Patents by Inventor Niles Kenneth MacDonald

Niles Kenneth MacDonald 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: 7838833
    Abstract: A method of imaging using an electron beam. An incident electron beam is focused onto the specimen surface, a scattered electron beam is extracted from the specimen surface, and a plurality of dark field signals are detected using a detection system. An interpolated dark field signal is generated using the plurality of dark field signals. In addition, a bright field signal may be detected using the detection system, and a final interpolated signal may be generated using the interpolated dark field signal and the bright field signal. User input may be received which determines a degree of interpolation between two adjacent dark field signals so as to generate the interpolated dark field signal and which determines an amount of interpolation between the interpolated dark field signal and the bright field signal so as to generate a final interpolated signal. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew Lent, Stanislaw Marek Borowicz, Mehran Nasser-Ghodsi, Niles Kenneth MacDonald, Ye Yang, Kenneth J. Krzeczowski
  • Patent number: 7755042
    Abstract: A scanning electron beam apparatus with an Auger spectrometer. The apparatus includes at least an electron column for generating a primary electron beam, a magnetic objective lens configured to focus the primary electron beam onto a surface of a target substrate, and a spectrometer configured to detect Auger electrons emitted from the surface of the target substrate. The magnetic objective lens applies a magnetic field strength greater than 10 Gauss and less than 50 Gauss at the surface of the target substrate. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Gabor D. Toth, Rudy F. Garcia, Chris Huang, Niles Kenneth MacDonald, Mehran Nasser-Ghodsi, Garrett Pickard, Khashayar Shadman, Wo-Tak Wu, Ming Yu
  • Patent number: 7612348
    Abstract: A voltage-isolating passageway for providing high voltage isolation between a component maintained at high DC voltage and a component maintained at a substantially lower voltage is described. The voltage-isolating passageway incorporates a transverse magnetic field across its passageway, which reduces the potential energy of charged particles (e.g., electrons) passing through the passageway. The voltage-isolating passageway includes a passageway and at least two magnets. The passageway has two openings and the two magnets are positioned along opposite and exterior surfaces of the passageway wherein the first and second magnets impose a magnetic field in a transverse direction with respect to a lengthwise axis of the passageway. In one embodiment, each of the passageways have small diameters and transfer gases at small flow rates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Assignee: KLA-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander Jozef Gubbens, Niles Kenneth MacDonald, Mehran Nasser-Ghodsi, Rudy Flores Garcia, Doug Keith Masnaghetti
  • Patent number: 7394339
    Abstract: A voltage-isolating passageway for providing high voltage isolation between a component maintained at high DC voltage and a component maintained at a substantially lower voltage is described. The voltage-isolating passageway incorporates a transverse magnetic field across its passageway, which reduces the potential energy of charged particles (e.g., electrons) passing through the passageway. The voltage-isolating passageway includes a passageway and at least two magnets. The passageway has two openings and the two magnets are positioned along opposite and exterior surfaces of the passageway wherein the first and second magnets impose a magnetic field in a transverse direction with respect to a lengthwise axis of the passageway. In one embodiment, each of the passageways have small diameters and transfer gases at small flow rates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander Jozef Gubbens, Niles Kenneth MacDonald, Mehran Nasser-Ghodsi, Rudy Flores Garcia, Doug Keith Masnaghetti