An electrode for manipulating an ion beam. The electrode may include an insert having an ion beam aperture to conduct the ion beam therethrough, the insert comprising a first electrically conductive material; a frame disposed around the insert and comprising a second electrically conductive material; and an outer portion, the outer portion disposed around the frame and comprising a third electrically conductive material, wherein the insert is reversibly detachable from the frame, and wherein the frame is reversibly attachable from the outer portion.

A film forming apparatus configured to form a film on part of a work. The film forming apparatus comprises a film forming vessel comprising a first mold located above the work and a second mold located below the work to be opposed to the first mold. The first mold is configured to include a first recessed portion that is recessed upward viewed from a film formation target part of the work and a first planar portion arranged around the first recessed portion. The second mold is configured to include a second planar portion in a place opposed to the first planar portion. The film forming apparatus also comprises a first seal member located between the first planar portion and the work. The first seal member is configured to come into contact with the first planar portion and the work when the work is away from the first planar portion. The film forming apparatus further comprises a second seal member located between the second planar portion and the work. The second seal member is configured to come into contact with the second planar portion and the work when the work is away from the second planar portion. The second seal member is provided on a lower face of the work. This configuration suppresses poor film formation when the seal member is placed between the film forming vessel and the work.

The invention relates to a method for producing a structure in a lithographic material, wherein the structure in the lithographic material is defined by means of a writing beam of an exposure device, in that a plurality of partial structures are written sequentially, wherein for writing the partial structures a write field of the exposure device is displaced and positioned sequentially and that a partial structure is written in the write field in each case, and wherein for positioning of the write field a reference structure is detected by means of an imaging measuring device. For calibration of the write field in the respectively positioned write field, before, during or after writing a partial structure, at least one reference structure element assigned to this partial structure is produced in the lithographic material with the writing beam, wherein the reference structure element after the displacement of the write field is detected by means of the imaging measuring device for writing a further partial structure.

The present application relates to an apparatus for processing a photolithographic mask, said apparatus comprising: (a) at least one time-varying particle beam, which is embodied for a local deposition reaction and/or a local etching reaction on the photolithographic mask; (b) at least one first means for providing at least one precursor gas, wherein the precursor gas is embodied to interact with the particle beam during the local deposition reaction and/or the local etching reaction; and (c) at least one second means, which reduces a mean angle of incidence (φ) between the time-varying particle beam and a surface of the photolithographic mask.

The present application relates to an apparatus for processing a photolithographic mask, said apparatus comprising: (a) at least one time-varying particle beam, which is embodied for a local deposition reaction and/or a local etching reaction on the photolithographic mask; (b) at least one first means for providing at least one precursor gas, wherein the precursor gas is embodied to interact with the particle beam during the local deposition reaction and/or the local etching reaction; and (c) at least one second means, which reduces a mean angle of incidence (φ) between the time-varying particle beam and a surface of the photolithographic mask.

A detection circuit for accurately detecting a very small foreign material and an inspection/measurement device using the same are provided. The inspection/measurement device includes: an irradiation section that irradiates a laser beam to a surface of a specimen; and a detection section that detects scattered light from the surface of the specimen and generates a detection signal. The detection section includes: a photon counting sensor that outputs M output signals from photo-detecting elements of N pixels (M and N are natural numbers, and M<N); M current-voltage conversion sections that execute current-voltage conversion on the output signals of the photon counting sensor respectively; a voltage application section that applies reference voltages to the current-voltage conversion sections; and a detection signal generation section that generates a detection signal on the basis of the outputs of the current-voltage conversion sections.

A spectral reflectometer system for measuring a substrate is provided. A light source is provided. At least one optical detector is provided. An optical cable comprises a plurality of optical fibers, wherein the plurality of optical fibers comprises a first plurality of optical fibers, which are transmission optical fibers which extend from the light source to an optical path, and a second plurality of optical fibers, which are reflection optical fibers which extend from the optical path to the at least one optical detector. A microlens array is in the optical path.

A spectral reflectometer system for measuring a substrate is provided. A light source is provided. At least one optical detector is provided. An optical cable comprises a plurality of optical fibers, wherein the plurality of optical fibers comprises a first plurality of optical fibers, which are transmission optical fibers which extend from the light source to an optical path, and a second plurality of optical fibers, which are reflection optical fibers which extend from the optical path to the at least one optical detector. A microlens array is in the optical path.

An analysis method using an electron microscope, detects by a first electronography detector an electron beam transmitted through or scattered by a sample to detect an ADF image of the sample, detects by a second electronography detector the electron beam passing through the first electronography detector to detect an MABF image, adjusts a focal point of the electron beam to be located on the film of the sample to obtain first and second electronographies by the second and first electronography detectors, respectively, adjusts the focal point of the electron beam to be located on the substrate of the sample to obtain third and fourth electronographies by the second and first electronography detectors, respectively, aligns positions of the second and fourth electronographies based on the first and third electronographies, and after the aligning, subtracts the fourth electronography from the second electronography to obtain an image of the film.

In one embodiment, a settling time determination method includes deflecting a charged particle beam by applying a voltage outputted from an amplifier to a first deflector while changing a deflection settling time, and writing an evaluation pattern, measuring a position of the evaluation pattern, and determining a position displacement amount of the measured position from a design position, performing fitting of the position displacement amount for the deflection settling time on a first output waveform of the amplifier, and determining a deflection settling time in which the position displacement amount is within a predetermined range.