Electrostatic lenses and systems including the same

Abstract

A system includes an electrostatic lens positioned in a path between a charged-particle source and a charged-particle detector. The electrostatic lens includes: a first electrode having a first aperture positioned in the path and aligned with a first axis; a second electrode positioned in the path between the first electrode and the charged-particle detector, the second electrode having a second aperture positioned in the path and aligned with a second axis, the second axis being parallel to the first axis and displaced from the first axis along a first direction; a third electrode positioned in the path between the first electrode and the second electrode; and a potential generator coupled to the first, second, and third electrodes. During operation, the potential generator applies a first potential to the first electrode, a second potential to the second electrode, and a third potential to the third electrode so that the electrostatic lens directs a beam of charged particles from the charged-particle source propagating along the first axis to propagate along the second axis.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system, comprising:
 an electrostatic lens positioned in a path between a charged-particle source and a charged-particle detector; the electrostatic lens comprising:
 a first electrode having a first aperture positioned in the path and aligned with a first axis; 
 a second electrode positioned in the path between the first electrode and the charged-particle detector, the second electrode having a second aperture positioned in the path and aligned with a second axis, the second axis being parallel to the first axis and displaced from the first axis along a first direction; 
 a third electrode positioned in the path between the first electrode and the second electrode; and 
   a potential generator coupled to the first, second, and third electrodes,   wherein during operation, the potential generator applies a first potential to the first electrode, a second potential to the second electrode, and a third potential to the third electrode so that the electrostatic lens directs a beam of charged particles from the charged-particle source propagating along the first axis to propagate along the second axis.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein during operation the electrostatic lens guides charged-particles in the beam having kinetic energies within a first range through the second aperture while charged-particles entering the electrostatic lens through the first aperture having kinetic energies outside the first range are prevented from passing through the second aperture. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the path at the first electrode is parallel to the path at the second electrode. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second electrodes are plate electrodes. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the plate electrodes are parallel. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the plate electrodes are orthogonal to the first and second axes. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the third electrode includes a hole through which the path extends. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the hole has a third axis. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claims 7 , wherein the hole has a hole cross-section that is the same throughout the entire third electrode. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claims 7 , wherein the hole has a cross-section that is different at at least one axial location than the hole cross-section at other axial locations. 
     
     
         11 . The systems of  claim 8 , wherein the third electrode hole has a cylindrical cross-section, wherein the third axis is the axis of the cylindrical cross-section. 
     
     
         12 . The systems of  claim 8 , wherein the third electrode hole has an elliptical cross-section having a major diameter and a minor diameter different from the major diameter, wherein the major diameter or the minor diameter is parallel to the first direction. 
     
     
         13 . The systems of  claim 8 , wherein the third electrode hole has an oval cross-section, wherein the oval comprises a rectangle centered on the first hole axis, wherein first and second sides of the rectangle are parallel to the first direction, and third and fourth sides of the rectangle are perpendicular to the first direction, and wherein the oval further comprises a first and second cylinder, the first cylinder being centered on the mid-point of the rectangle third side, and the second cylinder being centered on the mid-point of the rectangle fourth side, wherein the diameters of the first and second cylinders are the same as the length of the third and fourth sides. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the hole has a plane of symmetry which includes the third axis, and which is perpendicular to the first direction. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the hole has a plane of symmetry which includes the third axis, and which also includes the first axis and the second axis. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the hole has two planes of symmetry, both of which includes the third axis, wherein one symmetry plane is perpendicular to the first direction, and wherein the second symmetry plane also includes the first axis and the second axis. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the third electrode comprises two half electrode sections electrically isolated from each other, each half section being the mirror-image of the other half-section, wherein the plane of symmetry between the half-sections includes the third axis, and the first and second axes, and wherein the potential generator further provides a differential voltage between the two half-sections. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the third axis is parallel to the first and second axes and displaced in the first direction relative to the first axis and the second axis. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the first and second axes are displaced from the third axis by the same amount. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second potentials are the same potential. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the electrostatic lens further comprises:
 a fourth electrode positioned in the path between the second electrode and the charged-particle detector, the fourth electrode having a third aperture positioned in the path and aligned with a fourth axis, the fourth axis being parallel to the second axis and displaced from the second axis along the first direction; and,   a fifth electrode positioned in the path between the second electrode and the fourth electrode.   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the fourth axis is co-axial with the first axis. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein during operation, the potential generator applies a fourth potential to the fourth electrode and a fifth potential to the fifth electrode so that the electrostatic lens directs the beam of charged particles from propagating along the first axis to propagate along the fourth axis. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the fourth potential is the same as the first potential or the second potential. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the fifth potential is the same as the third potential. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a vacuum chamber, wherein the electrostatic lens is positioned in the vacuum chamber. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more of the group consisting of a charged-particle guide, an electrostatic lens, a magnetic lens, an electrostatic deflector, and a magnetic deflector, is positioned in the path between the charged-particle source and the electrostatic lens. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the charged-particle guides comprises a multipole charged-particle guide. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28 , wherein the multipole charged-particle guide is a hexapole charged-particle guide. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the charged-particle source is an ion source. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein the ion source operates essentially at atmospheric pressure. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a mass analyzer. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein any of the electrodes comprise a division of the electrode into two half sections along the plane that includes the first direction and the first axis, whereby a steering voltage may be applied to any of the half sections to steer the ions orthogonal to the plane. 
     
     
         34 . A method, comprising:
 directing a beam of charged-particles having a range of kinetic energies within a first energy range along a path through an entrance aperture of an electrostatic lens, the electrostatic lens comprising a first electrode that includes the entrance aperture, a second electrode comprising a second aperture positioned in the path, and a third electrode positioned in the path between the first and second electrodes, wherein the first and second apertures are aligned with first and second parallel axes, respectively, displaced from each other in a first direction; and   applying voltages to the first, second, and third electrodes so that the beam is transmitted through the second aperture while charged-particles entering the electrostatic lens through the entrance aperture having kinetic energies outside the range of kinetic energies are blocked by the electrostatic lens.