Abstract: An electron microscope for observation by illuminating an electron beam on a specimen, includes: an edge element disposed in a diffraction plane where a direct beam not diffracted by but transmitted through the specimen converges or a plane equivalent to the diffraction plane; and a control unit for controlling the electron beam or the edge element. The edge element includes a blocking portion for blocking the electron beam, and an aperture for allowing the passage of the electron beam. The aperture is defined by an edge of the blocking portion in a manner that the edge surrounds a convergence point of the direct beam in the diffraction plane. The control unit varies contrast of an observation image by shifting, relative to the edge, the convergence point of the direct beam along the edge while maintaining a predetermined distance between the convergence point of the direct beam and the edge.

Abstract: An electron microscope for observation by illuminating an electron beam on a specimen, includes: an edge element disposed in a diffraction plane where a direct beam not diffracted by but transmitted through the specimen converges or a plane equivalent to the diffraction plane; and a control unit for controlling the electron beam or the edge element. The edge element includes a blocking portion for blocking the electron beam, and an aperture for allowing the passage of the electron beam. The aperture is defined by an edge of the blocking portion in a manner that the edge surrounds a convergence point of the direct beam in the diffraction plane. The control unit varies contrast of an observation image by shifting, relative to the edge, the convergence point of the direct beam along the edge while maintaining a predetermined distance between the convergence point of the direct beam and the edge.

Abstract: An electron microscope includes: a sample holder; a first optical system irradiating and scanning the sample; an electron detection unit detecting secondary electrons discharged from the sample; a first vacuum chamber which holds the sample holder, the first optical system, and the electron detection unit in a vacuum atmosphere; a display unit displaying a microscopic image of the sample; and a control unit which controls the sample holder and the operation of the first optical system. The electron microscope includes a second vacuum chamber different from the first vacuum chamber, and a second optical system in the second vacuum chamber and is different from the first optical system. The second optical system and the control unit are capable of mutual communication, and the second vacuum chamber has a state changing means which changes the state of the sample.

Abstract: Provided is an electron microscope wherein a detector requiring the application of a voltage is used to obtain a micrograph from a sample placed in a gas atmosphere. The electron microscope is provided with a gas inlet device for emitting gas onto a sample, and a gas control device controlling the amount of gas emitted by the gas inlet device so that, during the gas emission by the gas inlet device, the degree of vacuum within the space where the detector (49-51, 55) is installed is continuously maintained to less than a set value.

Abstract: Provided are a device and a method allowing a crystal orientation to be adjusted with adequate throughput and high precision to observe a sample, regardless of the type of the sample or the crystal orientation. In the present invention, the method comprises: setting a fitting circular pattern (26) displayed overlaid so that a main spot (23) is positioned on the circumference thereof, on the basis of the diffraction spot brightness distribution in an electron diffraction pattern (22b) displayed on a display unit (13); setting a vector (28) displayed with the starting point at the center position (27) of the displayed circular pattern (26), and the end point at the location of the main spot (23) positioned on the circumference of the circular pattern (26); and adjusting the crystal orientation on the basis of the orientation and the magnitude of the displayed vector (28).

Abstract: Provided are a device and a method allowing a crystal orientation to be adjusted with adequate throughput and high precision to observe a sample, regardless of the type of the sample or the crystal orientation. In the present invention, the method comprises: setting a fitting circular pattern (26) displayed overlaid so that a main spot (23) is positioned on the circumference thereof, on the basis of the diffraction spot brightness distribution in an electron diffraction pattern (22b) displayed on a display unit (13); setting a vector (28) displayed with the starting point at the center position (27) of the displayed circular pattern (26), and the end point at the location of the main spot (23) positioned on the circumference of the circular pattern (26); and adjusting the crystal orientation on the basis of the orientation and the magnitude of the displayed vector (28).

Abstract: Provided is an electron microscope wherein a detector requiring the application of a voltage is used to obtain a micrograph from a sample placed in a gas atmosphere. The electron microscope is provided with a gas inlet device for emitting gas onto a sample, and a gas control device controlling the amount of gas emitted by the gas inlet device so that, during the gas emission by the gas inlet device, the degree of vacuum within the space where the detector (49-51, 55) is installed is continuously maintained to less than a set value.

Abstract: An electron microscope is provided that can automatically adjust the optical axis even in a state of deviation of the optical axis according to which the position of an electron beam on a fluorescent plate cannot be verified after replacement of an electron source. The microscope measures current of a fluorescent plate and determining whether the fluorescent plate is irradiated with an electron beam or not; without irradiation, controls a deflector to move the electron beam such that the fluorescent plate is irradiated with the electron beam; and, with irradiation, controls the deflector such that the current becomes a local maximum and a magnitude of luminance acquired from the image of the electron beam with which the fluorescent plate is irradiated becomes a local maximum.

Abstract: A charged particle beam device is equipped with a function of: obtaining an approximation function of a sample drift from a visual field shift amount among plural images (S1); capturing a save image while correcting the drift on the basis of the approximation function (S2); and creating from the save image a target image in which the effect of the sample drift is reduced (S3). This makes it possible to smooth the random errors in the visual field shift measurements by approximating the sample drift to the function and also to predict the sample drift changing over time. Therefore, it is possible to provide a charged particle beam device in which the effect of the sample drift is very limited even in a high magnification and also provide a measuring method using the charged particle beam device.

Abstract: An electric charged particle beam microscope is provided in which a specimen movement due to a specimen rotation is classified into a repeatable movement and a non-repeatable movement, a model of movement is determined for the repeatable movement, a range of movement is determined for the non-repeatable movement, the repeatable movement is corrected on the basis of the movement model through open-loop and the non-repeatable movement is corrected under a condition set on the basis of the range of movement.

Abstract: An electric charged particle beam microscope is provided in which a specimen movement due to a specimen rotation is classified into a repeatable movement and a non-repeatable movement, a model of movement is determined for the repeatable movement, a range of movement is determined for the non-repeatable movement, the repeatable movement is corrected on the basis of the movement model through open-loop and the non-repeatable movement is corrected under a condition set on the basis of the range of movement.

Abstract: Automatically corrected is a movement of a field of view caused upon changing a magnification. A field of view is searched for with a first magnification. A sample stage coordinate of a designated subject of recording is computed, for storage, on a transmission electron beam image of a sample displayed on an image display section. A subject-of-recording image is cut out of the transmission electron beam image of the sample in the first magnification and stored as a first image. The magnification of the transmission electron microscope is set to a magnification twice a magnification in the recording mode, to move the sample stage to the stored sample stage coordinate of the subject of recording. The transmission electron beam image in the second magnification is captured with the same number of pixels as the first image to compute a movement amount of between the two images from a correlation intensity of the first and second images.

Abstract: Automatically corrected is a movement of a field of view caused upon changing a magnification. A field of view is searched for with a first magnification. A sample stage coordinate of a designated subject of recording is computed, for storage, on a transmission electron beam image of a sample displayed on an image display section. A subject-of-recording image is cut out of the transmission electron beam image of the sample in the first magnification and stored as a first image. The magnification of the transmission electron microscope is set to a magnification twice a magnification in the recording mode, to move the sample stage to the stored sample stage coordinate of the subject of recording. The transmission electron beam image in the second magnification is captured with the same number of pixels as the first image to compute a movement amount of between the two images from a correlation intensity of the first and second images.

Abstract: Relationship among an exciting current of each lens of an irradiation lens system including at least two stages of irradiation lenses and an electron beam aperture, an irradiation electron beam density on a sample and an area of the sample surface irradiated with an electron beam is stored in a form of a table or equations, and an exciting condition of each of the lenses of the irradiation lens system is retrieved from the relationship and set the irradiation lens system to the retrieved condition, for example, when the enlarging magnification is changed under a condition of keeping the irradiation electron beam density at a constant value. Further, trails of a region of the sample surface irradiated with the electron beam is displayed on a display unit.

Abstract: Relationship among an exciting current of each lens of an irradiation lens system including at least two stages of irradiation lenses and an electron beam aperture, an irradiation electron beam density on a sample and an area of the sample surface irradiated with an electron beam is stored in a form of a table or equations, and an exciting condition of each of the lenses of the irradiation lens system is retrieved from the relationship and set the irradiation lens system to the retrieved condition, for example, when the enlarging magnification is changed under a condition of keeping the irradiation electron beam density at a constant value. Further, trails of a region of the sample surface irradiated with the electron beam is displayed on a display unit.