According to one embodiment, an image data of a measurement object including a pattern is acquired. First data is acquired by extracting a contour of an element in composition of the pattern from the image data. Second data that specifies a design data of the measurement object and the pattern of the measurement object is acquired. The design data includes a pattern data. A measurement pattern is extracted by using the first data and the second data. An evaluation value for the measurement pattern with respect to the design data is calculated based on the difference between the measurement pattern and the design data.

Diffraction patterns of a sample at various tilt angles are acquired by irradiating a region of interest using a first charged particle beam. Sample images are acquired by irradiating the region of interest using a second charged particle beam. The first and second charged particle beams are formed by splitting charged particles generated by a charged particle source.

Methods and systems for determining one or more characteristics for defects detected on a specimen are provided. One system includes one or more computer subsystems configured for identifying a first defect that was detected on a specimen by an inspection system with a first mode but was not detected with one or more other modes. The computer subsystem(s) are also configured for acquiring, from the storage medium, one or more images generated with the one or more other modes at a location on the specimen corresponding to the first defect. In addition, the computer subsystem(s) are configured for determining one or more characteristics of the acquired one or more images and determining one or more characteristics of the first defect based on the one or more characteristics of the acquired one or more images.

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.

An edge detection system is disclosed. The edge detection system includes an imaging device configured for imaging a pattern structure to form a first image, wherein the pattern structure includes a predetermined feature, and the imaging device images the pattern structure to generate measured linescan information that includes image noise. The edge detection system includes a processor, coupled to the imaging device, configured to receive the measured linescan information including image noise from the imaging device, wherein the processor is configured to: apply the measured linescan information to an inverse linescan model that relates the measured linescan information to feature geometry information, determine, from the inverse linescan model, feature geometry information that describes feature edge positions of the predetermined feature corresponding to the measured linescan information, determine from the feature geometry information at least one metric that describes a property of the edge detection system.

A method of evaluating a region of interest of a sample including: positioning the sample within in a vacuum chamber of an evaluation tool that includes a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column and a focused ion beam (FIB) column; acquiring a plurality of two-dimensional images of the region of interest by alternating a sequence of delayering the region of interest with a charged particle beam from the FIB column and imaging a surface of the region of interest with the SEM column; generating an initial three-dimensional data cube representing the region of interest by stacking the plurality of two-dimensional images on top of each other in an order in which they were acquired; identifying distortions within the initial three-dimensional data cube; and creating an updated three-dimensional data cube that includes corrections for the identified distortions.

Provided herein are portable ultraviolet (UV) devices, systems, and methods of use and manufacturing same. Methods of use include methods for UV disinfection and sterilization, more specifically, methods for UV disinfection and sterilization of a container, a room, a space or a defined environment. The portable UV devices, systems and methods are particularly useful for the UV disinfection and sterilization of a container, a room, a space or defined environment used in various industries. Provided are also portable UV devices, systems, and methods for inhibiting the growth of one or more species of microorganisms present in a container, a room, a space or a defined environment, preferably for inhibiting the growth of one or more species of microorganisms present on an interior surface of a container, a room, a space or a defined environment.

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.

An object of the invention is to accurately correct a deviation in position or angle between observation regions in an imaging device that acquires images of a plurality of sample sections. The imaging device according to the invention identifies a correspondence relationship between the observation regions between the sample sections using a feature point on a first image, corrects a deviation between the sample sections using a second image in a narrower range than the first image, and after reflecting a correction result, acquires a third image having a higher resolution than the second image (see FIG. 6B).

A microscope system includes a microscope with at least one microscope sensor. Each microscope sensor has a measurement device for recording sample signals; an analog-to-digital converter for converting recorded sample signals to digital data; a data compression device which produces a compressed data stream from the digital data; and a data output interface, which outputs the compressed data stream and a raw data stream that comprises digital data that were not compressed. The microscope system additionally includes a user computer to which the compressed data stream is transmitted and also a data memory to which the raw data stream is transmitted. The user computer calculates real-time images from the compressed data stream and reads and processes the raw data stream from the data memory for subsequent data analysis. In addition, a method for operating such a microscope system is described.