Electrostatic deflector

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an electrostatic deflector, which comprises an even number of electrode groups, each electrode group comprising m electrodes and a conductive connecting part, the m electrodes being connected to the conductive connecting part, m being an integer greater than or equal to 2. The electrostatic deflector can simplify wire connection, can reduce the risk of failure of the electrostatic deflector due to virtual welding, virtual connection or breakage of the wire, and can improve reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of this disclosure relate to an electrostatic deflector. Background Technology

[0002] Charged particle beam equipment includes deflectors for deflecting the charged particle beam. This equipment can be a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a focused ion beam (FIB) system, a dual-beam system (FIB-SEM), a transmission electron microscope (TEM), a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), or an electron beam lithography (EBL) system. Taking a scanning electron microscope as an example, it typically includes multiple deflectors. Some deflectors deflect the electron beam onto a beam blanking plate to achieve beam blanking; others deflect the electron beam to scan the sample. A detector collects the secondary electrons or backscattered electrons generated after the electron beam interacts with the sample, enabling image formation of the sample.

[0003] Deflectors can be categorized into electrostatic deflectors and magnetic deflectors. Multipole electrostatic deflectors are a widely used type of electrostatic deflector, consisting of multiple electrodes to which a voltage is applied to create an electrostatic field used to deflect beams of charged particles. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an electrostatic deflector that eliminates the need for wire connections within any one of the electrode groups by connecting multiple electrodes together to form an electrode group.

[0005] At least one embodiment of this disclosure provides an electrostatic deflector, which includes an even number of electrode groups, each electrode group including m electrodes and a conductive connection portion, wherein the m electrodes are connected to the conductive connection portion, and m is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0006] For example, in the electrostatic deflector provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure, the conductive connection portion includes an annular member, which is concentric with m electrodes.

[0007] For example, in the electrostatic deflector provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure, in each electrode group, m electrodes protrude from the annular member along the axial direction of the annular member to form m protrusions, and grooves are formed between adjacent protrusions.

[0008] For example, in the electrostatic deflector provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure, in each electrode group, the outer diameter of n protrusions is smaller than the inner diameter of the annular member, the height of m protrusions is greater than the height of the annular member, and n is an integer and 2≤n≤m.

[0009] For example, in the electrostatic deflector provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure, in each electrode group, the outer diameter of each of the m-1 protrusions is smaller than the inner diameter of the annular member, and the outer diameter of one protrusion is equal to the outer diameter of the annular member.

[0010] For example, in the electrostatic deflector provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure, in each electrode group, the outer diameter of each of the m protrusions is smaller than the inner diameter of the annular member.

[0011] For example, in the electrostatic deflector provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure, an annular element surrounds all electrodes.

[0012] For example, at least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electrostatic deflector comprising four electrode groups, two of which are placed opposite each other as a first electrode structure, and the other two of which are placed opposite each other as a second electrode structure. The groove of the first electrode structure matches the protrusion of the second electrode structure, and the groove of the second electrode structure matches the protrusion of the first electrode structure.

[0013] For example, in the electrostatic deflector provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure, an axial gap Δ1 and a radial gap Δ2 are maintained between the first electrode structure and the second electrode structure. The axial gap Δ1 is equal to the height of the protrusion minus the height of the annular member, and the radial gap Δ2 is equal to the inner diameter of the annular member minus the outer diameter of the first protrusion. The first protrusion is a protrusion whose outer diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the annular member.

[0014] For example, in the electrostatic deflector provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure, all electrodes in the electrostatic deflector are arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the annular component, the gap between two adjacent electrodes is a, the circumference of the whole assembly of all electrodes is equally divided by the angle θ = 360 degrees / 4m, and the central angle of each electrode is θ.

[0015] For example, in the electrostatic deflector provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure, each electrode group includes a power-on terminal for connecting to a power source via a wire.

[0016] For example, in the electrostatic deflector provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure, m electrodes are concentric; all electrodes have the same inner diameter; the electrostatic deflector also includes an insulating shell fixedly connected to the electrode group, the insulating shell including an internal cavity for accommodating the electrode group; each electrode group is fixedly connected to the insulating shell by glue or bolts.

[0017] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure.

[0018] The electrostatic deflector disclosed herein has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] In this electrostatic deflector, multiple electrodes are connected together to form an electrode group. The absence of wire connections within any electrode group reduces the risk of electrostatic deflector failure due to poor soldering, loose connection, or breakage of wires, thus improving reliability. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort.

[0021] Figure 1A This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electrostatic deflector;

[0022] Figure 1B for Figure 1A The top view of the electrostatic deflector shown;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electrode assembly provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the fabrication process of an electrode assembly provided for at least one embodiment of this disclosure;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another electrode assembly provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electrostatic deflector provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0027] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating the manufacturing process of an electrostatic deflector provided for at least one embodiment of this disclosure;

[0028] Figure 7 It shows Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the cross-section of one electrode group in the electrostatic deflector shown;

[0029] Figure 8 This illustration shows the arrangement of a ring-shaped component according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 9This illustration shows another arrangement of the annular element provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 10 This illustration shows another arrangement of the annular element provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the described embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0033] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this disclosure shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The terms “first,” “second,” and similar terms used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Similarly, the terms “an,” “a,” or “the,” and similar terms do not indicate a quantity limitation, but rather indicate the presence of at least one. The terms “including,” “comprising,” or “containing,” and similar terms mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. The terms “connected,” “linked,” or similar terms are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. The terms “upper,” “lower,” “left,” and “right,” etc., are used only to indicate relative positional relationships, and these relative positional relationships may change accordingly when the absolute position of the described objects changes.

[0034] Figure 1A This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electrostatic deflector 100.

[0035] like Figure 1A As shown, the electrostatic deflector 100 includes 12 electrodes 101. Electrodes 101 marked with the same number are applied with the same voltage. One voltage is applied to every three electrodes 101, resulting in four voltages applied to all 12 electrodes 101. Two electrodes 101 corresponding to the same voltage are used to deflect the charged particle beam in the x-direction, and the other two electrodes 101 corresponding to the same voltage are used to deflect the charged particle beam in the y-direction. The 12 electrodes 101 in the electrostatic deflector 100 are fixed to an insulating shell 102. Electrodes 101 with the same number (same voltage) are connected together by wires. When electrodes 101 with the same number are connected by wires, the wires are insulated, with only the joints of the wires conducting to the electrodes 101. Figure 1AFor specific wire connection methods of the electrostatic deflector shown, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 1B .

[0036] Figure 1A The wiring connections of the electrostatic deflector shown are very complicated. When connecting electrodes with the same number of electrodes through wires, poor soldering or loose connections may occur, and sometimes the wires may even break, making manufacturing difficult. Even if the connection is completed, the wires between the electrodes are easily damaged and broken when assembled with other components, causing the deflector to malfunction.

[0037] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this disclosure proposes a novel electrostatic deflector. The electrostatic deflector comprises an even number of electrode groups, each electrode group including m electrodes and conductive connections. The m electrodes are connected to the conductive connections, where m is an integer greater than or equal to 2. By connecting multiple electrodes together to form electrode groups, internal wire connections within any electrode group are eliminated, reducing the risk of electrostatic deflector malfunction due to poor soldering, loose connections, or broken wires, thus improving reliability.

[0038] The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but this disclosure is not limited to these specific embodiments.

[0039] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electrode assembly 200 provided for at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] like Figure 2 As shown, the electrode assembly 200 includes three electrodes 201 and an annular member 202 (conductive connection portion). The three electrodes 201 are connected to the annular member 202, and the annular member 202 is concentric with the three electrodes 201. The three electrodes 201 protrude from the annular member 202 along the axial direction to form three protrusions 203, and grooves are formed between adjacent protrusions 203.

[0041] For example, in some embodiments of this disclosure, in each electrode group, the outer diameter of each of the n protrusions is smaller than the inner diameter of the annular member, and the height of each of the m protrusions is greater than the height of the annular member, where n is an integer and 2 ≤ n ≤ m. m is the number of electrodes in each electrode group.

[0042] For example, in some embodiments of this disclosure, in each electrode group, the outer diameter of each of the m-1 protrusions is smaller than the inner diameter of the annular member, and the outer diameter of one protrusion is equal to the outer diameter of the annular member.

[0043] For example, if m = 3 and n = m - 1 = 2, then... Figure 2As shown, in the electrode group 200, the height of the annular member 202 is H1, the outer diameter is R2, and the inner diameter is R4. The height of the two protrusions 203 located at the edge of the annular member 202 is H2, the outer diameter is R3, and the inner diameter is R1. The height of the one protrusion 203 located in the middle of the annular member 202 is H2, the outer diameter is R2, and the inner diameter is R1. The outer diameters of the two protrusions 203 located at the edge of the annular member 202 are both smaller than the inner diameter of the annular member 202, that is, R3 < R4. The heights of the three protrusions 203 are all greater than the height of the annular member 202, that is, H2 > H1. The outer diameter of the one protrusion 203 located in the middle of the annular member 202 is equal to the outer diameter of the annular member 202, both being R2.

[0044] In this embodiment, by setting the outer diameter of one protrusion to be the same as the outer diameter of the annular member, it is convenient to increase the contact area with the insulating housing during subsequent installation, which can play a role in reinforcement.

[0045] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the inner diameters of the three electrodes are the same. It is also possible to set the electrodes in the electrode group to have different inner diameters to achieve an asymmetric electric field. The present disclosure does not limit this.

[0046] As Figure 2 shown, a step is formed between the two protrusions 203 located at the edge of the annular member 202 and the annular member 202. Figure 2 The manufacturing process of the electrode group 200 shown is shown in Figure 3 below.

[0047] Figure 3 In (a) of Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a single electrode, Figure 3 and in (b) of Figure 3 are the three Figure 3 electrodes shown in (a) of

[0048] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another electrode group 400 provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0049] As Figure 4 shown, the electrode group 400 includes two electrodes 401 and an annular member 402 (conductive connection part). The two electrodes 401 are connected to the annular member 402, and the annular member 402 is concentric with the two electrodes 401. The two electrodes 401 protrude from the annular member 402 in the axial direction of the annular member 402 to form two protrusions, and a groove is formed between adjacent protrusions.

[0050] For example, in some embodiments of this disclosure, in each electrode group, the outer diameter of each of the m protrusions is smaller than the inner diameter of the annular member. m is the number of electrodes in each electrode group.

[0051] For example, such as Figure 4 As shown, in electrode assembly 400, the outer diameter of both protrusions is smaller than the inner diameter of annular component 402.

[0052] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electrostatic deflector 500 provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0053] like Figure 5 As shown, the electrostatic deflector 500 includes four electrode groups 501 (the specific structure of the electrode group 501 can be found in [reference]). Figure 2 The electrode assembly 501 includes an insulating housing 502 fixedly connected to the electrode assembly 501, the insulating housing 502 including an internal cavity for accommodating the electrode assembly 501. In one embodiment, each electrode assembly 501 is fixedly connected to the insulating housing 502 by adhesive or bolts.

[0054] A schematic diagram of the installation process for the electrostatic deflector 500 is shown in [the diagram]. Figure 6 As shown in the image.

[0055] First, such as Figure 6 As shown in (a), two electrode sets (marked by circles 1 and 3 respectively) are placed opposite each other in the inner cavity of the insulating shell, with the protrusions facing upwards, and are fixedly connected to the insulating shell. Then, as... Figure 6 As shown in (b), two more electrode groups (marked by circles 2 and 4 respectively) are placed opposite each other in the inner cavity of the insulating shell, with the protrusions facing down. This ensures that the grooves of the electrode groups with the protrusions facing up match the protrusions facing down. The other two electrode groups are then fixedly connected to the insulating shell to form... Figure 6 The electrostatic deflector shown in (c) is the electrostatic deflector 500 mentioned above.

[0056] Back Figure 5 Two electrode groups 501 placed opposite each other constitute the first electrode structure, and another two electrode groups 501 placed opposite each other constitute the second electrode structure. The grooves of the first electrode structure match the protrusions of the second electrode structure, and vice versa. An axial clearance Δ1 and a radial clearance Δ2 are maintained between the first and second electrode structures. The axial clearance Δ1 is equal to the height of the protrusion minus the height of the annular component, i.e., Δ1 = H2 - H1. The radial clearance Δ2 is equal to the inner diameter of the annular component minus the outer diameter of the first protrusion, where the outer diameter of the first protrusion is smaller than the inner diameter of the annular component, i.e., Δ2 = R4 - R3. The axial and radial clearances prevent short circuits caused by conduction between the electrode groups.

[0057] For example, in this embodiment, two electrode groups are used to deflect the charged particle beam in the x-direction, and another two electrode groups are used to deflect the charged particle beam in the y-direction. The x-direction and y-direction are two mutually perpendicular directions on the cross-section of the deflector.

[0058] For example, in some embodiments of this disclosure, all electrodes in the electrostatic deflector are equally spaced along the circumference of the annular component, the gap between two adjacent electrodes is a, the circumference of the entire assembly of all electrodes is equally divided by the angle θ = 360 degrees / 4m, and the central angle of each electrode is θ.

[0059] The purpose of setting a gap between two adjacent electrodes is to avoid short circuits.

[0060] Figure 7 It shows Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the cross-section of one electrode group in the electrostatic deflector shown.

[0061] like Figure 7 As shown, the gap between two adjacent electrodes is a, the distance between the electrode edge and the graduation line is (1 / 2)a, θ is the angle of equal division of the circumference, θ=360 / 12=30 degrees, and the central angle of each electrode is θ.

[0062] When the gap between two adjacent electrodes and the aforementioned axial and radial gaps are each set to a certain value, it is convenient to form a symmetrically distributed electrostatic field. When it is necessary to provide an asymmetrical electrostatic field, the gap between two adjacent electrodes, the axial gap, and the radial gap can also be multiple different values, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0063] It should be noted that this disclosure applies not only to the case where electrodes are equally spaced, but also to the case where the spacing between adjacent electrodes is uneven.

[0064] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the electrostatic deflector is configured to provide a symmetrically distributed electrostatic field. In another embodiment of this disclosure, the electrostatic deflector is configured to provide an asymmetrically distributed electrostatic field.

[0065] For example, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the annular member surrounds all electrodes, facilitating a larger contact area with the insulating shell during subsequent installation and thus providing reinforcement. The annular member can have different sizes, corresponding to cases with no extension, one-end extension, and two-end extension. The following describes... Figures 8-10 Let's explain these three situations separately.

[0066] Figure 8 The illustration shows the arrangement of a ring-shaped component according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0067] like Figure 8As shown in (a), in this electrode assembly, the two ends of the annular element are flush with the two electrodes, that is, the annular element has no extension. Multiple such electrode assemblies are used to form an electrostatic deflector. Figure 8 As shown in (b) of the document.

[0068] Figure 9 This illustration shows another arrangement of the annular element provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0069] like Figure 9 As shown in (a), in this electrode assembly, one end of the annular member is flush with an electrode, and the other end of the annular member extends. Multiple such electrode assemblies are assembled to form an electrostatic deflector. Figure 9 As shown in (b) of the document.

[0070] Figure 10 This illustration shows another arrangement of the annular element provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0071] like Figure 10 As shown in (a), in this electrode assembly, the two ends of the annular member extend, and multiple such electrode assemblies are assembled into an electrostatic deflector. Figure 10 As shown in (b) of the document.

[0072] It can be seen that different settings of the ring component result in different structures of the electrostatic deflector, thus creating different electrostatic fields.

[0073] For example, in some embodiments of this disclosure, each electrode group includes a power-on terminal for connection to a power source via a wire.

[0074] For example, the power-on terminal is located on one of the electrodes in the electrode group, one end of the wire is connected to the power-on terminal (e.g., by a bolt), and the other end of the wire is connected to the power source.

[0075] Each electrode group only needs to be connected to the power supply through a single wire, simplifying the wiring connection.

[0076] In summary, the electrostatic deflector provided in this disclosure simplifies wire connections. By connecting multiple electrodes together to form an electrode group, wire connections are eliminated within any electrode group, which reduces the risk of electrostatic deflector failure due to poor soldering, loose connection, or breakage of wires, and improves reliability.

[0077] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "bottom," "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "vertical," and "horizontal," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships, are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the structure or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more, and "several" means one or more.

[0078] In the description of this specification, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0079] The above description, in conjunction with specific preferred embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of the present invention. It should not be construed that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art, various simple deductions or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and all such modifications and substitutions should be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrostatic deflector comprising an even number of electrode sets for deflecting a charged particle beam, characterized in that, Each of the electrode groups comprises m electrodes and a conductive connecting part, the m electrodes are connected to the conductive connecting part, m is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the conductive connecting part comprises a ring member; the m electrodes are arranged along the circumferential direction of the ring member and are spaced apart, the ring member is concentric with the m electrodes; in each of the electrode groups, the m electrodes protrude from the ring member along the axial direction of the ring member to form m protrusions, and grooves are formed between adjacent protrusions; in each of the electrode groups, the outer diameter of m-1 protrusions is less than the inner diameter of the ring member, and the outer diameter of one protrusion is equal to the outer diameter of the ring member.

2. The electrostatic deflector of claim 1, wherein In each of the electrode groups, the outer diameter of n protrusions is less than the inner diameter of the ring member, and the height of the m protrusions is greater than the height of the ring member, n is an integer and 2≤n≤m.

3. The electrostatic deflector of claim 1, wherein, The ring member surrounds all the electrodes.

4. The electrostatic deflector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that There are four electrode groups, two oppositely arranged electrode groups are used as a first electrode structure, and the other two oppositely arranged electrode groups are used as a second electrode structure, the grooves of the first electrode structure match the protrusions of the second electrode structure, and the grooves of the second electrode structure match the protrusions of the first electrode structure.

5. The electrostatic deflector of claim 4, wherein, An axial gap Δ1 and a radial gap Δ2 are reserved between the first electrode structure and the second electrode structure, the axial gap Δ1 is equal to the height of the protrusion minus the height of the ring member, and the radial gap Δ2 is equal to the inner diameter of the ring member minus the outer diameter of the first protrusion, the first protrusion is the protrusion with an outer diameter less than the inner diameter of the ring member.

6. The electrostatic deflector of claim 4, wherein, All the electrodes in the electrostatic deflector are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the ring member, the gap between two adjacent electrodes is a, and the overall circumference of the electrode groups is equally divided into an angle θ=360 degrees / 4m, and the central angle of each electrode is θ.

7. The electrostatic deflector of claim 1, wherein Each of the electrode groups comprises a power supply end for connecting to a power supply through a wire.

8. The electrostatic deflector of claim 1, wherein, The m electrodes are concentric, the inner diameters of all the electrodes are the same, the electrostatic deflector further comprises an insulating shell fixedly connected to the electrode groups, the insulating shell comprises an internal cavity accommodating the electrode groups, and each of the electrode groups is fixedly connected to the insulating shell by means of glue or bolts.

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