A method for inspecting a sample with a multi-electron beam inspection system (100) is described. The method includes: placing the sample on a movable stage (110) extending in an X-Y-plane; generating a plurality of electron beams (105) propagating toward the sample; focusing the plurality of electron beams on the sample at a plurality of probe positions (106) in a two-dimensional array; scanning the sample surface by moving the movable stage in a predetermined scanning pattern while maintaining the plurality of electron beams stationary; and detecting signal electrons emitted from the sample during the movement of the movable stage for inspecting the sample. Further, a multi-electron beam inspection system (100) for inspecting a sample according to the above method is described.

Some disclosed embodiments include an electron detector comprising: a first semiconductor layer having a first portion and a second portion; a second semiconductor layer; a third semiconductor layer; a PIN region formed by the first, second, and third semiconductor layers; a power supply configured to apply a reverse bias between the first and the third semiconductor layers; and a depletion region formed within the PIN region by the reverse bias and configured to generate a detector signal based on a first subset of the plurality of signal electrons captured within the depletion region, wherein the second portion of the first semiconductor layer is not depleted and is configured to provide an energy barrier to block a second subset of the plurality of signal electrons and to allow the first subset of the plurality of signal electrons to pass through to reach the depletion region.

An improved apparatus and method for facilitating inspection of a wafer are disclosed. An improved method for facilitating inspection of a wafer comprises identifying a plurality of repeating patterns from reference image data associated with a layout design of the wafer. The method also comprises determining a pattern feature of one of the identified plurality of repeating patterns based on a change of a first characteristic of the reference image data. The method further comprises causing a first area of the wafer corresponding to the determined pattern feature to be evaluated.

The system described herein relates to a method for operating a beam apparatus, such as a particle beam apparatus or laser beam apparatus, a computer program product and a beam apparatus for carrying out the method, and to an object holder for an object that, for example, is able to be arranged in a particle beam apparatus. The method includes generating a marking on an object holder using a laser beam of a laser beam device and/or using a particle beam of the particle beam apparatus, where the particle beam includes charged particles, arranging an object on the object holder, moving the object holder, positioning the particle beam and/or the laser beam in relative fashion in relation to the object using the marking, and processing, imaging and/or analyzing the object using the particle beam and/or the laser beam.

The present invention provides: a scintillator which is reduced in the intensity of the afterglow, while having increased luminous intensity; and a charged particle radiation apparatus. A scintillator according to the present invention is characterized in that: a base material, a buffer layer, a light emitting part and a first conductive layer are sequentially stacked in this order; the light emitting part contains one or more elements that are selected from the group consisting of Ga, Zn, In, Al, Cd, Mg, Ca and Sr; and a second conductive layer is provided between the base material and the light emitting part.

Apparatuses, systems, and methods for inspecting a semiconductor sample are disclosed. In some embodiments, the sample may comprise a structure having a plurality of openings in a top layer of the structure. In some embodiments, the method may comprise generating an image of the structure using a SEM; inspecting an opening of the plurality of openings by determining a dimension of the opening based on the image and determining an open-state of the opening, based on a contrast of the image; and determining a quality of the opening based on both the determined dimension and the determined open-state of the opening.

An object of the invention is to quantitatively evaluate crystal growth amount in a wide range from an undergrowth state to an overgrowth state with nondestructive inspection. By using a plenty of image feature values such as pattern brightness, a pattern area and a pattern shape which are extracted from an SEM image, and depending on whether brightness inside a pattern is lower than brightness outside the pattern (401), undergrowth and overgrowth is determined (402, 405). Based on a brightness difference or the pattern area, a growth amount index or a normality index of crystal growth in a concave pattern such as a hole pattern or a trench pattern is calculated (404, 407).

A system and a method for monitoring a beam in an inspection system are provided. The system includes an image sensor configured to collect a sequence of images of a beam spot of a beam formed on a surface, each image of the sequence of images having been collected at a different exposure time of the image sensor, and a controller configured to combine the sequence of images to obtain a beam profile of the beam.

A device (1) for detecting a concentration of predetermined particles, particularly viruses, in air (3) with organic and/or inorganic aerosol particles, has a supply unit (10), an imaging unit (20), an image acquisition unit (40) and an evaluation unit (50). The supply unit (10) binds the aerosol particles as particles in a fluid (4). The imaging unit (20) operates on the functional principle of a scanning electron microscope in order to generate an enlarged image of the particles contained in the fluid (4). The image acquisition unit (40) acquires and transmits the image. The evaluation unit (50) evaluates the particles depicted in the image. The evaluation unit (50) automatically detects morphological properties of the particles depicted in the image and compares the detected morphological properties with morphological properties of the predetermined particles. Through the comparison, it determines a proportion and/or number of predetermined particles in the image and the concentration of the predetermined particles in the air (3).

The system described herein relates to a method for operating a beam apparatus, such as a particle beam apparatus or laser beam apparatus, a computer program product and a beam apparatus for carrying out the method, and to an object holder for an object that, for example, is able to be arranged in a particle beam apparatus. The method includes generating a marking on an object holder using a laser beam of a laser beam device and/or using a particle beam of the particle beam apparatus, where the particle beam includes charged particles, arranging an object on the object holder, moving the object holder, positioning the particle beam and/or the laser beam in relative fashion in relation to the object using the marking, and processing, imaging and/or analyzing the object using the particle beam and/or the laser beam.