Apparatus and method of pattern detection based on a scanning transmission electron microscope

• Main Authors: KOSHISHIBA; HIROYA, NAKAHATA; KOZO, FUSHIMI; SATORU, NAKAGAWA; YASUO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 24.09.1991
• Subjects: APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; APPLICATIONS OF SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES, e.g. SCANNING PROBEMICROSCOPY [SPM]; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; MEASURING; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS; MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEARDIMENSIONS; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES,e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTORDEVICES; PHYSICS; SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES OR APPARATUS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; TESTING

A pattern detection apparatus based on a scanning transmission electron microscope comprises an electron gun (1) for generating and accelerating an electron beam (24), a plurality of convergent lenses (2) for converging the electron beam, a deflection circuit (13, 14) for deflecting the electron beam so that it scans an object to be inspected, such as an X-ray mask, a detection circuit (9) which receives electrons that have been dispersed and transmitted in the object and converts the detected electrons into an electrical signal, and an image forming circuit (11, 17, 18) which forms a detected image of the object under test in response to the detected signal from the detection circuit and in synchronism with the deflection signal applied to the deflection circuit.