US 12,437,965 B1
Charged-particle beam microscope with differential vacuum pressures
Christopher Su-Yan Own, Seattle, WA (US); and Matthew Francis Murfitt, Seattle, WA (US)
Assigned to Mochil, Inc., Seattle, WA (US)
Filed by Mochii, Inc., Seattle, WA (US)
Filed on Nov. 27, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/519,325.
Application 18/519,325 is a continuation of application No. 17/878,895, filed on Aug. 1, 2022, abandoned.
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H01J 37/28 (2006.01); C23C 14/24 (2006.01); C23C 14/52 (2006.01); C23C 14/54 (2006.01); H01J 37/10 (2006.01); H01J 37/147 (2006.01); H01J 37/18 (2006.01); H01J 37/20 (2006.01); H01J 37/22 (2006.01); H01J 37/244 (2006.01); G02B 21/00 (2006.01); G02B 21/36 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 37/28 (2013.01) [C23C 14/24 (2013.01); C23C 14/52 (2013.01); C23C 14/54 (2013.01); H01J 37/10 (2013.01); H01J 37/1471 (2013.01); H01J 37/18 (2013.01); H01J 37/20 (2013.01); H01J 37/222 (2013.01); H01J 37/228 (2013.01); H01J 37/244 (2013.01); G02B 21/0048 (2013.01); G02B 21/008 (2013.01); G02B 21/367 (2013.01); H01J 2237/0203 (2013.01); H01J 2237/2007 (2013.01); H01J 2237/28 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A charged-particle beam microscope for imaging a sample, the microscope comprising:
a housing to enclose a first volume at a first predefined vacuum pressure;
a motorized stage to hold and move a sample inside the first volume of the housing;
a charged-particle beam module in the housing, the charged-particle beam module comprising:
a chamber comprising one or more walls to enclose a second volume at a second predefined vacuum pressure, the second predefined vacuum pressure being substantially less than the first predefined vacuum pressure, the walls of the chamber being adapted to separate the second volume from the first volume and to maintain a pressure differential between the first and second volumes;
a charged-particle beam source inside the second volume to generate a charged-particle beam; and
one or more beam optical components inside the second volume to converge the charged-particle beam onto the sample;
one or more beam scanners outside the charged-particle beam module to scan the electron beam across the sample;
one or more detectors outside the charged-particle beam module to detect radiation emanating from the sample; and
a controller to analyze the detected radiation.