US3569698A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Particle-beam apparatus provided with a phase-shifting foil which corrects for wave aberrations
Assignee: Siemens AG
•
Filing: 1969-06-18
•
Granted: 1971-03-09
•
Expires: 1989-06-18
Abstract
Abstract A particle-beam apparatus has a beam axis and a beam generator for issuing particle beams along the axis including a primary beam coincident with the axis. An electron-optical lens for focusing an image on an image plane causes wave aberrations that shift the respective phases of the particle beams. An foil is disposed in the path of the beams and shifts the phases of the beams with respect to the phase of the primary beam in dependence upon their respective radial distances from the axis so that the phases are shifted to correct for the shift caused by the wave aberrations. The foil has concentric discontinuities in its thickness at which the phase-shifting effect of the foil decreases in steplike fashion in radial distance, by values which correspond to whole number multiples of the wavelength of the particle beam, each adjacent pair of the discontinuities enclosing an annular foil portion having a thickness which increases continuously in radial direction.
Inventors
- 👤 Karl-Heinz Herrman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 16:51
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/02; H01J37/04; H01J37/153; H01J37/26; H01J37/261; H01J37/263; H01J37/266; H01J2237/00; H01J2237/153; H01J2237/1534; H01J2237/26; H01J2237/2614
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
166 words
A PARTICLE-BEAM APPARATUS HAVING A BEAM AXIS COMPRISING BEAM GENERATING MEANS FOR ISSUING PARTICLE BEAMS ALONG SAID AXIS INCLUDING A PRIMARY BEAM COINCIDENT WITH SAID AXIS, PARTICLEBEAM-OPTICAL LENS SITUATED ABOUT SAID AXIS FOR FOCUSING AN IMAGE IN AN IMAGE PLANE, SAID LENS CAUSING WAVE ABERRATIONS THAT SHIFT THE RESPECTIVE PHASES OF SAID PARTICLE BEAMS, AND FOIL MEANS DISPOSED IN THE PATH OF SAID BEAMS FOR SHIFTING SAID PHASES OF SAID BEAMS WITH RESPECT TO THE PHASE OF SAID PRIMARY BEAM IN DEPENDENCE UPON THEIR RESPECTIVE RADIAL DISTANCES FROM SAID AXIS SO THAT SAID PHASES ARE SHIFTED TO CORRECT FOR SAID SHIFT CAUSED BY SAID WAVE ABERRATIONS, SAID FOIL MEANS HAVING CONCENTRIC DISCONTINUITIES IN ITS THICKNESS AT WHICH THE PHASE-SHIFTING EFFECT OF THE FOIL DECREASES IN STEPLIKE FASHION IN A RADIAL DIRECTION, BY VALUES WHICH CORRESPOND TO WHOLE NUMBER MULTIPLES OF THE WAVELENGTH OF THE PARTICLE BEAM, EACH ADJACENT PAIR OF SAID DISCONTINUITIES ENCLOSING AN ANNULAR FOIL PORTION HAVING A THICKNESS WHICH INCREASES CONTINUOUSLY IN RADIAL DIRECTION.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
166 words
A PARTICLE-BEAM APPARATUS HAVING A BEAM AXIS COMPRISING BEAM GENERATING MEANS FOR ISSUING PARTICLE BEAMS ALONG SAID AXIS INCLUDING A PRIMARY BEAM COINCIDENT WITH SAID AXIS, PARTICLEBEAM-OPTICAL LENS SITUATED ABOUT SAID AXIS FOR FOCUSING AN IMAGE IN AN IMAGE PLANE, SAID LENS CAUSING WAVE ABERRATIONS THAT SHIFT THE RESPECTIVE PHASES OF SAID PARTICLE BEAMS, AND FOIL MEANS DISPOSED IN THE PATH OF SAID BEAMS FOR SHIFTING SAID PHASES OF SAID BEAMS WITH RESPECT TO THE PHASE OF SAID PRIMARY BEAM IN DEPENDENCE UPON THEIR RESPECTIVE RADIAL DISTANCES FROM SAID AXIS SO THAT SAID PHASES ARE SHIFTED TO CORRECT FOR SAID SHIFT CAUSED BY SAID WAVE ABERRATIONS, SAID FOIL MEANS HAVING CONCENTRIC DISCONTINUITIES IN ITS THICKNESS AT WHICH THE PHASE-SHIFTING EFFECT OF THE FOIL DECREASES IN STEPLIKE FASHION IN A RADIAL DIRECTION, BY VALUES WHICH CORRESPOND TO WHOLE NUMBER MULTIPLES OF THE WAVELENGTH OF THE PARTICLE BEAM, EACH ADJACENT PAIR OF SAID DISCONTINUITIES ENCLOSING AN ANNULAR FOIL PORTION HAVING A THICKNESS WHICH INCREASES CONTINUOUSLY IN RADIAL DIRECTION.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
71 words
A particle-beam apparatus according to claim 1, said apparatus comprising means for accommodating a specimen before said foil means in the path of said beams, the latter being defracted by the specimen, said particle-beam-optical lens being an objective lens, and said foil means being a foil disposed in said lens and shifting the phase of said defracted beams so that said image is focused in said image plane with sharp contrast.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
55 words
A particle-beam apparatus according to claim 1, said apparatus comprising means for accommodating a specimen before said foil means in the path of said beams, said particle-beam-optical lens being a high resolution lens disposed so that its image plane is coincident with the specimen locality, said foil means being a foil disposed in said lens.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
45 words
In a particle-beam apparatus according to claim 1, each one of said discontinuities lying at a radial distance from said primary beam at which its outer adjacent annular foil portion has a thickness equal to the minimum thickness of its inner adjacent annular foil portion.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3213277A
Cited
US3469096A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-03-08 | 1974-09-07 | 1975-03-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-03-08 | 1978-09-07 | 1979-03-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-03-08 | 1982-09-07 | 1983-03-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |