Abstract: A scanning electron microscope, by which an image of unevennesses on the surface of a sample may be obtained in a high-resolution manner and a high contrast one, is provided according to the present invention. A sample image is obtained by use of the scanning electron microscope with a configuration in which a positive voltage is applied in order to accelerate a primary electron beam, and an electric field shielding plate, a magnetic field shielding plate, or an electromagnetic field shielding plate is arranged on the upper side of an object lens.

Abstract: A scanning electron microscope capable of modifying the focal position of a condenser lens with high speed and high reproducibility in order that low-magnification images are obtained at large depths of focus and that high-magnification images are obtained at high resolution. The microscope has a specimen-holding portion, an electron beam source, a condenser lens for converging the electron beam, an objective lens for focusing the converged beam into a very small spot onto a specimen, scan coils, a detector for detecting a specimen signal emanating from the specimen, and a display portion for displaying the detected specimen signal as an image. An axisymmetric electrode is disposed within the magnetic field produced by the condenser lens. A voltage is applied to the electrode.

Abstract: The present invention was made in view of a problem of an electron microscope in which a reduction in detection efficiency of electrons detected by a detector should be prevented by eliminating any influence of a leakage magnetic field through a gap in an objective lens onto the electrons emitted from a specimen. To solve the problem, the present invention provides an electron microscope having a configuration with: a pole piece electrode for accelerating primary electrons emitted at an electrons source; and an objective lens including the pole piece electrode. In the objective lens, an electrically and magnetically insulated gap is formed between the pole piece electrode and other pole piece, and an auxiliary coil is concentrically disposed with the objective lens at a middle position between the gap and a detection surface of the electron detector, with an electric current flowing through the auxiliary coil in the opposite direction from that of an electric current flowing through the objective lens coil.

Abstract: The present invention provides a charged-particle beam inspection technology that enables to acquire a shadow contrast enhanced image, and to detect a shallow roughness with sufficient sensitively, which is caused by a micro-scale or nano-scale foreign matter in an inspection of a semiconductor device having a circuit pattern or the like. Immersion objective lens is employed as an objective lens for the high-resolution observation. A converged electron beam is obtained due to the objective lens. An assist electrode, a right detector and a left detector are provided in the objective lens. A velocity component of a secondary electron caused by the irradiation of the sample with an electron beam is discriminated. An azimuth component is further discriminated.

Abstract: A scanning electron microscope, by which an image of unevennesses on the surface of a sample may be obtained in a high-resolution manner and a high contrast one, is provided according to the present invention. A sample image is obtained by use of the scanning electron microscope with a configuration in which a positive voltage is applied in order to accelerate a primary electron beam, and an electric field shielding plate, a magnetic field shielding plate, or an electromagnetic field shielding plate is arranged on the upper side of an object lens.