Electrode arrangement, contact assembly for an electrode arrangement, charged particle beam device, and method of reducing an electrical field strength in an electrode arrangement
地域：
Heimstetten
摘要
An electrode arrangement for acting on a charged particle beam in a charged particle beam apparatus is described. The electrode arrangement includes a first electrode with a first opening for the charged particle beam; a first spacer element positioned in a first recess provided in the first electrode on a first electrode side for aligning the first electrode relative to a second electrode, the first spacer element having a first blind hole; a first conductive shield provided in the first blind hole; and a contact assembly protruding from the first electrode into the first blind hole for ensuring an electrical contact between the first electrode and the first conductive shield. Further, a contact assembly for such an electrode arrangement, a charged particle beam device with such an electrode arrangement, as well as a method of reducing an electrical field strength in an electrode arrangement are described.
說(shuō)明書(shū)
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Embodiments described herein relate to an electrode arrangement for influencing a charged particle beam, such as an electron beam, in a charged particle beam device. A charged particle beam device may be an apparatus for imaging and/or inspecting a specimen with one or more charged particle beams, for example an electron microscope. Embodiments described herein particularly relate to an electrode arrangement for acting on a charged particle beam, a contact assembly for an electrode arrangement, and a charged particle beam device with an electrode arrangement. Embodiments further relate to methods of reducing an electrical field strength in an electrode arrangement of a charged particle beam device.
Charged particle beam devices have many functions in a plurality of industrial fields including, but not limited to, critical dimensioning of semiconductor devices during manufacturing, defect review of semiconductor devices, inspection of semiconductor devices, exposure systems for lithography, detecting devices and testing systems. Thus, there is a high demand for structuring, testing and inspecting specimens or samples on the micrometer and nanometer scale.
Improvements of charged particle beam devices, like electron microscopes or focused ion beam (FIB) devices, often depend on improvements of specific beam optical components. Beam optical components are, for example, electrostatic or magnetic lenses, deflectors, electrostatic or magnetic mirrors, detectors and spectrometers.
權(quán)利要求
The invention claimed is:1. An electrode arrangement for acting on a charged particle beam, comprising:a first electrode with a first opening for the charged particle beam; a first spacer element positioned in a first recess provided in the first electrode on a first electrode side for aligning the first electrode relative to a second electrode, the first spacer element having a first blind hole; a first conductive shield provided in the first blind hole for bending electrical field lines away from the first recess of the first electrode; and a contact assembly protruding from the first electrode into the first blind hole for providing an electrical contact between the first electrode and the first conductive shield. 2. The electrode arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the first conductive shield covers 90% or more of an inner wall surface of the first blind hole or an entire inner wall surface of the first blind hole. 3. The electrode arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the first conductive shield is a conductive layer coated on an inner wall surface of the first blind hole. 4. The electrode arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the first blind hole comprises a cylindrical channel extending into the first spacer element and having a length corresponding to 30% or more, 40% or more, or 50% or more of a diameter of the first spacer element. 5. The electrode arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the contact assembly comprises a first contact element and a spring element that pushes the first contact element into the first blind hole to be in electrical contact with the first conductive shield. 6. The electrode arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the contact assembly connects the first spacer element to the first electrode while maintaining a movability of the first spacer element relative to the first electrode in at least one of an axial direction (A) of the electrode arrangement, a radial direction of the first electrode and a circumferential direction of the first electrode. 7. The electrode arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising:a second spacer element positioned in a second recess provided in the first electrode on a second electrode side opposite the first electrode side for aligning the first electrode relative to a third electrode, the second spacer element having a second blind hole; and a second conductive shield provided in the second blind hole, wherein the contact assembly extends from the first electrode into the second blind hole for providing electrical contact between the first electrode and the second conductive shield. 8. The electrode arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein the first recess and the second recess are connected by a through hole extending through the first electrode, the contact assembly electrically contacting an inner wall of the through hole and extending through the through hole into both the first blind hole and the second blind hole. 9. The electrode arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the contact assembly includes a first contact element for contacting the first conductive shield and a second contact element for contacting a second conductive shield provided in a second blind hole of a second spacer element arranged on a second electrode side. 10. The electrode arrangement according to claim 9 , wherein the contact assembly further comprises a spring element that pushes the first contact element and the second contact element apart from each other in an axial direction (A) of the electrode arrangement. 11. The electrode arrangement according to claim 10 , wherein the spring element electrically contacts the first electrode and acts between an axial end or a shoulder of the first contact element and an axial end or a shoulder of the second contact element. 12. The electrode arrangement according to claim 10 , wherein the spring element is a coil spring that surrounds at least one of the first and second contact elements and is provided in a through hole that extends through the first electrode. 13. The electrode arrangement according to claim 9 , wherein the second contact element comprises a pin section with a head part that protrudes into a sleeve section of the first contact element, or vice versa. 14. The electrode arrangement according to claim 9 , wherein the second contact element is movable and captive with respect to the second contact element, particularly wherein a head part of the second contact element is screwed through an internal thread of the first contact element. 15. The electrode arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the first spacer element is a ceramic sphere, and wherein the electrode arrangement is an electrostatic lens comprising at least three electrodes. 16. A contact assembly for an electrode arrangement for acting on a charged particle beam, comprising:a first contact element configured to extend from a first electrode into a first blind hole of a first spacer element for electrically contacting a first conductive shield provided therein, wherein the first conductive shield reduces electrical field strength in a vicinity of a contact area between the first spacer element and the first electrode; a second contact element configured to extend from the first electrode into a second blind hole of a second spacer element for electrically contacting a second conductive shield provided therein, wherein the second conductive shield reduces electrical field strength in a vicinity of a contact area between the second spacer element and the first electrode; and a spring element acting between the first contact element and the second contact element and pushing the first contact element and the second contact element apart into opposite directions. 17. A charged particle beam device, comprising:a charged particle beam source for generating a charged particle beam propagating along an optical axis; a beam influencing element comprising the electrode arrangement according to claim 1 ; an objective lens device for focusing the charged particle beam onto a specimen; and a detector for detecting signal charged particles emitted by the specimen. 18. A method of reducing an electrical field strength in an electrode arrangement for acting on a charged particle beam, comprising:generating a charged particle beam propagating along an optical axis; directing the charged particle beam through an electrode arrangement comprising at least a first electrode provided on a first electric potential, a second electrode provided on a second electric potential, and a first spacer element sandwiched between the first electrode and the second electrode and aligning the first electrode and the second electrode relative to each other; and bending electrical field lines away from a point of contact between the first electrode and the first spacer element with a first conductive shield provided in a first blind hole of the first spacer element, wherein a contact assembly protruding into the first blind hole provides an electrical contact between the first conductive shield and the first electrode. 19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the electrode arrangement further comprises at least a third electrode and a second spacer element sandwiched between the first electrode and the third electrode and aligning the first electrode and the third electrode relative to each other, further comprising:bending electrical field lines away from a point of contact between the first electrode and the second spacer element with a second conductive shield provided in a second blind hole of the second spacer element, wherein the contact assembly protrudes into the second blind hole and provides electrical contact between the second conductive shield and the first electrode. 20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising: pushing a first contact element of the contact assembly into the first blind hole into electrical contact with the first conductive shield and a second contact element of the contact assembly into the second blind hole into electrical contact with the second conductive shield.
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