Abstract: A sample fabricating method of irradiating a sample with a focused ion beam at an incident angle less than 90 degrees with respect to the surface of the sample, eliminating the peripheral area of a micro sample as a target, turning a specimen stage around a line segment perpendicular to the sample surface as a turn axis, irradiating the sample with the focused ion beam while the incident angle on the sample surface is fixed, and separating the micro sample or preparing the micro sample to be separated. A sample fabricating apparatus for forming a sample section in a sample held on a specimen stage by scanning and deflecting an ion beam, wherein an angle between an optical axis of the ion beam and the surface of the specimen stage is fixed and formation of a sample section is controlled by turning the specimen stage.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to realize a method and an apparatus for processing and observing a minute sample which can observe a section of a wafer in horizontal to vertical directions with high resolution, high accuracy and high throughput without splitting any wafer which is a sample. In an apparatus of the invention, there are included a focused ion beam optical system and an electron optical system in one vacuum container, and a minute sample containing a desired area of the sample is separated by forming processing with a charged particle beam, and there are included a manipulator for extracting the separated minute sample, and a manipulator controller for driving the manipulator independently of a wafer sample stage.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and system for separating and preparing a sample for analysis from a wafer without contaminating the wafer with an element such as Ga which would raise a problem in the process.

Abstract: A specimen fabrication apparatus including a movable sample stage on which a specimen substrate is mounted, a probe connector for firmly joining a tip of a probe to a portion of the specimen substrate in a vicinity of an area on the specimen substrate to be observed in an observation apparatus, a micro-specimen separator for separating from the specimen substrate a micro-specimen to which the tip of the probe is firmly joined, the micro-specimen including the area on the specimen substrate to be observed and the portion of the specimen substrate to which the tip of the probe is firmly joined, a micro-specimen fixer for fixing the micro-specimen separated from the specimen substrate to a specimen holder of the observation apparatus, and a probe separator for separating the tip of the probe from the micro-specimen fixed to the specimen holder.

Abstract: Disclosed is a technology associated with a microreactor, which realizes convenient introduction of a sample biological cell such as an animal culture cell in the microcell, and enables further reduction in the size as well as higher integration of the microcells, thereby realizing a highly improved efficiency in the drug efficacy screening experiments. In the present invention, interior of the of the microreactor has been treated to impart higher affinity such as hydrophilicity for the sample such as cell while the surface near the microreactor has been treated to impart non-affinity such as water repellency. A mechanical vibration, oscillation, or shaking in either a defined pattern or in a random motion may be applied to the microreactor and the surface near the microreactor cavity by a motion generator or oscillator or the like.

Abstract: An electron beam (area beam) having a fixed area is irradiated onto the surface of a semiconductor sample, and reflected electrons from the sample surface are imaged by the imaging lens, and images of a plurality of regions of the surface of the semiconductor sample are obtained and stored in the image storage unit, and the stored images of the plurality of regions are compared with each other, and the existence of a defect in the regions and the defect position are measured. By doing this, in an apparatus for testing a pattern defect of the same design, foreign substances, and residuals on a wafer in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor apparatus by an electron beam, speeding-up of the test can be realized.

Abstract: An electron beam (area beam) having a fixed area is irradiated onto the surface of a semiconductor sample, and reflected electrons from the sample surface are imaged by the imaging lens, and images of a plurality of regions of the surface of the semiconductor sample are obtained and stored in the image storage unit, and the stored images of the plurality of regions are compared with each other, and the existence of a defect in the regions and the defect position are measured. By doing this, in an apparatus for testing a pattern defect of the same design, foreign substances, and residuals on a wafer in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor apparatus by an electron beam, speeding-up of the test can be realized.

Abstract: A sample fabricating method of irradiating a sample with a focused ion beam at an incident angle less than 90 degrees with respect to the surface of the sample, eliminating the peripheral area of a micro sample as a target, turning a specimen stage around a line segment perpendicular to the sample surface as a turn axis, irradiating the sample with the focused ion beam while the incident angle on the sample surface is fixed, and separating the micro sample or preparing the micro sample to be separated. A sample fabricating apparatus for forming a sample section in a sample held on a specimen stage by scanning and deflecting an ion beam, wherein an angle between an optical axis of the ion beam and the surface of the specimen stage is fixed and formation of a sample section is controlled by turning the specimen stage.

Abstract: Disconnection defects, short-circuit defects and the like in wiring patterns of submicron sizes within TEGs (a square of 1 to 2.5 mm for each) numerously arranged in a large chip (a square of 20 to 25 mm) can be inspected with respect to all the TEGs, with good operability, high reliability and high efficiency. A conductor probe for applying voltage to the wiring patterns by mechanical contact is composed of synchronous type conductor probe that synchronizes with movement of a sample stage (16), and fixed type conductor probe means (21) that is relatively fixed to an FIB generator (10). Positions of probe tips are superimposed to an SIM image and displayed on a display unit (19).

Abstract: An object of the invention is to realize a method and an apparatus for processing and observing a minute sample which can observe a section of a wafer in horizontal to vertical directions with high resolution, high accuracy and high throughput without splitting any wafer which is a sample. In an apparatus of the invention, there are included a focused ion beam optical system and an electron optical system in one vacuum container, and a minute sample containing a desired area of the sample is separated by forming processing with a charged particle beam, and there are included a manipulator for extracting the separated minute sample, and a manipulator controller for driving the manipulator independently of a wafer sample stage.

Abstract: Disclosed is an observation apparatus and method using an electron beam, capable of measuring stress and strain information on a crystal structure in a specimen using electron beam diffraction images. A method according to the invention includes mounting a specimen on a specimen stage; irradiating a predetermined area in the specimen with an electron beam while scanning the electron beam, and acquiring an enlarged image of a specimen internal structure in the predetermined area; irradiating a specific portion included in the predetermined area and acquiring a diffraction image showing the crystal structure in the specimen; extracting information on the crystal structure in the specimen; displaying the information of the crystal structure in the specimen so as to be superimposed on the acquired enlarged image. The observation method according to the invention can obtain information on the crystal structure in a specimen with a high degree of sensitivity and with a high level of resolution.

Abstract: A sample fabricating method of irradiating a sample with a focused ion beam at an incident angle less than 90 degrees with respect to the surface of the sample, eliminating the peripheral area of a micro sample as a target, turning a specimen stage around a line segment perpendicular to the sample surface as a turn axis, irradiating the sample with the focused ion beam while the incident angle on the sample surface is fixed, and separating the micro sample or preparing the micro sample to be separated. A sample fabricating apparatus for forming a sample section in a sample held on a specimen stage by scanning and deflecting an ion beam, wherein an angle between an optical axis of the ion beam and the surface of the specimen stage is fixed and formation of a sample section is controlled by turning the specimen stage.

Abstract: Disconnection defects, short-circuit defects and the like in wiring patters of submicron sizes within TEGs (a square of 1 to 2.5 mm for each) numerously arranged in a large chip (a square of 20 to 25 mm) can be inspected with respect to all the TEGs, with good operability, high reliability and high efficiency. A conductor probe for applying voltage to the wiring patterns by mechanical contact is composed of synchronous type conductor probe that synchronizes with movement of a sample stage (16), and fixed type conductor probe means (21) that is relatively fixed to an FIB generator (10). Positions of probe tips are superimposed to an SIM image and displayed on a display unit (19).

Abstract: There are disclosed a method for fabricating (processing) a micro-sample used for the observation, analysis, and measurement by, for example, a transmission electron microscope (TEM), and an equipment for specimen fabrication (processing) used for carrying out the method. With the method for specimen fabrication (processing) of the present invention, a micro-sample to be separated and extracted from a specimen substrate is sandwiched and held between a plurality of branch beams formed at the tip of a beam. The beam holding the micro-sample is transferred onto a sample holder, and the micro-sample is mounted (firmly held) on the sample holder. After mounting the micro-sample on the sample holder, the beam is detached and separated from the mounted micro-sample. By adopting such a method, it is possible to fabricate a specimen for high reliability observation, analysis, and measurement entailing less contamination, in a shorter time and with efficiency.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system for failure analysis capable of assuring a sample to be observed which can be associated with an arbitrary observation desired position determined by an inspection later. After completion of an arbitrary device process, an apparatus for micro-sample extraction extracts a part of a wafer as a micro-sample of a size equal to or larger than a repetition pattern with a probe and places the extracted micro-sample to a micro-sample storage, and the micro-sample storage is stored into an apparatus for micro-sample storage. Data of the stored sample is managed by an apparatus for filing data of stored-sample. A wafer is subjected to a post process and an observation desired position is determined in response to a failure analysis requirement. After that, the micro-sample is unloaded from the micro-sample storage by the apparatus for additional processing micro-sample and is placed onto an observation sample holder.

Abstract: A sample fabricating method of irradiating a sample with a focused ion beam at an incident angle less than 90 degrees with respect to the surface of the sample, eliminating the peripheral area of a micro sample as a target, turning a specimen stage around a line segment perpendicular to the sample surface as a turn axis, irradiating the sample with the focused ion beam while the incident angle on the sample surface is fixed, and separating the micro sample or preparing the micro sample to be separated. A sample fabricating apparatus for forming a sample section in a sample held on a specimen stage by scanning and deflecting an ion beam, wherein an angle between an optical axis of the ion beam and the surface of the specimen stage is fixed and formation of a sample section is controlled by turning the specimen stage.

Abstract: An RW offset setting method which includes recording a test pattern by a write head, reading the test pattern by a read head, measuring an amplitude of a read back signal at each tracking position, finding an approximate expression of a profile of the measured amplitude, finding a tracking position, and finding a RW offset based on this tracking position, setting a RW offset for all tracks in the disk device based on the RW offsets about the plurality of tracks to be measured. A read data error recovery method that includes the steps of determining an off-track direction where the amplitude increases, searching an off-track position where the amplitude becomes a local maximum, measuring the amplitude at each off-track position reading data recorded in the data sector.

Abstract: The present invention provides a technique of filling a hole from which a sample is extracted with an FIB at high speed. A method of filling a hole by using an ion beam includes a step of irradiating a hole formed in a sample face with an ion beam to thereby form an ion beam gas-assisted deposition layer in the hole. The ion beam gas-assisted deposition layer is formed in the hole while controlling the ion beam so as to fall on a part of a side wall of the hole and so as not to fall on another part of the side wall in an area scanned with the ion beam.

Abstract: A specimen fabrication apparatus including a movable sample stage on which a specimen substrate is mounted, a probe connector for firmly joining a tip of a probe to a portion of the specimen substrate in a vicinity of an area on the specimen substrate to be observed in an observation apparatus, a micro-specimen separator for separating from the specimen substrate a micro-specimen to which the tip of the probe is firmly joined, the micro-specimen including the area on the specimen substrate to be observed and the portion of the specimen substrate to which the tip of the probe is firmly joined, a micro-specimen fixer for fixing the micro-specimen separated from the specimen substrate to a specimen holder of the observation apparatus, and a probe separator for separating the tip of the probe from the micro-specimen fixed to the specimen holder.

Abstract: An electron beam (area beam) having a fixed area is irradiated onto the surface of a semiconductor sample, and reflected electrons from the sample surface are imaged by the imaging lens, and images of a plurality of regions of the surface of the semiconductor sample are obtained and stored in the image storage unit, and the stored images of the plurality of regions are compared with each other, and the existence of a defect in the regions and the defect position are measured. By doing this, in an apparatus for testing a pattern defect of the same design, foreign substances, and residuals on a wafer in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor apparatus by an electron beam, speeding-up of the test can be realized.