A method of acquiring a sample for evaluation of a SiC single crystal, comprising: a step of cutting a SiC ingot in a radial direction at a thickness position, which is located in a range from a curved surface which forms a distal end surface in a crystal growth direction to a seed crystal, to obtain a head member which includes the curved surface, wherein the SiC ingot used in the step is a SiC ingot in which SiC thereof is crystal-grown from a seed crystal along a c axis direction; and a step of polishing a silicon surface of the head member to obtain a sample for evaluation.

A method of acquiring a sample for evaluation of a SiC single crystal, comprising: a step of cutting a SiC ingot in a radial direction at a thickness position, which is located in a range from a curved surface which forms a distal end surface in a crystal growth direction to a seed crystal, to obtain a head member which includes the curved surface, wherein the SiC ingot used in the step is a SiC ingot in which SiC thereof is crystal-grown from a seed crystal along a c axis direction; and a step of polishing a silicon surface of the head member to obtain a sample for evaluation.

Crystallographic information of crystalline sample can be determined from one or more three-dimensional diffraction pattern datasets generated based on diffraction patterns collected from multiple crystals. The crystals for diffraction pattern acquisition may be selected based on a sample image. At a location of each selected crystal, multiple diffraction patterns of the crystal are acquired at different angles of incidence by tilting the electron beam, wherein the sample is not rotated while the electron beam is directed at the selected crystal.

Crystallographic information of crystalline sample can be determined from one or more three-dimensional diffraction pattern datasets generated based on diffraction patterns collected from multiple crystals. The crystals for diffraction pattern acquisition may be selected based on a sample image. At a location of each selected crystal, multiple diffraction patterns of the crystal are acquired at different angles of incidence by tilting the electron beam, wherein the sample is not rotated while the electron beam is directed at the selected crystal.

A sample holder capable of quickly and precisely performing single-crystal X-ray structure analysis by quickly and easily soaking a sample in a crystalline sponge, and also a sample holder unit and a soaking method therefor are provided. There are provided a sample holder used in a single-crystal X-ray structure analysis apparatus is provided, the sample holder comprising a base part attached to a goniometer in the single-crystal X-ray structure analysis apparatus; a sample holding part formed in the base part to hold the porous complex crystal capable of soaking the sample in a plurality of fine pores formed therein; and a sample introduction structure formed in the base part and introducing the sample to be soaked in the porous complex.

A sample holder capable of quickly and precisely performing single-crystal X-ray structure analysis by quickly and easily soaking a sample in a crystalline sponge, and also a sample holder unit and a soaking method therefor are provided. There are provided a sample holder used in a single-crystal X-ray structure analysis apparatus is provided, the sample holder comprising a base part attached to a goniometer in the single-crystal X-ray structure analysis apparatus; a sample holding part formed in the base part to hold the porous complex crystal capable of soaking the sample in a plurality of fine pores formed therein; and a sample introduction structure formed in the base part and introducing the sample to be soaked in the porous complex.

A method for improving the quality/integrity of an EBSD/TKD map, wherein each data point is assigned to a corresponding grid point of a sample grid and represents crystal information based on a Kikuchi pattern detected for the grid point; comprising determining a defective data point of the EBSD/TKD map and a plurality of non-defective neighboring data points, comparing the position of Kikuchi bands of a Kikuchi pattern detected for a grid point corresponding to the defective data point with the positions of bands in at least one simulated Kikuchi pattern corresponding to crystal information of the neighboring data points and assigning the defective data point the crystal information of one of the plurality of neighboring data point based on the comparison.

Methods and systems for measuring structural and material characteristics of semiconductor structures based on wavelength resolved, soft x-ray reflectometry (WR-SXR) at multiple diffraction orders are presented. WR-SXR measurements are simultaneous, high throughput measurements over multiple diffraction orders with broad spectral width. The availability of wavelength resolved signal information at each of the multiple diffraction orders improves measurement accuracy and throughput. Each non-zero diffraction order includes multiple measurement points, each different measurement point associated with a different wavelength. In some embodiments, WR-SXR measurements are performed with x-ray radiation energy in a range of 10-5,000 electron volts at grazing angles of incidence in a range of 1-45 degrees. In some embodiments, the illumination beam is controlled to have relatively high divergence in one direction and relatively low divergence in a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction. In some embodiments, multiple detectors are employed, each detecting different diffraction orders.

Methods and systems for measuring structural and material characteristics of semiconductor structures based on wavelength resolved, soft x-ray reflectometry (WR-SXR) at multiple diffraction orders are presented. WR-SXR measurements are simultaneous, high throughput measurements over multiple diffraction orders with broad spectral width. The availability of wavelength resolved signal information at each of the multiple diffraction orders improves measurement accuracy and throughput. Each non-zero diffraction order includes multiple measurement points, each different measurement point associated with a different wavelength. In some embodiments, WR-SXR measurements are performed with x-ray radiation energy in a range of 10-5,000 electron volts at grazing angles of incidence in a range of 1-45 degrees. In some embodiments, the illumination beam is controlled to have relatively high divergence in one direction and relatively low divergence in a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction. In some embodiments, multiple detectors are employed, each detecting different diffraction orders.

Apparatus and methods for coherent diffraction imaging This is accomplished by acquiring data in a CDI setup with a CMOS or similar detector. The object is illuminated with coherent light such as EUV light which may be pulsed. This generates diffraction patterns which are collected by the detector, either in frames or continuously (by recording the scan position during collection). Pixels in the CDI data are thresholded and set to zero photons if the pixel is below the threshold level. Pixels above the threshold may be set to a value indicating one photon, or multiple thresholds may be used to set pixels values to one photon, two photons, etc. In addition, multiple threshold values may be used to detect different photon energies for illumination at multiple wavelengths.