Nanopantography is a method for patterning nanofeatures over large areas. Transfer of patterns defined by nanopantography using highly selective plasma etching, with an oxide layer of silicon serving as a hard mask, can improve patterning speed and etch profile. With this method, high aspect ratio features can be fabricated in a substrate with no mask undercut. The ability to fabricate complex patterns using nanopantography, followed by highly selective plasma etching, provides improved patterning speed, feature aspect ratio, and etching profile.

An optical system used in a charged particle beam inspection system. The optical system includes one or more optical lenses, and a compensation lens configured to compensate a drift of a focal length of a combination of the one or more optical lenses from a first medium to a second medium.

Proposed is a charged particle beam apparatus for the purpose of detecting a charged particle emitted from a sample in a specific direction by discriminating between the charged particle and a charged particle emitted in another direction. As one aspect of achieving the above purpose, proposed is a charged particle beam apparatus including an objective lens configured to focus a beam emitted from a charged particle source, a detector (8) configured to detect at least one of a first charged particle (23) emitted from a sample by irradiating the sample with the beam and a second charged particle emitted from a charged particle collided member by causing the first charged particle to collide with the charged particle collision member disposed on a trajectory of the first charged particle, and an electrostatic lens (12) including a plurality of electrodes disposed between the objective lens and the detector, in which the electrostatic lens is a Butler type.

An object of the invention is to correct an aberration or a defocus of an electron beam for irradiation, and control an influence on a deflector by a fluctuation in an electric field of an electrostatic lens. The invention provides a charged particle beam apparatus including a deflector that deflects a charged particle beam with which a specimen is irradiated, an objective lens that focuses the charged particle beam on the specimen, an electrostatic lens that includes a part of the objective lens and to which a voltage for correcting the aberration or the defocus of the charged particle beam is applied, and an constant electric field applying electrode that is provided between the deflector and the electrostatic lens and to which a constant voltage having a same sign with the voltage applied to the electrostatic lens is applied.

Multi-beam e-beam columns and inspection systems that use such multi-beam e-beam columns are disclosed. A multi-beam e-beam column configured in accordance with the present disclosure may include an electron source and a multi-lens array configured to produce a plurality of beamlets utilizing electrons provided by the electron source. The multi-lens array may be further configured to shift a focus of at least one particular beamlet of the plurality of beamlets such that the focus of the at least one particular beamlet is different from a focus of at least one other beamlet of the plurality of beamlets.

Provided is a scanning electron microscope which can perform high-speed focus correction even when an electron beam having high energy is used. The scanning electron microscope includes an electron optical system including an electron source 100 that emits an electron beam and an objective lens 113, a sample stage 1025 which is disposed on a stage 115 and on which a sample 114 is placed, a backscattered electron detector 1023 which is disposed between the objective lens and the sample stage and is configured to detect backscattered electrons 1017 emitted due to interaction between the electron beam and the sample, a backscattered electron detection system control unit 138 which is provided corresponding to the backscattered electron detector and is configured to apply a voltage to the backscattered electron detector, and a device control calculation device 146. The objective lens has an opening in a stage direction, and the device control calculation device performs focus correction of the electron beam by controlling the voltage applied to the backscattered electron detector from the backscattered electron detection system control unit.

A method of measuring an aberration in an electron microscope includes: acquiring an image for measuring the aberration in the electron microscope; and measuring the aberration by using the image. In measuring the aberration, a direction of defocusing is specified based on a residual aberration that is uniquely determined by a configuration of an optical system of the electron microscope and an optical condition of the optical system.

Systems and methods for automated alignment of cathodoluminescence (CL) optics in an electron microscope relative to a sample under inspection are described. Accurate placement of the sample and the electron beam landing position on the sample with respect to the focal point of a collection mirror that reflects CL light emitted by the sample is critical to optimizing the amount of light collected and to preserving information about the angle at which light is emitted from the sample. Systems and methods are described for alignment of the CL mirror in the XY plane, which is orthogonal to the axis of the electron beam, and for alignment of the sample with respect to the focal point of the CL mirror along the Z axis, which is coincident with the electron beam.

In one embodiment, a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus includes an objective lens adjusting focus positions of multiple beams, an astigmatism correction element correcting astigmatism of the multiple beams, an inspection aperture allowing one of the multiple beams to pass therethrough, a deflector deflecting the multiple beams and causing the multiple beams to scan over the inspection aperture, a current detector detecting beam currents of the individual multiple beams after passing through the inspection aperture, a beam image formation unit forming a beam image based on the detected beam currents, a feature amount calculation unit generating a first waveform and a second waveform by adding brightnesses of the beam image in a first direction and in a second direction, and calculating a first and a second feature amounts from the first and the second waveforms, and a parameter calculation unit calculating an exciting parameter that is to be set for the astigmatism correction element based on the first feature amount and the second feature amount.

A method of measuring an aberration in an electron microscope includes: acquiring an image for measuring the aberration in the electron microscope; and measuring the aberration by using the image. In measuring the aberration, a direction of defocusing is specified based on a residual aberration that is uniquely determined by a configuration of an optical system of the electron microscope and an optical condition of the optical system.