US 12,270,774 B2
System to inspect, modify or analyze a region of interest of a sample by charged particles, set of systems to inspect, modify or analyze a region of interest of a sample and method to inspect, modify or analyze a region of interest of a sample by charged particles
John A. Notte, Gloucester, MA (US); Mark D. DiManna, Fremont, NH (US); Jeffrey Sauer, Danvers, MA (US); and Terry Griffin, Salem, MA (US)
Assigned to Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH, Oberkochen (DE)
Filed by Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH, Oberkochen (DE)
Filed on May 2, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/653,555.
Application 18/653,555 is a division of application No. 17/344,338, filed on Jun. 10, 2021, granted, now 12,044,638.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/150,722, filed on Feb. 18, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0288391 A1, Aug. 29, 2024
Int. Cl. G01N 23/2251 (2018.01); G01N 23/2202 (2018.01)
CPC G01N 23/2251 (2013.01) [G01N 23/2202 (2013.01); G01N 2223/309 (2013.01); G01N 2223/3301 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system to inspect, modify or analyze a region of interest of a sample via charged particles, the system comprising:
a detector device configured to produce a pixel image comprising a horizontal pixel resolution and a vertical pixel resolution;
a charged particle deflection device configured to produce a scanning charged particle beam in a scanning region in which the region of interest is disposable, the deflection device comprising:
a horizontal deflection unit configured to produce a horizontal deflection of the charged particle beam; and
a vertical deflection unit configured to produce a vertical deflection of the charged particle beam, wherein at least one member selected from the group consisting of the horizontal deflection unit and the vertical deflection unit is controllable via a digital to analog converter (DAC) having a digital resolution larger than at least one member selected from the group consisting of the horizontal pixel resolution and the vertical pixel resolution; and
an operator control interface in signal connection with the detector device and the vertical and horizontal deflection units to select an assignment between: respective image pixels of a desired pixel image; and digital inputs of DAC to produce at least one member selected from the group consisting of horizontal deflection signals and vertical deflection signals to guide the charged particle beam to the location of the respective image pixel,
wherein the operator control interface comprises an image shifting mechanism configured to alter an image position within the region of interest via a respective assignment between the respective image pixels of a chosen shift image and the digital inputs of the DAC.