It is provided a charged particle beam manipulation device for a plurality of charged particle beamlets, the charged particle beam manipulation device including a lens having a main optical axis, the lens including at least a first array of multipoles, each multipole of the first array of multipoles configured to compensate for a lens deflection force on a respective charged particle beamlet of the plurality of charged particle beamlets, the lens deflection force being a deflection force produced by the lens on the respective charged particle beamlet towards the main optical axis of the lens.

The present application relates to a method and an apparatus for determining a wavefront of a massive particle beam, including the steps of: (a) recording two or more images of a reference structure using the massive particle beam under different recording conditions; (b) generating point spread functions for the two or more recorded images with a modified reference image of the reference structure; and (c) performing a phase reconstruction of the massive particle beam on the basis of the generated point spread functions and the different recording conditions, for the purposes of determining the wavefront.

A method for altering surface charge on an insulating surface of a first sample includes generating first plasma inside a plasma source, causing the first plasma to diffuse into a first vacuum chamber to generate second downstream plasma, immersing the first sample in the second downstream plasma, and applying a first bias voltage to a conductive layer of the first sample, or applying a first bias voltage to a metal holder that holds the first sample.

A multi-beam inspection apparatus including an improved source conversion unit is disclosed. The improved source conversion unit may comprise a micro-structure deflector array including a plurality of multipole structures. The micro-deflector deflector array may comprise a first multipole structure having a first radial shift from a central axis of the array and a second multipole structure having a second radial shift from the central axis of the array. The first radial shift is larger than the second radial shift, and the first multipole structure comprises a greater number of pole electrodes than the second multipole structure to reduce deflection aberrations when the plurality of multipole structures deflects a plurality of charged particle beams.

A method for altering surface charge on an insulating surface of a first sample includes generating first plasma inside a plasma source, causing the first plasma to diffuse into a first vacuum chamber to generate second downstream plasma, immersing the first sample in the second downstream plasma, and applying a first bias voltage to a conductive layer of the first sample, or applying a first bias voltage to a metal holder that holds the first sample.

A multi-beam inspection apparatus including an improved source conversion unit is disclosed. The improved source conversion unit may comprise a micro-structure deflector array including a plurality of multipole structures. The micro-deflector deflector array may comprise a first multipole structure having a first radial shift from a central axis of the array and a second multipole structure having a second radial shift from the central axis of the array. The first radial shift is larger than the second radial shift, and the first multipole structure comprises a greater number of pole electrodes than the second multipole structure to reduce deflection aberrations when the plurality of multipole structures deflects a plurality of charged particle beams.

An input lens is provided which has a large acceptance solid angle for electrons. The input lens is for use in an electron spectrometer and disposed between an electron source producing electrons and an electron analyzer in the electron spectrometer. The input lens has a reference electrode at a reference potential, a slit, first through nth electrodes, where n is an integer equal to or greater than three, arranged between the reference electrode and the slit, and a second mesh attached to the first electrode. The first through nth electrodes are arranged in this order along an optical axis. The second mesh is at a potential higher than the reference potential.

A method, a non-transitory computer readable medium and a system for compensating for an electromagnetic interference induced deviation of an electron beam. The method may include obtaining measurement information about a magnetic field within an electron beam tool, the measurement information is generated by at least one planar Hall Effect magnetic sensor that is located within the electron beam tool; wherein the at least one planar Hall Effect magnetic sensor comprises at least one magnetometer integrated with at least one magnetic flux concentrator; estimating the electromagnetic interference induced deviation of the electron beam, the estimating is based on the magnetic field; and setting a trajectory of the electron beam to compensate for the electromagnetic interference induced deviation of the electron beam.

Systems and methods to focus and align multiple electron beams are disclosed. A camera produces image data of light from electron beams that is projected at a fiber optics array with multiple targets. An image processing module determines an adjustment to a voltage applied to a relay lens, a field lens, or a multi-pole array based on the image data. The adjustment minimizes at least one of a displacement, a defocus, or an aberration of one of the electron beams. Using a control module, the voltage is applied to the relay lens, the field lens, or the multi-pole array.

A multiple electron beam inspection apparatus includes a correction circuit that corrects a partial secondary electron image of partial secondary electron images configuring a secondary electron image and obtained by irradiation with a corresponding primary electron beam of the multiple primary electron beams such that the partial secondary electron image becomes close to a uniform beam partial image when an irradiation region of a primary electron beam corresponding to the partial secondary electron image is irradiated with a uniform beam obtained by equalizing shapes and sizes of all primary electron beams, by using a function for individual correction of each primary electron beam, for each of the plural partial secondary electron images, and an inspection circuit that performs inspection using plural partial secondary electron images each corrected.