Patents by Inventor Makoto Ezumi

Makoto Ezumi 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).

  • Patent number: 7399966
    Abstract: A scanning electron microscope with an energy filter which can positively utilize secondary electrons and/or reflected electrons which collide against a mesh electrode and are lost. The scanning electron microscope which has a porous electrode for producing an electric field for energy-filtering electrons produced by applying a primary electron beam to a sample and a 1st electron detector which detects electrons passing through the porous electrode is characterized by further having a porous structure provided near the sample, a deflector which deflects electrons from the axis of the primary electron beam, and a 2nd electron detector which detects the electrons deflected by the deflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Todokoro, Makoto Ezumi, Yoichi Ose, Naomasa Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20080116376
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to obtain an image which is focused on all portions of a sample and to provide a charged particle beam apparatus capable of obtaining a two-dimensional image which has no blurred part over an entire sample. In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises means for changing a focus condition of a charged particle beam emitted from a charged particle source, a charged particle detector for detecting charged particles irradiated from a surface portion of said sample in response to the emitted charged particle beam, and means for composing a two-dimensional image of the surface portion of the sample, based on signals on which said charged particle beam is focused, said signals being among signals output from the charged particle detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2007
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Atsushi Takane, Haruo Yoda, Hideo Todokoro, Fumio Mizuno, Shoji Yoshida, Mitsuji Ikeda, Mitsugu Sato, Makoto Ezumi
  • Patent number: 7372028
    Abstract: The present invention has the object of providing a charged particle beam irradiation method ideal for reducing the focus offset, magnification fluctuation and measurement length error in charged particle beam devices. To achieve these objects, a method is disclosed in the invention for measuring the electrical potential distribution on the sample with a static electrometer while loaded by a loader mechanism. Another method is disclosed for measuring the local electrical charge at specified points on the sample, and isolating and measuring the wide area electrostatic charge quantity from those local electrostatic charges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Ezumi, Yoichi Ose, Akira Ikegami, Hideo Todokoro, Tatsuaki Ishijima, Takahiro Sato, Ritsuo Fukaya, Kazunari Asao
  • Patent number: 7355174
    Abstract: A charged-particle beam emitting device which includes the following configuration devices so that a lowering in the image resolution will be suppressed even if a primary beam is tilted relative to a sample: A device for causing orbit of the primary beam to pass through off-axes of a plurality of lenses, and controlling off-axis orbit of the primary beam. This device allows the aberration which occurs in the objective lens at the time of beam tilt to be cancelled out by the aberration which occurs in the other lens. Also, there is provided a device for simultaneously modulating excitations of the plurality of lenses including the objective lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsugu Sato, Makoto Ezumi, Satoru Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20080073528
    Abstract: In a method of scanning a charged particle beam which can position the scan position to a proper location inside a deflectable range of the scan position of charged particle beam, the scan position of charged particle beam is deflected to a plurality of target objects inside a scan position deflectable region and on the basis of a shift of a target object at a scan location after deflection, the deflection amount at the scan location is corrected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2007
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Inventors: Yuko Sasaki, Makoto Ezumi, Makoto Nishihara, Tsutomu Kawai, Toshiaki Yanokura
  • Publication number: 20080067378
    Abstract: The present invention provides a stable charged particle beam apparatus to enable high-resolution observation by reducing the influence of the noise of a large number of power supplies used in an aberration corrector. The charged particle beam apparatus that has: an SEM column for irradiating an electron beam onto a specimen and making the electron beam scan it; a specimen chamber for housing a specimen stage on which the specimen is placed and held; a detector for detecting secondary electrons generated by the scanning of the electron beam; display means for displaying an output signal of the detector as an SEM image; and a control unit for controlling component parts including the SEM column, the specimen chamber, and the display means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2007
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Inventors: Takeshi Kawasaki, Mitsugu Sato, Makoto Ezumi, Tomonori Nakano
  • Publication number: 20080042074
    Abstract: A charged particle beam apparatus produces little reduction in resolution when the beam is inclined with respect to a sample. The trajectory of a primary beam 4 is deflected by a deflector or changed by a movable aperture such that the beam is incident on a plurality of lenses 6 and 7 off the axes thereof. A means is provided to control the off-axis trajectory of the beam such than an aberration produced by the objective lens 7 when the beam is inclined can be canceled by an aberration produced by the other lens 6.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2007
    Publication date: February 21, 2008
    Inventors: MITSUGU SATO, Hideo Todokoro, Yoichi Ose, Makoto Ezumi, Noriaki Arai, Takashi Doi
  • Patent number: 7329868
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to obtain an image which is focused on all portions of a sample and to provide a charged particle beam apparatus capable of obtaining a two-dimensional image which has no blurred part over an entire sample. In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises means for changing a focus condition of a charged particle beam emitted from a charged particle source, a charged particle detector for detecting charged particles irradiated from a surface portion of said sample in response to the emitted charged particle beam, and means for composing a two-dimensional image of the surface portion of the sample based on signals on which said charged particle beam is focused, said signals being among signals output from the charged particle detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Takane, Haruo Yoda, Hideo Todokoro, Fumio Mizuno, Shoji Yoshida, Mitsuji Ikeda, Mitsugu Sato, Makoto Ezumi
  • Patent number: 7315024
    Abstract: An invention providing a scanning electron microscope composed of a monochromator capable of high resolution, monochromatizing the energy and reducing chromatic aberrations without significantly lowering the electrical current strength of the primary electron beam. A scanning electron microscope is installed with a pair of sectorial magnetic and electrical fields having opposite deflection directions to focus the electron beam and then limit the energy width by means of slits, and another pair of sectorial magnetic and electrical fields of the same shape is installed at a position forming a symmetrical mirror versus the surface containing the slits. This structure acts to cancel out energy dispersion at the object point and symmetrical mirror positions, and by spatially contracting the point-converged spot beam with a converging lens system, improves the image resolution of the scanning electron microscope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichi Ose, Shunroku Taya, Hideo Todokoro, Tadashi Otaka, Mitsugu Sato, Makoto Ezumi
  • Patent number: 7294835
    Abstract: A scanning electron microscope with an energy filter which can positively utilize secondary electrons and/or reflected electrons which collide against a mesh electrode and are lost. The scanning electron microscope which has a porous electrode for producing an electric field for energy-filtering electrons produced by applying a primary electron beam to a sample and a 1st electron detector which detects electrons passing through the porous electrode is characterized by further having a porous structure provided near the sample, a deflector which deflects electrons from the axis of the primary electron beam, and a 2nd electron detector which detects the electrons deflected by the deflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Todokoro, Makoto Ezumi, Yoichi Ose, Naomasa Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7282722
    Abstract: A charged particle beam apparatus produces little reduction in resolution when the beam is inclined with respect to a sample. The trajectory of a primary beam 4 is deflected by a deflector or changed by a movable aperture such that the beam is incident on a plurality of lenses 6 and 7 off the axes thereof. A means is provided to control the off-axis trajectory of the beam such that an aberration produced by the objective lens 7 when the beam is inclined can be canceled by an aberration produced by the other lens 6.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsugu Sato, Hideo Todokoro, Yoichi Ose, Makoto Ezumi, Noriaki Arai, Takashi Doi
  • Publication number: 20070221846
    Abstract: A scanning electron microscope with an energy filter which can positively utilize secondary electrons and/or reflected electrons which collide against a mesh electrode and are lost. The scanning electron microscope which has a porous electrode for producing an electric field for energy-filtering electrons produced by applying a primary electron beam to a sample and a 1st electron detector which detects electrons passing through the porous electrode is characterized by further having a porous structure provided near the sample, a deflector which deflects electrons from the axis of the primary electron beam, and a 2nd electron detector which detects the electrons deflected by the deflector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Publication date: September 27, 2007
    Inventors: Hideo Todokoro, Makoto Ezumi, Yoichi Ose, Naomasa Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20070181805
    Abstract: A scanning electron microscope having a monochromator that can automatically adjust an electron beam entering the monochromator and operating conditions of the monochromator. The scanning electron microscope having a monochromator is equipped with, between an electron source and the monochromator, a first focusing lens for adjusting focusing of the electron beam entering the monochromator and a first astigmatism correcting lens for correcting astigmatism of the electron beam entering the monochromator. The microscope further includes a means of obtaining an image of an electron-beam adjustment sample disposed where the electron beam in the monochromator is focused, and based on the obtained image, driving the first focusing lens and the first astigmatism correcting lens so that the focusing and astigmatism of the electron beam entering the monochromator are adjusted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2007
    Publication date: August 9, 2007
    Inventors: Wataru Mori, Makoto Ezumi, Yoichi Ose
  • Publication number: 20070057183
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to reduce the beam drift in which the orbit of the charged particle beam is deflected by a potential gradient generated by a nonuniform sample surface potential on a charged-particle-beam irradiation area surface, the nonuniform sample surface potential being generated by electrification made when observing an insulating-substance sample using a charged particle beam. Energy of the charged particle beam to be irradiated onto the sample is set so that generation efficiency of secondary electrons generated from the sample becomes equal to 1 or more. A flat-plate electrode (26) is located in such a manner as to be directly opposed to the sample. Here, the flat-plate electrode is an electrode to which a voltage can be applied independently, and which is equipped with a hole through which a primary charged particle beam can pass. Furthermore, a voltage can be applied independently to a sample stage (12) on which the sample is mounted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2005
    Publication date: March 15, 2007
    Inventors: Noriaki Arai, Makoto Ezumi, Yoichi Ose
  • Publication number: 20070045539
    Abstract: A scanning electron microscope is disclosed. The primary electron beam is radiated on a reticle (specimen), and an observation image of the reticle is obtained using the electrons secondarily released. The microscope comprises a lamp for radiating the vacuum ultraviolet light having the wavelength of not more than 172 nm on the reticle in the atmosphere, a radiation chamber for hermetically sealing the reticle so that the vacuum ultraviolet light can be radiated on the reticle, and a specimen holder for holding the reticle in the radiation chamber and capable of adjusting the distance between the lamp and the reticle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2006
    Publication date: March 1, 2007
    Inventors: Ritsuo Fukaya, Hidetoshi Sato, Zhigang Wang, Noriaki Arai, Makoto Ezumi
  • Publication number: 20070023657
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to obtain an image which is focused on all portions of a sample and to provide a charged particle beam apparatus capable of obtaining a two-dimensional image which has no blurred part over an entire sample. In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises means for changing a focus condition of a charged particle beam emitted from a charged particle source, a charged particle detector for detecting charged particles irradiated from a surface portion of said sample in response to the emitted charged particle beam, and means for composing a two-dimensional image of the surface portion of the sample based on signals on which said charged particle beam is focused, said signals being among signals output from the charged particle detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2006
    Publication date: February 1, 2007
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Atsushi Takane, Haruo Yoda, Hideo Todokoro, Fumio Mizuno, Shoji Yoshida, Mitsuji Ikeda, Mitsugu Sato, Makoto Ezumi
  • Publication number: 20060219918
    Abstract: The present invention has the object of providing a charged particle beam irradiation method ideal for reducing the focus offset, magnification fluctuation and measurement length error in charged particle beam devices. To achieve these objects, a method is disclosed in the invention for measuring the electrical potential distribution on the sample with a static electrometer while loaded by a loader mechanism. Another method is disclosed for measuring the local electrical charge at specified points on the sample, and isolating and measuring the wide area electrostatic charge quantity from those local electrostatic charges.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2006
    Publication date: October 5, 2006
    Inventors: Makoto Ezumi, Yoichi Ose, Akira Ikegami, Hideo Todokoro, Tatsuaki Ishijima, Takahiro Sato, Ritsuo Fukaya, Kazunari Asao
  • Publication number: 20060219910
    Abstract: An invention providing a scanning electron microscope composed of a monochromator capable of high resolution, monochromatizing the energy and reducing chromatic aberrations without significantly lowering the electrical current strength of the primary electron beam. A scanning electron microscope is installed with a pair of sectorial magnetic and electrical fields having opposite deflection directions to focus the electron beam and then limit the energy width by means of slits, and another pair of sectorial magnetic and electrical fields of the same shape is installed at a position forming a symmetrical mirror versus the surface containing the slits. This structure acts to cancel out energy dispersion at the object point and symmetrical mirror positions, and by spatially contracting the point-converged spot beam with a converging lens system, improves the image resolution of the scanning electron microscope.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2006
    Publication date: October 5, 2006
    Inventors: Yoichi Ose, Shunroku Taya, Hideo Todokoro, Tadashi Otaka, Mitsugu Sato, Makoto Ezumi
  • Patent number: 7109485
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to obtain an image which is focused on all portions of a sample and to provide a charged particle beam apparatus capable of obtaining a two-dimensional image which has no blurred part over an entire sample. In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises means for changing a focus condition of a charged particle beam emitted from a charged particle source, a charged particle detector for detecting charged particles irradiated from a surface portion of said sample in response to the emitted charged particle beam, and means for composing a two-dimensional image of the surface portion of the sample based on signals on which said charged particle beam is focused, said signals being among signals output from the charged particle detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Takane, Haruo Yoda, Hideo Todokoro, Fumio Mizuno, Shoji Yoshida, Mitsuji Ikeda, Mitsugu Sato, Makoto Ezumi
  • Patent number: 7087899
    Abstract: The present invention has the object of providing a charged particle beam irradiation method ideal for reducing the focus offset, magnification fluctuation and measurement length error in charged particle beam devices. To achieve these objects, a method is disclosed in the invention for measuring the electrical potential distribution on the sample with a static electrometer while loaded by a loader mechanism. Another method is disclosed for measuring the local electrical charge at specified points on the sample, and isolating and measuring the wide area electrostatic charge quantity from those local electrostatic charges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Ezumi, Yoichi Ose, Akira Ikegami, Hideo Todokoro, Tatsuaki Ishijima, Takahiro Sato, Ritsuo Fukaya, Kazunari Asao