Kenichi Nagae

Optical properties of a multibeam column with a single-electron source

A novel single-column multi-electron-beam system, called a beam-split array, has been developed for a high-resolution, high-throughput lithography tool. In this system, a single electron beam is divided into 1024 beams by a multisource module (MSM) composed of an aperture array (a beam-dividing aperture), a static lens array (Einzel lenses for each divided beam), and a blanker array (BLA, blanking electrode pairs for each focused beam). The MSM is used to form multiple intermediate images of the electron source at the BLA. These images are demagnified to form final images through a projection optics consisting of a double lens doublet with a blanking aperture and deflector. To align the multiple beam paths in the MSM, aligners between these arrays are used, and the aligner conditions are determined by monitoring the blanking-aperture image. Moreover, because each beam current is about 0.1% of the total beam current on the specimen, a high-contrast transmission detection method is used to detect the electr...

Inspection of all beams in multielectron beam system

A testing apparatus for inspecting the beams formed by a multisource module (MSM) was built for the feasibility study of a beam splitting array (BSA), a multielectron beam system the authors are developing. In this BSA, the MSM plays the following three key roles: splitting the beam from a single cathode into 32×32 beams, converging the 32×32 beams, and blanking them individually. Accordingly, the inspection of all beams formed by the MSM is essential for the feasibility study of the system. The testing apparatus was therefore designed for measuring all the beams formed by the MSM without demagnifying them. To maintain the accuracy during the inspection of all 32×32 beams, the measurement process was automated. This testing apparatus was used to measure the diameters and misalignments of all beams formed by a prototype MSM. As a result, the mean values of the transverse and the longitudinal diameters were found to be 0.88 and 0.92μm, respectively. A single stigmator can cancel the difference between these...

Visualising peripheral arterioles and venules through high-resolution and large-area photoacoustic imaging

Photoacoustic (PA) imaging (PAI) has been shown to be a promising tool for non-invasive blood vessel imaging. A PAI system comprising a hemispherical detector array (HDA) has been reported previously as a method providing high morphological reproducibility. However, further improvements in diagnostic capability will require improving the image quality of PAI and fusing functional and morphological imaging. Our newly developed PAI system prototype not only enhances the PA image resolution but also acquires ultrasonic (US) B-mode images at continuous positions in the same coordinate axes. In addition, the pulse-to-pulse alternating laser irradiation shortens the measurement time difference between two wavelengths. We scanned extremities and breasts in an imaging region 140 mm in diameter and obtained 3D-PA images of fine blood vessels, including arterioles and venules. We could estimate whether a vessel was an artery or a vein by using the S-factor obtained from the PA images at two wavelengths, which corresponds approximately to the haemoglobin oxygen saturation. Furthermore, we observed tumour-related blood vessels around breast tumours with unprecedented resolution. In the future, clinical studies with our new PAI system will help to elucidate various mechanisms of vascular-associated diseases and events.