Abstract: In a method of detecting defects generated in a honeycomb structural body, both end sections of the honeycomb structural body is sealed along a flowing direction of exhaust gas. Air is supplied in the flowing direction of the exhaust gas from one end section to the other end section of the honeycomb structural body. Microphones are arranged at outer periphery of the honeycomb structural body and detect sounds of air leaking from a skin layer of the honeycomb structural body. A judgment step judges whether or not defects such as holes having not less than a predetermined diameter and cracks are generated on the basis of a magnitude of the detected sounds of the leaking air.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a scanning electron microscope that achieves an increase in both resolution and pattern recognition capability. In order to achieve the purpose, the present invention proposes a scanning electron microscope provided with a monochromator that makes an electron beam monochromatic, the monochromator including a magnetic field generator that deflects the electron beam, and an energy selection aperture that passes a part of the electron beam deflected by the magnetic field generator. An aperture that passes some of electrons emitted from the sample and a detector that detects the electrons that have passed through the aperture are disposed on a trajectory to which the electrons emitted from the sample are deflected by a magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generator.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a scanning electron microscope that achieves an increase in both resolution and pattern recognition capability. In order to achieve the purpose, the present invention proposes a scanning electron microscope provided with a monochromator that makes an electron beam monochromatic, the monochromator including a magnetic field generator that deflects the electron beam, and an energy selection aperture that passes a part of the electron beam deflected by the magnetic field generator. An aperture that passes some of electrons emitted from the sample and a detector that detects the electrons that have passed through the aperture are disposed on a trajectory to which the electrons emitted from the sample are deflected by a magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generator.

Abstract: In a method of detecting defects generated in a honeycomb structural body, both end sections of the honeycomb structural body is sealed along a flowing direction of exhaust gas. Air is supplied in the flowing direction of the exhaust gas from one end section to the other end section of the honeycomb structural body. Microphones are arranged at outer periphery of the honeycomb structural body and detect sounds of air leaking from a skin layer of the honeycomb structural body. A judgment step judges whether or not defects such as holes having not less than a predetermined diameter and cracks are generated on the basis of a magnitude of the detected sounds of the leaking air.

Abstract: A scanning transmission electron microscope according to the present invention includes an electron lens system having a small spherical aberration coefficient for enabling three-dimensional observation of a 0.1 nm atomic size structure. The scanning transmission electron microscope according to the present invention also includes an aperture capable of changing an illumination angle; an illumination electron lens system capable of changing the probe size of an electron beam probe and the illumination angle; a secondary electron detector (9); a transmission electron detector (13); a forward scattered electron beam detector (12); a focusing unit (16); an image processor for identifying image contrast; an image processor for computing image sharpness; a processor for three-dimensional reconstruction of an image; and a mixer (18) for mixing a secondary electron signal and a specimen forward scattered electron signal.

Abstract: A scanning transmission electron microscope according to the present invention includes an electron lens system having a small spherical aberration coefficient for enabling three-dimensional observation of a 0.1 nm atomic size structure. The scanning transmission electron microscope according to the present invention also includes an aperture capable of changing an illumination angle; an illumination electron lens system capable of changing the probe size of an electron beam probe and the illumination angle; a secondary electron detector (9); a transmission electron detector (13); a forward scattered electron beam detector (12); a focusing unit (16); an image processor for identifying image contrast; an image processor for computing image sharpness; a processor for three-dimensional reconstruction of an image; and a mixer (18) for mixing a secondary electron signal and a specimen forward scattered electron signal.

Abstract: A scanning transmission electron microscope equipped with an aberration corrector is capable of automatically aligning the position of a convergence aperture with the center of an optical axis irrespective of skill and experience of an operator. The scanning transmission electron microscope system includes an electron source; a condenser lens configured to converge an electron beam emitted from the electron source; a deflector configured to cause the electron beam to perform scanning on a sample; an aberration correction device configured to correct an aberration of the electron beam; a convergence aperture configured to determine a convergent angle of the electron beam; and a detector configured to detect electrons passing through or diffracted by the sample. The system acquires information on contrast of a Ronchigram formed by the electron beam passing through the sample, and determines a position of the convergence aperture on the basis of the information.

Abstract: A scanning transmission electron microscope equipped with an aberration corrector is capable of automatically aligning the position of a convergence aperture with the center of an optical axis irrespective of skill and experience of an operator. The scanning transmission electron microscope system includes an electron source; a condenser lens configured to converge an electron beam emitted from the electron source; a deflector configured to cause the electron beam to perform scanning on a sample; an aberration correction device configured to correct an aberration of the electron beam; a convergence aperture configured to determine a convergent angle of the electron beam; and a detector configured to detect electrons passing through or diffracted by the sample. The system acquires information on contrast of a Ronchigram formed by the electron beam passing through the sample, and determines a position of the convergence aperture on the basis of the information.

Abstract: On the basis of a displacement of the field of view before and after a deflection of a charged particle beam, extracted from a first specimen image, including a displacement of the field of view recorded by causing a charged particle beam to deflect by a predetermined amount by a beam deflector in an image in which a specimen image is captured at a first magnification calibrated by using a specimen enlarged image of a specimen as a magnification standard, and also a displacement of the field of view before and after a deflection of the charged particle beam, extracted from a second specimen image, including a displacement of the field of view recorded by causing a charged particle beam to deflect by the predetermined amount by the beam deflector in an image in which a specimen image is captured at a second magnification, the second magnification is calibrated.

Abstract: Charged particle beam equipment has a processing unit for calibrating dimension values of an enlarged specimen image, and means for changing the amount by which a charged particle beam is scanned. Also, a specimen stand has a mechanism for holding a specimen having a periodical structure or a specimen simultaneously having a periodical structure and a non-periodical structure, and a storage device for automatically changing a magnification for an enlarged specimen image, and storing measured values at all magnifications.

Abstract: Charged particle beam equipment enables the simultaneous measurement and correction of magnification errors in both X and Y directions in one measurement without requiring the elimination of displacement, if any, in rotation direction between the direction of a periodic structure pattern of a sample having a known periodic structure and the X or Y direction on an electron image of the sample. The charged particle beam equipment of the invention enables the simultaneous measurement of magnification errors in the X and Y directions by FFT transformation and coordinate transformation of an electron image, even when there is a displacement in rotation direction between the direction of the periodic structural pattern and the X or Y direction on the electron image of the sample.

Abstract: An electric charged particle beam microscope measures a geometric distortion at an arbitrary magnification with high precision, and corrects the geometric distortion. A geometric distortion at a first magnification is measured as an absolute distortion based on a standard specimen having a cyclic structure. A microscopic structure specimen is photographed at a geometric distortion measured first magnification and at a geometric distortion unmeasured second magnification. The image at the first magnification is equally transformed to the second magnification to generate a scaled image. The geometric distortion at the second magnification is measured as a relative distortion based on the scaled image. The absolute distortion at the second magnification is obtained on the basis of the absolute distortion at the first magnification and the relative distortion at the second magnification.

Abstract: Charged particle beam equipment has a processing unit for calibrating dimension values of an enlarged specimen image, and means for changing the amount by which a charged particle beam is scanned. Also, a specimen stand has a mechanism for holding a specimen having a periodical structure or a specimen simultaneously having a periodical structure and a non-periodical structure, and a storage device for automatically changing a magnification for an enlarged specimen image, and storing measured values at all magnifications.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of observing a specimen in a field of view of an electron microscope comprising the acts of illuminating the specimen with an electron beam having a first angle and forming a first transmission image of the specimen in the field of view and adjusting the electron beam to a second angle and forming a second transmission image of the specimen in the field of view and calculating a degree of coincidence between the first and second transmission images.

Abstract: On the basis of a displacement of the field of view before and after a deflection of a charged particle beam, extracted from a first specimen image, including a displacement of the field of view recorded by causing a charged particle beam to deflect by a predetermined amount by a beam deflector in an image in which a specimen image is captured at a first magnification calibrated by using a specimen enlarged image of a specimen as a magnification standard, and also a displacement of the field of view before and after a deflection of the charged particle beam, extracted from a second specimen image, including a displacement of the field of view recorded by causing a charged particle beam to deflect by the predetermined amount by the beam deflector in an image in which a specimen image is captured at a second magnification, the second magnification is calibrated.

Abstract: On the basis of a displacement of the field of view before and after a deflection of a charged particle beam, extracted from a first specimen image, including a displacement of the field of view recorded by causing a charged particle beam to deflect by a predetermined amount by a beam deflector in an image in which a specimen image is captured at a first magnification calibrated by using a specimen enlarged image of a specimen as a magnification standard, and also a displacement of the field of view before and after a deflection of the charged particle beam, extracted from a second specimen image, including a displacement of the field of view recorded by causing a charged particle beam to deflect by the predetermined amount by the beam deflector in an image in which a specimen image is captured at a second magnification, the second magnification is calibrated.

Abstract: Charged particle beam equipment has a processing unit for calibrating dimension values of an enlarged specimen image, and means for changing the amount by which a charged particle beam is scanned. Also, a specimen stand has a mechanism for holding a specimen having a periodical structure or a specimen simultaneously having a periodical structure and a non-periodica structure, and a storage device for automatically changing a magnification for an enlarged specimen image, and storing measured values at all magnifications.

Abstract: A charged particle beam apparatus capable of automatically measuring an image magnification error of an apparatus and capable of automatically calibrating the image magnification in high precision is provided. To this end, while an image processing operation of either an auto-correlation function or an FFT transformation is employed with respect to a scanning image of a reference material having a periodic structure, the averaged pitch dimension of which is known, averaged periodic information owned by the scanning image is detected so as to measure an image magnification error of the apparatus. Also, the information as to the acquired image magnification error is fed back to an image magnification control means of the apparatus so as to automatically execute a calibration as to the image magnification in high precision.

Abstract: Magnification errors are reduced in the required range of magnification in electric charged particle beam application apparatuses and critical dimension measurement instruments. To achieve this, a first image, whose magnification for the specimen is actually measured, is recorded, a second image, whose magnification for the specimen is unknown, is recorded, and the magnification of the second image for the first image is analyzed by using image analysis. Thereby, the magnification of the second image for the specimen is actually measured. Then, magnification is actually measured in the whole range of magnification by repeating the magnification analysis described above by taking the second image as the first image. Actually measuring the magnification of images for the specimen in the whole range of magnification and calibrating the same permits a reduction of magnification errors by a digit.