Abstract: To address the problem in which when measuring the overlay of patterns formed on upper and lower layers of a semiconductor pattern by comparing a reference image and measurement image obtained through imaging by an SEM, the contrast of the SEM image of the pattern of the lower layer is low relative to that of the SEM image of the pattern of the upper layer and alignment state verification is difficult even if the reference image and measurement image are superposed on the basis of measurement results, the present invention determines the amount of positional displacement of patterns of an object of overlay measurement from a reference image and measurement image obtained through imaging by an SEM, carries out differential processing on the reference image and measurement image, aligns the reference image and measurement image that have been subjected to differential processing on the basis of the positional displacement amount determined previously, expresses the gradation values of the aligned differential r

Abstract: A control unit outputs measurement status information including the time up to the completion of creation of the calibration curve for each of the desired measurement items to a display unit. The output/display of the calibration curve data measurement status for each of the items enables the operator to be aware of information about a failure to set a standard solution or to request the setting of the standard solution and to recognize how long he or she will need to wait until the creation of the calibration curve begins. The operator can therefore know what can be done while waiting, thereby improving job efficiency.

Abstract: The present invention is: a pattern measurement device that, regardless of increased fineness, deviation, or the like of a pattern, accurately and stably performs measurement on the basis of edge identification or pattern or edge judgment; and a computer program. The pattern measurement device classifies pattern sites (G1, G2, G3, G4), which are repeatedly arrayed at a specific interval, in accordance with the position of the pattern sites, and executes a pattern edge type identification, a pattern type identification, or a measurement of the dimensions between predetermined pattern sites on the basis of an association between the classified pattern sites and information pertaining to the pattern edge type or information pertaining to the pattern type. The computer program causes a computer to execute the abovementioned process.

Abstract: A sample-processing system that improves total system processing efficiency, and reduces a sample-processing time, by establishing a functionally independent relationship between a rack conveyance block with rack supply, conveyance, and recovery functions, and a processing block with sample preprocessing, analysis, and other functions. A buffer unit with random accessibility to multiple racks standing by for processing is combined with each of multiple processing units to form a pair, and the system is constructed to load and unload racks into and from the buffer unit through the rack conveyance block so that one unprocessed rack is loaded into the buffer unit and then upon completion of process steps up to automatic retesting, unloaded from the buffer unit. Functional dependence between any processing unit and a conveyance unit is thus eliminated.

Abstract: A specimen transfer device having high flexibility is implemented, where a specimen can be transferred between carriers purposed for different kinds of conveyance without decreasing processing speed for the specimen. A plurality of trays that can retain specimen carriers of a transfer destination is provided, and these trays can be freely grouped, and therefore, while a carrier is fed from a tray, a specimen is automatically executed to a carrier in a different tray.

Abstract: In determining whether a rack inputted to the automatic analyzer by the user is to be transferred to an analysis section or not, samples existing in a route from a buffer to a sample dispensing position in the analysis section are identified, and the number of items in which suction by a nozzle has not been completed in analysis items requested for the samples is managed. When the number of items is reduced to be smaller than a given number, the conveyance of a next rack from the buffer to the analysis section is controlled, thereby limiting the number of analysis items requested for samples in a waiting state for analysis in the analysis section constantly to be smaller than a fixed number. As a result, a period of time until a measurement result of emergency samples is outputted can be reduced even when emergency samples are newly inputted.

Abstract: To provide an ion milling system that can suppress an orbital shift of an observation electron beam emitted from an electron microscope column, the ion milling system includes: a Penning discharge type ion gun 100 that includes a permanent magnet 114 and that generates ions for processing a sample; and a scanning electron microscope for observing the sample, in which a magnetic shield 172 for reducing a leakage magnetic field from the permanent magnet 114 to the electron microscope column is provided.

Abstract: A liquid-mixing device that minimizes solvent leakage and reduces creep of or damage to the component parts of said liquid-mixing device even at ultrahigh pressures of 100 MPa and up. Also, a liquid chromatography device using said liquid-mixing device. Said liquid chromatography device is provided with a supply pump that supplies a plurality of different solutions, a liquid-mixing device that mixes the supplied solutions, a sample injection device that injects a sample into the mixture of solutions, a column that separates the components of the injected sample, and a detector that detects the separated components. The liquid-mixing device has an inlet-side connector through which the plurality of different solutions flow in, a liquid-mixing section in which said solutions are mixed, and an outflow-side connector through which the mixed solutions flow out.

Abstract: Controllability of ion bombardment on a substrate is further improved to achieve uniformity of the etched substrate across the substrate surface. A plasma processing apparatus performs plasma generation and control of energy of ion bombardment on the substrate independently, generates plasma by continuous discharge or pulse discharge, and switches at least two bias powers having different frequencies, and alternately and repeatedly applies the at least two bias powers having different frequencies to a sample stage while the plasma is being generated.

Abstract: There is provided dry etching apparatus including a stage on which a wafer is placed, an antenna electrode, a high frequency power supply, a shower plate, and an RF bias power supply. Further, a bias path controller is provided on the side of the antenna electrode. The bias path controller resonates in series with the static reactance formed by the shower plate with respect to the frequency of the RF bias. Then, the bias path controller changes and grounds the impedance by the variable inductive reactance. With this mechanism, highly uniform etching can be achieved even if a shower plate of quartz is used for corrosive gases.

Abstract: An electron microscope includes a secondary electron detector (51) which detects an electron generated when a sample (70) is illuminated with an electron beam from an electron gun (1), a monitor (39) which displays a secondary electron image of the sample based on an output of the detector, a gas inlet device (60) which emits gas to the sample, and a gas control device (81) which controls a gas emitting amount of the gas inlet device so that a degree of vacuum in an intermediate chamber (74) in which the secondary electron detector is installed may be kept at less than a set value P1 during gas emission performed by the gas inlet device. Accordingly, a microscopic image of the sample in a gas atmosphere with use of the detector requiring application of voltage is obtained.

Abstract: A sample preprocessing system is capable of reducing centrifuging time, which accounts for the majority of time required for a preprocessing step, and at the same time, performing centrifuging under various conditions. A system management unit ascertains the states of a plurality of centrifuge devices, particularly comparing centrifuging start times and centrifuging termination times for the respective centrifuge devices, and selects the centrifuge device for which the processing time is shortest. Specifically, the system includes an adapter that forms a plurality of batches, a gripper to transfer a sample to the adapter, a plurality of centrifuge rotors that centrifuge the adapter in batch units, and a computer programmed to calculate, in advance, a start timing and a termination timing of the centrifuging in batch units, and the batch, into which samples are transferred, is controlled on the basis of at least one of the calculated start timing and termination timing.

Abstract: A conventional method to process a tip fails to designate the dimension of the shape of the end of the tip, and so fails to obtain a tip having any desired diameter. Impurities may be attached to the tip. Based on a correlation between the voltage applied or the time during processing of the end of the tip and the diameter of the tip end, the applied voltage is controlled so as to obtain a desired diameter of the tip end for processing of the tip. This allows a sharpened tip made of a tungsten monocrystal thin wire to be manufactured to have any desired diameter in the range of 0.1 ?m or more and 2.0 ?m or less.

Abstract: The present invention is a data processing apparatus including a data input/output device for receiving data, a storage for storing the data received by the data input/output device, a data processing program storage for storing a data processing program that includes the steps of calculating, using a double exponential smoothing method, a first predicted value that is a predicted value of smoothed data and a second predicted value that is a predicted value of the gradient of the smoothed data, and calculating, using a double exponential smoothing method in which the second predicted value is set as input data, a third predicted value that is a predicted value of smoothed data and a fourth predicted value that is a predicted value of the gradient of the smoothed data, and a data calculation processing apparatus for performing the data processing under the data processing program.

Abstract: A defect image classification apparatus includes a control unit that selects images obtained from at least some detectors among a plurality of detectors, associated with kinds of defects to be a classification result of an automatic defect classification processing unit, as images displayed initially on a display unit. The control unit associates the kinds of the defects and the images displayed initially on the display unit, on the basis of a switching operation log when a user classifies images of defects determined previously as the same kinds as the kinds of the defects determined by the automatic defect classification processing unit.

Abstract: The present invention achieves an automatic analysis device which has a probe guard for which the range of motion for accessing a specimen container installation section is small and which can be moved without being removed from a specimen installation section. The directions of movement of a probe guard are the vertical direction of a specimen container erection mechanism and the horizontal direction within an upper region of the specimen container erection mechanism, and a specimen container can be accessed without the need to move the probe guard to outside the upper region of the specimen container erection mechanism. Accordingly, it is possible to achieve an automatic analysis device which has a probe guard for which the range of motion for accessing a specimen installation section is small and which can be moved without being removed from a specimen container erection mechanism.

Abstract: In a vacuum apparatus including an ultrahigh vacuum evacuation pump, the ultrahigh vacuum evacuation pump is provided with a rod-shaped cathode including a non-evaporable getter alloy, a cylindrical anode disposed so as to surround the cathode, and a coil or a ring-shaped permanent magnet disposed so as to sandwich upper and lower openings of the cylindrical anode and surround the rod-shaped cathode. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the ultrahigh vacuum evacuation pump and to dispose the vacuum evacuation pump at a desired location in the vacuum apparatus.

Abstract: The objective of the presently disclosed subject matter is to provide a mass spectrometer that improves the ionic permeability ratio at the entrance to an ion transport part or the entrance to a mass spectrometry part, and to acquire a high-sensitivity mass spectrum. To reduce the electric-field distortion that is caused by ion loss, electrodes are arranged so that the radius of a circle inscribed within the electrodes of the ion transport part is larger than the radius of a circle inscribed within the electrodes of the mass spectrometry part. The entrance to the electrodes of the mass spectrometry part also can have a tapered, inclined, folded-over, or rounded configuration. Together, these reduce the sharply fluctuating (peak-shaped) distribution of electric potential generated near the entrance to the ion transport part and the entrance to the mass spectrometry part.