Patents Examined by Kiet Nguyen
  • Patent number: 8138470
    Abstract: A calibration standard structured to obtain both morphology and chemistry information with respect to particles analyzed simultaneously. The standard is structured to verify the accuracy of the data obtained in the particle analysis. Related methods of manufacture and use are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Inventor: John Mastovich
  • Patent number: 8124933
    Abstract: An apparatus capable of detecting defects of a pattern on a sample with high accuracy and reliability and at a high throughput, and a semiconductor manufacturing method using the same are provided. The electron beam apparatus is a mapping-projection-type electron beam apparatus for observing or evaluating a surface of the sample by irradiating the sample with a primary electron beam and forming on a detector an image of reflected electrons emitted from the sample. An electron impact-type detector such as an electron impact-type CCD or an electron impact-type TDI is used as the detector for detecting the reflected electrons. The reflected electrons are selectively detected from an energy difference between the reflected electrons and secondary electrons emitted from the sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignees: Ebara Corporation, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kenji Watanabe, Takeshi Murakami, Masahiro Hatakeyama, Yoshinao Hirabayashi, Tohru Satake, Nobuhara Noji, Yuichiro Yamazaki, Ichirota Nagahama
  • Patent number: 8115180
    Abstract: A processing system includes a particle beam column for generating a particle beam directed to a first processing location; a laser system for generating a laser beam directed to a second processing location located at a distance from the first processing location; and a protector including an actuator and a plate connected to the actuator. The actuator is configured to move the plate between a first position in which it protects a component of the particle beam column from particles released from the object by the laser beam and a second position in which the component of the particle beam column is not protected from particles released from the object by the laser beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss NTS GmbH
    Inventors: Holger Doemer, Stefan Martens, Walter Mack
  • Patent number: 8115167
    Abstract: The content of the invention comprises a concept of multi-beam ion pre-selection from a single sample, coordinated mobility (against the gas flow) separation, cooling ions in supersonic gas flow and mass separation of thus low divergent ions by single or plural compact high-resolution orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometers both linear or reflectron type with controlled collision-induced dissociation (CID) and multi-channel data recording for the optimization of sample use in the analysis, and obtaining as much useful information about the sample as possible in a reasonably short time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Ionwerks, Inc.
    Inventors: Valeri V. Raznikov, J. Albert Schultz, Thomas F. Egan, Michael V. Ugarov, Agnès Tempez, Gennadiy Savenkov, Vladislav Zelenov
  • Patent number: 8110820
    Abstract: A multipurpose ion implanter beam line configuration constructed for enabling implantation of common monatomic dopant ion species and cluster ions, the beam line configuration having a mass analyzer magnet defining a pole gap of substantial width between ferromagnetic poles of the magnet and a mass selection aperture, the analyzer magnet sized to accept art ion beam from a slot-form ion source extraction aperture of at least about 80 mm height and at least about 7 mm width, and to produce dispersion at the mass selection aperture in a plane corresponding to the width of the beam, the mass selection aperture capable of being set to a mass-selection width sized to select a beam of the cluster ions of the same dopant species but incrementally differing molecular weights, the mass selection aperture also capable of being set to a substantially narrower mass-selection width and the analyzer magnet having a resolution at the mass selection aperture sufficient to enable selection of a beam of monatomic dopant ions o
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: SemEquip, Inc.
    Inventors: Hilton F. Glavish, Dale C. Jacobson, Sami K. Hahto, Thomas N. Horsky
  • Patent number: 8110798
    Abstract: Methods for cooling ions retained in an ion trap are described. In various embodiments, a cooling gas is delivered into a linear ion trap causing a non-steady state pressure elevation in at least a portion of the trap above about 8×10?5 Torr for a duration less than the ion-retention time. In various embodiments, the duration of pressure elevation can be based upon a period of time required for an ion to lose a desired amount of its kinetic energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: DH Technologies Development Pte. Ltd.
    Inventor: Bruce Collings
  • Patent number: 8106351
    Abstract: Provided are methods for measuring renin activity in a plasma sample using mass spectrometry. The methods generally involve ionizing purified angiotensin 1 from the sample and detecting the amount of angiotensin 1 ions generated. The amount of detected angiotensin 1 ions are then related to the amount of angiotensin 1 generated in the sample, which in turn is related to renin activity in the sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Quest Diagnostics Investments Incorporated
    Inventors: Cory E. Bystrom, Richard E. Reitz, Nigel J. Clarke
  • Patent number: 8106371
    Abstract: In a charged particle irradiation system, forming a uniform dose distribution is required by irradiating a moving irradiation object through beam scanning and energy stacking. The charged particle irradiation system includes an ion beam generator 1 from which an ion beam is extracted with a target beam current value thereof set; an irradiation nozzle 21 having scanning magnets 23, 24 and an energy filter 26, the irradiation nozzle 21 for irradiating an irradiation object with the ion beam; and an irradiation object monitoring unit 66 for measuring a position of the irradiation object and outputting signals that vary with time according to displacement of the irradiation object. The charged particle irradiation system determines extraction timing of the ion beam based on the signal outputted from the irradiation object monitoring unit 66 and sequentially changes energies of the ion beam to thereby perform a repainting irradiation with each of the energies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yusuke Fujii, Kazuo Hiramoto, Yoshihiko Nagamine
  • Patent number: 8106354
    Abstract: The invention refers to a mass spectrometer arrangement (10) comprising a housing (86) having a mass spectrometer forevacuum vacuum chamber (20) with a mass spectrometer forevacuum outlet (30), at least two mass spectrometer high-vacuum vacuum chambers (21, 22, 23), and an integrated turbomolecular pump (12) connected with the high-vacuum vacuum chambers (21, 22, 23) and having a forevacuum outlet (89). The two forevacuum outlets (30, 89) open into a common forevacuum chamber (98) in the housing (86), which in turn opens into a housing outlet (88).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum GmbH
    Inventors: Markus Henry, Christian Beyer
  • Patent number: 8104093
    Abstract: A magnetic sensor simply is configured so as to magnetically measure not only conductive materials but also nonconductive materials over a wide temperature range and which offers high performance and high reliability, as well as a scanning microscope that uses the magnetic sensor. A scanning microscope according to the present invention includes a magnetic sensor with a magnetic sensing element provided at a free end of a cantilever-like flexible member and a strain gauge installed on the flexible member, driving means for driving the flexible member or a measurement sample, and control means for controlling driving provided by the driving means based on an output signal from the strain gauge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC
    Inventor: Adarsh Sandhu
  • Patent number: 8101910
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for multiplexing ions in an MSn mass spectrometer is provided. Ion are filtered to produce a group of ions of interest, the group of ions below a space charge limit of the MSn mass spectrometer. At least a portion of the group of ions are fragmented to form a fragmented group of ions. At least a portion of the fragmented group are stored such that a plurality of portions of the fragmented group can be sequentially selected for mass spectrometry analysis. Each of the plurality of portions of the fragmented group are sequentially selected and re-fragmented prior to mass spectrometry analysis. Each of the plurality of portions of the fragmented group are analyzed, via mass spectrometry, once each of the plurality of portions of the fragmented group has been fragmented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: DH Technologies Development PTE. Ltd.
    Inventor: Alexandre Loboda
  • Patent number: 8097849
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electron microscope device 1, comprising a scanning electron microscope 2 and an optical microscope 3, wherein the scanning electron microscope has scanning means 10 for scanning an electron beam and an electron detector 12 for detecting electrons issued from a specimen 8 scanned by the electron beam, and the scanning electron microscope acquires a scanning electron image based on a detection result from the electron detector, wherein the optical microscope projects an illumination light to the specimen, receives a reflection light from the specimen and acquires an optical image, and wherein an optical axis 7 of the scanning electron microscope crosses an optical axis 6 of the optical microscope at a point of observation of the specimen, wherein the scanning means projects the electron beam for scanning with a scanning width wider than a width of a scanning area, the optical microscope projects an illumination light and acquires an optical image in an overrunning portion wher
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Hisashi Isozaki
  • Patent number: 8099793
    Abstract: An automatic probe exchange system for a scanning probe microscope (SPM) exchanges probes between a probe mount on the SPM and a probe mount on a probe tray based on differential magnetic force. When the magnetic force on the SPM side is greater, the probe is attached to the probe mount on the SPM. When the magnetic force on the probe tray side is greater, the probe is attached to the probe mount on the probe tray. The magnetic force on the probe tray side is varied by moving the magnets that generate the magnetic force on the probe tray side closer to or further from the probe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Park Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Hyeong Chan Jo, Hong Jae Lim, Seung Jun Shin, Joon Hui Kim, Yong Seok Kim, Sang-il Park
  • Patent number: 8097867
    Abstract: Radiation apparatus for technical use, with a large number of stretched-out radiation sources emitting in or between the UV and IR ranges and a large number of main reflector segments that are bent and/or folded out of metal sheet in a shape adapted to that of the radiation sources, while the main reflector segments are formed as separate main reflectors and are held, singly replaceable and independently of the radiation sources, in a radiation source housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: KHS Corpoplast GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Kai K. O. Bar, Rolf Wirth
  • Patent number: 8093571
    Abstract: An EUV light source of the present invention is capable of using a saturable absorber stably and continuously in a high heat load state. A saturable absorber (SA) device is disposed on a laser beam line to absorb feeble light, such as self-excited oscillation light, parasitic oscillation light or return light. SA gas from an SA gas cylinder and buffer gas from a buffer gas cylinder are mixed to be a mixed gas. The mixed gas is supplied to an SA gas cell via a supply pipeline, and absorbs the feeble light included in the laser beam. The mixed gas is exhausted via an exhaust pipeline, and is sent to a heat exchanger. The mixed gas, cooled down by a heat exchanger, is sent back to the SA gas cell by a circulation pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Akira Endo, Krzysztof Nowak, Hideo Hoshino, Tatsuya Ariga, Masato Moriya, Osamu Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 8093557
    Abstract: A method of inspecting defects of a sample includes a first step for, on a basis of position information of defects on a sample placed on a movable table which is previously detected and obtained by an other inspection system, driving the table so that the defects come into a viewing field of an optical microscope having a focus which is adjusted, a second step for re-detecting the defects to obtain a first detection result, a third step for correcting the position information of defects on a basis of position information of defects re-detected of the first detection result, and a fourth step for reviewing the defects whose position information is corrected to obtain a second detection result. The method includes classifying types of defects on basis of the first detection result and the second detection result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Toshifumi Honda, Sachio Uto
  • Patent number: 8093552
    Abstract: A process and device is provided for the separation of electronegative molecules from non electronegative molecules using electric fields. The molecules are ionized in a non thermal discharge plasma which produces negative and positive ions of the electronegative and non electronegative molecules. The ions are spatially separated by an average DC electric field. A means to filter is disposed in the path of the separated ions and it allows ions to pass through more easily than uncharged molecules. After the ions pass through the filter they are electrically neutralized back to uncharged molecules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Inventor: John Macknis
  • Patent number: 8093573
    Abstract: A vessel for storing and transporting hazardous substances, like for example Uranium Hexafluoride, includes a body having an internal region that is subdivided into two or more isolated regions. The vessel further includes end members that house ingress and egress valves. A cover assembly is affixed to the vessel to shield the valves from damage due to exposure and/or impact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Columbiana Hi Tech LLC
    Inventor: Thomas F. Dougherty
  • Patent number: 8093574
    Abstract: A shielding (11) for reducing the amount of radiation passing through the shielding comprises a first part (111) and a second part (112), wherein the first part is arranged for being withdrawn from the second part and wherein said first and second parts comprise abutments. At least one pair of corresponding abutments of said first and second parts has a transverse section which is curvilinearly shaped along a portion of at least half of said transverse section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Ion Beam Applications S.A.
    Inventors: Frederic Stichelbaut, Albert Blondin, Jean-Claude Amelia
  • Patent number: 8093556
    Abstract: A device and method for analyzing a sample, in particular a sample which contains low-density materials, is provided. Ions of a predefined mass and/or a predefined elementary charge are selected from a plurality of ions. The selected ions are directed onto the sample for sample preparation. An electron beam is then directed onto the prepared sample and a spatial distribution of scattered electrons is measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss NTS GmbH
    Inventor: Ulrike Zeile