Patents by Inventor Atsushi Kobaru
Atsushi Kobaru 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: 10840070Abstract: An ion beam device according to the present invention suppresses the fluctuation of an ion emission current by cleaning the inside of a chamber without entailing wear damage to an emitter electrode. The ion beam device includes a GFIS including an emitter electrode having a needle-shaped tip; an extraction electrode having an opening at a position spaced apart from the tip of the emitter electrode; and a chamber encapsulating the emitter electrode therein. The GFIS includes an ionizable gas introduction path for introducing an ionizable gas into the chamber in a state where a voltage equal to or more than a beam generating voltage is applied to the emitter electrode; and a cleaning gas introduction path for introducing a cleaning gas into the chamber in either a state where a voltage less than the beam generating voltage is applied to the emitter electrode or a state where no voltage is applied to the emitter electrode.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2015Date of Patent: November 17, 2020Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech CorporationInventors: Yoshimi Kawanami, Atsushi Kobaru, Tomihiro Hashizume, Hiroyasu Shichi, Shinichi Matsubara
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Publication number: 20200294776Abstract: An ion beam device according to the present invention suppresses the fluctuation of an ion emission current by cleaning the inside of a chamber without entailing wear damage to an emitter electrode. The ion beam device includes a GFIS including an emitter electrode having a needle-shaped tip; an extraction electrode having an opening at a position spaced apart from the tip of the emitter electrode; and a chamber encapsulating the emitter electrode therein. The GFIS includes an ionizable gas introduction path for introducing an ionizable gas into the chamber in a state where a voltage equal to or more than a beam generating voltage is applied to the emitter electrode; and a cleaning gas introduction path for introducing a cleaning gas into the chamber in either a state where a voltage less than the beam generating voltage is applied to the emitter electrode or a state where no voltage is applied to the emitter electrode.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 20, 2015Publication date: September 17, 2020Inventors: Yoshimi KAWANAMI, Atsushi KOBARU, Tomihiro HASHIZUME, Hiroyasu SHICHI, Shinichi MATSUBARA
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Patent number: 8362426Abstract: The SEM has a dynamic range reference value setting unit for setting dynamic range reference values, a dynamic range adjustment unit for receiving an observation image signal delivered out of a secondary electron detector, adjusting the dynamic range of the observation image signal on the basis of the dynamic range reference values and outputting the thus adjusted observation image signal as an observation image signal after adjustment, a display image generation unit for determining luminous intensity levels of individual pixels of an image to be displayed based on the observation image signal after adjustment to generate a display image, a histogram generation unit for generating a histogram of luminous intensity levels of the display image and extracting, as a luminous intensity peak value, at which the frequency of luminous intensity is maximized, and a display unit for displaying the generated histogram and the extracted luminous intensity peak value.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2006Date of Patent: January 29, 2013Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Atsushi Kobaru, Katsuhiro Sasada, Hiroki Kawada
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Patent number: 8335397Abstract: In a method and apparatus for removing artifacts from an image generated a charged partial beam scanning device, a scanning method is determined, and the frequency of an artifact appearing on an image can then be determined, based on scanning method. A step 703, a frequency domain for removing an artifact can be determined from the vertical and horizontal widths determined by experimentation in advance with respect to the frequency position Photography is performed to obtain an image, which is Fourier transformed and the determined frequency domain is replaced, for example, by “0.” The resulting image is subjected to inverse Fourier transformation, and displayed and stored. The flow of such processing enables decreasing an artifact appearing on an image, depending on a scanning method.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2008Date of Patent: December 18, 2012Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Atsushi Takane, Mitsuji Ikeda, Atsushi Kobaru
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Patent number: 8274048Abstract: In a scanning electron microscope, an optimum scanning method for reducing the amount of deflection of a primary electron beam and secondary electrons is determined to acquire stable images. An energy filter is used to discriminate between energy levels. The change in yield of obtained electrons is used to measure the variation in specimen potential. The time constant of charging created during electron beam irradiation is extracted. The scanning method is optimized based on the extracted time constant to reduce the distortion and magnification variation that appear in a SEM image.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2010Date of Patent: September 25, 2012Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Akira Ikegami, Hideyuki Kazumi, Koichiro Takeuchi, Atsushi Kobaru, Seiko Oomori
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Patent number: 8203504Abstract: An image forming method and a charged particle beam apparatus suitable for suppressing the inclination of charging when scanning a two-dimensional area with a charged particle beam. A third scanning line located between a first scanning line and a second scanning line is scanned. After the first, second and third scanning lines have been scanned, a plurality of scanning lines are scanned between the first and third scanning lines and between the second and third scanning lines.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2010Date of Patent: June 19, 2012Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Atsushi Kobaru, Hidetoshi Morokuma, Hiroki Kawada, Sho Takami, Katsuhiro Sasada, Kouichi Yamamoto, Norio Satou, Kunio Nakanishi
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Patent number: 8000939Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a synthesized signal forming method and an apparatus thereof for realizing both noise reduction and dosage reduction when synthesizing signals detected based on scans performed on a charged particle beam. In order to achieve the above object, with a method that synthesizes signals detected based on a plurality of scans performed on a charged particle beam to form a synthesized signal, a multiplication is performed among a plurality of signals obtained by the plurality of scans and, at the same time, for a multiplied signal, a calculation is performed in which an inverse of the number of previous scans is used as an exponent.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2008Date of Patent: August 16, 2011Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventor: Atsushi Kobaru
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Publication number: 20110032176Abstract: An image forming method and a charged particle beam apparatus suitable for suppressing the inclination of charging when scanning a two-dimensional area with a charged particle beam. A third scanning line located between a first scanning line and a second scanning line is scanned. After the first, second and third scanning lines have been scanned, a plurality of scanning lines are scanned between the first and third scanning lines and between the second and third scanning lines.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 19, 2010Publication date: February 10, 2011Inventors: Atsushi KOBARU, Hidetoshi Morokuma, Hiroki Kawada, Sho Takami, Katsuhiro Sasada, Kouichi Yamamoto, Norio Satou, Kunio Nakanishi
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Patent number: 7838840Abstract: A charged particle beam apparatus for measuring and inspecting a sample having some parts in focus and other parts out of focus in an image due to the effect of the roughness of the sample surface is disclosed, in which in order to acquire a clear image of the whole or a predetermined area in the image, the focus adjustment conditions for each point in the area to be scanned by the charged particle beam are determined in advance, and the focus adjustment conditions thus determined are applied selectively to the patterns formed under the same fabrication conditions as the sample for which the focus adjustment conditions are determined.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2008Date of Patent: November 23, 2010Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventor: Atsushi Kobaru
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Patent number: 7817105Abstract: An image forming method and a charged particle beam apparatus suitable for suppressing the inclination of charging when scanning a two-dimensional area with a charged particle beam. A third scanning line located between a first scanning line and a second scanning line is scanned. After the first, second and third scanning lines have been scanned, a plurality of scanning lines are scanned between the first and third scanning lines and between the second and third scanning lines.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2007Date of Patent: October 19, 2010Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Atsushi Kobaru, Hidetoshi Morokuma, Hiroki Kawada, Sho Takami, Katsuhiro Sasada, Kouichi Yamamoto, Norio Satou, Kunio Nakanishi
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Publication number: 20100258723Abstract: In a scanning electron microscope, an optimum scanning method for reducing the amount of deflection of a primary electron beam and secondary electrons is determined to acquire stable images. An energy filter is used to discriminate between energy levels. The change in yield of obtained electrons is used to measure the variation in specimen potential. The time constant of charging created during electron beam irradiation is extracted. The scanning method is optimized based on the extracted time constant to reduce the distortion and magnification variation that appear in a SEM image.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 25, 2010Publication date: October 14, 2010Applicant: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Akira IKEGAMI, Hideyuki KAZUMI, Koichiro TAKEUCHI, Atsushi KOBARU, Seiko OOMORI
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Patent number: 7763852Abstract: In a scanning electron microscope, an optimum scanning method for reducing the amount of deflection of a primary electron beam and secondary electrons is determined to acquire stable images. An energy filter is used to discriminate between energy levels. The change in yield of obtained electrons is used to measure the variation in specimen potential. The time constant of charging created during electron beam irradiation is extracted. The scanning method is optimized based on the extracted time constant to reduce the distortion and magnification variation that appear in a SEM image.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2007Date of Patent: July 27, 2010Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Akira Ikegami, Hideyuki Kazumi, Koichiro Takeuchi, Atsushi Kobaru, Seiko Oomori
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Publication number: 20090194692Abstract: A magnetic shield with which a high magnetic field suppression effect is realized in a restricted space and a charged particle radiation apparatus using the magnetic shield are described below. To achieve the above-described object, a scanning electron microscope wherein a shield for shielding against an external magnetic field is formed of a plurality of plate portions made of a magnetic material, the plate portions being disposed on the circumference of a circle whose center corresponds to a center of the space so that each plate portion has a surface direction set different from a line tangent to the circle, is proposed (see FIG. 1).Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2009Publication date: August 6, 2009Inventor: Atsushi KOBARU
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Publication number: 20090001279Abstract: A charged particle beam apparatus for measuring and inspecting a sample having some parts in focus and other parts out of focus in an image due to the effect of the roughness of the sample surface is disclosed, in which in order to acquire a clear image of the whole or a predetermined area in the image, the focus adjustment conditions for each point in the area to be scanned by the charged particle beam are determined in advance, and the focus adjustment conditions thus determined are applied selectively to the patterns formed under the same fabrication conditions as the sample for which the focus adjustment conditions are determined.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2008Publication date: January 1, 2009Inventor: Atsushi KOBARU
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Publication number: 20080292199Abstract: In step 701, the scanning method is determined. In step 702, according to the scanning method determined in step 701, the frequency of an artifact appearing on an image can be determined based on the relation depicted with reference to FIG. 5. In step 703, a frequency domain for removing an artifact is determined from the vertical and horizontal widths determined by such as experimental in advance with respect to the frequency position of step 702. In steps 704 and 705, photography is performed to obtain an image. An image obtained is Fourier transformed in step 706 and the frequency domain determined in step 703 is replaced, for example, by “0.” Its image is subjected to inverse Fourier transformation in step 708, and then displayed and stored in step 709. The flow of such processing enables decreasing an artifact appearing on an image, depending on a scanning method.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 2008Publication date: November 27, 2008Applicant: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Atsushi Takane, Mitsuji Ikeda, Atsushi Kobaru
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Publication number: 20080215260Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a synthesized signal forming method and an apparatus thereof for realizing both noise reduction and dosage reduction when synthesizing signals detected based on scans performed on a charged particle beam. In order to achieve the above object, with a method that synthesizes signals detected based on a plurality of scans performed on a charged particle beam to form a synthesized signal, a multiplication is performed among a plurality of signals obtained by the plurality of scans and, at the same time, for a multiplied signal, a calculation is performed in which an inverse of the number of previous scans is used as an exponent.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2008Publication date: September 4, 2008Applicant: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventor: Atsushi KOBARU
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Publication number: 20080116375Abstract: In a scanning electron microscope, an optimum scanning method for reducing the amount of deflection of a primary electron beam and secondary electrons is determined to acquire stable images. An energy filter is used to discriminate between energy levels. The change in yield of obtained electrons is used to measure the variation in specimen potential. The time constant of charging created during electron beam irradiation is extracted. The scanning method is optimized based on the extracted time constant to reduce the distortion and magnification variation that appear in a SEM image.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 7, 2007Publication date: May 22, 2008Applicant: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Akira Ikegami, Hideyuki Kazumi, Koichiro Takeuchi, Atsushi Kobaru, Seiko Oomori
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Patent number: 7288763Abstract: A scanning method for a scanning electron microscope is provided which minimizes a degradation in dimension measuring accuracy caused by a shrink of a specimen. A time between the first and the second scan over the same location on the specimen is shortened by changing the scanning order of scan lines to enable the scanning to be performed successively while the shrink is small.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2006Date of Patent: October 30, 2007Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Satoshi Ikeda, Hiroki Kawada, Atsushi Kobaru
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Publication number: 20070200947Abstract: A focus adjustment method and a focus adjustment apparatus suited to realize both higher precision and faster speed of focus adjustment are provided. More specifically, the focus adjustment method and apparatus of this invention determine a focus adjustment quantity based on a relation between a change in a focus position value and a change in a focus evaluation value or a relation between the focus position value and the focus evaluation value, namely, a gradient of the focus evaluation value in a focus position direction. As one example, an excitation current to be supplied to an objective lens (or a voltage to be applied to a specimen) is calculated based on the relation between a change in the excitation current (or voltage applied to the specimen) and a change in the focus evaluation value.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2007Publication date: August 30, 2007Inventors: Atsushi Kobaru, Hiroki Kawada
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Publication number: 20070159662Abstract: An image forming method and a charged particle beam apparatus suitable for suppressing the inclination of charging when scanning a two-dimensional area with a charged particle beam. A third scanning line located between a first scanning line and a second scanning line is scanned. After the first, second and third scanning lines have been scanned, a plurality of scanning lines are scanned between the first and third scanning lines and between the second and third scanning lines.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 5, 2007Publication date: July 12, 2007Inventors: Atsushi Kobaru, Hidetoshi Morokuma, Hiroki Kawada, Sho Takami, Katsuhiro Sasada, Kouichi Yamamoto, Norio Satou, Kunio Nakanishi