Method and device for characterizing an electron beam using an X-ray detector with a patterned aperture resolver and patterned aperture modulator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9406483-B1
Application number	US-201514973244-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 17, 2015
Priority date	Jan 21, 2015
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

A device for detecting X-rays radiated out of a substrate surface, said device comprising at least one X-ray detector, a resolver grating and a modulator grating, said resolver grating with at least one opening facing towards said X-ray detector is arranged in front of said X-ray detector. Said modulator grating is provided between said resolver grating and said substrate at a predetermined distance from said resolver grating and said substrate, where said modulator grating having a plurality of openings in at least a first direction, wherein said x-rays from said surface is spatially modulated with said modulator grating and resolver grating.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for verifying an electron beam, said method comprising the steps of:
arranging a patterned aperture resolver having at least one opening in front of at least one X-ray detector, where said at least one opening is facing towards said at least one X-ray detector;
arranging a patterned aperture modulator between said patterned aperture resolver and a substrate and at a predetermined distance from said patterned aperture resolver and said substrate, said patterned aperture modulator having a plurality of openings in at least a first direction;
scanning an electron beam in at least said first direction on said substrate for generating X-rays to be received by said at least one X-ray detector; and
verifying at least one of a position, size and shape of said electron beam by comparing a detected intensity modulation of said X-ray signal by said detector with corresponding reference values, wherein said electron beam is said to be verified if a deviation of said detected intensity modulation and said reference value is smaller than a predetermined value.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said scanning and verifying steps are repeated for different beam powers.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
said reference values are stored within one or more memory storage areas; and
at least said verifying step is performed via at least one computer processor.

4. A program element configured and arranged when executed on a computer to implement a method for verifying an electron beam, said method comprising the steps of:
arranging a patterned aperture resolver having at least one opening in front of at least one X-ray detector, where said at least one opening is facing towards said at least one X-ray detector;
arranging a patterned aperture modulator between said patterned aperture resolver and a substrate and at a predetermined distance from said patterned aperture resolver and said substrate, said patterned aperture modulator having a plurality of openings in at least a first direction;
scanning an electron beam in at least said first direction on said substrate for generating X-rays to be received by said at least one X-ray detector; and
verifying at least one of a position, size and shape of said electron beam by comparing a detected intensity modulation of said X-ray signal by said detector with corresponding reference values, wherein said electron beam is said to be verified if a deviation of said detected intensity modulation of said X-ray signal and said reference value is smaller than a predetermined value.

5. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon the program element according to claim 4 .

6. A non-transitory computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions embodied therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:
an executable portion configured for arranging a patterned aperture resolver having at least one opening in front of at least one X-ray detector, where said at least one opening is facing towards said at least one X-ray detector;
an executable portion configured for arranging a patterned aperture modulator between said patterned aperture resolver and a substrate and at a predetermined distance from said patterned aperture resolver and said substrate, where said patterned aperture modulator having a plurality of openings in at least a first direction;
an executable portion configured for scanning an electron beam in at least said first direction on said substrate for generating X-rays to be received by said at least one X-ray detector; and
an executable portion configured for verifying at least one of a position, size and shape of said electron beam by comparing a detected intensity modulation of said X-ray signal by said detector with corresponding reference values, wherein said electron beam is said to be verified if a deviation of said detected intensity modulation of said X-ray signal and said reference value is smaller than a predetermined value.

Assignees

• Arcam Ab

Inventors

• Lock Tomas

Classifications

• H01J37/30

  Electron-beam or ion-beam tubes for localised treatment of objects · CPC title

• B29C64/153

  using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting · CPC title

• B29C64/393

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B29C64/364

  Conditioning of environment · CPC title

• B22F12/90

  Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors · CPC title