Patents Assigned to General Phosphorix LLC
  • Patent number: 7427756
    Abstract: A novel method of precision measurements of sizes and line width roughness of small objects in accordance with their images obtained in scanning electron microscope, which is improvement of the existing methods and which realizes the new strategy of the measurements. This method has a higher stability with respect to noises of the video signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2008
    Assignee: General Phosphorix, LLC
    Inventor: Arkady Nikitin
  • Patent number: 7209596
    Abstract: A method of precision calibration of a microscope magnification with calculating a magnification scale as a quotient obtained when an image size of a test object viewed or collected with the microscope is divided by a true test object size, the methods comprising the steps of obtaining a magnification reference by taking a diffraction grating with a tested pitch value as the test object; distributing a brightness level between 30–70% amplitude in one of an image of the diffraction grating and a video signal obtained in the microscope; calculating a position of the video signal “center of mass” for each of formed “islands” of the brightness distribution; considering an average distance between neighboring “center of mass” as being a grating pitch in a microscope image of the object; and recognizing that a magnification scale of the microscope is a result of a division of an average pitch dimension by true grating pitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: General Phosphorix, LLC
    Inventor: Arkady Nikitin
  • Patent number: 7057974
    Abstract: A device for sensing seismic and/or acoustic vibrations, has a body of a particulate material composed of a plurality of individual particles, and a system for determining changes in electrical conductivity of the particulate material caused by seismic and acoustic vibrations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: General Phosphorix LLC
    Inventors: Alexander Pakhomov, E. Tim Goldburt
  • Patent number: 7054000
    Abstract: A method of calibration of magnification of a microscope with the use of a diffraction grating has the steps of determining a mean period of a diffraction grating by irradiating the diffraction grating with an electromagnetic radiation having a known wavelength and analyzing a resulting diffraction pattern, determining a scatter of individual values of a period of the diffraction grating by multiple measurements of periods of the diffraction grating by a microscope in pixels in one area in a microscope field of view, and calculating a mean value of the period and the scatter based on the measurements, determining a sufficient number of measurements of the period for providing an accepted statistic error of a magnification of the microscope, performing measurements corresponding to the determined acceptable number of measurements, of individual values of the period in pixels in a plurality of portions of the diffraction grating, calculating a general mean value of the period in pixels based on the immediately
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: General Phosphorix LLC
    Inventors: Arkady Nikitin, Albert Sicignano, Dmitriy Yeremin, Tim Goldburt
  • Patent number: 7016262
    Abstract: A seismic sensor, comprising a case, a pre-charged, non-conductive membrane located between two plates that form a capacitor and accommodated inside the case, with one of the plates being immovable relative to the case and the other of the plates being movable relative to the one plate under the action of seismic activity so that the capacitor produces an electrical signal responsive to the seismic activity of a medium in which the sensor is located, and a mass increasing element associated with the movable plate so as to increase mass of the movable plate and therefore to enhance oscillations of the movable plate under the action of the seismic activity, the mass increasing element being formed as a further case which is connected to the movable plate and is located in condition of equilibrium in an inoperative position of the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: General Phosphorix, LLC
    Inventors: Alexander Pakhomov, Tim Goldburt
  • Patent number: 6982138
    Abstract: A method of controlling removal of photoresist in openings of a photoresist mask has the steps of obtaining in a scanning electron microscope a video signal of a bottom of an opening of a photoresist mask, and comparing values of the video signal in different points of an image which contains the opening to be controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: General Phosphorix, LLC
    Inventors: Arkady Nikitin, Dmitriy Yeremin
  • Patent number: 6978215
    Abstract: This invention allows the scan nonlinearity of different type of scanning microscopes to be measured, including: optical, confocal, scanning electron and scanning probe microscopes. The scan nonlinearity of the scanning type measuring microscopes can be considerable source of errors in precise measurements of the Critical Dimension—CDs. The invention allows scanning measuring microscopes to be certified for scan nonlinearity; this invention can be used for the monitoring, adjustment and/or alignment of these type instruments. The high reliability of scan nonlinearity determination is achieved with the use of a pair of offset images of a calibration structure and consequent computer analysis of the signal differences. In addition to scan nonlinearity of a scanning measuring microscope being determined this proposed invention allows determination of heterogeneity of the pitch values intrinsic to any test-objects with periodic structure used as calibration references.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: General Phosphorix LLC
    Inventor: Arkady Nikitin
  • Patent number: 6909791
    Abstract: A line edge roughness of micro objects is determined in a microscope by corresponding scanning and determination of deviations of points of the edge from a straight line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: General Phosphorix, LLC
    Inventors: Arkady Nikitin, Dmitriy Yeremin
  • Patent number: 6807314
    Abstract: A method of precision calibration of a microscope magnification with calculating a magnification scale as a quotient obtained when an image size of a test object viewed or collected with the microscope is divided by a true test object size, the methods comprising the steps of obtaining a magnification reference by taking a diffraction grating with a tested pitch value as the test object; distributing a brightness level between 30-70% amplitude in one of an image of the diffraction grating and a video signal obtained in the microscope; calculating a position of the video signal “center of mass” for each of formed “islands” of the brightness distribution; considering an average distance between neighboring “center of mass” as being a grating pitch in a microscope image of the object; and recognizing that a magnification scale of the microscope is a result of a division of an average pitch dimension by true grating pitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2004
    Assignee: General Phosphorix, LLC
    Inventors: Arkady V. Nikitin, Alexey I. Kozlitin
  • Patent number: 6686587
    Abstract: A method of precision calibration of magnification of scanning microscopes with the use of a test diffraction grating includes positioning a test object on a stage of microscope so that strips of a test diffraction grating are perpendicular to a direction along which a calibration is performed, scanning of a selected portion of the test object along axes X and Y, measuring values of a signal S versus coordinates x and y in a plane of scanning and storing of the values S (x, y) in a digital form as a two-dimensional digital array, transforming the two-dimensional array of signals S(x, y) into a two-dimensional array S (u, v) by turning of the axes so that a direction of a new axis u is perpendicular to the strips of the grating and a direction of a new axis v coincides with the strips of the grating, line-by-line mathematical processing of the array S(u,v) for each line, converting of the one dimensional, complex function into a one-dimension spectrum of real values of a module, finding from the spectrum of th
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignee: General Phosphorix LLC
    Inventors: Arkady Nikitin, Dmitriy Yeremin
  • Patent number: 6668099
    Abstract: A method of measuring an angle of inclination of trapezoidal microobject side faces includes positioning an object in a microscope so that a direction along which a scanning of a video signal is to be performed is substantially perpendicular to an orientation of an inclined side face, determining on a video signal two main peaks near edges of an object to be measured which are edge peaks having an asymmetrical shape, in each left and right edge peaks of the video signal using two characteristic points, analyzing a left edge peak and a right edge peak of the video signal, and determining an angle of inclination of a side face, based on the analysis of the left and right edge peaks and the characteristic points of the video signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: General Phosphorix LLC
    Inventor: Arkady Nikitin
  • Patent number: 6664532
    Abstract: A method of precision calibration of magnification of scanning microscopes with the use of a test diffraction grating has the steps of positioning an orientation of a test object on a stage of microscope so that strips of a test diffraction grating are perpendicular to a directional on which a calibration is performed, scanning of a selected portion of the test object along axes X and Y; measuring values of a signal S versus coordinates x and y in a plane of scanning and storing said values S(x, y) in a digital form as a two-dimensional digital array; transforming the two-dimensional array of signals S(x, y) into a two-dimensional array S(u, v) by turning of the axes so that a direction of a new axis U is perpendicular to the strips of the grating and a direction of a new axis V coincides with the strips of the grating; line-by-line mathematical processing in a new manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: General Phosphorix LLC
    Inventors: Dmitriy Yeremin, Arkady Nikitin
  • Patent number: 6664894
    Abstract: A system for detecting an intruder has a plurality of group of sensors connected in parallel with one another, a plurality of individual processing units each connected with at least one of the groups of sensors, the individual processing units, a central processing unit connected with all the parallel-connected individual processing units and receiving signal from the latter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: General Phosphorix LLC
    Inventor: Alex Pakhomov
  • Patent number: 6661007
    Abstract: A method of diagnosing a parameter of a scanning electron microscope such as magnification, linearity and stability, includes loading a reference material into a microscope, setting a permissible limit of a value of the parameters, inputting a pitch of the reference material, inputting a magnification of the microscope, acquiring a set of digital images on the reference material, analyzing the digital image line after line with determination of a pitch of features of the image in each line, in mutually orthogonal directions, checking if all lines of the digital image has been analyzed, determining a mean value of the pitch of the features in each orthogonal direction, comparing the obtained value of the pitch of the image with a known value of the pitch of the reference material to determine a ratio indicative of a modification, and determining a precision of the measurements of the pitch by statistical analysis of the pitch measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: General Phosphorix LLC
    Inventors: Albert Sicignano, Dmitriy Yeremin, Tim Goldburt
  • Patent number: 6608294
    Abstract: A method of precision calibration of magnification of scanning microscopes with the use of a test diffraction grating includes positioning and orientation of a test object on a stage of microscope so that strips of a test diffraction grating are perpendicular to a direction along which a calibration is performed, scanning of a selected portion of the test object along axes X and Y, measuring values of a signal S versus on coordinates x and y in a plane of scanning and storing of the values S (x, y) in a digital form as a two-dimensional digital array, transforming the two-dimensional array of signals S(x, y) into a two-dimensional array S (u, v) by turning of the axes so that a direction of a new axis u is perpendicular to the strips of the grating and a direction of a new axis v coincides with the strips of the grating, line-by-line mathematical processing of the array S(u) including for each line approximating of an array of discrete values S(u, v) with a periodical analytical function determining a pitch o
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: General Phosphorix, LLC
    Inventors: Arkady Nikitin, Dmitriy Yeremin
  • Patent number: 6596993
    Abstract: A method of automatically correcting magnification and/or non linearity of scanning electron microscope has the steps of loading a reference material in the microscope, inputting a pitch of the reference material and a nominal magnification of the microscope, obtaining an image of the reference material, determining a pitch and/or a linearity of the image of the reference material, comparing the pitch of the image with the inputted pitch of the reference material to obtain a ratio indicative of the magnification and/or comparing the magnification in different locations across an image field indicative of the linearity, comparing the thusly determined magnification with the nominal magnification, and if an error of magnification exceeds a predetermined value, adjusting the scanning electron microscope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: General Phosphorix LLC
    Inventors: Albert Sicignano, Tim Goldburt, Dmitriy Yeremin
  • Patent number: 6573500
    Abstract: A method of precision calibration of magnification of a scanning microscope with the use of a test diffraction grating has the steps of positioning and orienting of a test object on a stage of microscopes so that strips of a test diffraction grating are perpendicular to a direction along which a calibration is performed, scanning a selected portion of the test object along axes X and Y, measuring values of a signal S versus coordinates x and y in a plane of scanning and storing the values S (x,y) in a digital form as a two-dimensional digital array, transforming the two-dimensional array of signals (x, y) into a two-dimensional array S(u, v) by turning of the axes so that a direction of a new axis U is perpendicular to the strips of grating and a direction of a new axis V coincides with the strips of the grating, line-by-line mathematical processing of the array S(u, v) in a new manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: General Phosphorix LLC
    Inventors: Dmitriy Yeremin, Arkady Nikitin
  • Patent number: 6529130
    Abstract: Detection of an intruder includes providing a sensor which senses an action generated by an intruder and produces a signal, determining portions of the signal from individual steps and making values of the signal with this portion closer to one another, determining a main amplitude threshold, obtaining an enveloping line of initial data of the signal, determining maximum values of amplitudes of the enveloping line and time points corresponding to the maximum amplitudes, determining an average value of time intervals between neighboring maximums of amplitudes and an average square value of the intervals of an average value, making more accurate the average value of time intervals between neighboring maximums of amplitudes of the enveloping line and average squared deviation of the time intervals from an average value, as well as other parameters, and making a decision about a presence of an intruder from the thusly determined parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: General Phosphorix LLC
    Inventor: Alex Pakhomov
  • Patent number: 6434881
    Abstract: A device for enhancing photosynthesis has a membrane which is formed so that the membrane covers plants or vegetables, the membrane having photo-transforming qualities which convert UV light for plants and vegetables into growth-enhancing light that promotes photosynthesis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: General Phosphorix LLC
    Inventors: E. Tim Goldburt, Albert Sicignano, Matt Sandy, Peter Von Gundlach
  • Patent number: 6182585
    Abstract: Thermal destruction of waste includes forming a bath of a melted slag, heating the waste and introducing the waste onto a surface of the bath, passing produced off-gasses through the melted slag, discharging the off-gasses, releasing produced metal and slag from the bath, forming in the closed volume a plasma hose over the surface of the bath by a coaxial electric arc plasma torch by two tubular electrodes located one inside the other, and introducing the waste through an interior of the inner electrode and then through the plasma hose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: General Phosphorix LLC
    Inventors: Adam Gonopolsky, Yakov Goldshtein, Nikolai Doniants, Sergei Panfilov, Edward Tilman