Electron beam testing device for stroboscopic measurement of high-frequency, periodic events

Claim 1

A circuit for phase control and signal processing for use with an electron beam testing device for stroboscopic measurement of high-frequency periodic events at a measuring object resulting from driving the testing device with a high-frequency generating means, said testing device including a scanning electron beam microscope having a beam suppression or blanking system, detector means for detecting secondary electrons emitted from the measuring object when the measuring object is struck by an electron beam from the microscope, and pulse means for controlling the beam suppression system, comprising: a boxcar integrator means having a gate circuit means, signal processing means, and phase control means driven by and synchronized with said high-frequency generating means, said gate circuit means being connected to receive output signals from the detector means and which provides an individual gated output signal by use of a gate window at each output signal to said signal processing means whenever each of the output signals is received, the signal processing means then integrating the individual output signals, and said phase control means being connected for simultaneously synchronizing said pulse means and said gate circuit means with said high frequency generating means at a specific phase; a delay means being provided between the phase control means and gate circuit means; and said delay means delaying an output from the phase control means by a time interval related to a transit time of the electron beam of the electron microscope, whereby the modified boxcar integrator for phase control and signal processing causes automatic simultaneous synchronization between electron beam pulsing and signal processing.