Abstract: Heights of a sample are calibrated by setting a calibrating substrate on a stage and then irradiating a charged particle beam onto standard marks provided on at least two kinds of surfaces having different substrate heights. Secondary charged particles produced from said irradiated standard marks on the substrate are and detected and a surface height of the irradiated portion of the substrate measured. The difference in height between the standard marks is set to be in a range containing an extent, over the entire sample, to which the height of the sample varies due to warping.

Abstract: A workpiece holder for holding a workpiece, which is used for an electron beam application apparatus for processing a workpiece by irradiating the surface of said workpiece with an electron beam, or observing the surface state of a workpiece by detecting secondary electrons produced from the workpiece by irradiation of the workpiece with an electron beam, includes a positioning portion which comes closer to an end portion of said workpiece when said workpiece holder holds the workpiece, thereby positioning the workpiece, in which the surface height of the end portion of the workpiece is nearly equal to the height of said positioning portion.

Abstract: Heights of a sample are calibrated by setting a calibrating substrate on a stage and then irradiating a charged particle beam onto standard marks provided on at least two kinds of surfaces having different substrate heights. Secondary charged particles produced from said irradiated standard marks on the substrate are and detected and a surface height of the irradiated portion of the substrate measured. The difference in height between the standard marks is set to be in a range containing an extent, over the entire sample, to which the height of the sample varies due to warping.

Abstract: A semiconductor fabricating apparatus for fabricating a semiconductor wafer includes a processing chamber, in which a workpiece is processed by irradiating the surface of said workpiece with an electron beam, a workpiece holder including a positioning portion for positioning the workpiece. The surface height of an end portion of the workpiece is nearly equal to the height of the positioning portion when the workpiece carried in the processing chamber is held on the workpiece holder.

Abstract: The present invention is intended to highly fast, stably acquire highly accurate images from irradiated positions with an electron beam on a circuit pattern in the step of fabricating a semiconductor device including an insulating material or a mixture of an insulating material and a conductive material, without occurrence of any deviation in the irradiated position in the images to be comparatively inspected, automatically comparing the images with each other thereby inspecting defects of the circuit pattern without occurrence of errors, and feeding back the result to the conditions of fabricating the semiconductor device thereby increasing the reliability of the semiconductor device and reducing the defective percentage thereof.

Abstract: A method of refining crude oil by distillation and desulfurization for the preparation of petroleum products can reduce cost of apparatus and cost of operation and can be operated with better stability by simplified control of operation. In the method, a naphtha fraction is separated from crude oil by distillation, the residual fraction which remained after the naphtha fraction has been removed from the crude oil is hydrodesulfurized and the hydrodesulfurized fraction is separated into further fractions by distillation. A kerosene fraction and a gas oil fraction of high quality can be obtained and yields of intermediate fractions such as kerosene and gas oil can be increased by introducing a hydrotreating process, a high pressure separation process and a residue fluid catalytic cracking process in a sophisticated way for refining of the residual fraction remained after the naphtha fraction has been removed from the crude oil.

Abstract: A diffraction grating shaped reference pattern having the same grating pitch as diffraction grating shaped alignment pattern formed on a wafer is irradiated by alignment light, and the diffracted light signal obtained from the reference pattern is stored in a memory. The diffraction grating shaped alignment pattern formed on the wafer is irradiated by the alignment light, and the diffracted light signal from the alignment pattern is corrected based on the diffracted light signal stored in the memory.

Abstract: The present invention resides in method and apparatus for measuring a minute displacement, comprising applying a light of a first wavelength at a predetermined angle to a diffraction grating formed on an object whose position is to be detected, subjecting each of the resulting diffracted light and regular reflected light and a light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength to heterodyne interference with each other to generate a measurement signal and a reference signal, and measuring a phase difference between the measurement signal and the reference signal to thereby determine a minute displacement of the object.

Abstract: A projection aligner having a projection optics which project circuit patterns of reticles on a wafer next by step, comprising an X-Y stage mounting the wafer and moved to an X or Y direction by a stage controller, a developer for developing an alignment mark projected on the wafer by the projection optics, an alignment mark detector being disposed on the projection optics, and a correcting arrangement for an offset error of the alignment mark detector by measuring the offset error of a zero point after the wafer is projected with an alignment mark by the projection optics, the alignment mark is developed by the developer and the developed alignment mark on the wafer is moved to is detection area which is previously set based on design data keeping the wafer fixed on the X-Y stage. The offset error is measured as moving distance of X-Y stage and adjust the stage controller or zero point of the alignment mark detector in order to project actual circuit patterns on the wafer correctly.

Abstract: This invention relates to an optical exposer wherein a predetermined pattern is projected onto a work piece through a projector lens, and an alignment mark on the work piece is detected through the projector lens. It is desirable that a detection waveform of the alignment mark will not be deformed. Since the wave deformation is due to distortion of the alignment light, a first wavelength light and a second wavelength light are used as the alignment light to reduce the distortion effect.

Abstract: An optical exposure apparatus which is suitable for the production of semiconductor devices. To minimize the regions which are not used for exposure around the periphery of a surface being exposed, such as the surface of a semiconductor wafer, a plurality of independent focusing detectors utilizing a gas are arranged about the optical axis of light.

Abstract: A pattern exposing apparatus comprising means for projecting a semiconductor device mask pattern onto the photoresist layer coated on a semiconductor substrate, and means for projecting an identification mark which is specific to each substrate onto a part of the photoresist layer.