Soft X-ray monochromator

Abstract

A soft X-ray monochromator comprising a substrate including a polished surface, and one or more plate-like bodies having one or more corresponding polished surfaces optically bonded to the polished surface—the one or more plate-like bodies being bent to follow the curvature of the polished surface.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] Cross-reference

[0002] This application claims priority to US provisional patent application number 63 / 619,293 filed on January 9, 2024, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

[0003] Background of the Invention

[0004] Measurement for semiconductor process control using soft X-rays (wavelength range 0.025 to 10 keV). Measurement for semiconductor process control is used to precisely control the composition and thickness, doping concentration, impurities, principal dimensions, nanostructures, surface roughness, and potential defect levels of thin films to optimize semiconductor manufacturing processes. This includes, but is not limited to, X-ray reflectance, X-ray scattering measurements, XPS, XRF, and ptychography.

[0005] Advanced semiconductor measurement technology requires small measurement point sizes (50 μm or less) in which scattering outside the measurement point does not exceed a few percent (depending on the X-ray wavelength). X-rays outside the measurement area cause signal contamination from structures outside the intended measurement box.

[0006] There is a growing need to provide cost-effective solutions for focusing soft X-ray beams. means of solving the problem

[0007] A soft X-ray monochromator is described in this application.

[0008] A method for fabricating a soft X-ray monochromator is described in this application.

[0009] A method for using a soft X-ray monochromator is described in this application. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0010] Figure 1 shows an example of X-ray beam focusing from a finite X-ray source through an elliptical or annular monochromator. Figure 2 shows an example of design parameters for a focusing elliptical monochromator. Figure 3 shows an example of design parameters. Figures 4-5 show an example of a monochromator. Figures 6-7 show an example of the method. Figure 8 is an example of a table. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0011] For soft X-rays, a reflective optical element with high focusing efficiency and little to no chromatic aberration is desirable. To obtain a sharp spot by maintaining brightness and minimizing scattering outside the defined spot size, the surface roughness must be very low and the gradient error small.

[0012] X-ray focusing mirrors that deliver high performance in the soft X-ray region are technically challenging and costly. Designing a system capable of focusing a beam size of 50 µm or less for X-ray energies below 10 keV requires a large numerical aperture. A high numerical aperture implies very high curvature. Conventional multilayer mirror technology requires substrates that closely match the ideal geometry to a length scale nearly equal to the wavelength of the reflected radiation. This is difficult to achieve during the optical fabrication process. Achieving smoothness while maintaining tilt and numerical error is most easily accomplished on flat surfaces, becoming progressively more difficult as the required symmetry of the surface geometry decreases. At wavelengths below 100 nm, poor surface smoothness results in excessive scattered light. Very precise geometry is required for the mirror to control a consistent wavefront while suppressing unwanted spots. To prevent unwanted scattered light from escaping the measurement point depending on the soft X-ray wavelength, the surface roughness is typically 0.2 nm or less. Surface roughness and ultra-precision geometry are critical parameters, and advanced manufacturing technology is required to achieve very low roughness compatible with X-ray photodetectors. The ability to maintain surface quality while modifying the geometry is key.

[0013] There are many technical difficulties in the manufacturing process and the measurement process for quality verification. This poses a problem for both mirrors and spectrometers / monochromators.

[0014] The most commonly used X-ray energy in XPS is AlKα (1486.7 eV), which is typically delivered to the wafer surface via a monochromator and focused to narrow the natural linewidth of the emission lines for chemical state identification.

[0015] Since the photoelectrons generated by AlKα radiation have a kinetic energy of ~1486.7 eV, the depth of analysis is limited to ~10 nm, and the range of secondary X-ray fluorescence that can be simultaneously detected and used as an independent and complementary input parameter for the total dose of the target substance is limited.

[0016] The most commonly used focusing and monochromator system consists of an elliptical or annular substrate (see FIG. 1) filled with quartz (100) crystal plates and provides an energy bandwidth of ~0.5 eV for point-to-point focusing of the target emission to the sample surface. FIG. 1 shows a wafer (13) illuminated by a focused monochromatic soft X-ray beam (23) from a monochromator (12) that receives an input X-ray beam (22) emitted from an anode (11) when illuminated by a microfocused electron beam (21).

[0017] The advantage of these systems is that monochromators with a wide angular acceptance range, i.e., high transfer efficiency, can be fabricated. When optimized for first-order Bragg diffraction of AlKα, this type of monochromator focusing system can focus discrete higher-order diffraction orders (energies) onto the wafer surface according to nλ = 2d sin(θ) (where d is the crystal lattice spacing). However, the range of focusable energies is inherently discrete, and intermediate energies other than those corresponding to nλ are not transferred to the sampling region by design. Lower X-ray energies are not approached or focused onto the sample surface by such monochromators, and this would require a larger two-dimensional lattice spacing to be applied to the substrate.

[0018] A method for focusing multiple, but selectable, monochromatic X-ray beams of energy from 0.025 keV to 10 keV onto a wafer surface will be described.

[0019] Elliptical and annular mirrors with a tilt error of less than 1 arc second and a surface roughness of less than 0.2 nm provide low aberrations and enable soft X-ray focusing with high precision. High numeric aperture (NA) poses difficulties in fabricating soft X-ray mirrors and measuring surface roughness. Due to these technical difficulties, the mirrors are very expensive.

[0020] Figure 2 is an example of the requirements for a focusing ellipsoid and is explained in relation to the Rowland Circle 99. The geometry is x 2 / a 2 +y 2 / b 2 + z 2 / b 2 It will be explained according to =1. The selection of the anticoagulant distance c will depend on the geometry of the instrument, but the ratio c / b and its tolerance must be matched to the Bragg angle and rocking curve of the crystal and the allowable X-ray linewidth.

[0021] For example, c / b is tan(90- Bragg It can be the same as ), and here Bragg is the Bragg angle of the plate-like crystal.

[0022] Actual manufacturing will require tolerances for the substrate shape, namely, c = c + / - c tolerance , therefor c / b = (c / b) + / -(c / b) tolerance am.

[0023] For example, the b / a tolerance is determined by generating the intersection line of b / a (see Fig. 3), and

[0024] a. c+c for nominal c / b tolerance and cc tolerance extreme values ​​of,

[0025] b. Likewise, (c / b) + (c / b) for the design value of "c" tolerance and

[0026] (c / b) - (c / b) tolerance extreme values ​​of

[0027] Consider.

[0028] The area where the four lines intersect determines the tolerance of the ellipsoid shape.

[0029] Generally, the b / a tolerance will have the smallest allowable error.

[0030] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and system for manufacturing a plate-like body for focusing soft X-rays having an energy of 0.025 keV to 10 keV and bonding it to an elliptical, annular, or other type of mirror. We will refer to this energy range as soft X-rays.

[0031] Flat, thin plate-like bodies can be polished to a desired surface roughness and can be tightly inserted and positioned in elliptical and annular mirrors. Flat, thin plate-like bodies can be thinned to less than 120 μm (or less than 100 μm) and bent to adhere to an optical substrate. Then, the plate-like bodies can be bonded to a curved optical substrate. We will refer to these optical devices as optical backings or substrates. The bonding surface of the plate-like bodies has flatness and smoothness similar to the substrate surface on a length scale greater than 1 μm. The reflective surface is flat and smooth up to a length scale approximately equal to the wavelength of the reflected radiation. The surface roughness of the reflective surface must be less than 0.5 nm in the wavelength range of 0.8 to 10 keV. The surface roughness of the reflective surface must be less than 0.2 nm in the wavelength range of 0.025 keV to 0.8 keV. Generally, the plate-like bodies have parallel faces, but the thickness of the plate-like bodies can be adjusted slightly, for example, by changing an annular shape to an elliptical shape.

[0032] The substrate can be cylindrical, spherical, annular, elliptical, logarithmic helix, sinusoidal helix, or any shape. The surface of the substrate can be curved in one or two dimensions. On a length scale of less than 1 μm, the substrate may differ significantly from the ideal shape in terms of shape, inclination error, or smoothness.

[0033] A monochromator composed of a thin plate crystal or a plurality of thin plate crystals arranged in an adjacent array configuration on a substrate (Fig. 2) to occupy the optical field of interest provides a narrow energy bandwidth of about 0.5 eV to the point-to-point focus of the target emission to the sample surface. Assuming that the absolute and relative aiming errors of the crystal plates are well controlled, ideally within 1 arc second, to minimize focus distortion, the advantage of these systems is that a monochromator with a wide angular acceptance range, i.e., high transfer efficiency, can be fabricated.

[0034] FIG. 4 shows a monochromator (30) composed of a thin plate crystal or a plurality of thin plate crystals (indicated as 41, 42, 43 and 44) ​​arranged in an adjacent array configuration on a substrate. The number of plate crystals may be one, or may be composed of a plurality of thin plate crystals to cover an optical field of interest. The plate crystals are optically bonded to a polished curved surface (32) of the substrate or base (31).

[0035] The polished surface defines the shape of a curved mirror comprising one or more plate-like bodies that interact with soft X-rays.

[0036] Figure 5 shows an example of a cross-sectional view of a monochrome device:

[0037] a. The first monochromator (30A) includes a base (31) and a single plate body (45).

[0038] b. The second monochromator (30B) includes a base (31) and two plate-like bodies (46 and 47) separated from each other.

[0039] c. The third monochromator (30C) includes a base (31), a single plate body (45), and a coating (51).

[0040] For proper optical bonding to be achieved, the upper and lower plate-like surfaces of the substrate must each be polished to a precision of within a few angstroms. For high-strength bonding, it is desirable to polish each surface to 0.5 nm or less. For surfaces with an RMS value exceeding 0.5 nm, the bonding strength begins to decrease rapidly.

[0041] Crystal (Bragg reflector)

[0042] For high-energy soft X-rays (~1 keV or higher), crystals can be used as Bragg reflectors. Generally, monochromator crystals for the high-energy region require smaller two-dimensional lattice spacing and are relatively easy to obtain using crystals with various crystal plane orientations. These crystals can be thinned and bent to adhere to a substrate, allowing monochromatic X-rays to be focused onto a sampling measurement area. Thin plate-like crystals and elliptical or annular substrates provide a monochromatic X-ray beam that can be focused onto a wafer substrate.

[0043] example:

[0044] a. YB66 or beryl monochromator crystals can be used to cover the soft X-ray region of up to 1.1 to 2 keV, and single-crystal germanium plate bodies can be used to reflect 5.4 keV X-rays.

[0045] b. Quartz can be used to reflect energies of 1, 4, 1.49 keV, or 5.9 keV.

[0046] c. A single-crystal germanium plate can be used to reflect 5.4 keV X-rays.

[0047] As an additional example, assuming the Bragg angle is 60 degrees, a focusing / monochromator system with fixed optical element positions and angles can be applied to the following X-ray energies using a monochromator crystal selectable at a fixed height and angle, as listed in Table 1 of FIG. 8.

[0048] Table 1 shows the approximate transmittable and focusable X-ray energies for various different monochromator crystals and multilayers when using an achromatic input / output optical device and fixing the Bragg angle to 60 degrees.

[0049] A plate-like body can be fabricated from a crystalline material such that Bragg reflection occurs on an undistorted crystal plane near a reflective surface in the wavelength range of 0.8 to 10 keV. Crystals, e.g., quartz, germanium, YB66, beryl, or magnesium fluoride.

[0050] In the wavelength range of 0.025 to 0.8 keV, the thin plate-like body may be any suitable material, such as silicon, silicon carbide, borosilicate glass, fused silica, sapphire, calcium fluoride, magnesium fluoride, or crystal, such as quartz, germanium, YB66, or other crystals, or bonded to an optical substrate and then coated with a multilayer coating designed for desired reflective X-rays. For example, a silicon or silicon carbide wafer can be machined and polished to a desired thickness up to 10 microns, provided with standard tolerances or precise thickness tolerances of + / - 1 micron, and can achieve a high level of optical surface roughness of less than 10 angstroms.

[0051] Multilayer (ML) mirror monochromator

[0052] Reflectance can be enhanced through ML coating. Depending on the soft X-ray energy, ML coatings can be deposited on the final optical assembly (substrate + plate). Multilayer coatings can be designed and optimized for narrow wavelength reflection. Waveband ML coatings can reflect a narrow band with an engineered center wavelength, enabling imaging of the desired X-ray with excellent spectral resolution. For X-ray energies requiring a 2d lattice spacing greater than 27 Å, multilayer mirror monochromators are used because natural crystals with defined lattice structures are no longer available. Multilayers can be deposited on elliptical, annular, or other substrates. For example, elliptical substrates are used to focus a monochromatic X-ray beam from an X-ray source onto a sampling surface. A specific example could be the use of a W / Ti multilayer with a relative layer thickness of 0.55, having 300 repeating layers on the substrate with a period of 1.4 nm. For example, for an X-ray energy of 452.2 eV (Ti Lα), the ideal maximum reflectance of 25% occurs at a Bragg angle of 78.3 degrees (CXRO website). These engineered multilayer diffractors can be optimized for various X-ray energies by utilizing various material combinations, layer ratios and thicknesses, and the number of layers on the substrate. This applies to WSi and CrTi multilayers.

[0053] Multilayer coatings made of (but not limited to) the following can be designed and optimized for reflection in a narrow wavelength range: molybdenum / silicon (Mo / Si), niobium / silicon (Nb / Si), ruthenium / boron (Ru / B), tungsten / carbon (W / C), platinum / carbon (Pt / C), nickel / cobalt (Ni / Co), chromium / carbon (Cr / C), scandium / carbon (Sc / C), nickel / carbon (Ni / C), molybdenum / carbon (Mo / C)

[0054] junction

[0055] Plate bodies can be optically bonded to a substrate via various methods, such as adhesives, UV-activated adhesives, silicon-silicon bonding techniques, or optical bonding. However, optical bonding is the preferred method. The bonding surface of the plate body is expected to undergo local elastic or plastic deformation to conform to the irregularities of the substrate or the plate body surface. However, this deformation is significantly attenuated by the thickness of the plate body, and the reflective surface will exhibit local smoothness as it conforms to the shape of the substrate. One of the major disadvantages of other techniques is that they cannot be adjusted after bonding. Bonding can be achieved using low-viscosity glue with a thickness of a few nanometers. In this case, the glue, rather than the plate body, will conform.

[0056] Optical contact is generally performed to ensure that the bonded plate or crystal adheres precisely to the precise surface of the substrate (e.g., typically an elliptical or annular surface).

[0057] Direct optical bonding is a bonding technique capable of joining various similar or dissimilar materials (including optical glass, silicon, germanium, metals, and laser crystals) with high strength without introducing any intermediate layers. Adhesion is generated solely by intermolecular forces between surfaces, and the surfaces must be flat, smooth, and clean. A smooth surface is a key factor for the success of direct bonding.

[0058] sejung

[0059] The substrate must be thoroughly cleaned. The final cleaning step must include a rinsing step with high-purity deionized water before the contact step.

[0060] Alternatively, oxygen plasma cleaning or UVO cleaning may be employed before the contact step.

[0061] Cleaning and bonding must be performed in a clean particle environment. Contact may be performed in an atmospheric pressure cleanroom environment to avoid particle contamination.

[0062] Thin film formation

[0063] Depending on the material, the plate body can be thinned to a thickness of less than about 120 microns to withstand bending stress (e.g., stress caused by contact with a substrate with severe curvature). Additionally, multiple plate bodies and materials are designed to withstand any associated bending stress and to facilitate assembly and alignment.

[0064] separation

[0065] UV light is used to separate the plate bodies, enabling 1) realignment, 2) regeneration, and 3) replacement of damaged plate bodies. Wavelengths lowered to the absorption edge of the plate body material below 450 nm may be used. For example, quartz has an absorption edge of 9 eV (~138 nm). Where quartz plate bodies may be used, a UV light source having wavelengths lowered to 140 nm below 450 nm may be used to separate, replace, or realign the plate bodies. The UV light source includes, but is not limited to, any UV light source generated by a discharge plasma light source, an RF light source, or anything else. The plasma source may be N2, O2, Ar, Kr, Ne, or any mixture thereof.

[0066] The plate-like body may have reflective protrusions, such as grids or Fresnel lenses, created by printing, embossing, etching, etc. It is expected to be easier to fabricate it in a flat state and then bend it to form a shape.

[0067] Elliptical, annular, or other types of mirrors for focusing soft X-rays with energies of 0.8 keV to 10 keV. We will refer to this energy range as soft X-rays.

[0068] merit

[0069] a. One of the main advantages of this technology is that it enables the realization of X-ray photodetectors with a large numerical aperture and high focusing efficiency. It is easier to fabricate and less expensive.

[0070] b. An elliptical, annular, or other type of mirror for focusing soft X-rays with energies of 0.025 keV to 10 keV.

[0071] c. A thin plate-like body can achieve smoothness while maintaining inclination and numerical error, which is most easily achieved on a flat surface and becomes increasingly difficult as the symmetry of the required surface shape decreases. When the wavelength is less than 100 nm, if the surface smoothness is poor, excessive scattered light is generated. Various materials, e.g., silicon, borosilicate glass, fused silica, sapphire, calcium fluoride, magnesium fluoride, or crystals, e.g., quartz, germanium, YB66, beryl, or any other suitable material that can be bonded to an optical substrate may be used.

[0072] d. A monochromator having a thin plate-like crystal or a plurality of thin plate-like crystals arranged in an adjacent array on a substrate to occupy an optical field of interest.

[0073] i. The plate-like body is very thin, less than 120 μm, so it can be bent and optically bonded to a substrate.

[0074] ii. The plate-like body is polished to 0.5 nm or less so that it can be optically bonded.

[0075] iii. The plate-like body must be aligned with the diffraction crystal plane within a few arc seconds.

[0076] iv. When multiple plate bodies must be bonded to a substrate, to obtain optimal focusing properties, the relative alignment error between the planes of different plate bodies must not exceed 1 arc second over the entire plate body (length and width).

[0077] v. Measurement of the crystal plate bodies must include alignment verification across multiple locations of each plate body.

[0078] vi. Elliptical or annular substrates are polished to 0.5 nm or less.

[0079] vii. The polished surface of the plate-like body is bonded to the polished surface of the substrate.

[0080] e. Depending on the desired soft X-ray energy, a multilayer (ML) coating can be designed and deposited on the final optical assembly (substrate + plate).

[0081] f. For higher-energy soft X-rays (~0.8 keV or higher), crystals can be used as Bragg reflectors. For example, the most commonly used X-ray energy in XPS is AlKα (1486.7 eV), which is typically delivered and focused onto the wafer surface via a monochromator. An elliptical or annular substrate filled with quartz (100) crystal plates (see FIG. 1) provides an energy bandwidth of ~0.5 eV for point-to-point focusing of the target emission to the sample surface. The advantage of these systems is that monochromators with a wide angular acceptance range, i.e., high delivery efficiency, can be fabricated. When optimized for first-order Bragg diffraction for AlKα, this type of monochromator focusing system can also focus discrete higher-order diffraction orders (energies) onto the wafer surface according to nλ = 2d sin(θ) (where d is the crystal lattice spacing). However, the range of focusable energies is inherently discrete, and intermediate energies other than those corresponding to nλ are not delivered to the sampling region by design. Lower X-ray energies are not approached or focused on the sample surface by such monochromators, and a larger two-dimensional lattice spacing will be required to be applied to the substrate.

[0082] g. A plate-like body can be fabricated from a crystalline material so that Bragg reflection occurs on an undistorted crystal plane near a reflective surface. The thin plate-like body may be, for example, silicon, borosilicate glass, fused silica, sapphire, calcium fluoride, magnesium fluoride, or any suitable material that can be bonded to an optical substrate, such as a crystal, for example, quartz, germanium, YB66, or other crystals.

[0083] h. A monochromator composed of a thin plate crystal or a plurality of thin plate crystals arranged in an adjacent array on a substrate. The number of plates may be one, or it may be composed of a plurality of thin plate crystals to cover an optical field of interest. (See FIG. 2)

[0084] i. Multilayer coatings made of (but not limited to) the following can be designed and optimized for reflection in a narrow wavelength range: molybdenum / silicon (Mo / Si), niobium / silicon (Nb / Si), ruthenium / boron (Ru / B), tungsten / carbon (W / C), platinum / carbon (Pt / C), nickel / cobalt (Ni / Co), chromium / carbon (Cr / C), scandium / carbon (Sc / C), nickel / carbon (Ni / C), molybdenum / carbon (Mo / C)

[0085] j. Plate bodies can be optically bonded to a substrate via various methods, such as adhesives, UV-activated adhesives, silicon-silicon bonding technology, or optical bonding. However, the preferred method is optical bonding. One of the major disadvantages of other techniques is that they cannot be adjusted after bonding.

[0086] k. Before the optical bonding step, the plate body and substrate are cleaned through oxygen plasma cleaning or UVO cleaning.

[0087] l. Separation: UV light can be used to separate the plate-like material for 1) realignment, 2) regeneration, and 3) replacement of damaged plate-like material. Wavelengths lowered to the absorption edge of the plate-like material below 450 nm may be used. The UV light source includes, but is not limited to, any UV light source generated by a discharge plasma light source, an RF light source, or anything else. The plasma source may be N2, O2, Ar, Kr, Ne, or any mixture thereof.

[0088] m. Depending on the material, the plate body can be thinned to less than ~120 microns in thickness to withstand bending stress (e.g., stress due to contact with a substrate with severe curvature). Additionally, multiple plate bodies and materials are designed to withstand any associated bending stress and to facilitate assembly and alignment.

[0089] The multiple plate bodies must be in close contact with relative flatness and crystal plane alignment error of 1 arc second or less across each plate body and the plate body group.

[0090] n. The plate-like body may have a set of reflective ridges such as printing, embossing, etching, etching grating, or Fresnel lenses. It is expected to be easier to fabricate it in a flat state and then bend it to form a shape.

[0091] FIG. 5 shows an example of a method (200) for fabricating a soft X-ray monochromator.

[0092] According to one embodiment, the method (200) includes the step (210) of obtaining a substrate having a polished curved surface. Obtaining includes manufacturing or receiving.

[0093] According to one embodiment, step (210) is followed by step (220) of optically bonding one or more plate bodies having one or more corresponding polished surfaces to a polished curved surface, wherein the one or more plate bodies are bent to follow the curvature of the polished curved surface.

[0094] According to one embodiment, the optical bonding does not use a dedicated bonding material located between the polished curved surface and one or more plate-like bodies.

[0095] According to one embodiment, the plate body is covered with a coating. According to one embodiment, the method (200) includes the step of coating one of the plate bodies with a coating. According to one embodiment, the one or more plate bodies are obtained after coating.

[0096] According to one embodiment, the result of the method (200) is a soft X-ray reflector as described in the present application.

[0097] According to one embodiment, the method (200) includes the step of separating one of one or more plate bodies and replacing the plate body with a replacement plate body. The replacement plate body may have been replaced due to a defect or other reasons. According to one embodiment, the replacement is performed after manufacturing is completed.

[0098] Figure 6 shows an example of a method (300) for using a soft X-ray monochromator.

[0099] According to one embodiment, the method (300) includes the step (310) of receiving an input X-ray beam by a soft X-ray monochromator.

[0100] According to one embodiment, following step (310), step (320) of outputting a monochromatic X-ray beam focused by a soft X-ray monochromator is performed. The soft X-ray monochromator comprises a substrate having a polished surface and one or more plate-like bodies having one or more corresponding polished surfaces optically bonded to the polished surface, wherein the one or more plate-like bodies are bent to follow the curvature of the polished surface.

[0101] According to one embodiment, the method (300) uses any soft X-ray reflector as described in the present application.

[0102] The present invention has been described above with specific reference to embodiments thereof. However, it will be apparent that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

[0103] Additionally, terms such as "front," "back," "top," "bottom," "up," and "bottom" used in the description and claims (if any) are for descriptive purposes only and are not intended to describe permanent relative positions. It should be understood that the embodiments of the invention described herein may be used interchangeably in appropriate circumstances and may operate, for example, in directions different from those shown or described herein.

[0104] The connections discussed in this document may include any type of connection suitable for transmitting signals between each node, unit, or device, for example, through an intermediate device. Therefore, unless otherwise explicitly stated or implied, connections may be, for example, direct or indirect connections. Connections may be described or exemplified by referring to a single connection, multiple connections, unidirectional connections, or bidirectional connections. However, the method of connection may vary depending on the implementation. For example, a unidirectional connection may be used separately instead of a bidirectional connection, and vice versa. Additionally, multiple connections may be replaced by a single connection that transmits multiple signals serially or in a time-division manner. Likewise, a single connection carrying multiple signals may be separated into various other connections that carry a subset of these signals. Thus, there are various methods for transmitting signals.

[0105] While the examples explained specific conductivity types or potential polarity, it must be understood that conductivity types and potential polarity can also appear in reverse.

[0106] Each signal described in this specification may be designed as a positive logic or a negative logic. In the case of a negative logic signal, the signal is active low, and a logically true state corresponds to logic level 0. In the case of a positive logic signal, the signal is high, and a logically true state corresponds to logic level 1. It should be noted that all signals described in this specification may be designed as either negative logic signals or positive logic signals. Accordingly, in other embodiments, signals described as positive logic signals may be implemented as negative logic signals, and signals described as negative logic signals may be implemented as positive logic signals.

[0107] Additionally, the terms “assert” or “set” and “negate” (or “de-assert” or “clear”) in this specification are used to indicate making a signal, status bit, or similar device into a logically true or logically false state, respectively. If a logically true state is logic level 1, a logically false state is logic level 0. If a logically true state is logic level 0, a logically false state is logic level 1.

[0108] A person skilled in the art will understand that the boundaries between logic blocks are merely exemplary, and that in other embodiments, logic blocks or circuit elements may be merged or different functional decompositions may be applied to various logic blocks or circuit elements. Therefore, it should be understood that the architecture presented herein is merely exemplary, and that many other architectures capable of actually implementing the same functionality may be implemented.

[0109] An arrangement of components intended to achieve the same function can be said to be effectively "associated" to enable the implementation of the desired function. Therefore, two components combined to achieve a specific function can be viewed as being "associated" with each other so that the desired function is achieved, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, these two associated components can be viewed as being "operably connected" or "operably combined" to implement the desired function.

[0110] Furthermore, those skilled in the relevant technical field will know that the boundaries between the tasks described above are merely exemplary. Multiple tasks may be combined into a single task, a single task may be distributed among several additional tasks, and tasks may be executed with at least partial temporal overlap. Additionally, other implementations may include multiple instances of a specific task, and in various other implementations, the order of tasks may be changed.

[0111] However, other modifications, variations, and alternatives are possible. Therefore, the specification and drawings should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0112] References within parentheses in a claim should not be interpreted as limiting the claim. The word "comprising" does not exclude the existence of elements or steps other than those listed in the claim. Additionally, the terms "a" or "an" as used in this document are defined to mean one or more. Furthermore, the use of introductory phrases such as "at least one" or "one or more" in a claim, or the introduction of other claim elements through the indefinite article "a" or "an," should not be interpreted to mean that a particular claim containing such introduced claim elements is limited to an invention containing only one such element, even if the same claim contains introductory phrases such as "one or more" or "at least one" and the indefinite article "a" or "an." The same applies to the use of definite articles. Unless otherwise specified, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the elements described by those terms at will. Therefore, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate the temporal or other priority of the elements. The mere fact that specific measures are mentioned in different claims does not mean that these measures cannot be combined and used to an advantage.

[0113] Although specific features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, a person skilled in the art would be able to conceive various modifications, substitutions, changes, and equivalents. Therefore, the appended claims should be understood to encompass all modifications and changes consistent with the true spirit of the invention.

Claims

Claim 1 A soft X-ray monochromator comprising a substrate having a polished surface, and one or more plate-like bodies having one or more corresponding polished surfaces optically bonded to the polished surface—the one or more plate-like bodies being bent to follow the curvature of the polished surface. Claim 2 A soft X-ray monochromator according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of each plate-like body does not exceed 120 nanometers. Claim 3 In paragraph 1, one or more plate bodies are multiple plate bodies, a soft X-ray monochromator. Claim 4 A soft X-ray monochromator according to paragraph 3, wherein multiple plate bodies are spaced apart from each other and the distance between adjacent plate bodies among the multiple plate bodies is smaller than the width of the adjacent plate bodies. Claim 5 In paragraph 3, a soft X-ray monochromator in which multiple plate-like bodies are arranged in a two-dimensional array. Claim 6 A soft X-ray monochromator in which, in paragraph 5, the relative aiming error of the plate-like bodies of the set does not exceed 1 arc second. Claim 7 A soft X-ray monochromator, wherein one or more plate-like bodies are one or more crystalline plate-like bodies in paragraph 1. Claim 8 A soft X-ray monochromator according to claim 1, wherein the polished surface exhibits a slope error of less than 1 arc second and has a roughness of less than 0.2 nm. Claim 9 In paragraph 1, the polished surface has an elliptical shape and x 2 / a 2 +y 2 / b 2 + z 2 / b 2 A soft X-ray monochromator having a geometry defined as =1, where c is the semi-conjugate distance, a and b are variables, x is the x-axis coordinate, y is the y-axis coordinate, and z is the z-axis coordinate, and the ratio between c and b is set based on the Bragg angle associated with the soft X-ray monochromator, the rocking curve of the crystal, and the allowed X-ray linewidth. Claim 10 A soft X-ray monochromator according to claim 1, configured to operate at a wavelength of 0.8 to 10 keV, and having a polished surface exhibiting a roughness of less than 0.5 nm. Claim 11 In claim 1, the soft X-ray monochromator is configured to operate at a wavelength of 0.025 to 0.79 keV, and the polished surface exhibits a roughness of less than 0.2 nm. Claim 12 A flexible X-ray monochromator according to claim 1, wherein one or more plate-like bodies are coated with a multilayer coating. Claim 13 A soft X-ray monochromator according to claim 1, wherein the soft X-ray monochromator is configured to operate at a wavelength of 1.1 to 2 keV and the one or more plate-like bodies are made of YB66 monochromator crystals. Claim 14 A soft X-ray monochromator according to claim 1, wherein the soft X-ray monochromator is configured to operate at a wavelength of 5.4 keV and the one or more plate bodies are one or more single-crystal germanium plate bodies. Claim 15 A soft X-ray monochromator according to claim 1, wherein the soft X-ray monochromator is configured to operate at a wavelength selected from 1.4, 1.49, or 5.9 keV, and one or more plate-like bodies are made of quartz. Claim 16 A flexible X-ray monochromator according to claim 1, wherein at least one plate body is a replacement plate body that replaces a separated plate body. Claim 17 A method for fabricating a soft X-ray monochromator, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining a substrate having a polished surface; and optically bonding one or more plate-like bodies having one or more corresponding polished surfaces to the polished surface, wherein the one or more plate-like bodies are bent to follow the curvature of the polished surface. Claim 18 A method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of separating one of the one or more plate bodies and replacing the one plate body with a replacement plate body. Claim 19 A method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of coating one of the one or more plate bodies with a coating. Claim 20 In paragraph 19, the method wherein the coating is a multilayer coating. Claim 21 In paragraph 17, the method wherein the thickness of each plate-like body does not exceed 120 nanometers. Claim 22 In paragraph 17, one or more plate bodies are multiple plate bodies, method. Claim 23 In claim 19, the method wherein multiple plate bodies are spaced apart from each other, and the distance between adjacent plate bodies among the multiple plate bodies is smaller than the width of the adjacent plate bodies. Claim 24 In paragraph 19, a method in which multiple plate-like bodies are arranged in a two-dimensional array. Claim 25 In paragraph 24, a method in which the relative aiming error of the plate bodies of the set does not exceed 1 arc second. Claim 26 In paragraph 17, the method is one or more plate-like bodies being one or more crystalline plate-like bodies. Claim 27 In claim 17, the polished surface has a slope error of less than 1 arc second and a roughness of less than 0.2 nm. Claim 28 In paragraph 17, the polished surface has an elliptical shape and x 2 / a 2 +y 2 / b 2 + z 2 / b 2 A method having a geometry defined as =1, where c is the semi-conjugate distance, a and b are variables, x is the x-axis coordinate, y is the y-axis coordinate, and z is the z-axis coordinate, and the ratio between c and b is set based on the Bragg angle associated with the soft X-ray monochromator, the rocking curve of the crystal, and the allowed X-ray linewidth. Claim 29 In claim 17, the soft X-ray monochromator is configured to operate at a wavelength of 0.8 to 10 keV, and the polished surface exhibits a roughness of less than 0.5 nm, method. Claim 30 In claim 17, the soft X-ray monochromator is configured to operate at a wavelength of 0.025 to 0.79 keV, and the polished surface exhibits a roughness of less than 0.2 nm, method. Claim 31 In paragraph 17, a method wherein one or more plate-like bodies are coated with a multilayer coating. Claim 32 A method according to claim 17, wherein the soft X-ray monochromator is configured to operate at a wavelength of 1.1 to 2 keV and the one or more plate-like bodies are made of YB66 monochromator crystals. Claim 33 In paragraph 17, the soft X-ray monochromator is configured to operate at a wavelength of 5.4 keV, and the one or more plate-like bodies are one or more single-crystal germanium plates, method. Claim 34 In paragraph 17, the soft X-ray monochromator is configured to operate at a wavelength selected from 1.4, 1.49, or 5.9 keV, and one or more plate-like bodies are made of quartz, a method. Claim 35 A method for using a soft X-ray monochromator, the method comprising the steps of receiving an input X-ray beam by the soft X-ray monochromator and outputting a focused monochromatic X-ray beam by the soft X-ray monochromator, wherein the soft X-ray monochromator comprises a substrate having a polished surface and one or more plate-like bodies having one or more corresponding polished surfaces optically bonded to the polished surface, wherein the one or more plate-like bodies are bent to follow the curvature of the polished surface. Claim 36 In paragraph 35, the method wherein the thickness of each plate-like body does not exceed 120 nanometers. Claim 37 In paragraph 35, one or more plate bodies are multiple plate bodies, method. Claim 38 In paragraph 37, the method wherein multiple plate bodies are spaced apart from each other and the distance between adjacent plate bodies among the multiple plate bodies is smaller than the width of the adjacent plate bodies. Claim 39 In paragraph 37, a method in which multiple plate-like bodies are arranged in a two-dimensional array. Claim 40 In paragraph 39, a method in which the relative aiming error of the plate bodies of the set does not exceed 1 arc second. Claim 41 In paragraph 35, one or more plate-like bodies are one or more crystalline plate-like bodies. Claim 42 A method according to claim 35, wherein the polished surface has a slope error of less than 1 arc second and a roughness of less than 0.2 nm. Claim 43 In paragraph 35, the polished surface has an elliptical shape and x 2 / a 2 +y 2 / b 2 + z 2 / b 2 A method having geometry defined as =35, where c is the semi-conjugate distance, a and b are variables, x is the x-axis coordinate, y is the y-axis coordinate, and z is the z-axis coordinate, and the ratio between c and b is set based on the Bragg angle associated with the soft X-ray monochromator, the rocking curve of the crystal, and the allowed X-ray linewidth. Claim 44 In paragraph 35, the soft X-ray monochromator is configured to operate at a wavelength of 0.8 to 10 keV, and the polished surface exhibits a roughness of less than 0.5 nm, method. Claim 45 In paragraph 35, the soft X-ray monochromator is configured to operate at a wavelength of 0.025 to 0.79 keV, and the polished surface exhibits a roughness of less than 0.2 nm, method. Claim 46 In paragraph 35, a method in which one or more plate-like bodies are coated with a multilayer coating. Claim 47 A method according to claim 35, wherein the soft X-ray monochromator is configured to operate at a wavelength of 1.1 to 2 keV and the one or more plate-like bodies are made of YB66 monochromator crystals. Claim 48 In paragraph 35, the soft X-ray monochromator is configured to operate at a wavelength of 5.4 keV, and the one or more plate-like bodies are one or more single-crystal germanium plates, method. Claim 49 In paragraph 35, the soft X-ray monochromator is configured to operate at a wavelength selected from 1.4, 1.49, or 5.9 keV, and one or more plate-like bodies are made of quartz, a method. Claim 50 In paragraph 35, the method is that at least one plate body is a replacement plate body that replaces a separated plate body.

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