IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,515,120
Granted Patent B2
US 11,515,120 · App. 17/269,424 · Granted Nov 29, 2022

Charged particle beam apparatus

Inventors: Yoshifumi Sekiguchi (Tokyo, JP); Shin Imamura (Tokyo, JP); Shunsuke Mizutani (Tokyo, JP); Shahedul Hoque (Tokyo, JP); Uki Ikeda (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH CORPORATION
H01J37/244G01N23/2251G02B6/4214G01N2223/07G01N2223/418G01N2223/505G01N2223/507
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,515,120
App. No.
17/269,424
Granted
Nov 29, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A charged particle beam apparatus using a light guide that improves light utilization efficiency includes a detector including a scintillator for emitting light when a charged particle is incident, a light receiving element, and a light guide for guiding the light from the scintillator to the light receiving element. The light guide includes: an incident surface that faces a light emitting surface of the scintillator and to which the light emitted by the scintillator is incident; an emitting surface that is configured to emit light; and a reflecting surface that is inclined with respect to the incident surface so that the light from the incident surface is reflected toward the emitting surface. The emitting surface is smaller than the incident surface. A slope surface is provided between the incident surface and the emitting surface, faces the reflecting surface, and is inclined with respect to the incident surface.

Claims (41)

1. A charged particle beam apparatus, comprising:

a detector configured to detect at least one of a charged particle emitted from a sample by irradiation with a charged particle beam emitted from a charged particle source and a charged particle generated by collision of the charged particle emitted from the sample with another member, wherein

the detector includes a scintillator configured to emit light when the charged particle is incident, a light receiving element configured to convert the light into an electrical signal, and a light guide configured to guide the light generated from the scintillator to the light receiving element,

the light guide includes

an incident surface that faces a light emitting surface of the scintillator and to which the light emitted by the scintillator is incident,

an emitting surface that faces the light receiving element and is configured to emit light, and

a reflecting surface that faces the incident surface and is inclined with respect to the incident surface so that the light incident from the incident surface is reflected toward a direction of the emitting surface,

the emitting surface is smaller than the incident surface, and

a slope surface is provided between the incident surface and the emitting surface, faces the reflecting surface, and is inclined with respect to the incident surface.

2. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the slope surface is substantially parallel to at least a part of the reflecting surface.

3. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the reflecting surface is formed of a plurality of surfaces, and covers at least a part of the light emitting surface of the scintillator.

4. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the reflecting surface is formed of a plurality of surfaces, and covers at least a part of the light emitting surface of the scintillator, and

the slope surface is substantially parallel to one of the plurality of surfaces of the reflecting surface.

5. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the reflecting surface extends from the incident surface to the emitting surface.

6. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an upper surface provided between the reflecting surface and the emitting surface at an inclination angle different from that of the reflecting surface, wherein

in a cross section including the scintillator, the light guide, and the light receiving element, a projection length of the reflecting surface to a surface parallel to the incident surface is larger than a projection length of the upper surface to the surface parallel to the incident surface.

7. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

a cross-sectional area when the light guide is cut parallel to the emitting surface becomes smaller as a cross section approaches the emitting surface.

8. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the scintillator and the light guide are joined by a refractive index matching member that transmits the emitted light of the scintillator.

9. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the reflecting surface is a surface containing a reflective material made of metal.

10. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the light guide is disposed inside any member constituting an objective lens of an electro-optical system.

11. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the light guide covers the entire light emitting surface of the scintillator.

12. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the incident surface covers the entire light emitting surface of the scintillator.

13. A charged particle beam apparatus, comprising:

a detector configured to detect at least one of a charged particle emitted from a sample by irradiation with a charged particle beam emitted from a charged particle source, and a charged particle generated by collision of the charged particle emitted from the sample with another member, wherein

the detector includes a scintillator configured to emit light when the charged particle is incident, a light receiving element configured to convert the light into an electrical signal, and a light guide configured to guide the light generated from the scintillator to the light receiving element,

the light guide includes

an incident surface that faces the light emitting surface of the scintillator and to which the light emitted by the scintillator is incident,

an emitting surface that faces the light receiving element and is configured to emit light, and

a reflecting surface that faces the incident surface and is inclined with respect to the incident surface so that the light incident from the incident surface is reflected toward a direction of the emitting surface,

the emitting surface is smaller than the incident surface,

a cross-sectional area when the light guide is cut parallel to the emitting surface becomes smaller as a cross section approaches the emitting surface, and an opposite surface of the light emitting surface of the scintillator is a metal reflecting surface.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 18, 2021
From: SEKIGUCHI, YOSHIFUMI; IMAMURA, SHIN; MIZUTANI, SHUNSUKE; HOQUE, SHAHEDUL; IKEDA, UKI
To: HITACHI HIGH-TECH CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055322/0587 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210183614A1 · Jun 17, 2021
Cited By (1)
US 12,609,272