Abstract: With conventional optical axis adjustment, a charged particle beam will not be perpendicularly incident to a sample, affecting the measurements of a pattern being observed. Highly precise measurement and correction of a microscopic inclination angle are difficult. Therefore, in the present invention, in a state where a charged particle beam is irradiated toward a sample, a correction of the inclination of the charged particle beam toward the sample is performed on the basis of secondary electron scanning image information from a reflector plate. From the secondary electron scanning image information, a deviation vector for charged particle beam deflectors is adjusted, causing the charged particle beam to be perpendicularly incident to the sample. At least two stages of charged particle beam deflectors are provided.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a charged particle beam device with which information based on a charged particle which is discharged from a bottom part of high-aspect structure is revealed more than with previous technology. To achieve the objective, proposed is a charged particle beam device comprising: a first orthogonal electromagnetic field generator which deflects charged particles which are discharged from a material; a second orthogonal electromagnetic field generator which further deflects the charged particles which are deflected by the first orthogonal electromagnetic field generator; an aperture forming member having a charged particle beam pass-through aperture; and a third orthogonal electromagnetic field generator which deflects the charged particles which have passed through the aperture forming member.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus capable of measuring a potential of a sample surface by using a charged particle beam, or of detecting a compensation value of a variation in an apparatus condition which changes due to sample charging, by measuring a sample potential caused by irradiation with the charged particle beam. In order to achieve the object, a method and an apparatus are provided in which charged particle beams (2(a), 2(b)) emitted from a sample (23) are deflected by a charged particle deflector (33) in a state in which the sample (23) is irradiated with a charged particle beam (1), and information regarding a sample potential is detected by using a signal obtained at that time.

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 charged particle beam apparatus having an opening formation member formed with an opening for passage of a charged particle beam emitted from a charged particle source, and either a detector adapted to detect charged particles having passed through the passage opening or a detector adapted to detect charged particles resulting from bombardment on another member of the charged particles having passed through the opening, comprises an aligner for aligning charged particles discharged from the sample and a control unit for controlling the aligner, wherein the control unit controls the aligner to cause it to shift trajectories of the charged particles discharged from the sample so that length measurement may be executed on the basis of detection signals before and after the alignment by the aligner.

Abstract: The charged particle beam apparatus having an opening formation member formed with an opening for passage of a charged particle beam emitted from a charged particle source, and either a detector adapted to detect charged particles having passed through the passage opening or a detector adapted to detect charged particles resulting from bombardment on another member of the charged particles having passed through the opening, comprises an aligner for aligning charged particles discharged from the sample and a control unit for controlling the aligner, wherein the control unit controls the aligner to cause it to shift trajectories of the charged particles discharged from the sample so that length measurement may be executed on the basis of detection signals before and after the alignment by the aligner.