Abstract: High expectations are placed on aberration correctors to increase the resolving power of charged particle devices. Meanwhile, a far more complicated configuration and higher mechanical precision assembly in comparison to prior art aberration correctors are necessary in charged particle beam optical devices that use low-energy electron beams. A complex electromagnetic quadrupole part employed in the aberration corrector preferably has the forward extremities of the poles provided in a vacuum near an electron beam path and excitation coils disposed outside the vacuum, and this necessitates a structure that can achieve both electrical insulation and vacuum sealing for each of these poles. Such structural complexity generally conflicts with improving mechanical assembly precision.

Abstract: High expectations are placed on aberration correctors to increase the resolving power of charged particle devices. Meanwhile, a far more complicated configuration and higher mechanical precision assembly in comparison to prior art aberration correctors are necessary in charged particle beam optical devices that use low-energy electron beams. A complex electromagnetic quadrupole part employed in the aberration corrector preferably has the forward extremities of the poles provided in a vacuum near an electron beam path and excitation coils disposed outside the vacuum, and this necessitates a structure that can achieve both electrical insulation and vacuum sealing for each of these poles. Such structural complexity generally conflicts with improving mechanical assembly precision.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for correcting an aberration in a charged-particle-beam device. The apparatus includes a charged-particle-beam source, a charged-particle optical system that irradiates a specimen with charged particles emitted from the charged-particle-beam source, an aberration corrector that corrects an aberration of the charged-particle optical system, a control unit that controls the charged-particle optical system and the aberration corrector, a through-focus imaging unit that obtains plural Ronchigrams in which a focal position of the charged-particle optical system is changed, and an aberration calculation unit that divides the obtained Ronchigram into plural local areas, and calculates the amount of the aberration based on line focuses detected in the local areas.

Abstract: Beam scanning for obtaining a scanned image is performed by an aberration corrector, which is an aberration measured lens, and a scanning coil disposed above an objective lens, instead of a scanning coil ordinarily placed on the objective lens. Thus, distortion with an aberration of an aberration measured lens is scanned on the surface of a sample, and then a scanned image is formed from a scattered electron beam, a transmission electron beam, or a reflected/secondary electron beam that is generated by the scan, achieving a scanning aberration information pattern equivalent to a conventional Ronchigram. Such means is a feature of the present invention.

Abstract: In aberration measurement, a focus or an inclination angle of a beam is changed to extract a characteristic amount from plural images of an electron microscope, so that an aberration coefficient indicating the size and direction of aberration is obtained. However, when the aberration is extremely large, the electron microscope images are greatly distorted, which causes difficulties in extraction of the feature amount.

Abstract: Disclosed is a scanning transmission type electron microscope provided with a scanning transmission electron microscope provided with an aberration corrector 805 for correcting the aberration of an electron-optical system that irradiates electron beams to a sample (808); a bright field image detector (813) for detecting electron beams that have transmitted through the sample; a camera (814); and an information processing apparatus (703) for processing signals detected by the detectors.

Abstract: Beam scanning for obtaining a scanned image is performed by an aberration corrector, which is an aberration measured lens, and a scanning coil disposed above an objective lens, instead of a scanning coil ordinarily placed on the objective lens. Thus, distortion with an aberration of an aberration measured lens is scanned on the surface of a sample, and then a scanned image is formed from a scattered electron beam, a transmission electron beam, or a reflected/secondary electron beam that is generated by the scan, achieving a scanning aberration information pattern equivalent to a conventional Ronchigram. Such means is a feature of the present invention.

Abstract: Disclosed is a scanning transmission type electron microscope provided with a scanning transmission electron microscope provided with an aberration corrector 805 for correcting the aberration of an electron-optical system that irradiates electron beams to a sample (808); a bright field image detector (813) for detecting electron beams that have transmitted through the sample; a camera (814); and an information processing apparatus (703) for processing signals detected by the detectors.

Abstract: To provide an aberration correction configuration that can realize both an aberration correction function for a long focus and an aberration correction function for a short focus. While having a conventional aberration correction apparatus configuration that has two rotationally symmetric lenses arranged between two multipole lenses, three rotationally symmetric lenses are disposed between an objective lens and a multipole lens instead of the conventional arrangement in which two rotationally symmetric lenses are disposed therebetween. When using the objective lens with a long focal length, aberrations are corrected using two rotationally symmetric lenses among three rotationally symmetric lenses disposed between the objective lens and the multipole lens. When using the objective lens with a short focal length, e.g.

Abstract: An electron beam apparatus with an aberration corrector using multipole lenses is provided. The electron beam apparatus has a scan mode for enabling the operation of the aberration corrector and a scan mode for disabling the operation of the aberration corrector and the operation of each of the aberration corrector, a condenser lens, and the like is controlled such that the object point of an objective lens does not change in either of the scan modes. If a comparison is made between the secondary electron images of a specimen in the two modes, the image scaling factor and the focus remain unchanged and evaluation and adjustment can be performed by distinctly recognizing only the effect of the aberration corrector. This reduces the time required to adjust an optical axis which has been long due to an axial alignment defect inherent in the aberration corrector and an axial alignment defect in a part other than the aberration corrector which are indistinguishably intermingled with each other.

Abstract: A crystal thin film is adopted as a specimen for measurement. A change in the contrast of crystal lattice fringes is measured under a condition that a diffracted wave and other wave are caused to interfere with each other. Thus, an information transfer limit of a transmission electron microscope can be measured quantitatively. Since the measurement is performed with a condition for interference restricted, the information transfer limit of the transmission electron microscope can be quantitatively assessed.

Abstract: When an accelerating voltage and operating distance are changed, an excitation current and a pole voltage of an aberration corrector must also be changed. Moreover, different multipole voltages or currents must be added individually for each pole in order to superpose multipoles.

Abstract: To provide an aberration corrector that guarantees freedom in designing a coma-free plane transfer portion even when the mechanical configuration of the aberration corrector is already decided, and has a flexible adjustment margin regarding the corrector exterior. The aberration corrector causes an electron beam trajectory emanating from a specimen plane (physical surface of objective lens) to be incident in parallel with a multipole lens (HEX1 18), and causes an electron beam trajectory emanating from an objective-lens coma-free plane or a minimum plane of a fifth-order aberration (objective lens center) to form an image on a center plane of a multipole lens of the 4f system. Thus, antisymmetric transfer is performed between two multipole lenses (HEX1 18, HEX2 19) to correct a spherical aberration in the 4f system, and a coma-free plane or a minimum plane of a fifth-order aberration is transferred to suppress occurrence of coma aberrations or fifth-order aberrations. (See FIG.

Abstract: To provide an aberration correction configuration that can realize both an aberration correction function for a long focus and an aberration correction function for a short focus. While having a conventional aberration correction apparatus configuration that has two rotationally symmetric lenses arranged between two multiple lenses, three rotationally symmetric lenses are disposed between an objective lens and a multiple lens instead of the conventional arrangement in which two rotationally symmetric lenses are disposed therebetween. When using the objective lens with a long focal length, aberrations are corrected using two rotationally symmetric lenses among three rotationally symmetric lenses disposed between the objective lens and the multiple lens. When using the objective lens with a short focal length, e.g.

Abstract: A scanning electron microscope includes an electron gun to generate an electron beam, and an electron optical system directing the electron beam to a specimen. The electron optical system includes an objective lens that converges the electron beam to a surface of the specimen, an aberration corrector disposed between the electron gun and the objective lens so as to at least compensate for aberration caused by the objective lens, and a tilter which tilts electron beam to be incident into the aberration corrector. The aberration corrector further compensates for aberration caused by the tilter.

Abstract: An electron beam apparatus with an aberration corrector using multipole lenses is provided. The electron beam apparatus has a scan mode for enabling the operation of the aberration corrector and a scan mode for disabling the operation of the aberration corrector and the operation of each of the aberration corrector, a condenser lens, and the like is controlled such that the object point of an objective lens does not change in either of the scan modes. If a comparison is made between the secondary electron images of a specimen in the two modes, the image scaling factor and the focus remain unchanged and evaluation and adjustment can be performed by distinctly recognizing only the effect of the aberration corrector. This reduces the time required to adjust an optical axis which has been long due to an axial alignment defect inherent in the aberration corrector and an axial alignment defect in a part other than the aberration corrector which are indistinguishably intermingled with each other.

Abstract: An electron beam apparatus with an aberration corrector using multipole lenses is provided. The electron beam apparatus has a scan mode for enabling the operation of the aberration corrector and a scan mode for disabling the operation of the aberration corrector and the operation of each of the aberration corrector, a condenser lens, and the like is controlled such that the object point of an objective lens does not change in either of the scan modes. If a comparison is made between the secondary electron images of a specimen in the two modes, the image scaling factor and the focus remain unchanged and evaluation and adjustment can be performed by distinctly recognizing only the effect of the aberration corrector. This reduces the time required to adjust an optical axis which has been long due to an axial alignment defect inherent in the aberration corrector and an axial alignment defect in a part other than the aberration corrector which are indistinguishably intermingled with each other.

Abstract: A crystal thin film is adopted as a specimen for measurement. A change in the contrast of crystal lattice fringes is measured under a condition that a diffracted wave and other wave are caused to interfere with each other. Thus, an information transfer limit of a transmission electron microscope can be measured quantitatively. Since the measurement is performed with a condition for interference restricted, the information transfer limit of the transmission electron microscope can be quantitatively assessed.

Abstract: A transmission electron microscope has a means for inputting a spatial size or distance d desired to be observed by the operator, calculates high contrast of an image based on this value and an observing condition which can reduce the influence of a false image superimposed, and desirably modulates an accelerating voltage of the electron microscope based thereon.

Abstract: A scanning electron microscope includes an electron gun to generate an electron beam, and an electron optical system directing the electron beam to a specimen. The electron optical system includes an objective lens that converges the electron beam to a surface of the specimen, an aberration corrector disposed between the electron gun and the objective lens so as to at least compensate for aberration caused by the objective lens, and a tilter which tilts electron beam to be incident into the aberration corrector. The aberration corrector further compensates for aberration caused by the tilter.