US 11,887,807 B2
Apparatus of plural charged-particle beams
Weiming Ren, San Jose, CA (US); Xuedong Liu, San Jose, CA (US); Xuerang Hu, San Jose, CA (US); and Zhongwei Chen, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to ASML Netherlands B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Filed by ASML Netherlands B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Filed on Jan. 23, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/158,444.
Application 18/158,444 is a continuation of application No. 17/135,969, filed on Dec. 28, 2020, granted, now 11,587,758.
Application 17/135,969 is a continuation of application No. 16/551,655, filed on Aug. 26, 2019, granted, now 10,879,031, issued on Dec. 29, 2020.
Application 16/551,655 is a continuation of application No. 15/216,258, filed on Jul. 21, 2016, granted, now 10,395,886, issued on Aug. 27, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/195,353, filed on Jul. 22, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2023/0282441 A1, Sep. 7, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H01J 37/147 (2006.01); H01J 37/06 (2006.01); H01J 37/10 (2006.01); H01J 37/28 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 37/1474 (2013.01) [H01J 37/06 (2013.01); H01J 37/10 (2013.01); H01J 37/1477 (2013.01); H01J 37/1478 (2013.01); H01J 37/28 (2013.01); H01J 2237/024 (2013.01); H01J 2237/0453 (2013.01); H01J 2237/0492 (2013.01); H01J 2237/103 (2013.01); H01J 2237/1205 (2013.01); H01J 2237/1516 (2013.01); H01J 2237/1534 (2013.01); H01J 2237/1536 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A multi-beam apparatus for observing a surface of a sample, comprising:
a charged particle source configured to generate a charged particle beam;
a condenser lens configured to collimate the charged particle beam to be perpendicularly incident onto a source conversion unit that is configured to form a plurality of beamlets from the charged particle beam,
wherein the source conversion unit comprises:
a plurality of electron optics elements configured to direct the plurality of beamlets towards a primary optical axis of the multi-beam apparatus using at least two different deflection angles; and
a plurality of beam-limit openings configured to limit currents of the plurality of beamlets.