Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a charged particle beam apparatus capable of achieving both acquisition of an image having high resolution of an inspection target pattern and suppression of a beam irradiation amount when a specific pattern is an inspection target from a highly integrated pattern group.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a charged particle beam apparatus capable of achieving both acquisition of an image having high resolution of an inspection target pattern and suppression of a beam irradiation amount when a specific pattern is an inspection target from a highly integrated pattern group.

Abstract: A charged particle microscope corrects distortion in an image caused by effects of drift in the sampling stage by measuring the correction reference image in a shorter time than the observation image, making corrections by comparing the shape of the observation image with the shape of the correction reference image, and reducing distortion in the observation images. The reference image for distortion correction is measured at the same position and magnification as when acquiring images for observation. In order to reduce effects from drift, the reference image is at this time measured within a shorter time than the essential observation image. The shape of the observation image is corrected by comparing the shapes of the reference image and observation image, and correcting the shape of the observation image to match the reference image.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a pattern measuring apparatus which performs high-accuracy concavity/convexity determination (e.g., distinguishing between a line segment and space) while simultaneously reducing the dose of a beam falling onto a pattern to be measured. To attain the object, this invention proposes a pattern measuring apparatus which specifies a pattern in a measurement object area by scanning a tilted bean with respect to another area different from the measurement object area and then performs measurement based on the pattern-specifying result. With such arrangement, it becomes possible to perform measurement without the risk of wrong pattern designation while lowering the dose of a beam hitting the measurement object area.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a pattern measuring apparatus which performs high-accuracy concavity/convexity determination (e.g., distinguishing between a line segment and space) while simultaneously reducing the dose of a beam falling onto a pattern to be measured. To attain the object, this invention proposes a pattern measuring apparatus which specifies a pattern in a measurement object area by scanning a tilted bean with respect to another area different from the measurement object area and then performs measurement based on the pattern-specifying result. With such arrangement, it becomes possible to perform measurement without the risk of wrong pattern designation while lowering the dose of a beam hitting the measurement object area.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a pattern measuring apparatus which performs high-accuracy concavity/convexity determination (e.g., distinguishing between a line segment and space) while simultaneously reducing the dose of a beam falling onto a pattern to be measured. To attain the object, this invention proposes a pattern measuring apparatus which specifies a pattern in a measurement object area by scanning a tilted bean with respect to another area different from the measurement object area and then performs measurement based on the pattern-specifying result. With such arrangement, it becomes possible to perform measurement without the risk of wrong pattern designation while lowering the dose of a beam hitting the measurement object area.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a pattern measuring apparatus which performs high-accuracy concavity/convexity determination (e.g., distinguishing between a line segment and space) while simultaneously reducing the dose of a beam falling onto a pattern to be measured. To attain the object, this invention proposes a pattern measuring apparatus which specifies a pattern in a measurement object area by scanning a tilted bean with respect to another area different from the measurement object area and then performs measurement based on the pattern-specifying result. With such arrangement, it becomes possible to perform measurement without the risk of wrong pattern designation while lowering the dose of a beam hitting the measurement object area.

Abstract: A charged particle microscope corrects distortion in an image caused by effects of drift in the sampling stage by measuring the correction reference image in a shorter time than the observation image, making corrections by comparing the shape of the observation image with the shape of the correction reference image, and reducing distortion in the observation images. The reference image for distortion correction is measured at the same position and magnification as when acquiring images for observation. In order to reduce effects from drift, the reference image is at this time measured within a shorter time than the essential observation image. The shape of the observation image is corrected by comparing the shapes of the reference image and observation image, and correcting the shape of the observation image to match the reference image.

Abstract: A data processing unit acquires a review image including a pattern defect on a substrate, compares the review image with a reference image thereby to extract a defect image, the reference image including no pattern defect, and performs an alignment between the review image and a self-layer design pattern image which is generated from design data belonging to the identical layer in a region corresponding to the review image. The data processing unit, then, based on result of the alignment, generates an another-layer design pattern image which is generated from design data belonging to another layer in the region corresponding to the review image, and, based on a synthesized image of the defect image and the another-layer design pattern image, determines the relative position relationship between the pattern defect and a pattern belonging to another layer, and judges the criticality based on the relative position relationship.

Abstract: A data processing unit acquires a review image including a pattern defect on a substrate, compares the review image with a reference image thereby to extract a defect image, the reference image including no pattern defect, and performs an alignment between the review image and a self-layer design pattern image which is generated from design data belonging to the identical layer in a region corresponding to the review image. The data processing unit, then, based on result of the alignment, generates an another-layer design pattern image which is generated from design data belonging to another layer in the region corresponding to the review image, and, based on a synthesized image of the defect image and the another-layer design pattern image, determines the relative position relationship between the pattern defect and a pattern belonging to another layer, and judges the criticality based on the relative position relationship.

Abstract: A data processing unit acquires a review image including a pattern defect on a substrate, compares the review image with a reference image thereby to extract a defect image, the reference image including no pattern defect, and performs an alignment between the review image and a self-layer design pattern image which is generated from design data belonging to the identical layer in a region corresponding to the review image. The data processing unit, then, based on result of the alignment, generates an another-layer design pattern image which is generated from design data belonging to another layer in the region corresponding to the review image, and, based on a synthesized image of the defect image and the another-layer design pattern image, determines the relative position relationship between the pattern defect and a pattern belonging to another layer, and judges the criticality based on the relative position relationship.

Abstract: A data processing unit acquires a review image including a pattern defect on a substrate, compares the review image with a reference image thereby to extract a defect image, the reference image including no pattern defect, and performs an alignment between the review image and a self-layer design pattern image which is generated from design data belonging to the identical layer in a region corresponding to the review image. The data processing unit, then, based on result of the alignment, generates an another-layer design pattern image which is generated from design data belonging to another layer in the region corresponding to the review image, and, based on a synthesized image of the defect image and the another-layer design pattern image, determines the relative position relationship between the pattern defect and a pattern belonging to another layer, and judges the criticality based on the relative position relationship.

Abstract: With respect to each of low speed and high speed input/output ports of an input/output control unit, an activation time from a time point when an end status in association with the end of transfer is responded to a time point when an activation request is received is measured and stored in a memory. When the high speed port receives an activation request from a high speed channel, the activation time in the memory measured with respect to the low speed port is read out and an input/output request for the low speed port is preferentially accepted for such an activation time. As an activation time of the low speed port, the minimum time, average time, and maximum time are obtained from the result of the measurement. Either one of the above three times is selected as an activation time so as to almost equalize busy ratios of the high speed port and low speed port.

Abstract: With respect to each of low speed and high speed input/output ports of an input/output control unit, an activation time from a time point when an end status in association with the end of transfer is responded to a time point when an activation request is received is measured and stored in a memory. When the high speed port receives an activation request from a high speed channel, the activation time in the memory measured with respect to the low speed port is read out and an input/output request for the low speed port is preferentially accepted for such an activation time. As an activation time of the low speed port, the minimum time, average time, and maximum time are obtained from the result of the measurement. Either one of the above three times is selected as an activation time so as to almost equalize busy ratios of the high speed port and low speed port.

Abstract: With respect to each of low speed and high speed input/output ports of an input/output control unit, an activation time from a time point when an end status in association with the end of transfer is responded to a time point when an activation request is received is measured and stored in a memory. When the high speed port receives an activation request from a high speed channel, the activation time in the memory measured with respect to the low speed port is read out and an input/output request for the low speed port is preferentially accepted for such an activation time. As an activation time of the low speed port, the minimum time, average time, and maximum time are obtained from the result of the measurement. Either one of the above three times is selected as an activation time so as to almost equalize busy ratios of the high speed port and low speed port.

Abstract: A liquid crystal composition is disclosed which comprises at least one liquid crystalline compound having a total number of carbon of 4 to 24 in the portions of acyclic hydrocarbon, and the average value of the total number of carbon atoms in the liquid crystalline compound in the liquid crystal composition is 5 or more. A liquid crystal display (particularly, AM-LCD) having higher voltage holding ratio than that of conventional ones can be achieved.

Abstract: An information memory apparatus which has a single magnetic tape shared with a plurality of users or a plurality of tasks. At least one information recording medium is provided with a plurality of logical volumes. Each of the logical volumes stores a set of information and is defined as a single physical volume. A recording/reproducing unit records input information on the information recording medium and/or reproduces output information from the information recording medium. A staging device stages and destages the input information to be recorded on the information recording medium and/or the output information reproduced from the information recording medium by the recording/reproducing unit. The staging device is controlled so that the staging device stages and destages the input information and/or the output information in accordance with loading and unloading of the recording/reproducing unit.

Abstract: With respect to each of low speed and high speed input/output ports of an input/output control unit, an activation time from a time point when an end status in association with the end of transfer is responded to a time point when an activation request is received is measured and stored in a memory. When the high speed port receives an activation request from a high speed channel, the activation time in the memory measured with respect to the low speed port is read out and an input/output request for the low speed port is preferentially accepted for such an activation time. As an activation time of the low speed port, the minimum time, average time, and maximum time are obtained from the result of the measurement. Either one of the above three times is selected as an activation time so as to almost equalize busy ratios of the high speed port and low speed port.

Abstract: A host computer executes dynamic device reconfiguration to cope with a device error generated while data is being written in a magnetic tape unit. The function of the dynamic device reconfiguration is implemented by a save function, a tape shift instructing function and a rewrite function which are provided by an operating system of the host computer. When the expanded data transferred from the input and output control unit when the error is generated is written in a save area in the main storage area, it is compressed. When the compressed data read from the save area in the main storage for rewriting is transferred to the magnetic tape unit to which a tape has been shifted, it is expanded. In the main storage area, the save area having a size corresponding to that of the compressed data which remains in a buffer memory is reserved.

Abstract: A novel lactone compound exhibiting a larger spontaneous polarization value when added to ferroelectric liquid crystal compositions as a basic substance, than those of so far known lactone compounds, and yet having a relatively low viscosity, and a liquid crystal composition comprising the compound, and further a liquid crystal element using the same are provided, the lactone compound being expressed by the formula ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 is a linear or branched alkyl group or alkoxy group of 1-15C, R.sup.2 is a linear or branched alkyl group of 1-16C, --A-- is single bond, 1,4-phenylene group or 1,4-cyclohexylene group and * is an asymmetric carbon atom.