Abstract: The present invention has the object of providing a charged particle beam irradiation method ideal for reducing the focus offset, magnification fluctuation and measurement length error in charged particle beam devices. To achieve these objects, a method is disclosed in the invention for measuring the electrical potential distribution on the sample with a static electrometer while loaded by a loader mechanism. Another method is disclosed for measuring the local electrical charge at specified points on the sample, and isolating and measuring the wide area electrostatic charge quantity from those local electrostatic charges.

Abstract: A scanning electron microscope having a monochromator that can automatically adjust an electron beam entering the monochromator and operating conditions of the monochromator. The scanning electron microscope having a monochromator is equipped with, between an electron source and the monochromator, a first focusing lens for adjusting focusing of the electron beam entering the monochromator and a first astigmatism correcting lens for correcting astigmatism of the electron beam entering the monochromator. The microscope further includes a means of obtaining an image of an electron-beam adjustment sample disposed where the electron beam in the monochromator is focused, and based on the obtained image, driving the first focusing lens and the first astigmatism correcting lens so that the focusing and astigmatism of the electron beam entering the monochromator are adjusted.

Abstract: The present invention suppresses decreases in the volumes of the patterns which have been formed on the surfaces of semiconductor samples or of the like, or performs accurate length measurements, irrespective of such decreases. In an electrically charged particle ray apparatus by which the line widths and other length data of the patterns formed on samples are to be measured by scanning the surface of each sample with electrically charged particle rays and detecting the secondary electrons released from the sample, the scanning line interval of said electrically charged particle rays is set so as not to exceed the irradiation density dictated by the physical characteristics of the sample. Or measured length data is calculated from prestored approximation functions.

Abstract: The present invention suppresses decreases in the volumes of the patterns which have been formed on the surfaces of semiconductor samples or of the like, or performs accurate length measurements, irrespective of such decreases. In an electrically charged particle ray apparatus by which the line widths and other length data of the patterns formed on samples are to be measured by scanning the surface of each sample with electrically charged particle rays and detecting the secondary electrons released from the sample, the scanning line interval of said electrically charged particle rays is set so as not to exceed the irradiation density dictated by the physical characteristics of the sample. Or measured length data is calculated from prestored approximation functions.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a charged particle beam apparatus and an alignment method of the charged particle beam apparatus, which make it possible to align an optical axis of a charged particle beam easily even when a state of the charged particle beam changes. The present invention comprises calculation means for calculating a deflection amount of an alignment deflector which performs an axis alignment for an objective lens, a plurality of calculation methods for calculating the deflection amount is memorized in the calculation means, and a selection means for selecting at least one of the calculation methods is provided.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to obtain an image which is focused on all portions of a sample and to provide a charged particle beam apparatus capable of obtaining a two-dimensional image which has no blurred part over an entire sample. In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises means for changing a focus condition of a charged particle beam emitted from a charged particle source, a charged particle detector for detecting charged particles irradiated from a surface portion of said sample in response to the emitted charged particle beam, and means for composing a two-dimensional image of the surface portion of the sample based on signals on which said charged particle beam is focused, said signals being among signals output from the charged particle detector.

Abstract: The present invention provides a charged particle beam apparatus that keeps the degree of vacuum in the vicinity of the electron source to ultra-high vacuum such as 10?8 to 10?9 Pa even in the state where electron beams are emitted using a non-evaporable getter pump and is not affected by dropout foreign particles. The present invention includes a vacuum vessel in which a charged particle source (electron source, ion source, etc.) is disposed and a non-evaporable getter pump disposed at a position that does not directly face electron beams and includes a structure that makes the non-evaporable getter pump upward with respect to a horizontal direction to drop out foreign particles into a bottom in a groove, so that the foreign particles dropped out from the non-evaporable getter pump do not face an electron optical system.

Abstract: A scanning electron microscope having a monochromator that can automatically adjust an electron beam entering the monochromator and operating conditions of the monochromator. The scanning electron microscope having a monochromator is equipped with, between an electron source and the monochromator, a first focusing lens for adjusting focusing of the electron beam entering the monochromator and a first astigmatism correcting lens for correcting astigmatism of the electron beam entering the monochromator. The microscope further includes a means of obtaining an image of an electron-beam adjustment sample disposed where the electron beam in the monochromator is focused, and based on the obtained image, driving the first focusing lens and the first astigmatism correcting lens so that the focusing and astigmatism of the electron beam entering the monochromator are adjusted.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a charged particle beam apparatus and an alignment method of the charged particle beam apparatus, which make it possible to align an optical axis of a charged particle beam easily even when a state of the charged particle beam changes. The present invention comprises calculation means for calculating a deflection amount of an alignment deflector which performs an axis alignment for an objective lens, a plurality of calculation methods for calculating the deflection amount is memorized in the calculation means, and a selection means for selecting at least one of the calculation methods is provided.

Abstract: A scanning electron microscope is disclosed. The primary electron beam is radiated on a reticle (specimen), and an observation image of the reticle is obtained using the electrons secondarily released. The microscope comprises a lamp for radiating the vacuum ultraviolet light having the wavelength of not more than 172 nm on the reticle in the atmosphere, a radiation chamber for hermetically sealing the reticle so that the vacuum ultraviolet light can be radiated on the reticle, and a specimen holder for holding the reticle in the radiation chamber and capable of adjusting the distance between the lamp and the reticle.

Abstract: As an aspect for realizing accurate observation, inspection, or measurement of the contact hole with large aspect ratio, a method and a device to scan a second electron beam after scanning a first electron beam to a sample to charge the sample are proposed wherein the beam diameter of the first electron beam is made larger than the beam diameter of the second electron beam.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to reduce the beam drift in which the orbit of the charged particle beam is deflected by a potential gradient generated by a nonuniform sample surface potential on a charged-particle-beam irradiation area surface, the nonuniform sample surface potential being generated by electrification made when observing an insulating-substance sample using a charged particle beam. Energy of the charged particle beam to be irradiated onto the sample is set so that generation efficiency of secondary electrons generated from the sample becomes equal to 1 or more. A flat-plate electrode (26) is located in such a manner as to be directly opposed to the sample. Here, the flat-plate electrode is an electrode to which a voltage can be applied independently, and which is equipped with a hole through which a primary charged particle beam can pass. Furthermore, a voltage can be applied independently to a sample stage (12) on which the sample is mounted.

Abstract: To make it possible to observe the bottom of a contact hole and internal wires, in observation of the contact hole 102, by scanning it at a predetermined acceleration voltage, the positive charge 106 is formed on the surface of the insulator 101, and the secondary electrons 104 are attracted in the hole by this electric field, and the hole is continuously scanned at an acceleration voltage different from the acceleration voltage, and the sample is observed. When the wires embedded in the insulator are to be observed, by observing the insulator at a predetermined acceleration voltage, an electron beam is allowed to enter the sample, and the sample is continuously scanned at an acceleration voltage different from the acceleration voltage, and hence the existence of wires is reflected as a change in the charge of the surface, and it is observed.

Abstract: A charged particle beam apparatus includes: a correction image acquisition part 52 for making a detector 20 acquire items of two-dimensional image data at different focal positions; a directional differentiation operation part 53 for obtaining directional derivative values in a plurality of directions for each of the items of two-dimensional image data at different focal positions; an aberration parameter calculation part 54 for obtaining aberration parameters according to previously determined methods by using the directional derivative values in a plurality of directions for each of the items of two-dimensional image data; an aberration correction value calculation part 55 for obtaining correction values for aberrations by using the aberration parameters; and a control part 56 for setting the correction values in a correction optical system control means to make an aberration corrector 16 correct the aberrations.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to reduce the beam drift in which the orbit of the charged particle beam is deflected by a potential gradient generated by a nonuniform sample surface potential on a charged-particle-beam irradiation area surface, the nonuniform sample surface potential being generated by electrification made when observing an insulating-substance sample using a charged particle beam. Energy of the charged particle beam to be irradiated onto the sample is set so that generation efficiency of secondary electrons generated from the sample becomes equal to 1 or more. A flat-plate electrode (26) is located in such a manner as to be directly opposed to the sample. Here, the flat-plate electrode is an electrode to which a voltage can be applied independently, and which is equipped with a hole through which a primary charged particle beam can pass. Furthermore, a voltage can be applied independently to a sample stage (12) on which the sample is mounted.

Abstract: To make it possible to observe the bottom of a contact hole and internal wires, in observation of the contact hole 102, by scanning it at a predetermined acceleration voltage, the positive charge 106 is formed on the surface of the insulator 101, and the secondary electrons 104 are attracted in the hole by this electric field, and the hole is continuously scanned at an acceleration voltage different from the acceleration voltage, and the sample is observed. When the wires embedded in the insulator are to be observed, by observing the insulator at a predetermined acceleration voltage, an electron beam is allowed to enter the sample, and the sample is continuously scanned at an acceleration voltage different from the acceleration voltage, and hence the existence of wires is reflected as a change in the charge of the surface, and it is observed.

Abstract: An invention providing a scanning electron microscope composed of a monochromator capable of high resolution, monochromatizing the energy and reducing chromatic aberrations without significantly lowering the electrical current strength of the primary electron beam. A scanning electron microscope is installed with a pair of sectorial magnetic and electrical fields having opposite deflection directions to focus the electron beam and then limit the energy width by means of slits, and another pair of sectorial magnetic and electrical fields of the same shape is installed at a position forming a symmetrical mirror versus the surface containing the slits. This structure acts to cancel out energy dispersion at the object point and symmetrical mirror positions, and by spatially contracting the point-converged spot beam with a converging lens system, improves the image resolution of the scanning electron microscope.

Abstract: The present invention has the object of providing a charged particle beam irradiation method ideal for reducing the focus offset, magnification fluctuation and measurement length error in charged particle beam devices. To achieve these objects, a method is disclosed in the invention for measuring the electrical potential distribution on the sample with a static electrometer while loaded by a loader mechanism. Another method is disclosed for measuring the local electrical charge at specified points on the sample, and isolating and measuring the wide area electrostatic charge quantity from those local electrostatic charges.

Abstract: A charged particle beam apparatus produces little reduction in resolution when the beam is inclined with respect to a sample. The trajectory of a primary beam 4 is deflected by a deflector or changed by a movable aperture such that the beam is incident on a plurality of lenses 6 and 7 off the axes thereof. A means is provided to control the off-axis trajectory of the beam such than an aberration produced by the objective lens 7 when the beam is inclined can be canceled by an aberration produced by the other lens 6.

Abstract: A charged-particle beam emitting device which includes the following configuration devices so that a lowering in the image resolution will be suppressed even if a primary beam is tilted relative to a sample: A device for causing orbit of the primary beam to pass through off-axes of a plurality of lenses, and controlling off-axis orbit of the primary beam. This device allows the aberration which occurs in the objective lens at the time of beam tilt to be cancelled out by the aberration which occurs in the other lens. Also, there is provided a device for simultaneously modulating excitations of the plurality of lenses including the objective lens.