Patent ID: 8729471

Claim:
A charged particle beam device for generating an image of a specimen using electron imaging, comprising: an electron source structured to generate an electron beam, the electron source being coupled to an electron column, the electron column at least partially housing a system structured to direct the electron beam toward the specimen positioned in a simple chamber to which the electron column is coupled; an electron detector, the electron detector including one or more assemblies positioned within the electron column or the sample chamber, each of the assemblies including an SiPM and a scintillator connected face-to-face to an active light sensing surface of the SiPM, wherein in each of the one or more assemblies the scintillator is structured to emit photons when impinged by electrons ejected from the specimen in response to the electron beam impinging on the specimen and the SiPM is structured to generate a signal responsive to receipt of the photons from the scintillator; and electronic circuitry, wherein each SiPM is coupled to the electron circuitry and wherein the signal generated by each SiPM is based on an intensity of the electrons that impinged on the scintillator associated with the SiPM, and where the electronic circuitry is structured to generate an image of the specimen based on the signal generated by each SiPM.