Abstract: An electric beam integrated circuit tester including a source of primary electrons, a support for the integrated circuit, and an electronic column fixed above the support for the integrated circuit for focusing the primary electron beam emitted at the surface of the circuit on the points of the circuit to be tested. It also includes an accelerator of the secondary electrons emitted by the integrated circuit in a direction colinear and opposite that of the primary electron beam, a separator with three pole pieces for directing out of the column the beam of secondary electrons accelerated by the accelerator and an energy spectrometer coupled to the separator and fixed to the outside of the column for analyzing, depending on their energy, the electrons of the beam of secondary electrons emitted separately by the separator.

Abstract: Between the electrostatic sector (SE 23) and the magnetic sector (SM 30) of a mass spectrometer, there is provided a quadrupole (QP 26) which applies parallel beams to the magnetic sector whose inclination depends on the energy dispersion of the particles. A slotted lens (LF 27) corrects the divergence of the quadrupole in the perpendicular plane. A suitable relationship between the angle of the inlet face of the magnetic sector (SM 30) and the deflection angle provided thereby ensures that the second order aperture aberrations of the magnetic sector are corrected. The chromatic aberrations may be corrected by means of a hexapole (HP 25) centered on the focus of the quadrupole (QP 26). Another hexapole (HP 22) placed upstream from the electrostatic sector (SE 23) level with a constriction in vertical section of the particle beam serves to correct second order aperture aberrations related to the electrostatic sector (SE 23).