Patents Examined by David Smith
  • Patent number: 8115166
    Abstract: A method of controlling a mass spectrometer comprises the steps of: supplying a current to a cathode electrode of an ion source having the cathode electrode and an anode electrode, and ionizing a molecules of a gas to be measured; selecting ions generated in the ion source by mass-to-charge ratio; and detecting an ion current value of the selected ions. When a partial pressure of the gas to be measured is measured based on a detection result of the ion current value, a cathode current is supplied to the cathode electrode such that an emission current flowing between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode becomes constant. When a partial pressure of the gas to be measured is not measured, a constant current having a current value less than that of the cathode current is supplied to the cathode electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: ULVAC, Inc.
    Inventors: Toyoaki Nakajima, Yujirou Kurokawa, Tsutomu Yuri, Ryota Tanaka, Jiro Endo, Hitomi Obise
  • Patent number: 8026495
    Abstract: A charged particle beam exposure system has a blanking aperture array (31) having groups of apertures (53) controlled by shift registers (75), wherein different inputs (C) to the shift registers influence a different number of apertures. Charged particle beamlets traversing the apertures are scanned across a charged particle sensitive substrate in synchronism with a clock signal of the shift registers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMS GmbH
    Inventor: Elmar Platzgummer
  • Patent number: 8013298
    Abstract: An apparatus for spectrometry that includes a spectrometer configured for second order focusing and capable of 2? azimuthal collection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: National University of Singapore
    Inventor: Anjam Khursheed
  • Patent number: 8013291
    Abstract: A method of controlling a mass spectrometer comprises the steps of: supplying a current to a cathode electrode of an ion source having the cathode electrode and an anode electrode, and ionizing a molecules of a gas to be measured; selecting ions generated in the ion source by mass-to-charge ratio; and detecting an ion current value of the selected ions. When a partial pressure of the gas to be measured is measured based on a detection result of the ion current value, a cathode current is supplied to the cathode electrode such that an emission current flowing between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode becomes constant. When a partial pressure of the gas to be measured is not measured, a constant current having a current value less than that of the cathode current is supplied to the cathode electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Ulvac, Inc.
    Inventors: Toyoaki Nakajima, Yujirou Kurokawa, Tsutomu Yuri, Ryota Tanaka, Jiro Endo, Hitomi Obise
  • Patent number: 8003957
    Abstract: To implant a carbon-containing species, a gas containing carbon is ionized in the ion chamber. The ionization of this gas will typically produce a number of ionized species. However, many of these resulting ionized species are not beneficial to the desired implant, as they contain only non-carbon atoms. These species must be eliminated before the implantation, leaving only carbon-based species. However, the current of the desired species may be low, thereby requiring extra energy or time to implant the desired dosage of carbon into a substrate. This can be improved through the use of a second gas. This second gas is used to dilute the primary carbon-containing gas to be ionized in the ion chamber. By incorporating this dilution gas, more of the resulting ionized species are beneficial to the carbon implantation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig R. Chaney, Adolph R. Dori, Christopher R. Hatem, Alexander S. Perel
  • Patent number: 7999225
    Abstract: The invention describes a particle source in which energy selection occurs. The energy selection occurs by sending a beam of electrically charged particles 103 eccentrically through a lens 107. As a result of this, energy dispersion will occur in an image formed by the lens. By projecting this image onto a slit 109 in an energy selecting diaphragm 108, it is possible to allow only particles in a limited portion of the energy spectrum to pass. Consequently, the passed beam 113 will have a reduced energy spread. Deflection unit 112 deflects the beam to the optical axis 101. One can also elect to deflect a beam 105 going through the middle of the lens toward the optical axis and having, for example, greater current. The energy dispersed spot is imaged on the slit by a deflector 111. When positioning the energy dispersed spot on the slit, central beam 105 is deflected from the axis to such an extent that it is stopped by the energy selecting diaphragm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: FEI Company
    Inventor: Alexander Henstra
  • Patent number: 7989762
    Abstract: In an ion source that generates ions by matrix-assisted laser desorption (MALDI), ion acceleration diaphragms having apertures though which ions are accelerated and which have become contaminated by matrix material, are cleaned by temporarily heating the diaphragms. During the cleaning process, the sample support plate is moved aside but remains in the ion source housing, and the heating is preferably limited to regions surrounding the apertures in the diaphragms. In one embodiment, the diaphragms are heated by irradiation generated by infrared laser diodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Bruker Daltonik GmbH
    Inventors: Armin Holle, Jens Hörndorf
  • Patent number: 7982182
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an ion trap with a large trap capacity. A mass spectrometer comprises a first linear ion trap that performs mass selective ejection, and a second linear ion trap that accumulates and then mass selectively ejects ions ejected from the first linear ion trap. Directions of resonant excitation of ions of the first linear ion trap and of the second linear ion trap are orthogonal. Compared to conventional art, sensitivity is significantly improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Yuichiro Hashimoto, Hideki Hasegawa, Masayuki Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 7982179
    Abstract: A charged particle beam device is described. The charged particle beam device includes an emitter adapted for emitting a primary charged particle beam, a specimen location adapted for holding a specimen, from which secondary and/or backscattered charged particles are released on impingement of the primary charged particle beam, a detection unit adapted for detecting the secondary particles and/or secondary particles, and a beam guiding unit adapted for guiding the primary charged particle beam to the detection unit for impingement of a primary charged particle beam on the detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: ICT Intergrated Circuit Testing Gesellschaft für Halbeiterprüftechnik mbH
    Inventors: Pavel Adamec, Fang Zhou
  • Patent number: 7979916
    Abstract: Aspects of the invention are directed to piezoresponse force analysis of a material. A stimulus signal including a first frequency component is applied to a contact point on the material such that the stimulus signal actuates a portion of the material to experience a motion as a result of a piezoelectric effect. A resonant device is coupled to the contact point such that the resonant device experiences a resonant motion at the first frequency component in response to the motion of the material, the resonant motion having a greater displacement than a displacement of the motion of the material, and is substantially unaffected by mechanical properties of the material at the contact point. The resonant motion of the resonant device is detected and processed to produce a measurement representing the piezoresponse of the material at the contact point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Inventors: Bede Pittenger, Kumar Virwani, Benedikt Zeyen
  • Patent number: 7973280
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided that precisely conduct ion beam etching to a sample having the properties of which easily change by electron beam irradiation with no loss of ease of operation and throughput. An apparatus includes an ion beam lens barrel and an electron beam lens barrel, which can observe or measure the conditions of a sample with an electron beam in the process of etching with an ion beam, wherein first, an observation image is obtained that includes the entire process area formed by secondary signals generated by an electron beam, secondly, an irradiation permit area and an irradiation inhibit area are defined in the observation image, and thirdly, electron beam irradiation is restricted only to the irradiation permit area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: SII Nanotechnology Inc.
    Inventors: Haruo Takahashi, Yutaka Ikku, Yo Yamamoto, Kouji Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 7968855
    Abstract: A focused ion beam device is described. The focused ion beam device includes an ion beam column including an enclosure for housing a gas field ion source emitter with an emitter area for generating ions, an electrode for extracting ions from the gas field ion source emitter, one or more gas inlets adapted to introduce a first gas and a second gas to the emitter area, an objective lens for focusing the ion beam generated from the first gas or the second gas, a voltage supply for providing a voltage between the electrode and the gas field ion source emitter, and a controller for switching between a first voltage and a second voltage of the voltage supply for generating an ion beam of ions of the first gas or an ion beam of ions of the second gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: ICT Integrated Circuit Testing Gesellschaft für Halbleiterprüftechnik mbH
    Inventor: Juergen Frosien
  • Patent number: 5334924
    Abstract: Speed control of an induction motor is effected in digital fashion through use of a computer but without complex processing, and with a computer that need not be large in scale. This is accomplished by processing at least a speed command signal, actual speed signal and torque signal in analog fashion, enabling simplification of an induction motor speed control digital processing section which performs all other control operations in a digital manner. In a speed control network having a closed loop, a frequency-to-voltage converter, adder-subtractor, proportional integrator, polarity determining circuit absolute value circuit and voltage-to-frequency converter are constructed of circuitry operable on the basis of analog values, with all other circuits being constructed of circuitry operable on the basis of digital values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1994
    Assignee: Fanuc Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeki Kawada, Hiroshi Ishida
  • Patent number: 5254914
    Abstract: The present method and apparatus detects the rotor position of a brushless DC motor with an accuracy of .pi./m electrical radians (where m = the number of motor phases) within one electrical period, and provides enough information to enable starting the motor in the correct direction with certainty. After starting the motor in an open loop mode of one or two steps, a closed loop mode may be switched on, using a dynamic indirect position detection as is already well known in the technology. More specifically, the position at start is determined by the injection of short current pulses in different motor phases, each phase or pair of phases being energized first by a pulse of one polarity and of the opposite polarity. The sign of the time difference between the decay times of the induced voltages in the un-energized phase is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1993
    Assignee: Seagate Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: John C. Dunfield, Gunter K. Heine
  • Patent number: 5189357
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for improving the performance of polyphase AC machines. The polyphase AC machines are excited both with a fundamental frequency and with an odd harmonic of the fundamental frequency. The fundamental flux wave and the harmonic flux wave will travel at synchronous speed in the air gap. This facilitates redistributing the flux densities in the machine and thereby increasing the total flux per pole in the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1993
    Assignee: Board of Regents, The University of Texas System
    Inventors: Herbert H. Woodson, John S. Hsu
  • Patent number: 5173645
    Abstract: A brushless motor drive circuit having a position detection output signal in the form of an m-phase sine wave with a signal composing circuit to flatten the inflection points of the sine wave by logarithmic compression. Switching elements control the rate of the current to the drive coil in response to the signal composing circuit. Simultaneously, the switching elements having the same phase are switched on to supply a resistive feedback element with reactive current during the periods when no current is to be supplied to the drive coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1992
    Assignee: Sankyo Seiki Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hayato Naito
  • Patent number: 5172036
    Abstract: A circuit for resynchronizing the rotor of a polyphase dc motor having "Y" connected stator coils and a moving rotor has circuitry for determining the actual instantaneous position of the rotor, and circuitry for determining a desired rotor position precedent to executing a desired commutation sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1992
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott W. Cameron
  • Patent number: 5170110
    Abstract: An improved regulator mechanism for a single-phase or three-phase, two-speed motor is disclosed. The regulator mechanism includes a first energizable contactor (having at least one contact) and a second energizable contactor (having five contacts) which cooperate to cycle the motor between inoperative and operative states and to configure the motor windings and power lines so as to provide first and second speed operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1992
    Assignee: Lennox Industries Inc.
    Inventor: Robert C. Vlasak
  • Patent number: 5165006
    Abstract: Thers is provided a vehicle motor switching apparatus having an armature coil, a series circuit including a series coil and connecting the armature coil and a battery and a shunt coil, comprising a switch for connecting the shunt coil to the series circuit in parallel to the armature coil to set up the motor as a compound-wound motor when the shunt coil is connected to the series circuit, while set up the motor as a series motor when disconnected therefrom. The apparatus further comprises a switch for disconnecting the series coil from the series circuit to set up the motor as a shunt motor when the shunt coil is connected to the series circuit and the series circuit is disconnected therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1992
    Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiro Nagano, Yasuaki Kyoukane
  • Patent number: D1019176
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: NICKOLAS BRANDS, LLC
    Inventor: Nickolas Reinhart