Abstract: The secondary electron detector unit for a scanning electron microscope is mounted in a head body (1). In the lower part of the head body (1), a lower throttling aperture (2) is placed. Above the lower throttling aperture (2), the microporous plate (3) is sealed in the head body (1) by a gasket (5) and fastened with the use of the frame plate (6) which has an opening that exposes the active input area (7) placed asymmetrically with respect to the axis of the scanning electron beam (WE). Above the microporous plate (3), the scintillator (11) and the light pipe (12) are fixed at the side of the head body (1).

Abstract: A multi-purpose efficient charge particle detector that by switching bias voltages measures either secondary ions, or secondary electrons (SE) from a sample, or secondary electrons that originate from back scattered electrons (SE3), is described. The basic version of the detector structure and two stripped down versions enable its use for the following detection combinations: The major version is for measuring secondary ions, or secondary electrons from the sample, or secondary electrons due to back-scattered electrons that hit parts other than the sample together or without secondary electrons from the sample. Measuring secondary ions or secondary electrons from the sample (no SE3). Measuring secondary electrons from the sample and/or secondary electrons resulting from back-scattered electrons hitting objects other than the sample (no ions).

Abstract: As measurement accuracy required for the scanning electron microscope (SEM) for measuring a pattern width becomes stringent, a technique of reducing the difference in a measured dimension between the SEM's is desired. However, the conventional technique of evaluating the difference in a measured dimension between the SEM's cannot separate the difference in a measured dimension between the SEM's themselves and a dimensional change resulting from deformation of the pattern itself. Moreover, the technique of reducing the difference in a measured dimension between the SEM's needs an operator for reducing the difference in a measured dimension between the SEM's for each measurement pattern shape.

Abstract: In a scanning electron microscope, slimming is reduced by reducing a frame count. As the frame count is reduced, the amount of detected secondary electrons decreases, so that a probe current amount is increased to emit an increased amount of detected secondary electrons. A primary electron beam is scanned on a sample, a histogram is created, and the histogram is second-order differentiated to calculate a level of halftone at which a sample image changes in contrast, and to calculate the probe current amount. By adjusting the frame count suitable for the calculated probe current amount, and the contrast suitable for the sample image, the slimming of the sample is limited, and a highly visible sample image is generated for length measurement.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspecting a wafer during a semiconductor device fabrication process. The apparatus performs, only via observation from the wafer's top surface, inspection and quantitative evaluation of a portion that is in the shadow of an incident electron beam and a buried structure in the wafer. To this end, the electron beam is emitted so that it partially penetrates a wafer surface and reaches an unexposed pattern portion to the beam. When a stereoscopic structure is constructed from the scan image based on a secondarily generated signal, generate a stereoscopic model of a pattern being tested. The secondary signal is used to detect position information of a pattern edge(s) and signal intensity. Then, use the information to calculate more than one feature quantity of the test pattern. From the calculated feature quantities, the stereoscopic structure is constructed for displaying a 3D structure of the pattern.

Abstract: In a scanning electron microscope, scanning region is set to be narrow, upon which focused electron beam is scanned, so that the focused electron beam can be irradiated at the almost same position by plural numbers of times, irrespective of movement of the stage or of moving of the stage during braking thereof, and upon that region to be scanned is irradiated the focused electron beam, by plural numbers of times, while changing the focal position, thereby forming an image thereof. From the image formed is calculated out a section, from which a focus-in position can be calculated out, and then the focus-in position is calculated out from that calculated section.

Abstract: A light-emitting device includes a plurality of ultra-small resonant structures, each of said structures constructed and adapted to emit electromagnetic radiation (EMR) at a particular wavelength when a beam of charged particles is passed nearby. A combiner mechanism constructed and adapted to combine data from a data source with the EMR emitted by at least one of the ultra-small resonant structures.

Abstract: A charged beam exposure apparatus includes: a first shaping aperture provided with a plurality of rectangular openings which are different from each other in at least one of area and shape thereof; a second shaping aperture provided with a pattern having a shape corresponding to that of a pattern to be drawn onto a substrate; a charged beam generator which generates a charged beam to apply the charged beam to the first shaping aperture; a projector which projects the charged beam that has passed through an arbitrary opening of the first shaping aperture onto the second shaping aperture; a deflection unit provided between the charged beam generator and the projector to deflect the charged beam; a deflection controller which controls the deflection unit so that the opening of the first shaping aperture is selected which enables adjustments of a drawing time and a resolution conforming to requirements/specifications of the pattern to be drawn; and a demagnification projector which projects the charged beam that

Abstract: A multi-frequency receiver for receiving plural frequencies of electromagnetic radiation (e.g., light) using a beam of charged particles shared between plural resonant structures. The direction of the beam of charged particles is selectively controlled by at least one deflector. The beam of charged particles passing near the resonant structure is altered on at least one characteristic as a result the presence of the electric field induced on the corresponding resonant structure. Alterations in the beam of charged particles are thus correlated to data values encoded by the electromagnetic radiation.

Abstract: A method for monitoring the surface roughness of a metal, comprises impinging a laser beam onto the surface of a metal layer to induce the formation of a plasmon therein, and monitoring a current of decay electrons emitted by the plasmon.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for measuring a three-dimensional profile using a SEM, capable of accurately measuring the three-dimensional profile of even a flat surface or a nearly vertical surface based on the inclination angle dependence of the amount of secondary electron image signal detected by the SEM. Specifically, a tilt image obtaining unit obtains a tilt image (a tilt secondary electron image) I(2) of flat regions a and c1 on a pattern to be measured by using an electron beam incident on the pattern from an observation direction ?(2). Then, profile measuring units presume the slope (or surface inclination angle) at each point on the pattern based on the obtained tilt image and integrate successively each presumed slope value (or surface inclination angle value) to measure three-dimensional profiles S2a and S2c. This arrangement allows a three-dimensional profile to be accurately measured.

Abstract: A surface of an insulating substrate is charged to a target potential. In one embodiment, the surface is flooded with a higher-energy electron beam such that the electron yield is greater than one. Subsequently, the surface is flooded with a lower-energy electron beam such that the electron yield is less than one. In another embodiment, the substrate is provided with the surface in a state at an approximate initial potential above the target potential. The surface is then flooded with charged particle such that the charge yield of scattered particles is less than one, such that a steady state is reached at which the target potential is achieved. Another embodiment pertains to an apparatus for charging a surface of an insulating is substrate to a target potential.

Abstract: A dual beam system includes an ion beam system and a scanning electron microscope with a magnetic objective lens. The ion beam system is adapted to operate optimally in the presence of the magnetic field from the SEM objective lens, so that the objective lens is not turned off during operation of the ion beam. An optional secondary particle detector and an optional charge neutralization flood gun are adapted to operate in the presence of the magnetic field. The magnetic objective lens is designed to have a constant heat signature, regardless of the strength of magnetic field being produced, so that the system does not need time to stabilize when the magnetic field is changed.

Abstract: An electron gun (10) includes an electron multiplier (22, 22?, 22?, 110) has a receiving end (50, 50?, 50?) for receiving primary electrons and an output end (54, 54?, 54?) that emits secondary electrons responsive to primary electrons arriving at the receiving end. An electron emitter (20, 20?, 20?, 102) is arranged at the receiving end of the electron multiplier for supplying primary electrons thereto. At least one of an electrical and a magnetic focusing component (14, 16) is arranged at the open output end of the electron multiplier for focusing the secondary electrons to define an electron beam. In a suitable embodiment, the electron multiplier includes a generally conical substrate (74, 90) and an electron mirror (52, 521, 522, 523, 921, 922) including a high secondary electron yield film (70) disposed on an outer surface of the conical substrate.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are disclosed that model the lineshapes of mass spectrometry data. Ions can be modeled with an initial distribution that models molecules as having multiple positions and/or energies prior to traveling in the mass spectrometer. These initial distributions can be pushed forward by time of flight functions. Fitting can be performed between the modeled lineshapes and empirical data. Filtering can greatly reduce dimensions of the empirical data, remove noise, compress the data, recover lost and/or damaged data.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an illuminant, etc., having a high response speed and a high luminous intensity. The illuminant comprises a substrate and a nitride semiconductor layer provided on one surface of the substrate. The nitride semiconductor layer emits fluorescence in response to incidence of electrons. At least part of the emitted fluorescence passes through the substrate, and then exits from the other surface of the substrate. Generation of the fluorescence is caused by incidence of electrons onto a quantum well structure of the nitride semiconductor layer and recombination of pairs of electrons and holes generated due to electron incidence, and the response speed of fluorescence generation is on the order of nanoseconds or less. Also, the luminous intensity of the fluorescence becomes equivalent to that of a conventional P47 fluorescent substance.

Abstract: An electron beam apparatus having an electron analyzer is achieved which can control the illumination lens system by feedback without adversely affecting the imaging action even if a specimen is positioned within the magnetic field of the objective lens. The apparatus has an energy shift control module for controlling energy shift. On receiving instructions about setting of energy shift from the CPU, the control module issues an instruction for shifting the accelerating voltage to a specified value to an accelerating-voltage control module. The control module also sends information about the energy shift to an energy shift feedback control module, which calculates the feedback value and supplies information about corrections of lenses and deflection coils to a TEM optics control module. The feedback value is multiplied by a corrective coefficient that can be calibrated.

Abstract: A particle detector switchable from an ion detector to an electron detector includes an ion-to-electron converter and a scintillator detector. With one set of voltages on the components, the converter has minimal impact on the electron trajectories so the electrons are efficiently detected by the scintillator detector. With different voltage settings on the components, the detector can be operated in positive ion mode to collect positive ions with adequate efficiency for most FIB applications.

Abstract: A charged particle beam system uses an ion generator for charge neutralization. In some embodiments, the ion generator is configured to maintain an adequate gas pressure at the ion generator to generate ions, but a reduced pressure in the remainder of the vacuum chamber, so that another column can operate in the chamber either simultaneously or after an evacuation process that is much shorter than a process that would be required to evacuate the chamber from the full pressure required at the ion generator. The invention is particularly useful for repair of photolithography masks in a dual beam system.

Abstract: An electron microscopy system and an electron microscopy method for detection of time dependencies of secondary electrons generated by primary electrons is provided, in which the primary electron pulses are directed onto a sample surface and electrons emanating from the sample surface are detected, time resolved. To this end the system comprises in particular a cavity resonator. A cavity resonator can also be used to reduce aberrations of focusing lenses.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved column for a charged particle beam device. The column comprises an aperture plate having multiple apertures to produce multiple beams of charged particles and a deflector to influence the beams of charged particles so that each beam appears to come from a different source. Furthermore, an objective lens is used in order to focus the charged-particle beams onto the specimen. Due to the deflector, multiple images of the source are created on the surface of the specimen whereby all the images can be used for parallel data acquisition. Accordingly, the speed of data acquisition is increased. With regard to the focusing properties of the objective lens, the beams of charged particles can basically be treated as independent particle beams which do not negatively affect each other. Accordingly, each beam basically provides the same resolution as the beam of a conventional charged particle beam device.

Abstract: An electron microscope is provided, which enables an observation with high resolution. The electron microscope is able to detect the deviation of an electron beam relative to the opening of a slit quantitatively, thereby shifting the electron beam accurately to the center of the opening of slit so as to execute energy selection. The electron microscope has an energy filter control unit for adjusting a relative position between an electron beam and a slit by shifting the position of electron beam based on a signal delivered by an energy filter electron beam detector. Also a method for controlling an energy filter is provided, which includes the steps of shifting the position of an electron beam, determining the position of electron beam and letting the electron beam pass through the center of an opening of the slit by controlling the position of slit or position of electron beam.

Abstract: The present invention provides an analysis of displacement by calculating the phase variance image P? (k, l) between Fourier transformed images of paired images S1 (n, m) and S2 (n, m) to determine the center of gravity of ? peak appearing on the invert Fourier transform image of the images. The present invention provides numerous advantages such as a precision of displacement analysis of a fraction of pixel to thereby allow to improve the precision of focal analysis, or reduced number of pixels required to achieve the same precision, evaluation of reliability of the analysis by using the ? peak intensity, influence of varying background reduced by using a phase variance component. The improved performance by the present invention allows any operator skilled or not to achieve a best focusing.

Abstract: In an electron beam detector, a light guide optically couples a fluorescence emitting surface of the compound semiconductor substrate to a light incident surface of the photodetector, and physically connects the compound semiconductor substrate with the photodetector, thereby integrating the compound semiconductor substrate with the photodetector. When the compound semiconductor substrate converts incident electrons to fluorescent light, the light guide guides the fluorescent light to the photodetector, and the photodetector detects the fluorescent light, thereby detecting the incident electrons.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there are newly provided in a scanning electron microscope with an in-lens system a first low-magnification mode that sets the current of the object lens to be zero or in a weak excitation state, and a second low-magnification mode that sets the current of the object lens to be a value that changes in proportion to the square root of the accelerating voltage. The scanning electron microscope has a configuration wherein normal sample image (secondary electron image) observation is performed in the first low-magnification mode, and it switches the first low-magnification mode to the second low-magnification mode when X-ray analysis is performed. As a result, both sample image (secondary electron image) observation and X-ray analysis can be performed in low-magnification mode.

Abstract: A combined surface topography and spectroscopic analysis instrument comprises a scanning tunnelling microscope tip (12); and a sample carrier (58) which supports a sample (10) so that a surface thereto to be analyzed is presented towards the tip (12). The sample carrier (58) and the tip (12) are relative movable to enable the distance between the tip (12) and the surface to be varied in use and the sample surface to be scanned in two dimensions by the tip (12). An electronic analyzer is positioned to detect electrons from the tip (12) which have been back-scattered off the sample surface. A voltage controller (59) enables selective operation of the tip (12) in a first voltage range in scanning tunnelling mode, to enable spatial resolution imaging of the sample surface, and in a second, higher, voltage range in electron field emission mode whereby to permit the electron analyzer to analyze the back-scattered electrons.

Abstract: A system and method for suppressing secondary electron counts in systems that count particles. The secondary electrons are produced in a foil or other secondary electron emitting surface. A suppression grid is placed in front of the particle detector. The grid is held at an applied voltage that prevents some portion of the electrons from being transmitted through the grid and reaching the detector. The applied voltage may be adjusted and varied in a manner that provides a predicable electron count and an enhanced dynamic range of measurements at the detector.

Abstract: An electron projection lithography apparatus using secondary electrons includes a secondary electron emitter which is spaced apart from a substrate holder by a first predetermined interval and has a patterned mask formed on a surface thereof to face the substrate holder, a primary electron emitter which is spaced apart by a second predetermined interval from the secondary electron emitter in a direction opposite to the substrate holder and emits primary electrons to the secondary electron emitter, a second power supply which applies a second predetermined voltage between the substrate holder and the secondary electron emitter, a first power supply which applies a first predetermined voltage between the secondary electron emitter and the primary electron emitter, and a magnetic field generator which controls a path of secondary electrons emitted from the secondary electron emitter.

Abstract: An electron beam irradiation apparatus which irradiates an electron beam to an object for easily detecting a defect of a backscattered electron detector, including: an electron beam generating section for generating an electron beam; a plurality of backscattered electron detectors for detecting backscattered electrons generated when the electron beam is irradiated on a mark; a plurality of attenuation sections for attenuating signal values indicating quantity of backscattered electrons detected by the plurality of backscattered electron detectors; and a defect detecting section for detecting a defect of the plurality of backscattered electron detectors based on the signal values attenuated by the plurality of attenuation sections, with attenuation factors for the plurality of attenuation sections being varied.

Abstract: The ion implantation apparatus deals with an ion beam as a charged particle beam and has an accelerating tube 8 incorporating an electrostatic lens for converging/diverging it. The control of the electrostatic lens is carried out as follows. The swept ion beam 4 is received by a single Faraday cup 46 to measure the beam quantity I(n) and the beam width WD(p) of the ion beam 4. The evaluated values of the beam quantity and beam width with respect to prescribed standards are calculated. These evaluated values are assigned weights to calculate a unified evaluated value. The focusing voltage Vf applied to the electrostatic lens with the accelerating tube 8 is controlled so that the unified evaluated value is increased. A waveform shaping controller 50 and beam controller 54 constitute a device for making such control.

Abstract: In order to ensure that an electromagnetic field lens is capable of high-resolution observation using a magnetic field lens without leakage of magnetic flux, there is provided a magnetic field superimposing-type lens 1 for focusing an electron beam onto a sample 3 so as to irradiate the sample 3 is provided with an upper magnetic pole 213 a long way from the sample 3 and a lower side magnetic pole 214 close to the sample 3, with electrical insulation being provided between the upper magnetic pole 213 and the lower magnetic pole 214 by a ferrite insulator 215 provided between the upper magnetic pole 213 and the lower magnetic pole 214 in an integral manner with the magnetic poles so that the upper magnetic pole 213 and the lower magnetic pole 214 may be held at different potentials. There is therefore no leak in flux from between the upper magnetic pole 213 and the lower-magnetic pole 214, the chromatic aberration coefficient Cc can be made small, and high-resolution observation of the sample can be achieved.

Abstract: A fine pattern inspection apparatus includes: a first calculation unit which receives data of a first secondary electron signal obtained by irradiating a plurality of test patterns formed on a test substrate with an electron beam and receives data of an contour shape of a cross-section of each of the test patterns, the test substrate being the same as a substrate on which a pattern to be inspected is formed, the test patterns being formed with different cross-sectional shapes, and which separates the first secondary electron signal into variables of a first function containing the contour shape of the cross-section as arguments, a second function that is defined by a step function depending on respective materials constituting the test patterns and a third function that represents the size of a distortion of the signal; a storing unit which has a first storing area to store the first through third functions obtained from the first calculation unit; and a second calculation unit which receives data of a second

Abstract: An electron beam apparatus for irradiating a target with an electron beam includes a reference sample including at least one reference pattern which has a plurality of lattice structures arranged along the circumference of a circle in a evaluation surface of the reference sample; and an adjustment section for adjusting the electron beam by irradiating the evaluation surface with the electron beam on the basis of electrons generated from the reference sample.

Abstract: When scanning exposure is performed by illuminating an illumination area on a mask with a pulse light from a pulse light source, synchronously moving the mask and a photosensitive object, and transferring a pattern of the mask onto the photosensitive object, a main controller performs dose control on a high sensitivity range where scanning velocity of the mask and the photosensitive object is set at a maximum so as to maintain an exposure pulse number at a minimum exposure pulse number. A pulse light source, which pulse energy is variable within a predetermined range, maintains the exposure pulse number at the minimum exposure pulse number within the variable range. The pulse light source comprises a housing in which an outgoing opening that emits a light is formed, a plurality of units housed in the housing, and a drive unit that moves the plurality of units, partially or in total inside the housing.

Abstract: A plate with substantially constant thickness is used to compensate for the residual distortion in the image projected by a high-quality projection lens for lithography. The two surfaces of the plate have an identical aspherical profile, whose shape has been calculated using the measured distortion map of the lithographic objective. The figuring process applied to the plate uses the principle of polishing in the presence of an elastic deformation, so as to achieve the desired aspherical shape on both sides.

Abstract: If a conventional mesh filter is used for a voltage contrast measurement on a specimen surface, aberrations that is difficult to correct in a primary electron (PE) beam are generated and then it is difficult to obtain a fine focused beam.

Abstract: In a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) a spot made from a very narrow beam of electrons (11) is scanned in fine strips across the specimen (18), and an image is built up from the electrons (e) that backscattered from area of specimen being scanned. To gather these back-scattered electrons it is presently common to employ a scintillator layer on the front face of a light guide that directs the generated light to a photomultiplier tube (23). However, having the scintillator layer on the front face means that the light has to pass through the layer to enter the guide, which necessarily wastes light by absorption within the thickness of layer material; the invention proposes instead that the light guide (22) have on its back side a scintillator layer (34) angled as though to reflect received electrons along the guide to the PMT (23).

Abstract: The invention provides a sample analyzing apparatus to identify a particle accurately, securely and rapidly. After a wafer is pre-aligned and its wafer number is read, a recipe is read. The wafer is carried to an XY stage and aligned. A wafer map is read and displayed. An operator specifies a particle desired to be analyzed of particles on the wafer and moves a stage so that that particle is just below an electron beam. A scanning electron beam is irradiated over the specified particle so as to form an SEM image. The SEM image is compared to a corresponding reference SEM image and a precision positioning of the specified particle is carried out. The electron beam is irradiated to the specified particle and an emitting characteristic X-ray is detected. Its spectrum is displayed. The spectrum is compared to the reference spectrum and then reference spectrums estimated to be the same are listed up.

Abstract: In a scanning electron microscope device having the plastic scintillator type reflected electron detector 17 that is installed below the front end surface 14a of the object lens 14 to detect reflected electrons from the specimen, the reflected electron detector 17 has the front end portion 38 of its scintillator 17a formed into the semicircular portion 44 having a radius almost equal to the radius of the front end surface 14a of the object lens 14. At least a part of the edge of the semicircular portion 44 is formed with the notched surface 39 that extends along the extension of the inclined surface 14b of the object lens 14. This increases the viewing angle of the optical microscope, which is used to locate the position of the specimen being observed, and also increases the solid angle of the detection plane of the detector with respect to the specimen. The reflected electron detector thus can arrest reflected electrons from the specimen efficiently.

Abstract: A time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer instrument comprises a pulsed source of a beam of ions, directed through a focusing device onto a sample to be analyzed. Ions emitted from the sample are collected, and mass spectrometry performed thereon to analyze the sample. Both the source and emitted beams may be focused by the same focusing device. This allows the instrument to be mounted to a single port in a vacuum chamber.

Abstract: In an electron microscope employing an X-ray spectrometer according to the present invention, a collimator is provided in a head portion of the X-ray spectrometer and a part of the collimator is arranged in a leakage magnetic field of an objective lens included in the electron microscope, whereby the orbits of the scattering electrons are curved and hence the scattering electrons are prevented from colliding with the X-ray spectrometer to dissolve the background noises in the X-ray spectrum

Abstract: When light is incident on the photoelectric surface of this electron tube, photoelectrons are emitted. These photoelectrons are accelerated and incident on an electron beam irradiation diode. A reverse voltage of about 100 V is applied to the electron beam irradiation diode to form a depletion region almost throughout an anode layer and near the p-n junction interface of a silicon substrate. The incident accelerated electrons release a kinetic energy in a heavily doped p-type layer having an electron incidence surface and the depleted anode layer to form electron-hole pairs. In this case, since the heavily doped p-type layer having the electron incidence surface is very thin, the energy is hardly released in this layer, and almost all energy is released in the depletion region. Signal charges extracted from the electron-hole pairs formed upon releasing the energy are output as a signal from two electrodes.

Abstract: A barrier electrode is formed above an article to be exposed so as to be opposite the surface of the article to be exposed. A voltage is applied to the barrier electrode so as to form a barrier electric field surrounding the optical axis of a charged particle beam and surrounding the article to be exposed.

Abstract: A semiconductor device conductive line width non-destructive measuring sym comprises an electron beam source of sufficient energy to penetrate the passivation coating over conductive line traces and means for scanning the electron beam across the surface. An x-ray monitor to monitor x-rays produced in the conductive traces by the scanning electron beam produces an accurate measurement of the line width and spacing of the conductive traces.

Abstract: An X-ray detector used in an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer The detector comprises a cooling vessel containing liquid nitrogen and a protective container enclosing the cooling vessel. The space between the cooling vessel and the protective container is hermetically partitioned into a dewar tank portion and a nose portion by a partition wall. An X-ray detector device is accommodated in the nose portion. If the liquid nitrogen inside the cooling vessel evaporates, the produced gas stays only inside the dewar tank portion and does not enter the nose portion.

Abstract: The direction of propagation of a neutral particle beam is determined by positioning a shadow wire in the beam and positioning an array of detector wires downstream from the shadow wire. The shadow wire forms a shadow region downstream thereof, i.e., a region which is depleted of particles due to multiple scattering events. The detector wires are each formed of a different material and the count rate of K shell X-rays emitted from the individual detector wires are used to determine the loction of the centroid of the shadow at the detector wire array. The location of the center of the shadow wire and the position of the downstream shadow centroid are used to establish the direction of beam propagation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling, regulating and measuirng the particle mass which is evaporated per unit time from a target by a charged particle beam, in particular an electron beam, comprises the varying of an impingement area of the beam on the target in a manner which is decoupled from control of the position of the impingement area and control of the mass current of the beam. The impingment area may be modulated for varying the particle mass and the particle mass can be measured by also using a modulation step in conjunction with a particle detector and a beam modulation step.

Abstract: Detection system for cathodoluminescence analysis apparatus, wherein a screen is placed between the sample to be analyzed and the detector to intercept the electrons backscattered by the sample towards the detector. The screen is a plate of a glass which is transparent in a wide spectral interval, has a rather high conductivity, and does not present cathodoluminescence effects.

Abstract: An improved cathodoluminescence light collection system for use in electron microscopes provides an optical fiber, the facet or aperture of which is positioned adjacent the sample. The cathodoluminescence light, collected by the optical fiber in this manner, may be used to provide spectrally resolved cathodoluminescence images of the sample as well as local cathodoluminescence spectra of the type available in prior art cathodoluminescence light collection systems, but without incurring the numerous disadvantages of such prior art light collection systems. The present invention is relatively inexpensive, far easier to maintain because it does not require use of a mirror and, it is more compact in size thereby making it compatible with the physical limitations of more electron microscopes.

Abstract: Nonvolatile componets of targeted fluid inclusions in mineral specimens are analyzed by exposing the fluid inclusion using ion-abrason and then analyzing the exposed inclusion using an electron microprobe.