Abstract: A charged particle beam apparatus for obtaining information of an uneven surface or a depression/protrusion of a sample by irradiating a charged particle beam to a sample having an uneven surface or a depression/protrusion at a plurality of focal positions, measuring signal emitted from the sample, and comparing profile waveforms corresponding to edge portions of the uneven surface.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a charged particle beam apparatus and an alignment method of the charged particle beam apparatus, which make it possible to align an optical axis of a charged particle beam easily even when a state of the charged particle beam changes. The present invention comprises calculation means for calculating a deflection amount of an alignment deflector which performs an axis alignment for an objective lens, a plurality of calculation methods for calculating the deflection amount is memorized in the calculation means, and a selection means for selecting at least one of the calculation methods is provided.

Abstract: A charged particle beam apparatus is provided which can prevent the accuracy of positional shift detection from being degraded owing to differences in picture quality, so that even when the state of a charged particle beam is changed at the time that optical conditions are changed or the optical axis changes with time, an auto adjustment of the optical axis can be realized easily and highly accurately. In the charged particle beam apparatus, evaluation or adjustment of focusing is conducted before the deflection condition of an alignment deflector for optical axis adjustment is changed or a table of focus adjustment amounts in correspondence with deflection conditions of the alignment deflector is provided, whereby when the deflection condition of the alignment deflector is changed, a focus adjustment is carried out in accordance with the table.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a charged particle beam apparatus and an alignment method of the charged particle beam apparatus, which make it possible to align an optical axis of a charged particle beam easily even when a state of the charged particle beam changes. The present invention comprises calculation means for calculating a deflection amount of an alignment deflector which performs an axis alignment for an objective lens, a plurality of calculation methods for calculating the deflection amount is memorized in the calculation means, and a selection means for selecting at least one of the calculation methods is provided.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an edge detection technique and equipment which are capable of stably detecting an edge by suppressing the influence of noise even in the case where the image is obtained by charged particle radiation equipment, such as a scanning electron microscope and has a low S/N ratio. More specifically, the present invention is to propose a technique and equipment which are configured to determine a peak position (edge) on the basis of the following two edge extraction techniques. That is, the present invention is to propose a technique and equipment wherein at least two peaks are formed by using, as edge detection techniques, for example, one peak detection technique having a relatively high sensitivity and the other peak detection technique which is relatively less susceptible to the influence of noise than the one peak detection technique, and wherein a position where the peaks coincide with each other is determined as a true peak position (edge position).

Abstract: An electron beam inspection apparatus in which the order of inspection is determined to shorten the inspection time is disclosed. The order of inspection is determined by minimizing the total of the moving time and the inspection time as well as by simply optimizing the covered distance. At the time of preparing a recipe to determine the inspection points and the order of inspection, the sequence of a series of inspection points sequentially inspected is changed to optimize the order of inspection. Not only the sequence which minimizes the covered distance is determined but also the order of inspection of the inspection points is optimized in accordance with the charged state, warping of the wafer, the delivery position and other situations.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a scanning electron microscope for reducing a process concerning inspection positioning or an input operation, thereby functioning with high precision at high speed. To accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a scanning electron microscope having a function for identifying a desired position on the basis of a pattern registered beforehand, which includes a means for setting information concerning the pattern kind, the interval between a plurality of parts constituting the pattern, and the size of parts constituting the pattern and a means for forming a pattern image composed of a plurality of parts on the basis of the information obtained by the concerned means.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a scanning electron microscope for reducing a process concerning inspection positioning or an input operation, thereby functioning with high precision at high speed. To accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a scanning electron microscope having a function for identifying a desired position on the basis of a pattern registered beforehand, which includes a means for setting information concerning the pattern kind, the interval between a plurality of parts constituting the pattern, and the size of parts constituting the pattern and a means for forming a pattern image composed of a plurality of parts on the basis of the information obtained by the concerned means.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a sample image forming method and a charged particle beam apparatus which are suitable for realizing suppressing of the view area displacement with high accuracy while the influence of charging due to irradiation of the charged particle beam is being suppressed. In order to attain the above object, the present invention provide a method of forming a sample image by scanning a charged particle beam on a sample and forming an image based on secondary signals emitted from the sample, the method comprising the steps of forming a plurality of composite images by superposing a plurality of images obtained by a plurality of scanning times; and forming a further composite image by correcting positional displacements among the plurality of composite images and superposing the plurality of composite images, and a charged particle beam apparatus for realizing the above method.

Abstract: A charged-particle beam emitting device which includes the following configuration devices so that a lowering in the image resolution will be suppressed even if a primary beam is tilted relative to a sample: A device for causing orbit of the primary beam to pass through off-axes of a plurality of lenses, and controlling off-axis orbit of the primary beam. This device allows the aberration which occurs in the objective lens at the time of beam tilt to be cancelled out by the aberration which occurs in the other lens. Also, there is provided a device for simultaneously modulating excitations of the plurality of lenses including the objective lens.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a sample image forming method and a charged particle beam apparatus which are suitable for realizing suppressing of the view area displacement with high accuracy while the influence of charging due to irradiation of the charged particle beam is being suppressed. In order to attain the above object, the present invention provide a method of forming a sample image by scanning a charged particle beam on a sample and forming an image based on secondary signals emitted from the sample, the method comprising the steps of forming a plurality of composite images by superposing a plurality of images obtained by a plurality of scanning times; and forming a further composite image by correcting positional displacements among the plurality of composite images and superposing the plurality of composite images, and a charged particle beam apparatus for realizing the above method.

Abstract: A charged-particle beam emitting device which includes the following configuration devices so that a lowering in the image resolution will be suppressed even if a primary beam is tilted relative to a sample: A device for causing orbit of the primary beam to pass through off-axes of a plurality of lenses, and controlling off-axis orbit of the primary beam. This device allows the aberration which occurs in the objective lens at the time of beam tilt to be cancelled out by the aberration which occurs in the other lens. Also, there is provided a device for simultaneously modulating excitations of the plurality of lenses including the objective lens.

Abstract: A charged particle beam apparatus for obtaining information of an uneven surface or a depression/protrusion of a sample by irradiating a charged particle beam to a sample having an uneven surface or a depression/protrusion at a plurality of focal positions, measuring signal emitted from the sample, and comparing profile waveforms corresponding to edge portions of the uneven surface.

Abstract: An electron beam inspection apparatus in which the order of inspection is determined to shorten the inspection time is disclosed. The order of inspection is determined by minimizing the total of the moving time and the inspection time as well as by simply optimizing the covered distance. At the time of preparing a recipe to determine the inspection points and the order of inspection, the sequence of a series of inspection points sequentially inspected is changed to optimize the order of inspection. Not only the sequence which minimizes the covered distance is determined but also the order of inspection of the inspection points is optimized in accordance with the charged state, warping of the wafer, the delivery position and other situations.

Abstract: An auto focus unit, comprising a pursuit block, a lens driver, a detection block, and a controller, is provided. The pursuit block pursues the movements of an optical image of the target-object. The auto focus unit brings an optical image of the target-object into focus on a light-receiving surface. The target-object is desired to be brought into focus. The lens driver causes a focus lens to move so that an optical image of a scanning-area is brought into focus. The detection block detects the light intensity of an area including the scanning area. The controller causes the pursuit block to suspend a pursuit of the target-object when the light intensity detected by the detection block is lower than a predetermined threshold value.

Abstract: An auto focus unit, comprising a pursuit block, a scanning area setting block, a change area setting block, a permission block, and a lens driver, is provided. The pursuit block pursues the movements of a target object. The scanning area setting block designates a part of an object-area as a scanning area at first timing. After first timing, the scanning area setting block is able to reset the scanning area to the now location where the targeted object has moved. The change area setting block defines an area of a predetermined range as a change area at the first timing. The permission block orders the scanning area setting block to reset the scanning area when the location where the targeted object moved is outside of the change area. The lens driver orders a focus lens to move so that an optical image of the scanning area is focused on.

Abstract: An electron beam inspection apparatus in which the order of inspection is determined to shorten the inspection time is disclosed. The order of inspection is determined by minimizing the total of the moving time and the inspection time as well as by simply optimizing the covered distance. At the time of preparing a recipe to determine the inspection points and the order of inspection, the sequence of a series of inspection points sequentially inspected is changed to optimize the order of inspection. Not only the sequence which minimizes the covered distance is determined but also the order of inspection of the inspection points is optimized in accordance with the charged state, warping of the wafer, the delivery position and other situations.

Abstract: A charged particle beam apparatus is provided which can prevent the accuracy of positional shift detection from being degraded owing to differences in picture quality, so that even when the state of a charged particle beam is changed at the time that optical conditions are changed or the optical axis changes with time, an auto adjustment of the optical axis can be realized easily and highly accurately. In the charged particle beam apparatus, evaluation or adjustment of focusing is conducted before the deflection condition of an alignment deflector for optical axis adjustment is changed or a table of focus adjustment amounts in correspondence with deflection conditions of the alignment deflector is provided, whereby when the deflection condition of the alignment deflector is changed, a focus adjustment is carried out in accordance with the table.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a sample image forming method and a charged particle beam apparatus which are suitable for realizing suppressing of the view area displacement with high accuracy while the influence of charging due to irradiation of the charged particle beam is being suppressed. In order to attain the above object, the present invention provide a method of forming a sample image by scanning a charged particle beam on a sample and forming an image based on secondary signals emitted from the sample, the method comprising the steps of forming a plurality of composite images by superposing a plurality of images obtained by a plurality of scanning times; and forming a further composite image by correcting positional displacements among the plurality of composite images and superposing the plurality of composite images, and a charged particle beam apparatus for realizing the above method.

Abstract: A method for determining a depression/protrusion, especially of a line and space pattern formed on a sample, and an apparatus therefor. A charged particle beam is scanned with its direction being inclined to the original optical axis of the charged particle beam or a sample stage is inclined, broadening of a detected signal in a line scanning direction of the charged particle beam is measured, the broadening is compared with that when the charged particle beam is scanned with its direction being parallel to the original optical axis of the charged particle beam, and a depression/protrusion of the scanned portion is determined on the basis of increase/decrease of the broadening.