Patents by Inventor Christopher J. Stephens

Christopher J. Stephens 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).

  • Methods and systems for acquiring electron backscatter diffraction patterns
    Patent number: 11114275
    Abstract: Various methods and systems are provided for acquiring electron backscatter diffraction patterns. In one example, a first scan is performed by directing a charged particle beam towards multiple impact points within a ROI and detecting particles scattered from the multiple impact points. A signal quality of each impact point of the multiple impact points is calculated based on the detected particles. A signal quality of the ROI is calculated based on the signal quality of each impact point. Responsive to the signal quality of the ROI lower than a threshold signal quality, a second scan of the ROI is performed. A structural image of the sample may be formed based on detected particles from both the first scan and the second scan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: FEI Company
    Inventors: Pavel Stejskal, Christopher J. Stephens
  • METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ACQUIRING ELECTRON BACKSCATTER DIFFRACTION PATTERNS
    Publication number: 20210005420
    Abstract: Various methods and systems are provided for acquiring electron backscatter diffraction patterns. In one example, a first scan is performed by directing a charged particle beam towards multiple impact points within a ROI and detecting particles scattered from the multiple impact points. A signal quality of each impact point of the multiple impact points is calculated based on the detected particles. A signal quality of the ROI is calculated based on the signal quality of each impact point. Responsive to the signal quality of the ROI lower than a threshold signal quality, a second scan of the ROI is performed. A structural image of the sample may be formed based on detected particles from both the first scan and the second scan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Publication date: January 7, 2021
    Applicant: FEI Company
    Inventors: Pavel Stejskal, Christopher J. Stephens