US 11,705,304 B2
Apparatus of plural charged-particle beams
Shuai Li, Beijing (CN); Weiming Ren, San Jose, CA (US); Xuedong Liu, San Jose, CA (US); Juying Dou, San Jose, CA (US); Xuerang Hu, San Jose, CA (US); and Zhongwei Chen, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to ASML Netherlands B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Filed by ASML Netherlands B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Filed on Jul. 12, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/373,716.
Application 17/373,716 is a continuation of application No. 16/734,219, filed on Jan. 3, 2020, granted, now 11,062,877.
Application 16/734,219 is a continuation of application No. 15/925,606, filed on Mar. 19, 2018, granted, now 10,541,110, issued on Jan. 21, 2020.
Application 15/925,606 is a continuation of application No. 15/213,781, filed on Jul. 19, 2016, granted, now 9,922,799, issued on Mar. 20, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/194,925, filed on Jul. 21, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2021/0384008 A1, Dec. 9, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H01J 37/28 (2006.01); H01J 37/10 (2006.01); H01J 37/20 (2006.01); H01J 37/244 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 37/28 (2013.01) [H01J 37/10 (2013.01); H01J 37/20 (2013.01); H01J 37/244 (2013.01); H01J 2237/0453 (2013.01); H01J 2237/0492 (2013.01); H01J 2237/04924 (2013.01); H01J 2237/04926 (2013.01); H01J 2237/04928 (2013.01); H01J 2237/1205 (2013.01); H01J 2237/1501 (2013.01); H01J 2237/1502 (2013.01); H01J 2237/2446 (2013.01); H01J 2237/2448 (2013.01); H01J 2237/2806 (2013.01); H01J 2237/2817 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A pre-beamlet-forming aperture array comprising:
multiple beamlet-forming apertures configured to cut off a portion of electrons of a primary electron beam emitted by an electron source to form a set of multiple electron beamlets,
wherein the pre-beamlet-forming aperture array is configured to be positioned proximate to the electron source and between the electron source and a source-conversion unit, and the source-conversion unit is configured to manipulate the set of multiple electron beamlets.