The challenges of heating a sample in vacuum

MFIG - a Mass Filtered Ion Gauge

MFIG is a metrology tool for detecting low levels of contamination (Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and Airborne Molecular Contamination (AMC)). MFIG consist of an ion source followed by an electrostatic lens for beam focus control. After the electrostatic lens mass separation is achieved with a static magnet field. Detection is done by a...

First results of EUV-scanner compatibility tests performed on novel ‘high-NA’ reticle absorber materials

Novel reticle absorber materials are required for high-NA EUV lithography. TNO and ASML developed an assessment for the compatibility of novel high-NA reticle absorber materials with conditions that mimic the EUV scanner environment[1]. Four candidate reticle absorber materials were evaluated, TaCo, RuTa, PtMo and Pt2Mo alloys, in a joint...

Additional real-time diagnostics on the EBL2 EUV exposure facility

The EUV BeamLine 2 (EBL2) is being used to expose samples to EUV radiation for optics and mask lifetime testing. Before and after exposure the samples can be analyzed in-situ by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). During exposure the samples can be monitored in real-time by an imaging ellipsometer. We report on the development of two...

Modelling Ion Production inside an Electron Impact Ionizer for High-Vacuum Gas Analysis

Residual Gas Analyzers (RGA) are often used to measure background gases and contaminations in vacuum systems. An ionizer is used to ionize gas molecules and these ions are accelerated and focused by an electrical field from the ion source to form an ion beam. The ions can be discriminated based on mass/charge ratio by a magnetic field, and the...

On the Detection of Drifting Sea Mines using Above- and Underwater Sensors

Small drifting objects can be a big threat to surface ships, especially when the objects are explosion hazards like sea mines that have become detached from their moorings. Timely detection of such objects is crucial in order to be able to perform adequate evasive manoeuvres. However, the vertical position of drifting mines is a serious...

Task-specific sensor settings for electro-optical systems in a marine environment

Present-day naval operations take place in coastal environments as well as narrow straits all over the world. Coastal environments around the world are exhibiting a number of threats to naval forces. In particular, a large number of asymmetric threats can be present in environments with cluttered backgrounds as well as rapidly varying...

Application of heterogeneous multiple camera system with panoramic capabilities in a harbor environment

In a harbor environment threats like explosives-packed rubber boats, mine-carrying swimmers and divers must be detected in an early stage. This paper describes the integration and use of a heterogeneous multiple camera system with panoramic observation capabilities for detecting these small vessels in the Den Helder New Harbor in the Netherlands...

Application of heterogeneous multiple camera system with panoramic capabilities in a Harbor Environment

In a harbor environment threats like explosives-packed rubber boats, mine-carrying swimmers and divers must be detected in an early stage. This paper describes the integration and use of a heterogeneous multiple camera system with panoramic observation capabilities for detecting these small vessels in the Den Helder New Harbor in the Netherlands...

Prediction of soil effects on GPR signatures

In previous work we have shown that GPR signatures are affected by soil texture and soil water content. In this contribution we will use a three dimensional electromagnetic model and a hydrological soil model to explore in more detail the relationships between GPR signatures, soil physical conditions and GPR detection performance. First, we will...

Worldwide distribution of soil dielectric and thermal properties

Ground penetrating radar and thermal sensors hold much promise for the detection of non-metallic land mines. In previous work we have shown that the performance of ground penetrating radar strongly depends on field soil conditions such as texture, water content, and soil-water salinity since these soil parameters determine the dielectric soil...

Effect of soil moisture on landmine detection using ground penetrating radar

Soil surface temperatures not only exhibit daily and annual cycles but also are very variable in space and time. Without knowledge of the spatial and temporal variability of soil surface temperatures, it will be difficult to determine what times of day are most suitable for mine detection using Thermal Infra Red (TIR) technology. In this study...

Soil moisture distribution around land mines and the effect on relative permittivity

Measurements and modeling of soil water distribution around landmines in natural soil

Soil water content, dielectric constant, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and heat capacity affect the performance of many sensors (e.g. GPR, TIR) and therefore the detection of landmines. The most important of these is water content since it directly influences the other properties. We measure soil water distribution around an...

Infrared landmine detection and thermal model analysis

Infrared imagers are capable of the detection of surface laid mines. Several sensor fused land mine detection systems make use of metal detectors, ground penetrating radar and infrared imagers. Infrared detection systems are sensitive to apparent temperature contrasts and their detection capabilities are inversely proportional to the amount of...

Comparison of belief functions and voting method for fusion of mine detection sensors

In this paper, two methods for fusion of mine detection sensors are presented, based on belief functions and on voting procedures, respectively. Their application is illustrated and compared on a real multisensor data set collected at the TNO test facilities under the HOM 2000 project. This set contains data acquired by metal detector, infrared...

Impact of soil water content on landmine detection using radar and thermal infared sensors

Land mines are a major problem in many areas of the world. In spite of the fact that many different types of land mines sensors have been developed, the detection of non-metallic land mines remains very difficult. Most landmine detection sensors are affected by soil properties such as water content, temperature, electrical conductivity and...

Sophisticated test facility to detect land mines

In the framework of the Dutch government humanitarian demining project 'HOM-2000', an outdoor test facility has been realized to test, improve and develop detection equipment for land mines. This sophisticated facility, allows us to access and compare the performance of the individual and of a combination of different sensors (sensor fusion)...