Stroboscopic illumination synchronized electron detection and imaging

1. An apparatus comprising:

an electron source coupled to provide an electron beam;

a beam deflector arranged to provide a pulsed electron beam from the electron beam;

a detector arranged to receive the pulsed electron beam after transmitting through a sample; and

a controller coupled to control at least the beam deflector and the detector, the controller coupled to or including code that, when executed by the controller, causes the apparatus to:

establish the pulsed electron beam with pulse characteristics based on control of at least the beam deflector, wherein an illumination window is formed based on the pulse characteristics, the illumination window being a time frame when the sample is illuminated with a pulse of the pulsed electron beam; and

form a detection window for the detector and synchronize the detection window in relation to the illumination window, wherein detection events occurring in the detection window form the basis of an image, wherein the detection window determines a time frame when the detector converts the pulse of the pulsed electron beam transmitted through the sample to an electron induced signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the code that, when executed by the controller, causes the apparatus to synchronize a detection window of the detector with the illumination window further includes code that, when executed by the controller, causes the apparatus to:

temporally space the detection window apart from the illumination window by at least a portion of a delay, the delay corresponding to a propagation time of a transmitted electron beam pulse propagating from the sample to the detector.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the delay is configured to suppress spurious signal detection not directly associated with a primary impact of the transmitted electron beam pulse.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the detector includes one or more single-photon avalanche photodiode (SPAD) detector elements.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the SPAD detector elements comprise a pixelated imager or a pixel array.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the detection events have respective timestamps and wherein the code that, when executed by the controller, causes the apparatus to:

compare the timestamps of one or more of the detection events to delayed timestamps of one or more of the illumination windows, wherein the delayed timestamps correspond to the timestamps of the one or more illumination windows plus the delay; and

associate with the image only those detection events that are within the delayed timestamps of the one or more illumination windows.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the detection events have respective timestamps and wherein the code that, when executed by the controller, causes the apparatus to:

compare the timestamps of one or more of the detection events to timestamps of one or more of the detection windows; and

associate with the image only those detection events that are within the timestamps of the one or more detection windows.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the code that, when executed by the controller, causes the apparatus to synchronize a detection window of the detector with the illumination window further includes code that, when executed by the controller, causes the apparatus to:

temporally space a scatter-based detection window apart from the illumination window by at least a portion of a second delay, the second delay corresponding to an onset of scattered particles arriving at the detector, wherein detection events occurring in the scatter-based detection window form the basis of a scatter image.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the code that, when executed by the controller, causes the apparatus to synchronize a detection window of the detector with the illumination window further includes code that, when executed by the controller, causes the apparatus to:

temporally space the detection window apart from the illumination window by at least a portion of a delay, the delay corresponding to an onset of scattered particles arriving at the detector, to form a scatter-window based detection window.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the code that, when executed by the controller, causes the apparatus to synchronize a detection window of the detector with the illumination window further includes code that, when executed by the controller causes the apparatus to:

generate a signal with the detector only during the detection window.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the code that, when executed by the controller, causes the apparatus to synchronize a detection window of the detector with the illumination window further includes code that, when executed by the controller, causes the apparatus to:

terminate the detection window before particles scattered from surfaces of the apparatus in association with the transmission of the electron beam pulse during the illumination window become received by the detector.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the code that, when executed by the controller, causes the apparatus to synchronize a detection window of the detector with the illumination window further includes code that, when executed by the controller, causes the apparatus to:

provide the illumination window with a duration selected in relation to a delay between an onset of the detector receiving particles scattered from surfaces of the apparatus in association with the transmission of the electron beam pulse during the illumination window, such that an end of the detection window is selectable to occur before the onset.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the beam deflector is coupled to deflect the electron beam relative to an aperture to produce the pulsed electron beam at a pulse rate.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the beam deflector includes a resonant RF cavity.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the beam deflector is configured to provide the illumination windows with a duration of less than 1 ns, less than 500 ps, less than 100 ps, or less than 50 ps.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the beam deflector includes beam blankers.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the detector includes counter circuitry configured to record detected counts over a series of the detection windows.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a pulse signal source coupled to or part of the controller, wherein the pulse signal source is configured to define pulse characteristics of the pulsed electron beam provided by the beam deflector.

19. A method, comprising:

providing an electron beam with an electron beam source;

producing a pulsed electron beam from the electron beam using a beam deflector;

establishing the pulsed electron beam with pulse characteristics based on control of at least the beam deflector, wherein the pulse an illumination window is formed based on the pulse characteristics, the illumination window being a time frame when a sample is illuminated with a pulse of the pulsed electron beam;

forming a detection window for a detector and synchronizing the detection window in relation to the illumination window, wherein detection events occurring in the detection window form the basis of an image, wherein the detection window determines a time frame when the detector converts the pulse of the pulsed electron beam transmitted through the sample to an electron induced signal; and

detecting the pulsed electron beam after transmission through the sample.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the synchronizing the detection window includes temporally spacing apart the detection window from the illumination window by at least a portion of a delay corresponding to a propagation time of a transmitted electron beam pulse propagating from the sample to the detector.

21. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for a processor to, when providing an electron beam with an electron beam source and producing a pulsed electron beam from the electron beam using a beam deflector so that the pulsed electron beam is detected with a detector after transmission through a sample:

establish the pulsed electron beam with pulse characteristics based on control of at least the beam deflector, wherein an illumination window is formed based on the pulse characteristics, the illumination window being a time frame when the sample is illuminated with a pulse of the pulsed electron beam; and

form a detection window for the detector and synchronize the detection window in relation to the illumination window, wherein detection events occurring in the detection window form the basis of an image, wherein the detection window determines a time frame when the detector converts the pulse of the pulsed electron beam transmitted through the sample to an electron induced signal.