Charged particle beam device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12512294-B2
Application number	US-202017921416-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2020
Priority date	Jun 18, 2020
Publication date	Dec 30, 2025
Grant date	Dec 30, 2025

Abstract

A charged particle beam device includes: a stage 124 on which a sample 108 is to be placed; a charged particle optical system including a charged particle source 113 and an objective lens 121 that focuses a charged particle beam from the charged particle source onto the sample; and a detector 123 disposed between the objective lens and the stage and configured to detect electrons 109 emitted by an interaction between the charged particle beam and the sample. The stage, the charged particle optical system, and the detector are housed in a vacuum housing 112 , and the detector includes a scintillator 107 , a solid-state photomultiplier tube 104 , and a light guide 106 provided between the scintillator and the solid-state photomultiplier tube, and an area of a light receiving surface of the scintillator is larger than an area of a light receiving surface of the solid-state photomultiplier tube.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A charged particle beam device comprising:
a stage on which a sample is to be placed; a charged particle optical system including a charged particle source and an objective lens configured to focus a charged particle beam from the charged particle source onto the sample; and a detector disposed between the objective lens and the stage and configured to detect electrons emitted by an interaction between the charged particle beam and the sample, wherein the stage, the charged particle optical system, and the detector are housed in a vacuum housing, the detector includes a scintillator, a solid-state photomultiplier tube, and a light guide provided between the scintillator and the solid-state photomultiplier tube, and an area of a light receiving surface of the scintillator is larger than an area of a light receiving surface of the solid-state photomultiplier tube, the charged particle beam device further comprises: a conductive housing configured to house the detector with the light receiving surface of the scintillator of the detector exposed; and a housing potential setting power supply configured to apply a predetermined voltage to the conductive housing, a surface of the scintillator of the detector is coated with a conductive material, the conductive housing and the conductive material are electrically connected, and focus adjustment of the charged particle beam from the charged particle optical system is executed by controlling the voltage to be applied to the conductive housing.

2 . The charged particle beam device according to claim 1 , wherein
the light receiving surface of the scintillator is provided substantially parallel to the light receiving surface of the solid-state photomultiplier tube.

3 . The charged particle beam device according to claim 2 , wherein
the light guide has a tapered shape.

4 . The charged particle beam device according to claim 2 , wherein
the detector includes a plurality of the solid-state photomultiplier tubes, the scintillator has a circular shape centered on a central axis, and in a surface of the light guide in contact with the plurality of the solid-state photomultiplier tubes, light receiving surfaces of the plurality of the solid-state photomultiplier tubes are rotationally symmetrical with the central axis as a rotation axis.

5 . The charged particle beam device according to claim 4 , wherein
the light guide is a light guide implemented by combining a plurality of partial light guides corresponding to the plurality of the solid-state photomultiplier tubes.

6 . The charged particle beam device according to claim 4 , wherein
the light guide is integrally formed, and is separated by a groove into light guides corresponding to the plurality of the solid-state photomultiplier tubes.

7 . The charged particle beam device according to claim 6 , wherein
the groove is a V-shaped groove.

8 . The charged particle beam device according to claim 4 , wherein
the detector is provided with a central hole for the charged particle beam from the charged particle optical system to pass therethrough, with the central axis as a center.

9 . A charged particle beam device comprising:
a stage on which a sample is to be placed; a charged particle optical system including a charged particle source and an objective lens configured to focus a charged particle beam from the charged particle source onto the sample; and a detector disposed between the objective lens and the stage and configured to detect electrons emitted by an interaction between the charged particle beam and the sample, wherein the stage, the charged particle optical system, and the detector are housed in a vacuum housing, the detector includes a scintillator, a solid-state photomultiplier tube, and a light guide provided between the scintillator and the solid-state photomultiplier tube, and an area of a light receiving surface of the scintillator is larger than an area of a light receiving surface of the solid-state photomultiplier tube, the detector includes a circuit board on which a first resistor is mounted, one end of the first resistor is connected to an output terminal of the solid-state photomultiplier tube and the other end is connected to a first ground potential, and the output terminal of the solid-state photomultiplier tube is connected to one end of a coaxial wiring, and the other end of the coaxial wiring is drawn out of the vacuum housing.

10 . The charged particle beam device according to claim 9 , wherein
the other end of the coaxial wiring is connected to a signal amplifier and one end of and a second resistor, the other end of the second resistor is connected to a second ground potential, and the first ground potential and the second ground potential are electrically connected to each other to have the same potential.

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• OOTSUGA Kazuo
• YACHI Kazufumi
• Sakakibara Makoto
• KIMIZUKA Heita
• Abe Yusuke

Classifications

• H01J37/28 Primary

  with scanning beams {(H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H01J43/04

  Electron multipliers {(if forming part of electron gun H01J3/023)} · CPC title

• H01J2237/24465

  Sectored detectors, e.g. quadrants · CPC title

• H01J2237/24475

  Scattered electron detectors · CPC title

• H01J2237/2443

  Scintillation detectors · CPC title