-optical component for manipulating a plurality of beamlets of charged particles, the particle-optical component comprising:
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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; and 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; the particle-optical component further comprising a fourth aperture plate having at least one aperture, the first multi-aperture plate being disposed between the fourth aperture plate and the second multi-aperture plate, and further comprising a mounting structure comprising at least one actuator for displacing the fourth aperture plate relative to the first multi-aperture plate such that in a first position one aperture of the at least one aperture of the fourth aperture plate is in alignment with a first aperture of the first multi-aperture plate and in a second position different from the first position the one aperture is in alignment with a second aperture of the first multi-aperture plate.
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26. A method of operating a particle-optical system, comprising:
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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; and 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 (27)
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28. A particle-optical arrangement, comprising:
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a charged particle source for generating at least one beam of charged particles; and at least one 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; wherein the at least one particle-optical component is arranged such that the second multi-aperture plate is traversed by a beam path of the charged particles downstream of the first multi-aperture plate; and wherein the particle-optical arrangement further comprises a first electrode traversed by the beam path of the charged particles upstream of the first multi-aperture plate; a second electrode traversed by the beam path of the charged particles downstream of the second multi-aperture plate; and a voltage supply system configured to apply different electric potentials to the first and second multi-aperture plates and the first and second electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A method of manipulating charged particle beamlets, the method comprising:
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applying a predetermined first electric potential to a first multi-aperture plate and a predetermined second electric potential different from the predetermined first potential to a second multi-aperture plate; transmitting a plurality of charged particle beamlets through apertures of a first multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures and, subsequently, through a second multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures, and transmitting the plurality of charged-particle beamlets through at least one focusing particle-optical lens; 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; and wherein the applied predetermined electric potentials are chosen such that at least one particle-optical aberration of the at least one focusing particle-optical lens is compensated. - View Dependent Claims (44)
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45. A particle-optical arrangement, comprising:
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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 (46, 47)
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48. A method of manipulating charged particle beamlets, the method comprising:
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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.
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49. A method of focusing a plurality of charged particle beamlets, the method comprising:
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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 centers 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 (50)
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51. A particle-optical arrangement, 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; - and
a magnetic lens arrangement comprising a first pole piece and a second pole piece and a coil for inducing magnetic flux in the first and second pole pieces; wherein the first multi-aperture plate is magnetically coupled to or integrally formed with the first pole piece of the magnetic lens arrangement and the second multi-aperture plate is magnetically coupled to or integrally formed with the second pole piece of the magnetic lens arrangement; 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; and 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.
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52. A method of focusing a plurality of charged particle beamlets, the method comprising:
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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 focusing 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 focusing power F2, wherein the second focusing power F2 of the particle-optical component is at least five times smaller than the first focusing power F1.
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53. A particle-optical component, comprising a first multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures,
a second multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures, a fourth aperture plate having at least one aperture, 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, 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; and wherein the first multi-aperture plate is disposed between the fourth aperture plate and the second multi-aperture plate. - View Dependent Claims (54)
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55. A particle-optical component, comprising
a first multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures; -
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; and a voltage supply system configured to apply different electric potentials to the first and third multi-aperture plates of the particle-optical component. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57)
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Specification