Patents by Inventor Laurens Franz Taemsz Kwakman
Laurens Franz Taemsz Kwakman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 10366860Abstract: An x-ray target, a method of using the x-ray target, and a computer program product with instructions for carrying out a method of using the x-ray target. The x-ray target includes a substrate made from a soft x-ray producing material and a high aspect ratio structure made from a hard x-ray producing material. The hard x-ray producing material is embedded in the substrate, formed on the substrate, cantilevered out from the edge of the substrate, or any combination thereof. The high aspect ratio structure comprises a plurality of high aspect ratio structures arranged in one or more grids or arrays, and the high aspect ratio structures in one of the one or more grids or arrays are arranged to form a Hadamard matrix structure.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2018Date of Patent: July 30, 2019Assignee: FEI CompanyInventors: N. William Parker, Mark W. Utlaut, Laurens Franz Taemsz Kwakman, Thomas G. Miller
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Patent number: 10190953Abstract: Sample pillars for x-ray tomography or other tomography scanning are created using an innovative milling strategy on a Plasma-FIB. The strategies are provided in methods, systems, and program products executable to perform the strategies herein. The milling strategy creates an asymmetrical crater around a sample pillar, and provides a single cut cut-free process. Various embodiments may include tuning the ion dose as a function of pixel coordinates along with optimization of the beam scan and crater geometries, drastically reducing the preparation time and significantly improving the overall workflow efficiency. A novel cut-free milling pattern is provided with a crescent shape and optimized dwell-time values.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2017Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Inventors: Guillaume Delpy, Guillaume Audoit, Laurens Franz Taemsz Kwakman, Chad Rue, Jorge Filevich
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Publication number: 20180190467Abstract: An x-ray target, a method of using the x-ray target, and a computer program product with instructions for carrying out a method of using the x-ray target. The x-ray target includes a substrate made from a soft x-ray producing material and a high aspect ratio structure made from a hard x-ray producing material. The hard x-ray producing material is embedded in the substrate, formed on the substrate, cantilevered out from the edge of the substrate, or any combination thereof. The high aspect ratio structure comprises a plurality of high aspect ratio structures arranged in one or more grids or arrays, and the high aspect ratio structures in one of the one or more grids or arrays are arranged to form a Hadamard matrix structure.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 21, 2018Publication date: July 5, 2018Applicant: FEI CompanyInventors: N. William Parker, Mark W. Utlaut, Laurens Franz Taemsz Kwakman, Thomas G. Miller
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Publication number: 20180143110Abstract: Sample pillars for x-ray tomography or other tomography scanning are created using an innovative milling strategy on a Plasma-FIB. The strategies are provided in methods, systems, and program products executable to perform the strategies herein. The milling strategy creates an asymmetrical crater around a sample pillar, and provides a single cut cut-free process. Various embodiments may include tuning the ion dose as a function of pixel coordinates along with optimization of the beam scan and crater geometries, drastically reducing the preparation time and significantly improving the overall workflow efficiency. A novel cut-free milling pattern is provided with a crescent shape and optimized dwell-time values.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 2, 2017Publication date: May 24, 2018Applicant: FEI CompanyInventors: Guillaume Delpy, Guillaume Audoit, Laurens Franz Taemsz Kwakman, Chad Rue
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Patent number: 9934930Abstract: An x-ray target, a method of using the x-ray target, and a computer program product with instructions for carrying out a method of using the x-ray target. The x-ray target includes a substrate made from a soft x-ray producing material and a high aspect ratio structure made from a hard x-ray producing material. The hard x-ray producing material is embedded in the substrate, formed on the substrate, cantilevered out from the edge of the substrate, or any combination thereof. The high aspect ratio structure comprises a plurality of high aspect ratio structures arranged in one or more grids or arrays, and the high aspect ratio structures in one of the one or more grids or arrays are arranged to form a Hadamard matrix structure.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2015Date of Patent: April 3, 2018Assignee: FEI CompanyInventors: N. William Parker, Mark W. Utlaut, Laurens Franz Taemsz Kwakman, Thomas G. Miller
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Publication number: 20150303021Abstract: An x-ray target, a method of using the x-ray target, and a computer program product with instructions for carrying out a method of using the x-ray target. The x-ray target includes a substrate made from a soft x-ray producing material and a high aspect ratio structure made from a hard x-ray producing material. The hard x-ray producing material is embedded in the substrate, formed on the substrate, cantilevered out from the edge of the substrate, or any combination thereof. The high aspect ratio structure comprises a plurality of high aspect ratio structures arranged in one or more grids or arrays, and the high aspect ratio structures in one of the one or more grids or arrays are arranged to form a Hadamard matrix structure.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 12, 2015Publication date: October 22, 2015Applicant: FEI CompanyInventors: N. William Parker, Mark W. Utlaut, Laurens Franz Taemsz Kwakman, Thomas G. Miller
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Patent number: 8757873Abstract: A method of determining the temperature of a sample carrier in a charged particle-optical apparatus, characterized in that the method comprises the observation of the sample carrier with a beam of charged particles, the observation giving information about the temperature of the sample carrier. The invention is based on the insight that a charged particle optical apparatus, such as a TEM, STEM, SEM or FIB, can be used to observe temperature related changes of a sample carrier. The changes may be mechanical changes (e.g. of a bimetal), crystallographic changes (e.g. of a perovskite), and luminescent changes (in intensity or decay time). In a preferred embodiment the sample carrier shows two bimetals, showing metals with different thermal expansion coefficients, bending in opposite directions. The distance between the two bimetals is used as a thermometer.Type: GrantFiled: November 23, 2011Date of Patent: June 24, 2014Assignee: FEI CompanyInventors: Stephanus Hubertus Leonardus van den Boom, Pleun Dona, Laurens Franz Taemsz Kwakman, Uwe Luecken, Hervé-William Rémigy, Hendrik Nicolaas Slingerland, Martin Verheijen, Gerbert Jeroen van de Water
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Publication number: 20120128028Abstract: A method of determining the temperature of a sample carrier in a charged particle-optical apparatus, characterized in that the method comprises the observation of the sample carrier with a beam of charged particles, the observation giving information about the temperature of the sample carrier. The invention is based on the insight that a charged particle optical apparatus, such as a TEM, STEM, SEM or FIB, can be used to observe temperature related changes of a sample carrier. The changes may be mechanical changes (e.g. of a bimetal), crystallographic changes (e.g. of a perovskite), and luminescent changes (in intensity or decay time). In a preferred embodiment the sample carrier shows two bimetals, showing metals with different thermal expansion coefficients, bending in opposite directions. The distance between the two bimetals is used as a thermometer.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 23, 2011Publication date: May 24, 2012Applicant: FEI CompanyInventors: Stephanus Hubertus Leonardus van den Boom, Pleun Dona, Laurens Franz Taemsz Kwakman, Uwe Luecken, Hervé-William Rémigy, Hendrik Nicolaas Slingerland, Martin Verheijen, Gerbert Jeroen van der Water
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Patent number: 6646263Abstract: Samples such as semiconductor wafers may be subjected to an elementary analysis by irradiation by means of electrons and measurement of the X-rays 30 generated in the sample. In order to achieve a high spatial resolution, two adjacent holes 6, 8 are formed in the sample surface, leaving a very thin separating wall 10 between said holes and hence limiting the dimension of the interaction volume 24. However, electrons pass through the wall, thus generating disturbing X-rays in the walls of the hole 8 behind the wall. According to the invention the hole 8 behind the separating wall 10 is provided with a stopping material 12 of an elementary composition which deviates from that of the wall 10. If the wall to be analyzed contains silicon, the stopping material 12 should preferably be platinum or carbon.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 2002Date of Patent: November 11, 2003Assignee: FEI CompanyInventors: Laurens Franz Taemsz Kwakman, Kars Zege Troost
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Publication number: 20020154731Abstract: Samples such as semiconductor wafers may be subjected to an elementary analysis by irradiation by means of electrons and measurement of the X-rays 30 generated in the sample. In order to achieve a high spatial resolution, two adjacent holes 6, 8 are formed in the sample surface, leaving a very thin separating wall 10 between said holes and hence limiting the dimension of the interaction volume 24. However, electrons pass through the wall, thus generating disturbing X-rays in the walls of the hole 8 behind the wall. According to the invention the hole 8 behind the separating wall 10 is provided with a stopping material 12 of an elementary composition which deviates from that of the wall 10. If the wall to be analyzed contains silicon, the stopping material 12 should preferably be platinum or carbon.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 16, 2002Publication date: October 24, 2002Inventors: Laurens Franz Taemsz Kwakman, Kars Zege Troost