Secondary electron detection efficiency

Abstract

Systems and devices for improving the efficiency of secondary electron detection in charged particle beam systems include a charged particle detector, a first elongate member coupled with the charged particle detector, and a second elongate member coupled with the charged particle detector. The first elongate member and the second elongate member each extend away from the charged particle detector. The system also includes at least one drawing member that is coupled with the first elongate member. Additionally, at least one electrical connection point is arranged to supply at least one bias voltage to the first elongate member, the second elongate member, and the drawing member. The drawing member is configured to generate an electromagnetic field that applies a drawing force that draws charged particles away from the charged particle source, and / or reduces the amount of charged particles from the charged particle source that strike the charged particle tool.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]Charged particle beam systems, such as focused ion beam (FIB) systems are presently used in many areas of science and industry. For example, in the semiconductor industry, FIB systems are used for integrated circuit probe point creation, circuit editing, failure analysis, and numerous other applications. To perform these functions well, it is important that FIB systems have imaging capabilities to enable users to view a grounded sample (i.e., sample, integrated circuit, etc.) that the FIB system is being used to interface with. To achieve such imaging capabilities, some current FIB systems include a secondary electron detector (SED) that utilizes the secondary electrons emitted as a result of the ion beam being incident on the grounded sample to obtain high-resolution images of the grounded sample.[0002]As the processes and components within contemporary integrated circuits continue to get smaller, the imaging capabilities of the FIB systems need to ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes devices and systems for improving the detection of secondary electrons in charged particle beam systems. The devices include elongated members and a drawing member that generates an electromagnetic field to push charged particles away from the source and reduce unwanted particles striking the tool. The system also includes a path stabilization member to increase the number of charged particles that remain in the flow path. Overall, the patent focuses on improving the efficiency and accuracy of secondary electron detection in charged particle beam systems.

Problems solved by technology

One method of achieving high imaging resolution is to reduce ion beam current, However, reducing the ion beam current results in a reduced quantity of secondary electrons, which limits the resolution of images obtained by the SED.

Images