An X-ray defraction (XRD) characterization method for sigma=3 twin defects in cubic semiconductor (100) wafers includes a concentration measurement method and a wafer mapping method for any cubic tetrahedral semiconductor wafers including GaAs (100) wafers and Si (100) wafers. The methods use the cubic semiconductor's (004) pole figure in order to detect sigma=3/{111} twin defects. The XRD methods are applicable to any (100) wafers of tetrahedral cubic semiconductors in the diamond structure (Si, Ge, C) and cubic zinc-blend structure (InP, InGaAs, CdTe, ZnSe, and so on) with various growth methods such as Liquid Encapsulated Czochralski (LEC) growth, Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE), Organometallic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (OMVPE), Czochralski growth and Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) growth.

A crystalline phase contained in a sample is identified, from X-ray diffraction data of the sample which contain data of a plurality of ring-shaped diffraction patterns, using a database in which are registered data related to peak positions and peak intensity ratios of X-ray diffraction patterns for a plurality of crystalline phases. Peak positions and peak intensities for a plurality of the diffraction patterns are detected from the X-ray diffraction data (step 102), and the circumferential angle versus intensity data of the diffraction patterns is created (step 103). The diffraction patterns are grouped into a plurality of clusters on the basis of the circumferential angle versus intensity data (step 105). Crystalline phase candidates contained in the sample are searched from the database on the basis of sets of ratios of peak positions and peak intensities of the diffraction patterns grouped into the same cluster (step 106).

A method of determining the spatial orientation of a two-dimensional detector in an X-ray diffractometry system, and calibrating the detector position in response thereto, uses diffraction patterns from a powder sample collected at a plurality of detector swing angles. The overlapping of the detected patterns indicates relative errors in the detector orientation. In particular, intersection points between the different diffraction patterns may be located, and their relative locations may be used to identify errors. Such errors may be in the detector position, or they may be errors in different rotational directions, such as roll, pitch or yaw. Determination and correction of the detector orientation using this method may be part of a calibration routine for the diffractometry system. Roll error may also be determined using a single measurement with the detector at a swing angle perpendicular to the X-ray beam.

An apparatus for detecting Kikuchi diffraction patterns is provided. The apparatus comprises: an electron column adapted in use to provide an electron beam directed towards a sample, the electron beam having an energy in the range 2 keV to 50 keV, and; an imaging detector for receiving and counting electrons from the sample due to interaction of the electron beam with the sample, the detector comprising an array of pixels and having a count rate capability of at least 2,000 electrons per second for each pixel, wherein: the imaging detector is adapted to provide electronic energy filtering of the received electrons in order to count the received electrons which are representative of the said diffraction pattern, and the particle detector has an inert layer on the surface where the electrons enter towards the active region of the detector, wherein the inert layer disperses the detected energy of 20 keV incident electrons with an energy spread having a full-width half maximum less than 3.2 keV. A method for detecting Kikuchi diffraction patterns is also provided.

An on-line energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD) analyser for mineralogical analysis of material in a process stream or a sample is disclosed. The analyser includes a collimated X-ray source to produce a diverging beam of polychromatic X-rays, and an energy resolving X-ray detector, and a substantially X-ray transparent member having the form of a solid of revolution which is circularly symmetric about a central axis between the collimated X-ray source and the energy resolving X-ray detector, an outer surface of the X-ray transparent member positionable adjacent the material to be analysed. A primary beam collimator is disposed adjacent to or within the substantially X-ray transparent member to substantially prevent direct transmission of polychromatic X-rays emitted from the source to the detector. The analyser is configured such that the diverging beam of polychromatic X-rays are directed towards the substantially X-ray transparent member, and where the energy resolving X-ray detector collects a portion of the beam of X-rays diffracted by the material and outputs a signal containing energy information of the collected, diffracted X-rays.

Methods and systems for characterizing dimensions and material properties of semiconductor devices by full beam x-ray scatterometry are described herein. A full beam x-ray scatterometry measurement involves illuminating a sample with an X-ray beam and detecting the intensities of the resulting zero diffraction order and higher diffraction orders simultaneously for one or more angles of incidence relative to the sample. The simultaneous measurement of the direct beam and the scattered orders enables high throughput measurements with improved accuracy. The full beam x-ray scatterometry system includes one or more photon counting detectors with high dynamic range and thick, highly absorptive crystal substrates that absorb the direct beam with minimal parasitic backscattering. In other aspects, model based measurements are performed based on the zero diffraction order beam, and measurement performance of the full beam x-ray scatterometry system is estimated and controlled based on properties of the measured zero order beam.

An X-ray diffraction method measures crystallite size distribution in a polycrystalline sample using an X-ray diffractometer with a two-dimensional detector. The diffraction pattern collected contains several spotty diffraction rings. The spottiness of the diffraction rings is related to the size, size distribution and orientation distribution of the crystallites as well as the diffractometer condition. The invention allows obtaining of the diffraction intensities of all measured crystallites at perfect Bragg condition so that the crystallite size distribution can be measured based on the 2D diffraction patterns.

A charged particle beam apparatus includes a movement mechanism, a particle source, an optical element, a detector, and a control mechanism configured to control, based on an observation condition, the movement mechanism, the particle source, the optical element, and the detector. The control mechanism is configured to acquire a diffraction pattern image including a plurality of Kikuchi lines as a comparison image after inclining the movement mechanism by a first angle, evaluate an error between an inclination angle of the sample and a target inclination angle using a reference image of a reference diffraction pattern and the comparison image, and control inclination of the movement mechanism based on an evaluation result.

Provided is a method of analyzing a diffraction pattern of a mixture, the method including: a first step of fitting, through use of a fitting pattern including a term obtained by multiplying a known target pattern indicating a target component by a first intensity ratio, and a term obtained by multiplying an unknown pattern indicating a residual group consisting of one or more residual components by a second intensity ratio, and having the first intensity ratio, the second intensity ratio, and the unknown pattern as fitting parameters, the fitting pattern to the observed pattern by changing the first and the second intensity ratio in a state where the unknown pattern is set to an initial pattern; and a second step of fitting the fitting pattern to the observed pattern by changing the unknown pattern while restricting the changes of the first and the second intensity ratio.

A method for measuring a fiber orientation degree includes: irradiating a sample formed of a composite material containing discontinuous carbon fibers with an X-ray to acquire an X-ray diffraction image; calculating an angle (2θ).sub.A of a peak originating from a crystal face of graphite; calculating a correction coefficient δ of a thickness of the sample; calculating an upper limit (2θ).sub.B of the peak of the crystal face of graphite; calculating a diffraction sensitivity I.sub.C(ϕ) of the peak originating from the crystal face of graphite by correcting an integrating range with the correction coefficient δ and integrating the X-ray diffraction image with respect to a diffraction angle (2θ); and calculating a fiber orientation degree Sd(β) by the method of Hermans from the diffraction sensitivity I.sub.C(ϕ).