DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 5, 6, 9, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 5 specifies that “the associated plate is at a downbeam end of the lens assembly” and then specifies that “the associated plate is at an upbeam end of the lens assembly”. Therefore the location of the “associated plate”, relative to the lens assembly, cannot be ascertained.
Regarding claim 6, the phrase "desirably" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claim 9, the phrase "desirably" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claim 12, the phrase "for example" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 14, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kruit et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2022/0392735.
Regarding claim 1, Kruit discloses a charged particle-optical device for projecting a plurality of charged particle beams along respective beam paths towards a sample location (“The collimated beamlets may travel essentially parallel and/or along optical axes of an objective lens unit 170 onto a sample or a specimen 80” [0045]), the device comprising: a charged particle-optical lens assembly 170 configured to manipulate the beams (“The objective lens unit 170 includes a plurality of electrodes having an array of holes or openings. The plurality of electrodes may act as an electrostatic lens on beamlets passing through corresponding holes and openings of the plurality of electrodes. The objective lens unit can be provided as a deceleration lens” [0047]), the lens assembly 170 comprising a plurality of plates each having an array of apertures for passage of beam paths (“The objective lens unit 170 includes a plurality of electrodes having an array of holes or openings” [0047]), the plates located at different plate locations along the beam paths (as illustrated in figure 20A); and a controller configured to control the charged particle-optical device (“The charged particle beam device may include a controller for controlling the operational parameters of the lens and the deflector array (e.g. a controller being connected or integrated in a feedback loop or a monitoring device for monitoring the operation of the charged particle beam device)” [0096]) such that in use charged particles of the beams can have different energy values at the different plate locations along the beam paths (“The objective lens unit can be provided as a deceleration lens” [0047] – each beam passing through the objective lens is changed from a first energy value at the first plate location along the beam path and then is reduced to a lower energy value by the time the beam reaches the final plate location along the beam path); wherein the lens assembly comprises a corrector 178 (in figure 20A) comprising a plurality of individual correctors (“An electrode of the objective lens unit 170 may include four or more, for example, eight deflection electrodes 178” [0159]) configured to perform aberration correction at respective apertures independently of each other (“The deflection electrodes 178 may be controlled to generate deflection fields for each of the primary beamlets in the XY plane. Yet further, octupoles fields and/or quadrupole fields may be generated for aberration correction” [0159]), wherein the corrector is associated with the plate 172 (figure 20A illustrates that deflection electrodes 178 are adjacent to plate 172, and is therefore generally “associated” with the plate 172, as required) located at the plate location along the beam path at which the energy value is smallest (since the objective lens 170 is a deceleration lens [0047], the final plate 172 in in figure 20A is the location along the beam path at which the energy value is smallest, and corrector 178 is generally associated with this plate 172) and/or strength of an electric field adjacent to the plate is greatest and/or a ratio of the energy value to strength of an electric field adjacent to the plate is smallest.
Regarding claim 2, Kruit the corrector 178 is associated with the associated plate 172 by comprising a corrector plate located adjacent to the associated plate 172 (figure 20A illustrates that the plate of deflection electrodes 178 is adjacent to the plate 172) or by being integrated into the associated plate.
Regarding claim 5, Kruit discloses that the lens assembly is: configured to decelerate charged particles towards the sample location (“The objective lens unit can be provided as a deceleration lens” [0047]) and the associated plate 172 is at a downbeam end of the lens assembly 170.
Regarding claim 6, Kruit discloses that the lens assembly 170 is comprised in a stack (as illustrated in figure 20A).
Regarding claim 7, Kruit discloses that the corrector 178 is located in a region defined between components at substantially the same electric potential (“The electrode 172 is configured to provide a common potential around each of the holes 272. The electrode 172 provides a common potential for the array of primary beamlets” [0157]).
Regarding claim 14, Kruit discloses that each individual corrector comprises a plurality of electrodes for a respective beam path (“An electrode of the objective lens unit 170 may include four or more, for example, eight deflection electrodes 178. The deflection electrodes 178 may be controlled to generate deflection fields for each of the primary beamlets in the XY plane. Yet further, octupoles fields and/or quadrupole fields may be generated for aberration correction. The electrode having the individual deflection electrodes can be connected to a power supply 179 or controller” [0159]).
Regarding claim 15, Kruit discloses that each individual corrector comprises a stigmator for the respective beam path (“the primary beamlets can be deflected and/or astigmatism can be corrected in the objective lens unit with four or more deflection electrodes per primary beamlet” [0168]) and/or is configured to adjust a cross-sectional shape of the respective beam.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kruit et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2022/0392735 in view of Chen et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2012/0145917.
Regarding claim 8, Kruit discloses the claimed invention except that there is no explicit disclosure of a shield plate facing the corrector.
Chen discloses a charged particle-optical device for projecting a plurality of charged particle beams along respective beam paths towards a sample location (“An apparatus basically uses a simple and compact multi-axis magnetic lens to focus each of a plurality of charged particle beams on sample surface at the same time” [Abstract]), the device comprising: a charged particle-optical lens assembly configured to manipulate the beams, the lens assembly comprising a plurality of plates each having an array of apertures for passage of beam paths, the plates located at different plate locations along the beam paths (“The two magnetic conductor plates 41 and 42 are the pole pieces of these sub-lenses 10, 20 and 30” [0004]); wherein charged particles of the beams can have different energy values at the different plate locations along the beam paths (“a multi-axis magnetic immersion objective lens required a low coil excitation and overlapping it with an electron deceleration” [0011]); wherein the lens assembly comprises a corrector 70 comprising a plurality of individual correctors configured to perform aberration correction at respective apertures independently of each other (“the flat electrode 70 is set at a potential Ve equal to or higher than Vs. In this way a retarding field is generated in front of the specimen 60, and an electron beam can be decelerated just prior to impinging onto the specimen… The retarding field includes at least one negative electrostatic lens field” [0077] – “The negative aberrations generated by a negative electrostatic lens (divergent lens) can compensate most of the positive aberrations generated by a magnetic sub-lens” [0013]); further comprising a shield plate 50 facing the corrector 70 (as illustrated in figure 8: “The two magnetic shielding plates 50 and 51” [0062]).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kruit with the shielding plate of Chen in order to isolate control over the corrector so as to more precisely manipulate beams individually.
Regarding claim 9, Kruit discloses the claimed invention except that there is no explicit disclosure of a shield plate facing the corrector.
Chen discloses a charged particle-optical device for projecting a plurality of charged particle beams along respective beam paths towards a sample location (“An apparatus basically uses a simple and compact multi-axis magnetic lens to focus each of a plurality of charged particle beams on sample surface at the same time” [Abstract]), the device comprising: a charged particle-optical lens assembly configured to manipulate the beams, the lens assembly comprising a plurality of plates each having an array of apertures for passage of beam paths, the plates located at different plate locations along the beam paths (“The two magnetic conductor plates 41 and 42 are the pole pieces of these sub-lenses 10, 20 and 30” [0004]); wherein charged particles of the beams can have different energy values at the different plate locations along the beam paths (“a multi-axis magnetic immersion objective lens required a low coil excitation and overlapping it with an electron deceleration” [0011]); wherein the lens assembly comprises a corrector 70 comprising a plurality of individual correctors configured to perform aberration correction at respective apertures independently of each other (“the flat electrode 70 is set at a potential Ve equal to or higher than Vs. In this way a retarding field is generated in front of the specimen 60, and an electron beam can be decelerated just prior to impinging onto the specimen… The retarding field includes at least one negative electrostatic lens field” [0077] – “The negative aberrations generated by a negative electrostatic lens (divergent lens) can compensate most of the positive aberrations generated by a magnetic sub-lens” [0013]); further comprising a shield plate 50 facing the corrector 70 (as illustrated in figure 8: “The two magnetic shielding plates 50 and 51” [0062]). The shield plate 50 comprises portions extending perpendicular to the beam path corresponding to respective apertures of the corrector 70 (as illustrated in figure 8); the shield plate is configured to reduce crosstalk between the individual correctors (since the shield plate 50 creates a “non-magnetic gap… under the lower magnetic plate 42” [0062], thereby reducing the field effect on each individual corrector); the shield plate is formed by one of the plates of the lens assembly (as illustrated in figure 8, where the lens assembly is considered to be the plates 41, 42, 50, and corrector 70); the shield plate is formed by a detector array, the charged particle-optical device comprising the detector array for detecting signal charged particles from the sample location (“A detector with a through round hole is located under each beam limit aperture” [0015]); wherein a surface of the shield plate is in a region substantially free of electric field (“The two magnetic shielding plates 50 and 51 are optionally respectively located above the upper magnetic plate 41 with a non-magnetic gap and under the lower magnetic plate 42 with a non-magnetic gap” [0062]).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kruit with the shielding plate of Chen in order to isolate control over the corrector so as to more precisely manipulate beams individually.
Regarding claim 10, Kruit discloses the claimed invention except that there is no explicit disclosure of a shield plate facing the corrector.
Chen discloses a charged particle-optical device for projecting a plurality of charged particle beams along respective beam paths towards a sample location (“An apparatus basically uses a simple and compact multi-axis magnetic lens to focus each of a plurality of charged particle beams on sample surface at the same time” [Abstract]), the device comprising: a charged particle-optical lens assembly configured to manipulate the beams, the lens assembly comprising a plurality of plates each having an array of apertures for passage of beam paths, the plates located at different plate locations along the beam paths (“The two magnetic conductor plates 41 and 42 are the pole pieces of these sub-lenses 10, 20 and 30” [0004]); wherein charged particles of the beams can have different energy values at the different plate locations along the beam paths (“a multi-axis magnetic immersion objective lens required a low coil excitation and overlapping it with an electron deceleration” [0011]); wherein the lens assembly comprises a corrector 70 comprising a plurality of individual correctors configured to perform aberration correction at respective apertures independently of each other (“the flat electrode 70 is set at a potential Ve equal to or higher than Vs. In this way a retarding field is generated in front of the specimen 60, and an electron beam can be decelerated just prior to impinging onto the specimen… The retarding field includes at least one negative electrostatic lens field” [0077] – “The negative aberrations generated by a negative electrostatic lens (divergent lens) can compensate most of the positive aberrations generated by a magnetic sub-lens” [0013]); further comprising a shield plate 50 facing the corrector 70 (as illustrated in figure 8: “The two magnetic shielding plates 50 and 51” [0062]). The shield plate 50 comprises portions extending perpendicular to the beam path corresponding to respective apertures of the corrector 70 (as illustrated in figure 8); the shield plate is configured to reduce crosstalk between the individual correctors (since the shield plate 50 creates a “non-magnetic gap… under the lower magnetic plate 42” [0062], thereby reducing the field effect on each individual corrector); the shield plate is formed by one of the plates of the lens assembly (as illustrated in figure 8, where the lens assembly is considered to be the plates 41, 42, 50, and corrector 70); the shield plate is formed by a detector array, the charged particle-optical device comprising the detector array for detecting signal charged particles from the sample location (“A detector with a through round hole is located under each beam limit aperture” [0015]); wherein a surface of the shield plate is in a region substantially free of electric field (“The two magnetic shielding plates 50 and 51 are optionally respectively located above the upper magnetic plate 41 with a non-magnetic gap and under the lower magnetic plate 42 with a non-magnetic gap” [0062]).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kruit with the shielding plate of Chen in order to isolate control over the corrector so as to more precisely manipulate beams individually.
Regarding claim 11, Kruit discloses the claimed invention except that there is no explicit disclosure of a shield plate facing the corrector.
Chen discloses a charged particle-optical device for projecting a plurality of charged particle beams along respective beam paths towards a sample location (“An apparatus basically uses a simple and compact multi-axis magnetic lens to focus each of a plurality of charged particle beams on sample surface at the same time” [Abstract]), the device comprising: a charged particle-optical lens assembly configured to manipulate the beams, the lens assembly comprising a plurality of plates each having an array of apertures for passage of beam paths, the plates located at different plate locations along the beam paths (“The two magnetic conductor plates 41 and 42 are the pole pieces of these sub-lenses 10, 20 and 30” [0004]); wherein charged particles of the beams can have different energy values at the different plate locations along the beam paths (“a multi-axis magnetic immersion objective lens required a low coil excitation and overlapping it with an electron deceleration” [0011]); wherein the lens assembly comprises a corrector 70 comprising a plurality of individual correctors configured to perform aberration correction at respective apertures independently of each other (“the flat electrode 70 is set at a potential Ve equal to or higher than Vs. In this way a retarding field is generated in front of the specimen 60, and an electron beam can be decelerated just prior to impinging onto the specimen… The retarding field includes at least one negative electrostatic lens field” [0077] – “The negative aberrations generated by a negative electrostatic lens (divergent lens) can compensate most of the positive aberrations generated by a magnetic sub-lens” [0013]); further comprising a shield plate 50 facing the corrector 70 (as illustrated in figure 8: “The two magnetic shielding plates 50 and 51” [0062]). The shield plate 50 comprises portions extending perpendicular to the beam path corresponding to respective apertures of the corrector 70 (as illustrated in figure 8); the shield plate is configured to reduce crosstalk between the individual correctors (since the shield plate 50 creates a “non-magnetic gap… under the lower magnetic plate 42” [0062], thereby reducing the field effect on each individual corrector); the shield plate is formed by one of the plates of the lens assembly (as illustrated in figure 8, where the lens assembly is considered to be the plates 41, 42, 50, and corrector 70); the shield plate is formed by a detector array, the charged particle-optical device comprising the detector array for detecting signal charged particles from the sample location (“A detector with a through round hole is located under each beam limit aperture” [0015]); wherein a surface of the shield plate is in a region substantially free of electric field (“The two magnetic shielding plates 50 and 51 are optionally respectively located above the upper magnetic plate 41 with a non-magnetic gap and under the lower magnetic plate 42 with a non-magnetic gap” [0062]).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kruit with the shielding plate of Chen in order to isolate control over the corrector so as to more precisely manipulate beams individually.
Regarding claim 12, Kruit discloses the claimed invention except that there is no explicit disclosure of a shield plate facing the corrector.
Chen discloses a charged particle-optical device for projecting a plurality of charged particle beams along respective beam paths towards a sample location (“An apparatus basically uses a simple and compact multi-axis magnetic lens to focus each of a plurality of charged particle beams on sample surface at the same time” [Abstract]), the device comprising: a charged particle-optical lens assembly configured to manipulate the beams, the lens assembly comprising a plurality of plates each having an array of apertures for passage of beam paths, the plates located at different plate locations along the beam paths (“The two magnetic conductor plates 41 and 42 are the pole pieces of these sub-lenses 10, 20 and 30” [0004]); wherein charged particles of the beams can have different energy values at the different plate locations along the beam paths (“a multi-axis magnetic immersion objective lens required a low coil excitation and overlapping it with an electron deceleration” [0011]); wherein the lens assembly comprises a corrector 70 comprising a plurality of individual correctors configured to perform aberration correction at respective apertures independently of each other (“the flat electrode 70 is set at a potential Ve equal to or higher than Vs. In this way a retarding field is generated in front of the specimen 60, and an electron beam can be decelerated just prior to impinging onto the specimen… The retarding field includes at least one negative electrostatic lens field” [0077] – “The negative aberrations generated by a negative electrostatic lens (divergent lens) can compensate most of the positive aberrations generated by a magnetic sub-lens” [0013]); further comprising a shield plate 50 facing the corrector 70 (as illustrated in figure 8: “The two magnetic shielding plates 50 and 51” [0062]). The shield plate 50 comprises portions extending perpendicular to the beam path corresponding to respective apertures of the corrector 70 (as illustrated in figure 8); the shield plate is configured to reduce crosstalk between the individual correctors (since the shield plate 50 creates a “non-magnetic gap… under the lower magnetic plate 42” [0062], thereby reducing the field effect on each individual corrector); the shield plate is formed by one of the plates of the lens assembly (as illustrated in figure 8, where the lens assembly is considered to be the plates 41, 42, 50, and corrector 70); the shield plate is formed by a detector array, the charged particle-optical device comprising the detector array for detecting signal charged particles from the sample location (“A detector with a through round hole is located under each beam limit aperture” [0015]); wherein a surface of the shield plate is in a region substantially free of electric field (“The two magnetic shielding plates 50 and 51 are optionally respectively located above the upper magnetic plate 41 with a non-magnetic gap and under the lower magnetic plate 42 with a non-magnetic gap” [0062]).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kruit with the shielding plate of Chen in order to isolate control over the corrector so as to more precisely manipulate beams individually.
Regarding claim 13, Kruit discloses the claimed invention except that there is no explicit disclosure of a shield plate facing the corrector.
Chen discloses a charged particle-optical device for projecting a plurality of charged particle beams along respective beam paths towards a sample location (“An apparatus basically uses a simple and compact multi-axis magnetic lens to focus each of a plurality of charged particle beams on sample surface at the same time” [Abstract]), the device comprising: a charged particle-optical lens assembly configured to manipulate the beams, the lens assembly comprising a plurality of plates each having an array of apertures for passage of beam paths, the plates located at different plate locations along the beam paths (“The two magnetic conductor plates 41 and 42 are the pole pieces of these sub-lenses 10, 20 and 30” [0004]); wherein charged particles of the beams can have different energy values at the different plate locations along the beam paths (“a multi-axis magnetic immersion objective lens required a low coil excitation and overlapping it with an electron deceleration” [0011]); wherein the lens assembly comprises a corrector 70 comprising a plurality of individual correctors configured to perform aberration correction at respective apertures independently of each other (“the flat electrode 70 is set at a potential Ve equal to or higher than Vs. In this way a retarding field is generated in front of the specimen 60, and an electron beam can be decelerated just prior to impinging onto the specimen… The retarding field includes at least one negative electrostatic lens field” [0077] – “The negative aberrations generated by a negative electrostatic lens (divergent lens) can compensate most of the positive aberrations generated by a magnetic sub-lens” [0013]); further comprising a shield plate 50 facing the corrector 70 (as illustrated in figure 8: “The two magnetic shielding plates 50 and 51” [0062]). The shield plate 50 comprises portions extending perpendicular to the beam path corresponding to respective apertures of the corrector 70 (as illustrated in figure 8); the shield plate is configured to reduce crosstalk between the individual correctors (since the shield plate 50 creates a “non-magnetic gap… under the lower magnetic plate 42” [0062], thereby reducing the field effect on each individual corrector); the shield plate is formed by one of the plates of the lens assembly (as illustrated in figure 8, where the lens assembly is considered to be the plates 41, 42, 50, and corrector 70); the shield plate is formed by a detector array, the charged particle-optical device comprising the detector array for detecting signal charged particles from the sample location (“A detector with a through round hole is located under each beam limit aperture” [0015]); wherein a surface of the shield plate is in a region substantially free of electric field (“The two magnetic shielding plates 50 and 51 are optionally respectively located above the upper magnetic plate 41 with a non-magnetic gap and under the lower magnetic plate 42 with a non-magnetic gap” [0062]).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kruit with the shielding plate of Chen in order to isolate control over the corrector so as to more precisely manipulate beams individually.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 4 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 3; Kruit et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2022/0392735 discloses a charged particle-optical device for projecting a plurality of charged particle beams along respective beam paths towards a sample location (“The collimated beamlets may travel essentially parallel and/or along optical axes of an objective lens unit 170 onto a sample or a specimen 80” [0045]), the device comprising: a charged particle-optical lens assembly 170 configured to manipulate the beams (“The objective lens unit 170 includes a plurality of electrodes having an array of holes or openings. The plurality of electrodes may act as an electrostatic lens on beamlets passing through corresponding holes and openings of the plurality of electrodes. The objective lens unit can be provided as a deceleration lens” [0047]), the lens assembly 170 comprising a plurality of plates each having an array of apertures for passage of beam paths (“The objective lens unit 170 includes a plurality of electrodes having an array of holes or openings” [0047]), the plates located at different plate locations along the beam paths (as illustrated in figure 20A); and a controller configured to control the charged particle-optical device (“The charged particle beam device may include a controller for controlling the operational parameters of the lens and the deflector array (e.g. a controller being connected or integrated in a feedback loop or a monitoring device for monitoring the operation of the charged particle beam device)” [0096]) such that in use charged particles of the beams can have different energy values at the different plate locations along the beam paths (“The objective lens unit can be provided as a deceleration lens” [0047] – each beam passing through the objective lens is changed from a first energy value at the first plate location along the beam path and then is reduced to a lower energy value by the time the beam reaches the final plate location along the beam path); wherein the lens assembly comprises a corrector 178 (in figure 20A) comprising a plurality of individual correctors (“An electrode of the objective lens unit 170 may include four or more, for example, eight deflection electrodes 178” [0159]) configured to perform aberration correction at respective apertures independently of each other (“The deflection electrodes 178 may be controlled to generate deflection fields for each of the primary beamlets in the XY plane. Yet further, octupoles fields and/or quadrupole fields may be generated for aberration correction” [0159]), wherein the corrector is associated with the plate 172 (figure 20A illustrates that deflection electrodes 178 are adjacent to plate 172, and is therefore generally “associated” with the plate 172, as required) located at the plate location along the beam path at which the energy value is smallest (since the objective lens 170 is a deceleration lens [0047], the final plate 172 in in figure 20A is the location along the beam path at which the energy value is smallest, and corrector 178 is generally associated with this plate 172) and/or strength of an electric field adjacent to the plate is greatest and/or a ratio of the energy value to strength of an electric field adjacent to the plate is smallest. Kruit discloses that the associated plate 172 performs a lensing function at the apertures (“the primary charged particle beamlets are focused on separate locations on the specimen 80 by the objective lens unit 170 to simultaneously inspect the specimen at the separate locations” [0162]), however, there is no explicit disclosure that the individual correctors are configured to provide all of the lensing function.
The prior art fails to teach or reasonably suggest, in combination with the other claim limitations, a charged particle-optical device for projecting a plurality of charged particle beams along respective beam paths towards a sample location, the device comprising: a corrector comprising a plurality of individual correctors configured to perform aberration correction at respective apertures independently of each other; wherein the corrector is associated with a plate of a plurality of plates each having an array of apertures for passage of beam paths and located at different plate locations along the beam paths, the plate located at the plate location along the beam path at which the energy value is smallest and/or strength of an electric field adjacent to the plate is greatest and/or a ratio of the energy value to strength of an electric field adjacent to the plate is smallest; and wherein the individual correctors are configured to provide all of a lensing function of the associated plate.
Regarding claim 4; Kruit et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2022/0392735 discloses a charged particle-optical device for projecting a plurality of charged particle beams along respective beam paths towards a sample location (“The collimated beamlets may travel essentially parallel and/or along optical axes of an objective lens unit 170 onto a sample or a specimen 80” [0045]), the device comprising: a charged particle-optical lens assembly 170 configured to manipulate the beams (“The objective lens unit 170 includes a plurality of electrodes having an array of holes or openings. The plurality of electrodes may act as an electrostatic lens on beamlets passing through corresponding holes and openings of the plurality of electrodes. The objective lens unit can be provided as a deceleration lens” [0047]), the lens assembly 170 comprising a plurality of plates each having an array of apertures for passage of beam paths (“The objective lens unit 170 includes a plurality of electrodes having an array of holes or openings” [0047]), the plates located at different plate locations along the beam paths (as illustrated in figure 20A); and a controller configured to control the charged particle-optical device (“The charged particle beam device may include a controller for controlling the operational parameters of the lens and the deflector array (e.g. a controller being connected or integrated in a feedback loop or a monitoring device for monitoring the operation of the charged particle beam device)” [0096]) such that in use charged particles of the beams can have different energy values at the different plate locations along the beam paths (“The objective lens unit can be provided as a deceleration lens” [0047] – each beam passing through the objective lens is changed from a first energy value at the first plate location along the beam path and then is reduced to a lower energy value by the time the beam reaches the final plate location along the beam path); wherein the lens assembly comprises a corrector 178 (in figure 20A) comprising a plurality of individual correctors (“An electrode of the objective lens unit 170 may include four or more, for example, eight deflection electrodes 178” [0159]) configured to perform aberration correction at respective apertures independently of each other (“The deflection electrodes 178 may be controlled to generate deflection fields for each of the primary beamlets in the XY plane. Yet further, octupoles fields and/or quadrupole fields may be generated for aberration correction” [0159]), wherein the corrector is associated with the plate 172 (figure 20A illustrates that deflection electrodes 178 are adjacent to plate 172, and is therefore generally “associated” with the plate 172, as required) located at the plate location along the beam path at which the energy value is smallest (since the objective lens 170 is a deceleration lens [0047], the final plate 172 in in figure 20A is the location along the beam path at which the energy value is smallest, and corrector 178 is generally associated with this plate 172) and/or strength of an electric field adjacent to the plate is greatest and/or a ratio of the energy value to strength of an electric field adjacent to the plate is smallest. Kruit discloses that the associated plate 172 performs a lensing function at the apertures (“the primary charged particle beamlets are focused on separate locations on the specimen 80 by the objective lens unit 170 to simultaneously inspect the specimen at the separate locations” [0162]), however, there is no explicit disclosure that the associated plate is located at the plate location at which the beam width is smallest.
The prior art fails to teach or reasonably suggest, in combination with the other claim limitations, a charged particle-optical device for projecting a plurality of charged particle beams along respective beam paths towards a sample location, the device comprising: a corrector comprising a plurality of individual correctors configured to perform aberration correction at respective apertures independently of each other; wherein the corrector is associated with a plate of a plurality of plates each having an array of apertures for passage of beam paths and located at different plate locations along the beam paths, the plate located at the plate location along the beam path at which the energy value is smallest and/or strength of an electric field adjacent to the plate is greatest and/or a ratio of the energy value to strength of an electric field adjacent to the plate is smallest; and wherein the associated plate is located at the plate location at which the beam width is smallest.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON L MCCORMACK whose telephone number is (571)270-1489. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 7:00AM-5:00PM EST.
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/JASON L MCCORMACK/ Examiner, Art Unit 2881
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