Embodiments consistent with the disclosure herein include methods and a multi-beam apparatus configured to emit charged-particle beams for imaging a top and side of a structure of a sample, including: a deflector array including a first deflector and configured to receive a first charged-particle beam and a second charged-particle beam; a blocking plate configured to block one of the first charged-particle beam and the second charged-particle beam; and a controller having circuitry and configured to change the configuration of the apparatus to transition between a first mode and a second mode. In the first mode, the deflector array directs the second charged-particle beam to the top of the structure, and the blocking plate blocks the first charged-particle beam. And in the second mode, the first deflector deflects the first charged-particle beam to the side of the structure, and the blocking plate blocks the second charged-particle beam.

A multi-electron beam system that forms hundreds of beamlets can focus the beamlets, reduce Coulomb interaction effects, and improve resolutions of the beamlets. A Wien filter with electrostatic and magnetic deflection fields can separate the secondary electron beams from the 5 primary electron beams and can correct the astigmatism and source energy dispersion blurs for all the beamlets simultaneously.

A multi-beam apparatus for observing a sample with high resolution and high throughput is proposed. In the apparatus, a source-conversion unit forms plural and parallel images of one single electron source by deflecting plural beamlets of a parallel primary-electron beam therefrom, and one objective lens focuses the plural deflected beamlets onto a sample surface and forms plural probe spots thereon. A movable condenser lens is used to collimate the primary-electron beam and vary the currents of the plural probe spots, a pre-beamlet-forming means weakens the Coulomb effect of the primary-electron beam, and the source-conversion unit minimizes the sizes of the plural probe spots by minimizing and compensating the off-axis aberrations of the objective lens and condenser lens.

A scanning electron microscopy system is disclosed. The system includes a sample stage configured to secure a sample having conducting structures disposed on an insulating substrate. The system includes an electron-optical column including an electron source configured to generate a primary electron beam and a set of electron-optical elements configured to direct at least a portion of the primary electron beam onto a portion of the sample. The system includes a detector assembly configured to detect electrons emanating from the surface of the sample. The system includes a controller communicatively coupled to the detector assembly. The controller is configured to direct the electron-optical column and stage to perform, with the primary electron beam, an alternating series of image scans and flood scans of the portion of the sample, wherein each of the flood scans are performed sequential to one or more of the imaging scans.

A method of inspecting a specimen with an array of primary charged particle beamlets in a charged particle beam device is described. The method includes generating a primary charged particle beam with a charged particle beam emitter; illuminating a multi-aperture lens plate with the primary charged particle beam to generate the array of primary charged particle beamlets; correcting a field curvature with at least two electrodes, wherein the at least two electrodes include aperture openings; directing the primary charged particle beamlets with a lens towards an objective lens; guiding the primary charged particle beamlets through a deflector array arranged within the lens; wherein the combined action of the lens and the deflector array directs the primary charged particle beamlets through a coma free point of the objective lens; and focusing the primary charged particle beamlets on separate locations on the specimen with the objective lens.

An aberration corrector includes: a first multipole, a second multipole, a third multipole, and a fourth multipole arranged along an optical axis A; a first transfer lens system arranged between the first multipole and the second multipole; a second transfer lens system arranged between the second multipole and the third multipole; and a third transfer lens system arranged between the third multipole and the fourth multipole, wherein each of the first multipole, the second multipole, the third multipole, and the fourth multipole generates a three-fold symmetric field.

A multi-beam apparatus for observing a sample with high resolution and high throughput is proposed. In the apparatus, a source-conversion unit forms plural and parallel images of one single electron source by deflecting plural beamlets of a parallel primary-electron beam therefrom, and one objective lens focuses the plural deflected beamlets onto a sample surface and forms plural probe spots thereon. A movable condenser lens is used to collimate the primary-electron beam and vary the currents of the plural probe spots, a pre-beamlet-forming means weakens the Coulomb effect of the primary-electron beam, and the source-conversion unit minimizes the sizes of the plural probe spots by minimizing and compensating the off-axis aberrations of the objective lens and condenser lens.

Provided is a multifunctional charged particle beam device capable of inclining a beam with little aberration. The aberration is corrected by forming a local divergent field with a multipole, parallel current lines, or the like, matching the beam axis with the local divergent field via a conventional rotationally symmetric lens, deflector or astigmatism corrector, and counteracting an aberration occurring from another rotationally symmetric convex lens field.

In one embodiment, a charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a writer writing a pattern on a substrate on a stage with a charged particle beam, a mark substrate disposed on the stage and having a mark, an irradiation position detector detecting an irradiation position of the charged particle beam on a mark surface, a height detector detecting a surface height of the substrate and the mark substrate, a drift correction unit calculating an amount of drift correction, and a writing control unit correcting the irradiation position of the charged particle beam by using the amount of drift correction. The mark substrate has a pattern region with a plurality of marks and a non-pattern region with no pattern therein, and at least part of the non-pattern region is disposed between different portions of the pattern region. The height detector detects a height of a detection point in the non-pattern region.

In one embodiment, a charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a writer writing a pattern on a substrate placed on a stage by irradiating the substrate with a charged particle beam, a height detector detecting a surface height of a mark on the stage, an irradiation position detector detecting an irradiation position of the charged particle beam on the mark surface by irradiation with the charged particle beam focused at the surface height of the mark, a drift correction unit calculating an amount of drift of the charged particle beam on the mark surface from the irradiation position detected by the irradiation position detector, and generating correction information for correcting a shift in irradiation position caused by a drift on the substrate surface based on the amount of drift, and a writing control unit correcting the irradiation position of the charged particle beam by using the correction information.