Abstract: The purpose of the invention is to provide an improved electron beam apparatus with improvements in throughput, accuracy, etc. One of the characterizing features of the electron beam apparatus of the present invention is that it has a plurality of optical systems, each of which comprises a primary electron optical system for scanning and irradiating a sample with a plurality of primary electron beams; a detector device for detecting a plurality of secondary beams emitted by irradiating the sample with the primary electron beams; and a secondary electron optical system for guiding the secondary electron beams from the sample to the detector device; all configured so that the plurality of optical systems scan different regions of the sample with their primary electron beams, and detect the respective secondary electron beams emitted from each of the respective regions. This is what makes higher throughput possible.

Abstract: The present invention provides a surface inspection method and apparatus for inspecting a surface of a sample, in which a resistive film is coated on the surface, and a beam is irradiated to the surface having the resistive film coated thereon, to thereby conduct inspection of the surface of the sample. In the surface inspection method of the present invention, a resistive film having an arbitrarily determined thickness t1 is first coated on a surface of a sample. Thereafter, a part of the resistive film having the arbitrarily determined thickness t1 is dissolved in a solvent, to thereby reduce the thickness of the resistive film to a desired level. This enables precise control of a value of resistance of the resistive film and suppresses distortion of an image to be detected.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electron beam apparatus, in which a plurality of electron beams is formed from electrons emitted from an electron gun 21 and used to irradiate a sample surface via an objective lens 28, said apparatus comprising: a beam separator 27 for separating a secondary electron beams emanating from respective scanned regions on the sample from the primary electron beams; a magnifying electron lens 31 for extending a beam space between adjacent beams in the separated plurality of secondary electron beams; a fiber optical plate 32 for converting the magnified plurality of secondary electron beams to optical signals by a scintillator and for transmitting the signals; a photoelectric conversion device 35 for converting the optical signal to an electric signal; an optical zoom lens 33 for focusing the optical signal from the scintillator into an image on the photoelectric conversion device; and a rotation mechanism 36 for rotating the photoelectric conversion device 35 around the optical axis.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a substrate inspection apparatus for inspecting a pattern formed on a substrate by irradiating a charged particle beam onto the substrate.

Abstract: A system for further enhancing speed, i.e. improving throughput in a SEM-type inspection apparatus is provided. An inspection apparatus for inspecting a surface of a substrate produces a crossover from electrons emitted from an electron beam source 25•1, then forms an image under a desired magnification in the direction of a sample W to produce a crossover. When the crossover is passed, electrons as noises are removed from the crossover with an aperture, an adjustment is made so that the crossover becomes a parallel electron beam to irradiate the substrate in a desired sectional form. The electron beam is produced such that the unevenness of illuminance is 10% or less. Electrons emitted from the sample W are detected by a detector 25•11.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a chemical and mechanical polishing apparatus (100) for a sample such as a wafer includes a built-in inspection apparatus (25) incorporated therein. The polishing apparatus (100) further comprises a load unit (21), a chemical and mechanical polishing unit (22), a cleaning unit (23), a drying unit (24) and an unload unit (26). The chemical and mechanical polishing apparatus (100) receives a sample from a preceding step (107), carries out respective processes for the sample by said respective units disposed within the polishing apparatus (100) and then transfers the processed sample to a subsequent step (109). Sample loading and unloading means and a sample transfer means are no more necessary for transferring the sample between respective units.

Abstract: An electron beam apparatus, in which an electron beam emitted from an electron gun having a cathode and an anode is focused and irradiated onto a sample, and secondary electrons emanated from the sample are directed into a detector, the apparatus further comprising means for optimizing irradiation of the electron beam emitted from the electron gun onto the sample, the optimizing means may be two-stage deflectors disposed in proximity to the electron gun which deflects and directs the electron beam emitted in a specific direction so as to be in alignment with the optical axis direction of the electron beam apparatus, the electron beam emitted in the specific direction being at a certain angle with respect to the optical axis due to the fact that, among the crystal orientations of said cathode, a specific crystal orientation allowing a higher level of electron beam emission out of alignment with the optical axis direction.

Abstract: Provided is a sample observing method allowing for a detailed observation of a sample by using one and the same electron beam apparatus. The method uses an electron beam apparatus 1 comprising a primary optical system 10 serving for irradiating the electron beam onto the sample surface and a secondary optical system 30 serving for detecting secondary electrons emanating from said sample surface to form an image of the sample surface. The inspection is carried out on the sample surface, S, by irradiating the electron beam to the sample surface, and after the extraction of a defective region in the sample based on the inspection, the extracted defective region is once again applied with the irradiation of the electron beam so as to provide a magnification or a detailed observation of the defective region.

Abstract: An electron beam inspection system of the image projection type includes a primary electron optical system for shaping an electron beam emitted from an electron gun into a rectangular configuration and applying the shaped electron beam to a sample surface to be inspected. A secondary electron optical system converges secondary electrons emitted from the sample. A detector converts the converged secondary electrons into an optical image through a fluorescent screen and focuses the image to a line sensor. A controller controls the charge transfer time of the line sensor at which the picked-up line image is transferred between each pair of adjacent pixel rows provided in the line sensor in association with the moving speed of a stage for moving the sample.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus and a semiconductor device manufacturing method using the same. The inspection apparatus is used for defect inspection, line width measurement, surface potential measurement or the like of a sample such as a wafer. In the inspection apparatus, a plurality of charged particles is delivered from a primary optical system to the sample, and secondary charged particles emitted from the sample are separated from the primary optical system and introduced through a secondary optical system to a detector. Irradiation of the charged particles is conducted while moving the sample. Irradiation spots of the charged particles are arranged by N rows along a moving direction of the sample and by M columns along a direction perpendicular thereto. Every row of the irradiation spots of the charged particles is shifted successively by a predetermined amount in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the sample.

Abstract: An electron beam apparatus comprises a TDI sensor 64 and a feed-through device 50. The feed-through device has a socket contact 54 for interconnecting a pin 52 attached to a flanged 51 for separating different environments and the other pin 53 making a pair with the pin 52, in which the pin 52, the other pin 53 and the socket contact 54 together construct a connecting block, and the socket contact 54 has an elastic member 61. Accordingly, even if a large number of connecting blocks are provided, the connecting force may be kept to such a low level as to prevent the breakage in the sensor. The pin 53 is connected with the TDI sensor 64, in which a pixel array has been adaptively configured based on the optical characteristic of an image projecting optical system. That sensor has a number of integration stages that can reduce the field of view of the image projecting optical system to as small as possible so that a maximal acceptable distortion within the field of view may be set larger.

Abstract: An electron beam system wherein a shot noise of an electron beam can be reduced and a beam current can be made higher, and further a shaped beam is formed by a two-stage lenses so as to allow for an operation with high stability. In this electron beam system, an electron beam emitted from an electron gun is irradiated onto a sample and secondary electrons emanated from the sample are detected. The electron gun is a thermionic emission type and designed to operate in a space charge limited condition. A shaping aperture and a NA aperture are arranged in front locations of the electron gun. An image of the shaping aperture formed by an electron beam emitted from the thermionic emission electron gun is focused onto a surface of the sample through the two-stage lenses.

Abstract: The purpose of the invention is to provide an improved electron beam apparatus with improvements in throughput, accuracy, etc.. One of the characterizing features of the electron beam apparatus of the present invention is that it has a plurality of optical systems, each of which comprises a primary electron optical system for scanning and irradiating a sample with a plurality of primary electron beams; a detector device for detecting a plurality of secondary beams emitted by irradiating the sample with the primary electron beams; and a secondary electron optical system for guiding the secondary electron beams from the sample to the detector device; all configured so that the plurality of optical systems scan different regions of the sample with their primary electron beams, and detect the respective secondary electron beams emitted from each of the respective regions. This is what makes higher throughput possible.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus and a semiconductor device manufacturing method using the same. The inspection apparatus is used for defect inspection, line width measurement, surface potential measurement or the like of a sample such as a wafer. In the inspection apparatus, a plurality of charged particles is delivered from a primary optical system to the sample, and secondary charged particles emitted from the sample are separated from the primary optical system and introduced through a secondary optical system to a detector. Irradiation of the charged particles is conducted while moving the sample. Irradiation spots of the charged particles are arranged by N rows along a moving direction of the sample and by M columns along a direction perpendicular thereto. Every row of the irradiation spots of the charged particles is shifted successively by a predetermined amount in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the sample.

Abstract: An electron beam apparatus comprises a TDI sensor (64) and a feed-through device (50). The feed-through device has a socket contact (54) for interconnecting a pin (52) attached to a flanged (51) for separating different environments. The other pin (53) making a pair with the pin (52) and the socket contact (54) together construct a connecting block, and the socket contact (54) has an elastic member (61). The pin (53) is connected with the TDI sensor (64), in which a pixel array has been adaptively configured based on the optical characteristic of an image projecting optical system. That sensor has a number of integration stages that can reduce the field of view of the image projecting optical system. Further, the number of integration stage may be determined such that the data rate of the TDI sensor would not be reduced but the number of pins would not be increased as much as possible. Preferably, the number of line count may be almost equal to the number of integration stages.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus by an electron beam comprises: an electron-optical device 70 having an electron-optical system for irradiating the object with a primary electron beam from an electron beam source, and a detector for detecting the secondary electron image projected by the electron-optical system; a stage system 50 for holding and moving the object relative to the electron-optical system; a mini-environment chamber 20 for supplying a clean gas to the object to prevent dust from contacting to the object; a working chamber 31 for accommodating the stage device, the working chamber being controllable so as to have a vacuum atmosphere; at least two loading chambers 41, 42 disposed between the mini-environment chamber and the working chamber, adapted to be independently controllable so as to have a vacuum atmosphere; and a loader 60 for transferring the object to the stage system through the loading chambers.

Abstract: A method for alignment of a chip in a substrate surface inspection is provided, in which a surface of a substrate including a chip formed therein is inspected by using a beam. The method is characterized in comprising: a step of placing the substrate so that the chip is positioned within a field of view subject to the inspection; a step of measuring a magnification for the detection when the chip is positioned within the field of view subject to the inspection; a step of calculating a size of position error of the chip based on the measured magnification for the detection; and a step of compensating for the position of the chip based on the calculated position error.

Abstract: Provided is a sample observing method allowing for a detailed observation of a sample by using one and the same electron beam apparatus. The method uses an electron beam apparatus 1 comprising a primary optical system 10 serving for irradiating the electron beam onto the sample surface and a secondary optical system 30 serving for detecting secondary electrons emanating from said sample surface to form an image of the sample surface. The inspection is carried out on the sample surface, S, by irradiating the electron beam to the sample surface, and after the extraction of a defective region in the sample based on the inspection, the extracted defective region is once again applied with the irradiation of the electron beam so as to provide a magnification or a detailed observation of the defective region.

Abstract: A substrate inspection apparatus 1-1 (FIG.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for enabling repair of a defect in a substrate, particularly the invention provides a method and apparatus for enabling repair of a pattern shape in a semiconductor device, which has not been able to be practiced because of lack of a suitable method, and further provides a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device using those. A method for repairing the pattern shape of a substrate having an imperfect pattern is used, which includes (a) a step for inspecting the substrate and thus detecting the imperfect pattern, and (b) a step for repairing the pattern shape by performing etching or deposition to the detected imperfect-pattern using radiation rays. Moreover, apparatus for repairing a pattern shape of a via-hole in a wafer having an imperfect via-hole is used, which has a defect inspection section for detecting the imperfect via-hole, and an etching section for etching the imperfect via-hole using a fast atom beam.