Abstract: A secondary electron image generated by an electron beam is detected by a secondary electron/secondary ion detector while a silicon substrate is etched by a focused ion beam from a back surface of a semiconductor chip. A time point where the electron beam transmits through the silicon substrate, a contrast of a secondary electron image of a separation layer, a polysilicon layer and the like is detected by a picture image processing system is assumed to be a processing end point. At this time, by changing a setting for an acceleration voltage of the electron beam, an arbitrary remaining silicon thickness can be obtained.

Abstract: One embodiment pertains to an apparatus which impinges a focused electron beam onto a substrate. The apparatus includes an irradiation source and at least two non-axisymmetric lenses. The irradiation source is configured to originate electrons for an incident electron beam. The non-axisymmetric lenses are positioned after the irradiation source and are configured to focus the beam in a first linear dimension so as to produce a linear crossover of the beam. The non-axisymmetric lenses are further configured to subsequently focus the beam in a second linear dimension, which is substantially perpendicular to the first linear dimension. Finally, the non-axisymmetric lenses are also configured to produce a focused image at an image plane. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

Abstract: A mass spectrometry quantitation technique enables high-throughput quantitation of small molecules using a laser-desorption (e.g., MALDI) ion source coupled to a triple-quadrupole mass analyzer. The ions generated from the ion source are collisionally damped/cooled, and then quantitatively analyzed using the triple-quadrupole analyzer operated in the multiple-reaction-monitoring (MRM) mode. Significantly improved measurement throughput is obtained by applying the laser to each sample spot on the target for an irradiation duration significantly shorter than the time required to deplete the sample material in the sample spot. The irradiation duration may be set based on a determination of the MRM peak broadening caused by the ion optics.

Abstract: In a substrate processing apparatus using a neutralized beam and a method thereof, the substrate processing apparatus includes: an ion source for emitting an ion beam at an emitting angle; reflectors at which the ion beam emitted by the ion source is incident and subject to 2n collisions (where n is a positive integer) in first and second opposite directions to neutralize the ion beam as a neutralized beam and to restore a direction of propagation of the neutralized beam to the emitting angle of the ion beam; and a substrate at which the neutralized beam generated by the reflectors is incident on to perform a process. Accordingly, an incident angle of the resultant neutralized beam is perpendicular to a substrate, while the direction of propagation of the originating ion source and the surface of the substrate are maintained to be perpendicular to each other.

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: A combination electrospray/microwave induced plasma (MIP) ionization source is used as the ionization source for a mass spectrometer. The electrospray can be operated in positive mode, negative mode, or it can be switched off. The microwave-induced plasma can also be switched on or off. This allows the instrument to be operated in multiple modes. With the electrospray off and the MIP on, the instrument will normally have its maximum elemental sensitivity. Mixed mode operation potentially allows the determination of additional information about the chemical constituents present in the analyte. In pure electrospray mode, it is possible to obtain molecular information and to analyze organic compounds.

Abstract: In a scanning electron microscope, slimming is reduced by reducing a frame count. As the frame count is reduced, the amount of detected secondary electrons decreases, so that a probe current amount is increased to emit an increased amount of detected secondary electrons. A primary electron beam is scanned on a sample, a histogram is created, and the histogram is second-order differentiated to calculate a level of halftone at which a sample image changes in contrast, and to calculate the probe current amount. By adjusting the frame count suitable for the calculated probe current amount, and the contrast suitable for the sample image, the slimming of the sample is limited, and a highly visible sample image is generated for length measurement.

Abstract: A method and device to accurately obtain very small quantity of wear of the order of nanometers of a protective film on the surface of a sliding member. A quantity of wear on the surface of a measurement sample including a base and a coating layer is measured by making a spectrum of the surface elements in a reference sample using a surface-element analysis device which analyzes elements on the surface of a substance from an energy spectrum of charged particles obtained by applying excited ionization radiation on the reference sample equivalent to the measurement and by measuring charged particles generated from the surface of the substance. A step of obtaining signal intensity ratios of plural elements from the spectrum is repeated a plurality of times while the surface of the reference sample is being etched and calibration curves which indicate a distribution of the signal intensity ratios of the plural elements in the reference sample are made.

Abstract: Magnification errors are reduced in the required range of magnification in electric charged particle beam application apparatuses and critical dimension measurement instruments. To achieve this, a first image, whose magnification for the specimen is actually measured, is recorded, a second image, whose magnification for the specimen is unknown, is recorded, and the magnification of the second image for the first image is analyzed by using image analysis. Thereby, the magnification of the second image for the specimen is actually measured. Then, magnification is actually measured in the whole range of magnification by repeating the magnification analysis described above by taking the second image as the first image. Actually measuring the magnification of images for the specimen in the whole range of magnification and calibrating the same permits a reduction of magnification errors by a digit.

Abstract: A new ionization source named Surface Activated Chemical Ionization (SACI) has been discovered and used to improve the sensitivity of the mass spectrometer. According to this invention the ionization chamber of a mass spectrometer is heated and contains a physical new surface to improve the ionization process. The analyte neutral molecules that are present in gas phase are ionized on this surface. The surface can be made of various materials and may also chemically modified so to bind different molecules. This new ionization source is able to generate ions with high molecular weight and low charge, an essential new key feature of the invention so to improve sensitivity and reduce noise. The new device can be especially used for the analysis of proteins, peptides and other macromolecules. The new invention overcomes some of the well known and critical limitations of the Electrospray (ESI) and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometric techniques.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspecting a wafer during a semiconductor device fabrication process. The apparatus performs, only via observation from the wafer's top surface, inspection and quantitative evaluation of a portion that is in the shadow of an incident electron beam and a buried structure in the wafer. To this end, the electron beam is emitted so that it partially penetrates a wafer surface and reaches an unexposed pattern portion to the beam. When a stereoscopic structure is constructed from the scan image based on a secondarily generated signal, generate a stereoscopic model of a pattern being tested. The secondary signal is used to detect position information of a pattern edge(s) and signal intensity. Then, use the information to calculate more than one feature quantity of the test pattern. From the calculated feature quantities, the stereoscopic structure is constructed for displaying a 3D structure of the pattern.

Abstract: A method and device for observing a specimen in which an electron beam is irradiated and scanned from an oblique direction, onto a surface of a calibration substrate on which a pattern with a known shape is formed, and an SEM image of the surface of the calibration substrate is obtained. An angle in an oblique direction of the electron beam irradiated is obtained and is adjusted to a desired angle. The electron beam is irradiated from the adjusted desired angle in the oblique direction, onto a specimen substrate on which a pattern is formed, and an SEM image of the specimen substrate is obtained. The SEM image of the specimen substrate is processed by use of the information of the desired angle, and a 3D image of the pattern on the specimen substrate or a shape of a cross section of the pattern is obtained.

Abstract: This invention provides an electron beam length measuring technology including a standard component for length measurement that has a finer standard dimension, and its producing method. The standard component for length measurement has a semiconductor member on which is arranged a pattern consisting of an array of first diffraction gratings whose pitch dimension is specified as an absolute dimension by an optical measurement method, wherein the pattern has a structure in which an array of second diffraction gratings different from the first diffraction gratings is arranged in a portion within the array of the first diffraction gratings in a predetermined cycle. Each one of the first diffraction gratings and the second diffraction gratings has a predetermined length and a predetermined width, respectively.

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: The invention provides a charged particle beam device, an emitter module for emitting charged particle beams and a method of operation thereof. Thereby, a charged particle beam emitter (15) emitting charged particles along an optical axis (1) is realized. On the same carrier body (32), a cleaning emitter (16) for emitting charged particles approximately along the optical axis (1) is realized. Thus, an improved cleaning can be provided.

Abstract: The probe tip movement control method of the scanning probe microscope is used for a scanning probe microscope provided with a cantilever 21 having a probe tip 20 facing a sample 12. The atomic force occurring between the probe tip and sample is measured when the probe tip scans the surface of the sample. X-, Y-, and Z-fine movement mechanisms 23, 29, and 30 are used to relatively change the positions of the probe tip and sample. It is possible to maintain a high measurement accuracy and enable scan movement of a probe tip on a sample surface by simple control when measuring a part having a gradient in measurement of an uneven shape on a sample surface.

Abstract: A charged-particle beam instrument and method are offered which can inspect side and rear surfaces of the outer periphery of a specimen. The instrument has a source of the charged-particle beam and an objective lens for focusing the beam onto the specimen positioned inside a specimen chamber. The instrument further includes an electrostatic electrode and a deflection voltage power supply for applying a deflection voltage to the electrostatic electrode located on a downstream side of the objective lens. The electrostatic electrode reflects or deflects the beam passed through the objective lens such that the beam is directed at the specimen.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a device for irradiating a patient with a charged particle beam, comprising a number of beam channels attached to a vertical wall, wherein a deflection magnet is present at the end of each channel. This deflection magnet is able to deflect the beam in the vertical plane over a given angle range. The couch whereon the patient is reclining is mobile in the vertical plane, so that the combined movement of the patient, and the variable deflection of the beam allow one point in the patient to be irradiated from several angles in the vertical plane.

Abstract: This invention relates to tandem mass spectrometry and, in particular, to tandem mass spectrometry using a linear ion trap and a time of flight detector to collect mass spectra to form a MS/MS experiment. The accepted standard is to store and mass analyze precursor ions in the ion trap before ejecting the ions axially to a collision cell for fragmentation before mass analysis of the fragments in the time of flight detector. This invention makes use of orthogonal ejection of ions with a narrow range of m/z values to produce a ribbon beam of ions that are injected into the collision cell. The shape of this beam and the high energy of the ions are accommodated by using a planar design of collision cell. Ions are retained in the ion trap during ejection so that successive narrow ranges may be stepped through consecutively to cover all precursor ions of interest.

Abstract: The invention provides, in various embodiments, systems and methods relating to controlling ion behavior in an ion-based analysis system.