Methods for using a dual beam microscope system to simultaneously process a sample and image the processed portions of the sample, according to the present disclosure include the initial steps of emitting a plurality of electrons toward the sample, splitting the plurality of electrons into two electron beams, and then modifying the focal properties of at least one of the electron beams such that the two electron beams have different focal planes. Once the two beams have different focal planes, the first electron beam is focused such that it acts as a STEM beam. The STEM beam is then used to process a region of the sample to induce a physical change (e.g., perform milling, deposition, charge adjustment, phase change, etc.). The second electron beam is focused to act as a TEM beam to perform imaging of the region of the sample being processed

A writing data generating method for generating writing data used in a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus, that can suppress a data amount and a calculation amount in a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus generated from design data including a figure having a curve. The method includes calculating a pair of curves each representing a curve portion of a figure included in design data, the curves each being defined by a plurality of control points, and generating the writing data by expressing a position of a second control point adjacent in a traveling direction of the curve to a first control point of the plurality of control points as a displacement from the first control point in the traveling direction of the curve and a displacement from the first control point in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction.

A method of evaluating a region of a sample that includes a first sub-region and a second sub-region, adjacent to the first sub-region, the region comprising a plurality of sets of vertically-stacked double-layers extending through both the first and second sub-regions with a geometry or orientation of the vertically-stacked double layers in the first sub-region being different than a geometry or orientation of the vertically-stacked double layers in the second region resulting in the first sub-region having a first milling rate and the second sub-region having a second milling rate different than the first milling rate, the method including: milling the region of a sample by scanning a focused ion beam over the region a plurality of iterations in which, for each iteration, the focused ion beam is scanned over the first sub-region and the second sub-region generating secondary electrons and secondary ions from each of the first and second sub-regions; detecting, during the milling, at least one of the generated secondary electrons or the secondary ions; generating, in real-time, an endpoint detection signal from the at least one of detected secondary electrons or secondary ions, the endpoint detection signal including a fast oscillating signal having a first frequency and a slow oscillating signal having a second frequency, slower than the first frequency; analyzing the fast and slow oscillating signals to determine original first and second frequencies of the fast and slow oscillating signals; and estimating, in real-time, a depth of each of the first and second sub-regions based on the determined first and second frequencies.

The invention relates to charged particle beam generator comprising a charged particle source for generating a charged particle beam, a collimator system comprising a collimator structure with a plurality of collimator electrodes for collimating the charged particle beam, a beam source vacuum chamber comprising the charged particle source, and a generator vacuum chamber comprising the collimator structure and the beam source vacuum chamber within a vacuum, wherein the collimator system is positioned outside the beam source vacuum chamber. Each of the beam source vacuum chamber and the generator vacuum chamber may be provided with a vacuum pump.

An ion source can have: a multiplicity of electrodes, which are mounted electrically separated from one another and have: a first electrode, which has a depression; a second electrode, which is arranged in the depression; a third electrode, which partially covers the depression and through which a slit passes which exposes the second electrode; one or more than one magnet, which is designed to provide a magnetic field in the slit.

An ion source can have: a multiplicity of electrodes, which are mounted electrically separated from one another and have: a first electrode, which has a depression; a second electrode, which is arranged in the depression; a third electrode, which partially covers the depression and through which a slit passes which exposes the second electrode; one or more than one magnet, which is designed to provide a magnetic field in the slit.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an electron beam irradiation apparatus includes a photoelectric surface configured to receive irradiation of excitation light on a side of a front surface, and generate electron beams from a side of a back surface; a blanking aperture array mechanism provided with passage holes corresponding to the electron beams and configured to perform deflection control on each of the plurality of electron beams passing through the passage holes; and an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust at least one of an orbit of transmitted light that passes through at least one of arrangement objects including the photoelectric surface, the blanking aperture array mechanism, and the limit aperture substrate up to the stage and reaches the stage, among an irradiated excitation light, and an orbit of the electron beams, wherein the arrangement objects shield at least a part of the transmitted light.

Reciprocal space map of specific sample locations is generated based on the sample images acquired by irradiating the sample with a charged particle beam at multiple incident angles. The incident angles are obtained by tilting the charged particle beam and/or the sample around two perpendicular axes within the sample plane. The reciprocal space map of a selected sample location is generated based on intensity of pixels corresponding to the location in the sample images.

Provided is an ion beam processing apparatus including an ion generation chamber, a processing chamber, and electrodes to form an ion beam by extracting ions generated in the ion generation chamber to the processing chamber. The electrodes includes a first electrode disposed close to the ion generation chamber and provided with an ion passage hole to allow passage of the ions, and a second electrode disposed adjacent to the first electrode and closer to the processing chamber than the first electrode is, and provided with an ion passage hole to allow passage of the ions. The apparatus also includes a power unit which applies different electric potentials to the first electrode and the second electrode, respectively, so as to accelerate the ions generated by an ion generator in the ion generation chamber. A material of the first electrode is different from a material of the second electrode.

Apparatuses and methods directed toward endpoint detection are disclosed herein. An example method at least includes forming a plurality of lines on a top surface of a sample; removing, a plurality of times, material from a working surface of the sample, the working surface different than the top surface; imaging, a plurality of times, the sample to at least capture the plurality of lines; and determining an endpoint based on a relative spatial characteristic between two or more lines of the plurality of lines.