Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a scanning electron microscope which forms an electric field to lift up, highly efficiently, electrons discharged from a hole bottom or the like even if a sample surface is an electrically conductive material. To achieve the above object, according to the invention, a scanning electron microscope including a deflector which deflects a scanning position of an electron beam, and a sample stage for loading a sample thereon, is proposed. The scanning electron microscope includes a control device which controls the deflector or the sample stage in such a way that before scanning a beam on a measurement target pattern, a lower layer pattern situated in a lower layer of the measurement target pattern undergoes beam irradiation on another pattern situated in the lower layer.

Abstract: The present invention is characterized by an electron microscope which intermittently applies an electron beam to a sample and detects a secondary electron signal, wherein an arbitrarily defined detection time (T2) shorter than the pulse width (Tp) of the applied electron beam is selected, and a secondary electron image is formed using the secondary electron signal acquired during the detection time. Consequently, it is possible to reflect necessary sample information including the internal structure and laminated interface of the sample in the contrast of an image and prevent unnecessary information from being superimposed on the image, thereby making it possible to obtain the secondary electron image with improved sample information selectivity and image quality.

Abstract: The present invention is characterized by an electron microscope which intermittently applies an electron beam to a sample and detects a secondary electron signal, wherein an arbitrarily defined detection time (T2) shorter than the pulse width (Tp) of the applied electron beam is selected, and a secondary electron image is formed using the secondary electron signal acquired during the detection time. Consequently, it is possible to reflect necessary sample information including the internal structure and laminated interface of the sample in the contrast of an image and prevent unnecessary information from being superimposed on the image, thereby making it possible to obtain the secondary electron image with improved sample information selectivity and image quality.

Abstract: In a charged particle accelerator, voltage of several tens of kV is applied between accelerating electrodes. In such a case, electric discharge is sometimes generated between the accelerating electrodes. In the charged particle accelerator, part or entirety of the accelerating electrodes is coated with an electric discharge suppressing layer made of ceramics or alloy having a high melting point as compared with metal. When impurity fine particles are accelerated by an electric field and collide with the electrodes, the electric discharge suppressing layer made of ceramics or alloy prevents metal vapor from being easily generated from the electrodes and an ionized plasma from being easily produced, thus suppressing electric discharge between the electrodes.

Abstract: Provided is an electron beam scanning method for forming an electric field for appropriately guiding electrons emitted from a pattern to the outside of the pattern, and also provided is a scanning electron microscope. When an electron beam for forming charge is irradiated to a sample, a first electron beam is irradiated to a first position (1) and a second position (2) having the center (104) of a pattern formed on the sample as a symmetrical point, and is then additionally irradiated to two central positions (3, 4) between the first and second irradiation position, the two central positions (3, 4) being on the same radius centered on the symmetrical point as are the first and second positions. Further, after that, the irradiation of the first electron beam to the central positions between existing scanning positions on the radius is repeated.

Abstract: The present invention has for its object to provide a charged particle beam irradiation method and a charged particle beam apparatus which can suppress unevenness of electrification even when a plurality of different kinds of materials are contained in a pre-dosing area or degrees of density of patterns inside the pre-dosing area differs with positions. To accomplish the above object, a charged particle beam irradiation method and a charged particle beam apparatus are provided according to which the pre-dosing area is divided into a plurality of divisional areas and electrifications are deposited to the plural divisional areas by using a beam under different beam irradiation conditions.

Abstract: In a charged particle accelerator, voltage of several tens of kV is applied between accelerating electrodes. In such a case, electric discharge is sometimes generated between the accelerating electrodes. In the charged particle accelerator, part or entirety of the accelerating electrodes is coated with an electric discharge suppressing layer made of ceramics or alloy having a high melting point as compared with metal. When impurity fine particles are accelerated by an electric field and collide with the electrodes, the electric discharge suppressing layer made of ceramics or alloy prevents metal vapor from being easily generated from the electrodes and an ionized plasma from being easily produced, thus suppressing electric discharge between the electrodes.

Abstract: In a charged particle accelerator, voltage of several tens of kV is applied between accelerating electrodes. In such a case, electric discharge is sometimes generated between the accelerating electrodes. In the charged particle accelerator, part or entirety of the accelerating electrodes is coated with an electric discharge suppressing layer made of ceramics or alloy having a high melting point as compared with metal. When impurity fine particles are accelerated by an electric field and collide with the electrodes, the electric discharge suppressing layer made of ceramics or alloy prevents metal vapor from being easily generated from the electrodes and an ionized plasma from being easily produced, thus suppressing electric discharge between the electrodes.

Abstract: During the structural analysis of a protein or peptide by tandem mass spectroscopy, a peptide ion derived from a protein that has already been measured and that is expressed in great quantities is avoided as a tandem mass spectroscopy target. A peptide derived from a minute amount of protein, which has heretofore been difficult to analyze, can be automatically determined as a tandem mass spectroscopy target within the real time of measurement. Data concerning a protein that has already been measured and a peptide derived from the protein is automatically stored in an internal database. The stored data is collated with measured data with high accuracy to determine an isotope peak. In this way, the process of selecting a peptide peak that has not been measured as the target for the next tandem analysis can be performed within the real time of measurement and a redundant measurement of peptides derived from the same protein can be avoided.

Abstract: An insulator of an electron beam generator is placed in vacuum, and will be electrically charged upon bombardment of electrons on the surface thereof, whereby a high electrical field is generated. In addition, when fine impurity particles are present on the surface of the insulator, such fine particles will move due to electrostatic force. These could be a cause of electrical discharge, resulting in an unstable accelerating voltage of an electron beam. An electron beam generator is provided in which an electron beam is generated from a cathode upon application of a voltage across the cathode and an anode. An insulator placed in vacuum has a ceramic substrate and a low-resistivity film formed on the surface of the substrate. The electrical volume resistivity of the low-resistivity film is less than or equal to one-hundredth of that of the substrate (see FIG. 2).

Abstract: The present invention can provide a mass spectrometric system judging whether a measurement target is a substance required by an operator within an actual measurement time, when a substance (particularly such as protein or sugar chains) is analyzed. In the mass spectrometric system using a tandem mass spectrometer, a particular substance obtained by separating a sample is ionized, and mass analysis of the ionized substance is performed to obtain a spectrum. This spectrum is compared with a particular spectrum stored in advance, to thereby determine whether both the spectra match with each other. When a match is determined, a particular ion is further ionized within a particular time for detailed analysis. The invention also provides a mass spectrometric method, a diagnosis system and an inspection system each using the mass spectrometric system, and a program for operating a computer to control those systems with desired functions.

Abstract: In a charged particle accelerator, voltage of several tens of kV is applied between accelerating electrodes. In such a case, electric discharge is sometimes generated between the accelerating electrodes. In the charged particle accelerator, part or entirety of the accelerating electrodes is coated with an electric discharge suppressing layer made of ceramics or alloy having a high melting point as compared with metal. When impurity fine particles are accelerated by an electric field and collide with the electrodes, the electric discharge suppressing layer made of ceramics or alloy prevents metal vapor from being easily generated from the electrodes and an ionized plasma from being easily produced, thus suppressing electric discharge between the electrodes.

Abstract: During the structural analysis of a protein or peptide by tandem mass spectroscopy, a peptide ion derived from a protein that has already been measured and that is expressed in great quantities is avoided as a tandem mass spectroscopy target. A peptide derived from a minute amount of protein, which has heretofore been difficult to analyze, can be automatically determined as a tandem mass spectroscopy target within the real time of measurement. Data concerning a protein that has already been measured and a peptide derived from the protein is automatically stored in an internal database. The stored data is collated with measured data with high accuracy to determine an isotope peak. In this way, the process of selecting a peptide peak that has not been measured as the target for the next tandem analysis can be performed within the real time of measurement and a redundant measurement of peptides derived from the same protein can be avoided.

Abstract: The present invention provides a tandem type mass analysis system capable of carrying out the differential analysis with high efficiency by the tandem type mass analysis. A predetermined number of m/z regions are set up for carrying out the mass analysis with the all ions included therein being dissociated collectively for each m/z region so as to obtain measurement MS2 data. By comparing the measurement MS2 data with reference MS2 data stored in a reference data base, a difference thereof is detected. For the m/z region with a differential component detected, the mass analysis is carried out collectively without dissociation for the all ions included therein so as to obtain measurement MS1 data. By comparing the measurement MS1 data with the reference MS1 data, a difference thereof is detected. From the difference thereof, a parent ion considered to be the differential component factor is presumed for carrying out the mass analysis with the same being dissociated.

Abstract: During the structural analysis of a protein or peptide by tandem mass spectroscopy, a peptide ion derived from a protein that has already been measured and that is expressed in great quantities is avoided as a tandem mass spectroscopy target. A peptide derived from a minute amount of protein, which has heretofore been difficult to analyze, can be automatically determined as a tandem mass spectroscopy target within the real time of measurement. Data concerning a protein that has already been measured and a peptide derived from the protein is automatically stored in an internal database. The stored data is collated with measured data with high accuracy to determine an isotope peak. In this way, the process of selecting a peptide peak that has not been measured as the target for the next tandem analysis can be performed within the real time of measurement and a redundant measurement of peptides derived from the same protein can be avoided.

Abstract: A tandem analysis system is provided for ionizing a substance, performing mass spectrometric analysis of various ion types generated, selecting and dissociating an ion type, the ion type having a specific mass-to-charge ratio, and thereby, repeating mass spectrometric analysis measurement on the ion of the ion type over n-th stages. A processing judges control content for the analysis next to MSn (the n-th stage mass spectrometric analysis) within a predetermined time, based on ion intensity being represented by an ion peak with respect to the mass-to-charge ratio of each ion in the MSn result. An ion detection unit judges isotope-peak from the measured ionized data. Assuming that the MS1 count number of a parent-ion peptide measured during a certain constant time-interval is I, a data processing unit makes the MS2 integration number-of-times or analysis time of the peptide proportional to 1/I.

Abstract: In a method for mass spectrometry, a plurality of juxtaposed chromatography apparatus connected to a mass spectrometer start eluting at a predetermined time difference and the following mass spectrometer conducts mass spectrometry. A chromatogram in a preceding chromatography apparatus is analyzed on real time base and results of the analysis are used on real time base to change an elusion condition of a succeeding chromatography apparatus. A mass spectrometric system suitable for carrying out the method is also provided.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to evaluate quantitatively a peptide derived from a protein, whose analysis has been difficult so far, by analyzing a peptide ion derived from a protein already measured but having a different total ion amount as the tandem mass analysis target at the time of quantitatively evaluating a fluctuating component between different kinds of specimens by the tandem mass analysis of a protein or a peptide. In the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, data of a derived peptide obtained by a first time measurement are stored automatically in an internal database and collated with second time measurement data highly accurately. The processing for selecting the peak of the already measured peptide with the relative amount fluctuation as the next tandem analysis target is implemented within the real time of the measurement for avoiding the analysis of a peptide without the relative amount fluctuation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a tandem type mass analysis system capable of carrying out the differential analysis with high efficiency by the tandem type mass analysis. A predetermined number of m/z regions are set up for carrying out the mass analysis with the all ions included therein being dissociated collectively for each m/z region so as to obtain measurement MS2 data. By comparing the measurement MS2 data with reference MS2 data stored in a reference data base, a difference thereof is detected. For the m/z region with a differential component detected, the mass analysis is carried out collectively without dissociation for the all ions included therein so as to obtain measurement MS1 data. By comparing the measurement MS1 data with the reference MS1 data, a difference thereof is detected. From the difference thereof, a parent ion considered to be the differential component factor is presumed for carrying out the mass analysis with the same being dissociated.

Abstract: In a method of measuring by a tandem mass spectrometer a sample labeled with an isotope, measuring throughput is improved. In a technique in which tandem mass spectrometer is used to analyze a sample labeled with an isotope, spectra obtained by a first-stage measurement (MS1) are analyzed during a measuring session in a realtime fashion to determine ions to be used in second-stage and subsequent dissociation• spectral measurement (MS2).