Abstract: Conventional devices have been difficult to use due to insufficient consideration being given to factors such as the cost necessary for diaphragm replacement and the convenience of the work. In the present invention, a diaphragm mounting member installed in a charged particle beam device for radiating a primary charged particle beam through a diaphragm separating a vacuum space and an atmospheric pressure space onto a sample placed in the atmospheric pressure space is provided with a diaphragm installation portion to which a TEM membrane is mounted and a casing fixing portion mounted on a casing of the charged particle beam device. The diaphragm installation portion has a positioning structure for positioning a platform on which the diaphragm is held.

Abstract: In a SEM device which enables observations under an atmospheric pressure, in the event that a diaphragm is damaged during an observation of a sample, air flows into a charged particle optical barrel from the vicinity of the sample, due to the differential pressure between the inside of the charged particle optical barrel under vacuum and the vicinity of the sample under the atmospheric pressure. At this time, the sample may be sucked into the charged particle optical barrel. In this case, a charged particle optical system and a detector are contaminated thereby, which causes performance degradation or failures of the charged particle microscope. For coping therewith, it is necessary to prevent the charged particle optical barrel from being contaminated, without inducing a time lag, with a simple structure.

Abstract: There is provided a charged particle beam apparatus having the function of permitting observation of a sample in a gas atmosphere or in a liquid state, the apparatus being intended to let a dry sample be observed as it is getting saturated with an introduced liquid and to prevent a charged particle beam from getting scattered by an unwanted liquid introduced between a diaphragm and the sample. This invention provides a structure including an inlet-outlet part (300) that brings in and out a desired liquid or gas in the direction of the underside or the side of the sample (6), the structure being arranged so that the sample (6) is irradiated with a primary charged particle beam while the sample (6) and the diaphragm (10) are kept out of contact with each other.

Abstract: An electron microscope has a large depth of focus in comparison with an optical microscope. Thus, information is superimposed on one image in the direction of depth. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately specify the three-dimensional position and density of a structure in a specimen so as to observe the three-dimensional structure of the interior of the specimen by using the electron microscope. Furthermore, a specimen that is observed with the optical microscope on a slide glass is not put into a TEM device of the related art. Thus, performing three-dimensional internal structure observation with the electron microscope on a location that is observed with the optical microscope requires very cumbersome preparation of the specimen.

Abstract: In a SEM device which enables observations under an atmospheric pressure, in the event that a diaphragm is damaged during an observation of a sample, air flows into a charged particle optical barrel from the vicinity of the sample, due to the differential pressure between the inside of the charged particle optical barrel under vacuum and the vicinity of the sample under the atmospheric pressure. At this time, the sample may be sucked into the charged particle optical barrel. In this case, a charged particle optical system and a detector are contaminated thereby, which causes performance degradation or failures of the charged particle microscope. For coping therewith, it is necessary to prevent the charged particle optical barrel from being contaminated, without inducing a time lag, with a simple structure.

Abstract: A charged particle beam device (1) includes a charged particle optical lens barrel (10), a support housing (20) equipped with the charged particle optical lens barrel (10) thereon, and an insertion housing (30) inserted in the support housing (20). A first aperture member (15) is disposed in the vicinity of the center of the magnetic field of an objective lens, and a second aperture member (15) is disposed so as to externally close an opening part provided at the upper side of the insertion housing (30). Further, when a primary charged particle beam (12) is irradiated to a sample (60) arranged under the lower side of the second aperture member (31), secondary charged particles thus emitted are detected by a detector (16).

Abstract: In a charged particle beam device that performs observation of a sample under a gas environment in atmospheric pressure or pressure substantially equal to the atmospheric pressure, a diaphragm that separates an atmospheric pressure space, in which the sample is placed, and a vacuum space in an interior of an electron optical lens barrel is made very thin in order to allow an electron beam to transmit therethrough and damaged with a high possibility. Although at the time of replacing the diaphragm, it is necessary to adjust a position of a diaphragm, it is impossible to easily perform the adjustment of the position of the diaphragm by a conventional method.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the effort in placement and extraction of samples in observations using transmitted charged particles. A charged particle beam device (601) is characterized by having: a charged particle optical lens tube that irradiates a sample (6) with a primary charged particle beam; a sample stage on which a light emitting member (500) that emits light because of charged particles that have come by transmission internally in the sample (6) or scattering therefrom or a sample platform (600) having the light emitting member (500) is attachably and detachably disposed; and a detector (503) that detects the light emitted by the light emitting member.

Abstract: All of the conventional charged particle beam devices are designed only for the observation at atmospheric pressure or in gas atmosphere at a pressure substantially equal to the atmospheric pressure, and there is no device enabling easy observation using a typical high-vacuum charged particle microscope at atmospheric pressure or in gas atmosphere at a pressure substantially equal to the atmospheric pressure. Such a conventional technique has another problem that the distance between the diaphragm and a sample cannot be controlled, and so it has a high risk of breakage of the diaphragm.

Abstract: A sample observation method uses a charged particle beam apparatus comprising a charged particle optical column irradiating a charged particle beam, a vacuum chamber, and a sample chamber being capable of storing a sample. The method includes maintaining a pressure of the sample chamber higher than that of the vacuum chamber by a thin film which permits the charged particle beam to be transmitted, determining a relation between a height of a lower surface of the thin film and a height of a lower end of a lens barrel of an optical microscope, measuring a distance between the sample and the lens barrel, and setting a distance between the sample and thin film based on the relation and the distance.

Abstract: A charged particle beam device capable of observing a sample in an air atmosphere or gas atmosphere has a thin film for separating the atmospheric pressure space from the decompressed space. A vacuum evacuation pump evacuates a first housing; and a detector detects a charged particle beam (obtained by irradiation of the sample) in the first housing. A thin film is provided to separate the inside of the first housing and the inside of a second housing at least along part of the interface between the first and second housings. An opening part is formed in the thin film so that its opening area on a charged particle irradiation unit's side is larger than its opening area on the sample side; and the thin film which covers the sample side of the opening part transmits or allows through the primary charged particle beam and the charged particle beam.

Abstract: Provided is a charged particle beam apparatus (111) to and from which a diaphragm (101) can be easily attached and detached, and in which a sample (6) can be arranged under vacuum and under high pressure. The charged particle beam apparatus includes: a lens barrel (3) holding a charged particle source (110) and an electron optical system (1,2,7); a first housing (4) connected to the lens barrel (3); a second housing (100) recessed to inside the first housing (4); a first diaphragm (10) separating the space inside the lens barrel (3) and the space inside the first housing (4), and through which the charged particle beam passes; a second diaphragm (101) separating the spaces inside and outside the recessed section (100a) in the second housing (100), and through which the charged particle beam passes; and a pipe (23) connected to a third housing (22) accommodating the charged particle source (110).

Abstract: This charged particle beam device irradiates a primary charged particle beam generated from a charged particle microscope onto a sample arranged on a light-emitting member that makes up at least a part of a sample base, and, in addition to obtaining charged particle microscope images by the light-emitting member detecting charged particles transmitted through or scattered inside the sample, obtains optical microscope images by means of an optical microscope while the sample is still arranged on the sample platform.

Abstract: A charged particle beam device provided with: a charged particle optical lens column generating a primary charged particle beam; a housing which has its inside evacuated by a vacuum pump; a first diaphragm that forms a part of the housing and able to keep an airtight state of the interior space of the housing; and a second diaphragm disposed between the first diaphragm and the sample, wherein a primary charged particle beam generated by the charged particle optical lens column is transmitted by or passes through the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm, and then is irradiated, on the sample that is in contact with the second diaphragm.

Abstract: A charged particle beam device capable of observing a sample in an air atmosphere or gas atmosphere has a thin film for separating the atmospheric pressure space from the decompressed space. A vacuum evacuation pump evacuates a first housing; and a detector detects a charged particle beam (obtained by irradiation of the sample) in the first housing. A thin film is provided to separate the inside of the first housing and the inside of a second housing at least along part of the interface between the first and second housings. An opening part is formed in the thin film so that its opening area on a charged particle irradiation unit's side is larger than its opening area on the sample side; and the thin film which covers the sample side of the opening part transmits or allows through the primary charged particle beam and the charged particle beam.

Abstract: A sample storage container of the present invention includes: a storage container (100) that stores a sample (6) under an atmosphere different from an atmosphere of an outside; a diaphragm (10) through which a charged particle beam passes through or transmits; a sample stage (103) that is arranged inside the storage container (100) and that is capable of moving a relative position of the sample (6) to the diaphragm (10) in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direction under an atmospheric state where the atmospheric states inside the storage container and outside the storage container are different each other; and an operating section (104) that moves the sample stage (103) from an outside of the storage container (100), wherein the sample storage container is set in a state where the sample (6) is stored in a vacuum chamber of a charged particle beam apparatus.

Abstract: All of the conventional charged particle beam devices are designed only for the observation at atmospheric pressure or in gas atmosphere at a pressure substantially equal to the atmospheric pressure, and there is no device enabling easy observation using a typical high-vacuum charged particle microscope at atmospheric pressure or in gas atmosphere at a pressure substantially equal to the atmospheric pressure. Such a conventional technique has another problem that the distance between the diaphragm and a sample cannot be controlled, and so it has a high risk of breakage of the diaphragm.

Abstract: Ordinary charged particle beam apparatuses have each been an apparatus manufactured for dedicated use in making observations in a gas atmosphere at atmospheric pressure or at a pressure substantially equal thereto. There have existed no devices capable of simply making observations using an ordinary high-vacuum charged particle microscope in a gas atmosphere at atmospheric pressure or at a pressure approximately equal thereto. Furthermore, ordinary techniques have been incapable of observing the same spot of the sample in such an atmosphere using a charged particle beam and light simultaneously.

Abstract: A sample observation method includes irradiating a sample with a primary charged particle beam, detecting a secondary charged particle signal obtained by the irradiating, and observing the sample. The method is characterized by causing the primary charged particle beam generated in a charged particle optical lens barrel, which is maintained in a vacuum state, to be transmitted or passed through a separating film disposed to isolate a space in which the sample is placed from the charged particle optical lens barrel; and detecting a transmitted charged particle beam obtained by irradiating the sample, placed in an atmospheric pressure or a predetermined gas atmosphere of a slightly negative pressure state compared with the atmospheric pressure, with the primary charged particle beam.