Pulsed electron beams from a photocathode using an InGaN semiconductor have brought selectively scanning technology to scanning electron microscopes, where the electron beam irradiation intensity and area can be arbitrarily selected within the field of view in SEM images. The p-type InGaN semiconductor crystals grown in the metalorganic chemical vapor deposition equipment were used as the photocathode material for the electron beam source after the surface was activated to a negative electron affinity state in the electron gun under ultrahigh vacuum. The InGaN semiconductor photocathode produced a pulsed electron beam with a rise and fall time of 3 ns, consistent with the time structure of the irradiated pulsed laser used for the optical excitation of electrons. The InGaN photocathode-based electron gun achieved a total beam operation time of 1300 h at 15 μA beam current with a downtime rate of 4% and a current stability of 0.033% after 23 cycles of surface activation and continuous beam operation. The InGaN photocathode-based electron gun has been installed in the conventional scanning electron microscope by replacing the original field emission gun. SEM imaging was performed by selective electron beaming, in which the scanning signal of the SEM system was synchronized with the laser for photocathode excitation to irradiate arbitrary regions in the SEM image at arbitrary intensity. The accuracy of the selection of regions in the SEM image by the selective electron beam was pixel by pixel at the TV scan speed (80 ns/pix, 25 frame/s) of the SEM.
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December 2022
Research Article|
November 11 2022
Scanning electron microscope imaging by selective e-beaming using photoelectron beams from semiconductor photocathodes
Tomohiro Nishitani;
Tomohiro Nishitani
a)
(Investigation)
1
Photo electron Soul Inc.
, C-TECs No. 208 Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 4648601, Japan
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: t.nishitani@photoelectronsoul.com
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Yuta Arakawa;
Yuta Arakawa
(Software)
1
Photo electron Soul Inc.
, C-TECs No. 208 Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 4648601, Japan
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Shotaro Noda;
Shotaro Noda
(Investigation)
1
Photo electron Soul Inc.
, C-TECs No. 208 Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 4648601, Japan
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Atsushi Koizumi;
Atsushi Koizumi
(Investigation)
1
Photo electron Soul Inc.
, C-TECs No. 208 Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 4648601, Japan
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Daiki Sato;
Daiki Sato
(Investigation)
1
Photo electron Soul Inc.
, C-TECs No. 208 Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 4648601, Japan
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Haruka Shikano;
Haruka Shikano
(Investigation)
1
Photo electron Soul Inc.
, C-TECs No. 208 Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 4648601, Japan
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Hokuto Iijima;
Hokuto Iijima
(Investigation)
1
Photo electron Soul Inc.
, C-TECs No. 208 Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 4648601, Japan
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Yoshio Honda;
Yoshio Honda
(Investigation)
2
Institute of Materials and Systems for Sustainability, Nagoya University Furo-cho
, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 4648601, Japan
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Hiroshi Amano
Hiroshi Amano
(Investigation)
2
Institute of Materials and Systems for Sustainability, Nagoya University Furo-cho
, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 4648601, Japan
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a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: t.nishitani@photoelectronsoul.com
Note: This paper is part of the Special Topic Collection: Papers from the 65th International Conference on Electron, Ion, And Photon Beam Technology and Nanofabrication (EIPBN 2022).
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 40, 064203 (2022)
Article history
Received:
July 27 2022
Accepted:
September 20 2022
Citation
Tomohiro Nishitani, Yuta Arakawa, Shotaro Noda, Atsushi Koizumi, Daiki Sato, Haruka Shikano, Hokuto Iijima, Yoshio Honda, Hiroshi Amano; Scanning electron microscope imaging by selective e-beaming using photoelectron beams from semiconductor photocathodes. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 1 December 2022; 40 (6): 064203. https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0002111
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