US 12,237,143 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 Dec. 21, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/392,494.
Application 18/392,494 is a continuation of application No. 18/158,444, filed on Jan. 23, 2023, granted, now 11,887,807.
Application 18/158,444 is a continuation of application No. 17/135,969, filed on Dec. 28, 2020, granted, now 11,587,758, issued on Feb. 21, 2023.
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 2024/0128044 A1, Apr. 18, 2024
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)] 20 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; and
an objective lens below the condenser lens,
wherein the source conversion unit comprises:
an image forming means including an array of micro-deflectors; and
a beamlet-forming plate above the array of micro-deflectors, the beamlet-forming plate including a plurality of beamlet-limit openings, wherein each beamlet-limit opening is aligned with a micro-deflector of the micro-deflector array to deflect one of the plurality of beamlets to pass through a front focal point of the objective lens such that the plurality of beamlets land perpendicularly on the surface of the sample and produce probe spots on the surface of the sample.