According to one aspect of the present invention, an electron beam mask inspection apparatus, includes: a first electrode plate in which an opening is formed, arranged between an objective lens and a mask substrate, an electron beam passing through the opening; a mark arranged above a stage so as to be spaced apart from the mask substrate and having a figure pattern formed on its surface; and a second electrode plate arranged at a height position lower than the first electrode plate and equal to or higher than a height position of the surface of the mask substrate, the second electrode plate being arranged so as to cover a gap between the mask substrate and the mark, wherein a same potential as the first potential applied to the surface of the mask substrate is applied to the first electrode plate, the mark, and the second electrode plate.

There is provided a transmission X-ray diffraction (XRD) apparatus, the transmission XRD apparatus including an X-ray source for generating a direct X-ray beam; sample holder for receiving the sample, the sample being positioned to receive the direct X-ray beam when held by the sample holder; a detector for receiving X-rays transmitted through the sample and outputting an X-ray diffraction pattern therefrom; and an optical element positioned between the X-ray source and the detector, the optical element including a Montel optic and a secondary pin-hole collimator collectively adapted to focus the direct X-ray beam on the detector, wherein a ratio between a dimension of the direct X-ray beam projected on the detector and a sample-to-detector distance is equal or smaller than 1/570. Related methods are also provided.

There is provided an evaluation method of evaluating the density of a sample. The evaluation method starts with acquiring a backscattered electron spectrum from the sample. Then, an elastically scattered peak of the spectrum is separated into a plurality of minor peaks by waveform separation. Information about the positions and widths of the minor peaks is derived. The chemical elements making up the sample are identified from the positions and widths of the minor peaks.