Charged Particle Beam Alignment System for Reproducible Re-observation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current alignment systems for charged particle beam devices face challenges in accurately re-observing samples due to rotational and positional errors when re-attaching cover glasses, especially with round cover glasses, which can be rotated freely, leading to misalignment and reduced efficiency in high-magnification observations.
Innovation Solution
An alignment system that includes a sample carrier with positional alignment points, a charged particle beam device, and an alignment controller to acquire and transform field-of-view information, allowing for precise re-observation by calculating a transformation matrix based on initial image data and positional alignment points, ensuring accurate re-alignment of the sample carrier.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the alignment mark is provided on the sample holder, then the field of view search can be performed, but the re-observation cannot be performed unless the cover glass is installed to match the attachment direction at the time of the previous observation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces an asymmetric attachment direction indicator on the round cover glass and a corresponding attachment direction detection mechanism on the sample holder. This asymmetric design ensures that the cover glass can only be attached in the correct orientation, eliminating rotational errors during re-observation while maintaining ease of field of view search.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention pre-establishes the attachment direction indicator on the cover glass before observation. This preliminary marking allows the operator to quickly identify and maintain the correct attachment direction during re-observation, ensuring positional accuracy without requiring complex real-time alignment procedures.
2Ease of manufacture
If the installation portion of the cover glass is designed to be slightly larger than the size of the cover glass, then the cover glass can be easily installed, but minute translation and rotation are allowed causing positional errors
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric attachment direction indicator extends the precision requirement from purely dimensional fit to orientation-specific fit. The indicator ensures that even with the slightly larger installation portion allowing easy installation, the cover glass is constrained to a specific rotational orientation, eliminating rotational errors while maintaining ease of installation.
3Ease of operation
If a round cover glass is used, then the rotation direction is free for easy attachment, but it is difficult to attach the cover glass to the sample holder at exactly the same angle as the attachment direction at the time of the previous observation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces an asymmetric attachment direction indicator on the round cover glass that points to a specific orientation. This allows the cover glass to be easily attached while ensuring consistent rotational orientation across multiple observations, as the indicator provides a visual reference for the correct attachment angle.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment direction indicator may utilize visual differences such as color changes or contrasting patterns to clearly indicate the correct orientation. This visual cue system allows operators to quickly identify and maintain the correct attachment angle, ensuring measurement precision while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
An alignment system that realizes high reproducibility of position information during re-observation and in which a user can efficiently and easily re-observe an area of interest is provided. An alignment system that enables correlative observation between the imaging device 104 and the charged particle beam device 100, in which a plurality of positional alignment points are set on a sample carrier in a state where a sample is placed on the sample carrier, the alignment controller 153 obtains a transformation matrix that transforms a coordinate system of the imaging device and a coordinate system of the charged particle beam device based on position information and magnification of each of the plurality of positional alignment points when a first image is imaged by an imaging device and position information and magnification of each of a plurality of positional alignment points when observing by a charged particle beam device, and transforms a field of view designated for the first image into field-of-view information of the charged particle beam device by using the transformation matrix.