An electron microscope system and a method of measuring an aberration of the electron microscope system are disclosed. An aperture filters an electron beam at a diffraction plane of the electron microscope to pass through electrons having a selected energy and momentum. A displacement of an image of the passed electrons is measured at a detector in an image plane of the electron microscope. An aberration coefficient of the electron microscope is determined from the measured displacement and at least one of the energy and momentum of the passed electrons. The measured aberration can be used to alter a parameter of the electron microscope or an optical element of the electron microscope to thereby control the overall aberration of the electron microscope.

A particle beam system includes a particle source to produce a first beam of charged particles. The particle beam system also includes a multiple beam producer to produce a plurality of partial beams from a first incident beam of charged particles. The partial beams are spaced apart spatially in a direction perpendicular to a propagation direction of the partial beams. The plurality of partial beams includes at least a first partial beam and a second partial beam. The particle beam system further includes an objective to focus incident partial beams in a first plane so that a first region, on which the first partial beam is incident in the first plane, is separated from a second region, on which a second partial beam is incident. The particle beam system also a detector system including a plurality of detection regions and a projective system.

Provided is a mirror device including a mirror which is supported to be flappable around a fast axis and supported to be flappable around a slow axis and in which a resonance frequency of flapping thereof with respect to the fast axis is a first value and a resonance frequency of the flapping thereof with respect to the slow axis is a second value lower than the first value; a signal extracting portion configured to obtain from a slow axis coil a synthesized signal including an induced signal generated in the slow axis coil due to an operation of flapping the mirror around the fast axis and configured to extract the induced signal from the synthesized signal; and a signal generating portion configured to generates a driving signal so that the flapping of the mirror with respect to the fast axis is in a resonance state according to the induced signal.

The objective of the present invention is to propose a charged particle beam device with which an imaging optical system and an irradiation optical system can be adjusted with high precision. In order to achieve this objective, provided is a charged particle beam device comprising: a first charged particle column which serves as an irradiation optical signal; a deflector that deflects charged particles which have passed through the inside of the first charged particle column toward an object; and a second charged particle column which serves as an imaging optical system. The charged particle beam device is provided with: a light source that emits light toward the object; and a control device that obtains, on the basis of detection charged particles generated according to irradiation of light emitted from the light source, a plurality of deflection signals which maintain a certain deflection state, and that selects or calculates, from the plurality of deflection signals or from relationship information produced from the plurality of deflection signals, a deflection signal that satisfies a predetermined condition.

The objective of the present invention is to propose a charged particle beam device with which an imaging optical system and an irradiation optical system can be adjusted with high precision. In order to achieve this objective, provided is a charged particle beam device comprising: a first charged particle column which serves as an irradiation optical signal; a deflector that deflects charged particles which have passed through the inside of the first charged particle column toward an object; and a second charged particle column which serves as an imaging optical system. The charged particle beam device is provided with: a light source that emits light toward the object; and a control device that obtains, on the basis of detection charged particles generated according to irradiation of light emitted from the light source, a plurality of deflection signals which maintain a certain deflection state, and that selects or calculates, from the plurality of deflection signals or from relationship information produced from the plurality of deflection signals, a deflection signal that satisfies a predetermined condition.

A method for evaluating an object, the method may include acquiring, by a charged particle beam system, an image of an area of a reference object, wherein the area includes multiple instances of a structure of interest, and the structure of interest is of a nanometric scale; determining multiple types of attributes from the image; reducing a number of the attributes to provide reduced attribute information; generating guidelines, based on the reduced attribute information and on reference data, for evaluating the reduced attribute information; and evaluating an actual object by implementing the guidelines.

A method for evaluating an object, the method may include acquiring, by a charged particle beam system, an image of an area of a reference object, wherein the area includes multiple instances of a structure of interest, and the structure of interest is of a nanometric scale; determining multiple types of attributes from the image; reducing a number of the attributes to provide reduced attribute information; generating guidelines, based on the reduced attribute information and on reference data, for evaluating the reduced attribute information; and evaluating an actual object by implementing the guidelines.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a defect inspection device with which it is possible to detect a latent flaw with a high precision or at a high speed. In order to fulfill this purpose, this defect inspection device is provided with: a sample support member that supports a sample irradiated by an electron beam emitted from an electron source; a negative voltage applying power source for forming a retarding electric field in relation to the electron beam that irradiates the sample supported by the sample support member; an imaging element at which an image of electrons reflected without reaching the sample is formed via the retarding electric field; an ultraviolet light source that emits an ultraviolet light toward the sample; and a computation processing device that processes an image generated on the basis of a signal obtained by the imaging element. The computation processing device determines the type of defect in the sample on the basis of a plurality of image signals obtained when the ultraviolet light was emitted under at least two emitting conditions.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a defect inspection device with which it is possible to detect a latent flaw with a high precision or at a high speed. In order to fulfill this purpose, this defect inspection device is provided with: a sample support member that supports a sample irradiated by an electron beam emitted from an electron source; a negative voltage applying power source for forming a retarding electric field in relation to the electron beam that irradiates the sample supported by the sample support member; an imaging element at which an image of electrons reflected without reaching the sample is formed via the retarding electric field; an ultraviolet light source that emits an ultraviolet light toward the sample; and a computation processing device that processes an image generated on the basis of a signal obtained by the imaging element. The computation processing device determines the type of defect in the sample on the basis of a plurality of image signals obtained when the ultraviolet light was emitted under at least two emitting conditions.

According to one embodiment, an SEM inspection apparatus includes an arithmetic processor. The arithmetic processor acquires design data corresponding to an inspection region. The arithmetic processor obtains a resistance component between each of wiring lines included in the inspection region and a portion on a substrate connected thereto, on a basis of the design data. The arithmetic processor obtains a capacitance component between each of the wiring lines included in the inspection region and the portion on the substrate connected thereto, on a basis of the design data. The arithmetic processor color-codes the wiring lines included in the inspection region of the design data, on a basis of a combination of the resistance component and the capacitance component. The arithmetic processor corrects a coordinate deviation between an SEM image and the color-coded design data by performing pattern matching between the color-coded design data and the SEM image.