Patents Examined by David E Smith
  • Patent number: 11664185
    Abstract: A vibration damping system for a charged particle beam apparatus according to the present invention includes a column through which a charged particle beam passes, a vibration detection unit that detects vibration of the column, a damping mechanism that applies vibration to the column to suppress the vibration of the column, and a control device that controls the damping mechanism. The control device includes a damping gain control unit that amplifies a detection signal of the vibration detection unit with a set amplification factor and outputs an amplified detection signal as a control signal to the damping mechanism, and a saturation suppression unit that adjusts a feedback gain value of the damping gain control unit according to a detection signal of the vibration detection unit, a signal of the damping mechanism, and a maximum output value and a minimum output value of the damping mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jun Etoh, Hironori Ogawa, Shuichi Nakagawa, Terunobu Funatsu
  • Patent number: 11664191
    Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention, an electron beam irradiation apparatus includes a photoelectric surface configured to receive irradiation of excitation light on a side of a front surface, and generate electron beams from a side of a back surface; a blanking aperture array mechanism provided with passage holes corresponding to the electron beams and configured to perform deflection control on each of the plurality of electron beams passing through the passage holes; and an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust at least one of an orbit of transmitted light that passes through at least one of arrangement objects including the photoelectric surface, the blanking aperture array mechanism, and the limit aperture substrate up to the stage and reaches the stage, among an irradiated excitation light, and an orbit of the electron beams, wherein the arrangement objects shield at least a part of the transmitted light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Taku Yamada, Kota Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 11658013
    Abstract: A system and method to modify surface tension at atmosphere across a hydrophobic, anti-fouling, and oleophobic coated substrate. The substrate has a hydrophobic surface defined by a surface friction. The system modifies the surface tension, or smoothness, across the hydrophobic surface. The modification in surface tension is accomplished by generating power through an ion source to create an ion cloud. The ion cloud is generated in proximity to the substrate. The ions interact with the hydrophobic surface to create a modification of surface tension. A gas carrier device introduces an inert carrier gas through the ion cloud to increase density of the ions, which in turn increases surface friction. The system is variable, selectively increasing and decreasing surface tension by: varying the duration that the hydrophobic surface is exposed to the ion cloud; varying power applied to ion source; and varying distance between the ion cloud and the hydrophobic surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Quantum Innovations, Inc.
    Inventors: Norman L. Kester, Peter Voin, Danny Charles Gilkison, Philip H. Post, John B. Glarum
  • Patent number: 11658019
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a reaction chamber (12) for an IMR-MS apparatus or a PTR-MS apparatus, comprising an essentially gaslight outer housing (14), comprising at least two ion lenses (16) with essentially constant orifice dimensions and/or at least two ion lenses (17) with different orifice dimensions arranged around the reaction region (20), and at least one at least partly gaslight sealing (19), characterized in that the ion lenses (16,17) are placed inside the essentially gaslight outer housing (14), wherein between at least two adjacent ion lenses (16,17) an at least partly gaslight sealing (19) is mounted, wherein the room between at least other two ion lenses (16, 17) is such to allow a gas flow through said room from the reaction region (20) into the outer space (21). The present invention further relates to a method to operate an apparatus according to the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: lONICON ANALYTIK GESELLSCHAFT M.B.H.
    Inventor: Alfons Jordan
  • Patent number: 11657999
    Abstract: A particle beam system includes a particle source to produce a first beam of charged particles. The particle beam system also includes a multiple beam producer to produce a plurality of partial beams from a first incident beam of charged particles. The partial beams are spaced apart spatially in a direction perpendicular to a propagation direction of the partial beams. The plurality of partial beams includes at least a first partial beam and a second partial beam. The particle beam system further includes an objective to focus incident partial beams in a first plane so that a first region, on which the first partial beam is incident in the first plane, is separated from a second region, on which a second partial beam is incident. The particle beam system also a detector system including a plurality of detection regions and a projective system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MultiSEM GmbH
    Inventors: Dirk Zeidler, Stefan Schubert
  • Patent number: 11648574
    Abstract: Provided is a spray chamber including a sample introduction port portion into which a gas flow containing sample droplets that have been atomized by a nebulizer is introduced, a discharge port portion that discharges at least a part of the gas flow introduced into the sample introduction port portion to the outside, and a flow passage tube portion that has the sample introduction port portion on one end portion thereof and the discharge port portion on the other end portion thereof and serves as a flow passage for the introduced gas flow, wherein the flow passage tube portion includes a first tube portion having the discharge port portion on one end portion thereof and a second tube portion having the sample introduction port portion on one end portion thereof, the spray chamber includes a double tube portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Taisuke Mizuno, Kazumi Inagaki, Shin-ichiro Fujii
  • Patent number: 11651946
    Abstract: A mass spectrometer includes a vacuum chamber, a turbomolecular pump, and a roughing pump. The vacuum chamber is divided into a low vacuum chamber and a high vacuum chamber respectively provided with, on their wall surfaces, a first opening and a second opening. The turbomolecular pump has an operation chamber including in its inside a blade rotor and being provided with a first intake port, and an exhaust chamber communicating with the operation chamber and being provided with a second intake port and an exhaust port. The turbomolecular pump is placed so that the high vacuum chamber and the operation chamber communicate with each other through the second opening and the first intake port, and the low vacuum chamber and the exhaust chamber communicate with each other through the first opening and the second intake port. The roughing pump is connected to the exhaust port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yusuke Sakagoshi
  • Patent number: 11653438
    Abstract: An EUV light source module includes an EUV vessel, a collector disposed in the EUV vessel, a droplet generator, a droplet catcher, and a droplet collecting system. The droplet generator is coupled to the EUV vessel and configured to provide a plurality of target droplets into the EUV vessel. The droplet catcher is coupled to the EUV vessel and configured to catch at least a target droplet from the EUV vessel. The droplet colleting system is coupled to the droplet catcher. The droplet collecting system includes a connecting port coupled to the droplet catcher, and a thermal insulating device surrounding the droplet catcher. The droplet generator and the droplet catcher are disposed at opposite locations in the EUV vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.
    Inventors: Yu-Fa Lo, Ming-Hsun Tsai, Shang-Chieh Chien
  • Patent number: 11651928
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are apparatuses and systems for reentrant fluid delivery techniques. An example system includes at least a fluid delivery conduit extending between first and second electrical potentials, wherein the fluid delivery conduit is formed into a tilted helical so that a fluid flowing through the fluid delivery conduit experiences an electric field reversal through each winding of the fluid delivery conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Inventor: James B McGinn
  • Patent number: 11651947
    Abstract: A mass spectrometer includes a first vacuum chamber, which is provided with an atmospheric pressure interface communicating with an external atmospheric pressure environment and to a first vacuum pump, the range of working pressure P1 of the first vacuum chamber being P1>30 mbar; a second vacuum chamber, which is connected to the first vacuum chamber by means of a vacuum interface to receive the analyte from the first vacuum chamber and to a second vacuum pump, the range of working pressure P2 of the second vacuum chamber being 0.5 mbar?P2?30 mbar; and a third vacuum chamber, which is connected to the second vacuum chamber by means of a vacuum interface to receive the analyte from the second vacuum chamber and to a third vacuum pump, the first vacuum pump or the second vacuum pump being used as a forepump of the third vacuum pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yiming Wang, Wenjian Sun
  • Patent number: 11651931
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an ion chamber and a valve assembly. The ion chamber may include a housing enclosing a gas and one or more electrodes. The valve assembly is coupled to the ion chamber allowing control of replacement of the gas within the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: VARIAN MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Amir Shojaei, Philip Adamson, Flavio Poehlmann-Martins
  • Patent number: 11651929
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a charged particle source that exhibits small energy dispersion for charged particle beams emitted under a high angular current density condition and allows stable acquisition of large charged particle currents even for a small light source diameter. The charged particle source according to the present invention has a spherical virtual cathode surface from which charged particles are emitted, and the virtual cathode surface for charged particles emitted from a first position on a tip end surface of an emitter and the virtual cathode surface for charged particles emitted from a second position on the tip end surface of the emitter match each other (see FIG. 4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Fukuta, Kazuhiro Honda
  • Patent number: 11644759
    Abstract: An extreme ultraviolet radiation source apparatus includes a chamber including at least a droplet generator, a nozzle of the droplet generator, and a dry ice blasting assembly. The droplet generator includes a reservoir for a molten metal, and the nozzle has a first end connected to the reservoir and a second opposing end where molten metal droplets emerge from the nozzle. The dry ice blasting assembly includes a blasting nozzle, a blasting air inlet and a blaster carbon dioxide (CO2) inlet. The blasting nozzle is disposed inside the chamber. The blasting nozzle is arranged to direct a pressurized air stream and dry ice particles at the nozzle of the droplet generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yen-Hsun Chen, Ming-Hsun Tsai, Shao-Hua Wang, Han-Lung Chang, Li-Jui Chen, Chia-Chen Chen
  • Patent number: 11646190
    Abstract: A device of detecting a current from a sensor is disclosed. The device includes an integrating circuit including a network of capacitors for providing a gain setting and configured to convert the current to a voltage ramp over a length of integration time, the integrating circuit further including a reset switch configured to connect an input and an output of the network of capacitors; an ADC configured to digitize the voltage ramp into a plurality of voltage samples; and a set of modules including an analyzing module configured to analyze the plurality of voltage samples to determine a slope of the voltage ramp; an outputting module configured to determine a magnitude of the current based on the slope of the voltage ramp and the gain setting; and a reconfiguring module that is configured to reconfigure the network of capacitors and reset the voltage ramp via the reset switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: ATONARP INC.
    Inventors: Anand Pandurangan, Siva Selvaraj, Anoop Hegde, Prakash Sreedhar Murthy
  • Patent number: 11646188
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for analyzing an evolved gas, wherein the precision of detection of a gas component is improved without enlarging the apparatus. The apparatus includes a gas component evolving unit, a detection member for detecting the gas component, and a mixed gas channel for allowing a mixed gas containing the gas component and carrier gas to flow therethrough, and further includes a branch channel branched from the mixed gas channel, an inert gas channel for allowing an inert gas to flow therethrough, a first flow rate regulator for adjusting the flow rate of the carrier gas, a second flow rate regulator for adjusting the flow rate of the inert gas, and a flow rate control unit for controlling the second flow rate regulator such that the flow rate of the mixed gas guided to the detection member is a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryusuke Hirose, Hideyuki Akiyama, Noriaki Sakai, Masafumi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11640903
    Abstract: An analysis apparatus includes a stage on which an analysis sample as an analysis target and a first adjustment sample used for adjusting a focus are provided. A laser generation unit generates a laser beam for vaporizing the analysis sample or the first adjustment sample by irradiating the sample with the laser beam. A detection unit detects a signal intensity of an element of the analysis sample or the first adjustment sample vaporized by irradiation with the laser beam. A controller determines a focus position of the laser beam with respect to a front surface position of the first adjustment sample based on the signal intensity of the first adjustment sample, and performs a control such that the focus position of the laser beam corresponds with a front surface of the analysis sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: KIOXIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jiahong Wu, Miki Takimoto
  • Patent number: 11640894
    Abstract: A charged particle beam apparatus that includes a magnetic lens having an electromagnetic coil composed of a pair of coils includes: a setting unit that sets a maximum current value that defines a maximum magnetomotive force of the magnetic lens based on an operation of a user; and a current control unit that controls a current to be supplied to each of the pair of coils within a current range corresponding to a set maximum current value so that thermal power consumed by the electromagnetic coil is maintained constant at thermal power corresponding to the set maximum current value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: JEOL Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshikatsu Kaneyama
  • Patent number: 11640897
    Abstract: The present invention provides a charged particle beam apparatus capable of efficiently reducing the effect of a residual magnetic field when SEM observation is performed. The charged particle beam apparatus according to the present invention includes a first mode for passing a direct current to a second coil after turning off a first coil, and a second mode for passing an alternating current to the second coil after turning off the first coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Hirano, Tsunenori Nomaguchi, Chisato Kamiya, Junichi Katane
  • Patent number: 11640005
    Abstract: An ion detector that can detect either positive or negative ions comprises: an ion inlet comprising an ion focusing lens; a dynode having a surface configured to intercept, within a zone of interception, a stream of ions passing through the ion focusing lens, wherein a plane that is tangent to the dynode surface at the zone of interception is disposed at an angle to a line that passes through the center of the dynode surface and the center of the focusing lens; a scintillator having a surface that is configured to receive secondary electrons emitted from the zone of interception; a scintillator electrode affixed to the scintillator surface; a photodetector configured to receive photons emitted by the scintillator and to generate an electric signal in response thereto; and one or more power supplies electrically coupled to the focusing lens, the dynode, the scintillator electrode and the photodetector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: Thermo Finnigan LLC
    Inventors: Linfan Li, Jae C. Schwartz, Oleg Silivra
  • Patent number: 11640895
    Abstract: There is provided a sample holder capable of reducing positional deviation of a cartridge in the heightwise direction of a sample. The sample holder includes the cartridge and a holder base having a mounting portion for the cartridge. The mounting portion includes a placement surface, a first tilted surface, and a rotary drive mechanism for imparting a rotary force to the cartridge. The cartridge includes an opposing first tilted surface opposite to the first tilted surface of the mounting portion. As the rotary drive mechanism imparts the rotary force to the cartridge, the first tilted surface of the cartridge is pressed against the first tilted surface of the mounting portion, whereby the cartridge is pressed against the placement surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: JEOL Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuichi Yuasa, Takahisa Kawamura