Multibeam Electron Source using MEMS Electron Optical Components

Recent developments in electron beam equipment have given rise to ever more complex electron optical (EO) designs. Until now these designs were realized using standard workshop techniques like drilling, turning etc. With the need for even more complex designs to advance electron optics, we use the possibilities of manufacturing EO components with MEMS fabrication techniques. This leads to different design rules in the EO design. One can use one of the strong points of MEMS fabrication, mass manufacturing of identical and reliable components within tight specifications. One of our designs that demonstrates this is presented in this paper, the multi-beam electron source. We are developing an electron source for use in a standard scanning electron microscope that produces 100 beams instead of one. The design is made so that the performance in terms of spot size and current per beam is equal to the performance of the beam from a single beam source, around 1 nm and 25 pA. Furthermore, since we modify the SEM for nanolithography purposes, it is necessary to switch each of the individual beams on and off. For that purpose we integrate an array of blanker electrodes in the source unit.