1. A method of conducting an electronic poker game on an electronic gaming device wherein said electronic gaming device includes at least a display and player interface, comprising computer implemented steps of:
allowing a player to place a first wager;
providing the player with a plurality of random face-up cards forming a dealt hand;
if the dealt hand forms one or more pre-established poker hands, triggering a second draw opportunity;
allowing for a first time the player to hold or discard each of the provided random cards forming the dealt hand;
replacing each discard with first new random card forming a first draw hand;
if the second draw opportunity has been triggered, offering the player, for a second wager, a second opportunity to hold or discard one or more of the provided random cards forming said dealt hand; and
if the player elects the second draw opportunity triggered by the dealt hand, allowing for a second time the player to hold or discard one or more of the provided random cards forming the dealt hand and replacing each discard with a second random card forming a second draw hand and providing a payout from a two draw pay table to the player based on a rank of the second draw hand.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the player a payout from a one draw pay table after allowing for the first time the player to hold or discard each of the random cards forming the dealt hand.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising requiring the player to forfeit any payout, from a one draw pay table after allowing for the first time the player to hold or discard each of the random cards forming the dealt hand, in order to participate in the second draw opportunity.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising requiring the second wager to be equivalent to the first wager.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing five random cards to form the dealt hand and establishing four cards to a royal or straight flush, or three cards to a four of a kind, as the one or more pre-established poker hands.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising requiring the first wager to meet or exceed a threshold value in order to activate the second draw opportunity.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising decreasing certain payouts in the two draw pay table from corresponding payouts set forth in a one draw pay table.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising triggering the second draw opportunity only if the random face-up cards forming the dealt hand comprise one or more pre-established poker hands and the player holds trigger cards.
9. A method of conducting an electronic poker game on an electronic gaming device wherein said electronic gaming device includes at least a display and player interface, comprising computer implemented steps of:
allowing a player to place a first wager;
providing the player with five random face-up cards forming a dealt hand;
if the five cards forming the dealt hand comprise one or more pre-established poker hands, activating a second draw opportunity;
allowing for a first time the player to hold or discard each of the five cards;
replacing each discard with a first new random card forming a first draw hand;
if the second draw opportunity has been activated, offering the player, for a second wager, a second opportunity to hold or discard one or more of the five cards forming the dealt hand; and
if the player elects the second draw opportunity, allowing for a second time the player to hold or discard one or more of the five cards forming the dealt hand and replacing each discard with a second random card forming a second draw hand and providing a payout from a two draw pay table to the player based on a rank of the second draw hand.
10. The method of claim 9 further comprising providing the player a payout from a one draw pay table after allowing for a first time the player to hold or discard each of the five cards forming the dealt hand.
11. The method of claim 9 further comprising requiring the player to forfeit any payout, from a one draw pay table after allowing for a first time the player to hold or discard each of the five cards forming the dealt hand, in order to participate in the second draw opportunity.
12. The method of claim 9 further comprising requiring the second wager to be equivalent to the first wager.
13. The method of claim 9 further comprising requiring the first wager to meet or exceed a threshold value in order to activate the second draw opportunity.
14. The method of claim 9 further comprising decreasing certain payouts in the second draw pay table from corresponding payouts set forth in a one draw pay table.
15. The method of claim 9 further comprising triggering the second draw opportunity only if the random face-up cards forming the dealt hand comprise one or more pre-established poker hands and the player holds trigger cards.
16. A method of conducting an electronic poker game on an electronic gaming device wherein said electronic gaming device includes at least a display and player interface, comprising computer implemented steps of:
allowing a player to place a first wager;
providing the player with five random face-up cards forming a dealt hand;
if the five cards forming the dealt hand comprise one or more pre-established poker hands, triggering a second draw opportunity;
allowing for a first time the player to hold or discard each of the five cards forming the dealt hand;
replacing each discard with a new random card forming a first draw hand;
offering a payout from a one draw pay table;
if the second draw opportunity has been triggered, offering the player, for a second wager equaling the first wager, a second opportunity to hold or discard one or more of the five cards forming the dealt hand; and
if the player elects the second draw opportunity, allowing for a second time the player to hold or discard one or more of the five cards forming the dealt hand and replacing each discard with a random card forming a second draw hand and providing a payout from a two draw pay table to the player based on a rank of the second draw hand.
17. The method of claim 16 further comprising allowing the player to collect the payout from the one draw pay table and participate in the second draw opportunity.
18. The method of claim 16 further comprising requiring the player to forfeit any payout, from the one draw pay table in order to participate in the second draw opportunity.
19. The method of claim 16 further comprising establishing four cards to a royal flush or straight flush, or three cards to a four of a kind, as the one or more pre-established poker hands.
20. The method of claim 16 further comprising decreasing certain payouts in the two draw pay table from corresponding payouts set forth in the one draw pay table.
21. The method of claim 16 further comprising triggering the second draw opportunity only if the random face-up cards forming the dealt hand comprise one or more pre-established poker hands and the player holds trigger cards.
22. A method of conducting an electronic poker game on an electronic gaming device wherein said electronic gaming device includes at least a display and player interface, comprising computer implemented steps of:
allowing a player to place a first wager;
providing the player with a plurality of random face-up cards forming a dealt an initial hand;
allowing for a first time the player to hold or discard each of the provided random cards;
if the random face-up cards forming the dealt hand comprise one or more pre-established poker hands and the player holds trigger cards forming the one or more pre-established poker hands, triggering a second draw opportunity;
replacing each discard with a first new random card forming a first draw hand;
if the second draw opportunity has been triggered, offering the player, for a second wager, a second opportunity to hold the trigger cards; and
if the player elects the second draw opportunity, allowing for a second time the player to hold the trigger cards and replace each first new random card with a second random card forming a second draw hand and providing a payout from a two draw pay table to the player based on a rank of the second draw hand.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A chicane blanker assembly for a charged particle beam system, comprising:
an entrance and an exit, wherein the entrance is configured to accept a beam of charged particles propagating along an axis;
a neutrals blocking structure intersecting the axis;
a plurality of chicane deflectors comprising a first chicane deflector, a second chicane deflector, a third chicane deflector, and a fourth chicane deflector sequentially arranged in series between the entrance and the exit and configured to deflect the beam along a path that bypasses the neutrals blocking structure and exits the chicane blanker assembly through the exit; and
a beam blocking structure arranged between the third chicane deflector and the fourth chicane deflector.
2. The chicane blanker assembly of claim 1, further comprising a beam blanking deflector configured to prevent the beam from passing through the exit by deflecting the beam into the beam blocking structure.
3. The chicane blanker assembly of claim 2, wherein the beam blanking deflector is disposed between the first chicane deflector and the second chicane deflector.
4. The chicane blanker assembly of claim 2, further comprising a quadrupole deflector, wherein the first chicane deflector comprises two oppositely opposed electrodes of the quadrupole deflector and the beam blanking deflector comprises another two oppositely opposed electrodes of the quadrupole deflector.
5. The chicane blanker assembly of claim 2, wherein the first chicane deflector and the beam blanking deflector are a same deflector and further comprising a voltage source configured to:
apply a first voltage to the same deflector sufficient to deflect the beam along a path bypassing the neutrals blocking structure, and
apply a second voltage to the same deflector sufficient to deflect the beam along a path that terminates in the beam blocking structure.
6. The chicane blanker assembly of claim 2, wherein:
the first chicane deflector is configured to apply a first deflective force to the beam in a first direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the axis; and
the beam blanking deflector is configured to apply a second deflective force to the beam in the first direction,
wherein the first deflective force and the second deflective force are electrostatic forces.
7. The chicane blanker assembly of claim 2, wherein:
the first chicane deflector is configured to apply a first deflective force to the beam in a first direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the axis; and
the beam blanking deflector is configured to apply a second deflective force to the beam in a second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the axis and to the first direction,
wherein the first deflective force and the second deflective force are electrostatic forces.
8. The chicane blanker assembly of claim 1, wherein the neutrals blocking structure is disposed upstream of the fourth chicane deflector.
9. The chicane blanker assembly of claim 8, wherein the neutrals blocking structure is a first neutrals blocking structure,
further comprising a second neutrals blocking structure disposed upstream of the fourth chicane deflector,
wherein the path that bypasses the first neutrals blocking structure bypasses the second neutrals blocking structure, and
wherein the second neutrals blocking structure is configured to block charged particles neutralized along the path that bypasses the first neutrals blocking structure and the second neutrals blocking structure that are not blocked by the first neutrals blocking structure.
10. The chicane blanker assembly of claim 1, wherein the beam blocking structure comprises a Faraday cup.
11. The chicane blanker assembly of claim 1, wherein the charged particle beam system comprises a plasma-focused ion beam column and the beam of charged particles comprises a plasma-focused ion beam.
12. A method for preventing neutrals from impacting a sample while processing the sample with a charged particle system, wherein:
the charged particle system comprises:
a charged particle source; and
a chicane blanker assembly comprising first, second, third, and fourth chicane deflectors arranged in series, a first neutrals blocking structure, a second neutrals blocking structure, and a beam blocking structure disposed between the third and fourth chicane deflectors, and
the method comprises:
irradiating a sample with a charged particle apparatus by:
emitting charged particles from a charged particle source,
focusing the charged particles into a charged particle beam propagating towards the sample along a first axis,
using the chicane deflectors to deflect the charged particle beam around the first neutrals blocking structure and the second neutrals blocking structure and then onto a second axis, the second axis being parallel to or the same as the first axis, and
propagating the charged particle beam along the second axis such that the charged particle beam irradiates a surface of the sample; and
preventing neutrals from impacting the sample using the chicane blanker assembly.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second neutrals blocking structure comprises a plate overlapping a portion of a cross-section of the chicane blanker assembly normal to the first axis and blocking a portion of the chicane blanker assembly between the first axis and the second axis.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein preventing neutrals from impacting the sample comprises blocking neutrals with at least one of the first neutrals blocking structure and the second neutrals blocking structure while the charged particle beam irradiates the sample such that the neutrals are prevented from staining the sample.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein:
the charged particle apparatus comprises a focused ion beam column, the charged particle source comprises an ion source, and the charged particle beam comprises a focused ion beam;
the chicane blanker assembly further comprises a beam blanking deflector disposed at or downstream of a point where the focused ion beam enters the first chicane deflector and upstream of the beam blocking structure; and
the charged particle system further comprises a scanning electron microscope; and further comprising simultaneously:
blanking the focused ion beam, wherein blanking the focused ion beam comprises applying a first deflective force to the focused ion beam with the first chicane deflector and applying a second deflective force to the focused ion beam with the beam blanking deflector;
blocking neutrals with at least one of the first neutrals blocking structure and the second neutrals blocking structure during the blanking of the focused ion beam such that the neutrals are prevented from generating secondary electrons at the surface of the sample; and
imaging the sample with the scanning electron microscope.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein blanking the focused ion beam comprises deflecting the focused ion beam with electrostatic fields generated by the first chicane deflector, the second chicane deflector, the third chicane deflector, and the beam blanking deflector.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein a direction of the first deflective force is perpendicular to the first axis and a direction of the second deflective force is the same as the direction of the first deflective force.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein a direction of the first deflective force is perpendicular to the first axis and a direction of the second deflective force is perpendicular to the first axis and to the direction of the first deflective force.
19. The method of claim 12, wherein the charged particle apparatus comprises a plasma focused ion beam column, the charged particle source comprises a plasma ion source, and the charged particle beam comprises a focused ion beam.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein a current of the focused ion beam is less than or equal to about 1.3 \u03bcA.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein the neutrals comprise gas molecules emitted from the plasma source, ions of the focused ion beam neutralized in the plasma focused ion beam column, or a combination thereof.
22. A charged particle beam system for processing a workpiece, comprising a focused ion beam column configured to generate, focus, and direct an ion beam, wherein the focused ion beam column includes:
an ion source;
an optical axis for propagating the ion beam from the ion source towards a workpiece; and
a chicane blanker assembly comprising four chicane deflectors arranged in series, a blanking deflector, a first neutrals blocking structure, a second neutrals blocking structure, and a beam blocking structure, wherein:
the first neutrals blocking structure is configured to block neutrals propagating towards a workpiece along the optical axis;
the four chicane deflectors are configured to direct the beam onto the workpiece by deflecting the ion beam from the optical axis, onto a path bypassing the first neutrals blocking structure and the second neutrals blocking structure, and back onto the optical axis or an axis parallel to the optical axis;
the four chicane deflectors and the blanking deflector are configured to blank the ion beam by deflecting the ion beam into the beam blocking structure; and
the second neutrals blocking structure is configured to block ions neutralized after being deflected from the optical axis.
23. The charged particle beam system of claim 22, wherein:
the chicane deflector closest to the ion source is configured to apply a first electrostatic field to the ion beam in a first direction perpendicular to the optical axis, and
the blanking deflector is configured to apply a second electrostatic field to the ion beam in a second direction while the chicane deflector closest to the ion source applies the first electrostatic field.
24. The charged particle beam system of claim 23, wherein the second direction is parallel to or perpendicular to the first direction.
25. The charged particle beam system of claim 22, wherein the beam blocking structure comprises a faraday cup, and the ion source comprises a plasma source having:
a plasma chamber for containing a plasma;
a source electrode for electrically biasing the plasma; and
an extractor electrode for extracting ions from the plasma chamber.
26. The charged particle beam system of claim 25, further comprising a scanning electron microscope configured to image the workpiece while the chicane blanker assembly blanks the ion beam.
27. The charged particle beam system of claim 22, wherein there is no crossover of the beam in the chicane blanker assembly.
28. The charged particle beam system of claim 22, wherein the chicane blanker assembly does not comprise an aperture for shaping the beam.
29. The charged particle beam system of claim 22, wherein there are no focusing elements exerting any shaping of the beam into a round or line focus.