Patent ID: 8525123

Claim:
An electron beam curing apparatus comprising: an enclosure for holding a vacuum environment therein; an electron flood gun for emitting a flood electron beam located in said enclosure; and a set of a chuck and a grid of wires separated by a portion of said vacuum environment that includes a path of said flood electron beam and configured to provide a physical movement relative to each other, wherein said set is located in said enclosure and said electron flood gun is configured to emit said flood electron beam with an angular spread such that some shadowing of impinging electrons by said grid of wires occur at any given moment while said flood electron beam is present in said enclosure, said chuck is configured to hold a target that is mounted directly on said chuck, wherein said grid of wires is located between said electron flood gun and said chuck and configured to be maintained in a state separated by said portion of said vacuum environment at a constant distance Z above an uppermost surface of said target without contacting said uppermost surface of said target, and wherein said chuck and said grid of wires move relative to each other by a horizontal movement of at least one of said chuck and said grid of wires, while maintaining said constant distance Z between said uppermost surface of said target and said grid of wires.