Charged particle beam analyzer and analysis method

• US 8,481,932 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2012
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Koguchi, Masanari, Anan, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): IPPOLITO, NICOLE MARIE
• Application Number:
  US13/433,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20120257720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 250/305, 250/306, 250/307, 250/309, 250/310, 250/311, 250/308
• US Class Current: 250/306
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/024 Moving components not otherwise provided for diaphragms H01J2237/0458; objects H01J2237/202
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2445 Photon detectors for X-rays, light, e.g. photomultipliers
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/24485 Energy spectrometers
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/228 whereby illumination and light collection take place in the same area of the discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/244 Detectors; Associated components or circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/28 with scanning beams H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence

Abstract

In a charged particle beam analyzer irradiating a charged particle beam to a sample in a vacuum container and detecting an X-ray generated from the sample to analyze the sample, two or more X-ray lenses configured in different manners are provided in the vacuum container. This no longer requires air opening in the vacuum container following X-ray lens replacement and also no longer requires vacuuming, making it possible to perform analysis with high efficiency and high sensitivity.

Claims

1. A charged particle beam analyzer irradiating a charged particle beam to a sample in a vacuum container and detecting an X-ray generated from the sample to analyze the sample,

wherein two or more multi-capillary X-ray lenses configured in different manners are provided in the vacuum container,

wherein the charged particle beam analyzer further comprising;

a plurality of diffraction gratings dividing the X-ray generated from the sample,

a section making selection from the two or more multi-capillary X-ray lenses and from the plurality of diffraction gratings to set the selected X-ray lens and the selection diffraction grating in accordance with an energy of the X-ray, and

wherein a detector detecting the X-ray is a wavelength dispersive X-ray detector.

2. The charged particle beam analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising:

an X-ray lens holding section for holding the two or more multi-capillary X-ray lenses; and

an X-ray lens replacement section replacing one of the two or more multi-capillary X-ray lenses with another one thereof by rotating the X-ray lens holding section,

wherein the X-ray lens holding section and the X-ray lens replacement section are structured integrally.

3. The charged particle beam analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising:

an X-ray lens holding section for holding the two or more multi-capillary X-ray lenses; and

an X-ray lens replacement section replacing one of the two or more multi-capillary X-ray lenses with another one thereof,

wherein the X-ray lens holding section and the X-ray lens replacement section are structured separately from each other.

4. The charged particle beam analyzer according to claim 1,

wherein the multi-capillary X-ray lenses have mutually different shapes.

5. The charged particle beam analyzer according to claim 4,

wherein the multi-capillary X-ray lenses have mutually different tapered angles.

6. The charged particle beam analyzer according to claim 1,

wherein the multi-capillary X-ray lenses are formed of materials with mutually different densities.

7. The charged particle beam analyzer according to claim 1, including

a plurality of diffraction gratings dividing the X-ray generated from the sample,

wherein the plurality of diffraction gratings are configured in different manners.

8. The charged particle beam analyzer according to claim 7, wherein the diffraction gratings have mutually different grating intervals.

9. The charged particle beam analyzer according to claim 8, wherein the diffraction gratings are formed of mutually different materials.

10. The charged particle beam analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising

a plurality of diffraction gratings dividing the X-ray generated from the sample,

wherein where the number of the multi-capillary X-ray lenses is M and the number of the diffraction gratings is N, N≧

M.

11. A charged particle radiation analysis method of irradiating a charged particle beam to a sample in a vacuum container and detecting an X-ray generated from the sample to analyze the sample,

wherein two or more multi-capillary X-ray lenses configured in different manners and a plurality of diffraction gratings dividing the X-ray are included in the vacuum container, and

the analysis is performed through a combination of the multi-capillary X-ray lens and the diffraction grating in accordance with an energy of the X-ray.