To implement a calibration sample by which an incident angle can be measured with high accuracy, an electron beam adjustment method, and an electron beam apparatus using the calibration sample. To adjust an electron beam using a calibration sample, the calibration sample includes a silicon single crystal substrate 201 whose upper surface is a {110} plane, a first recess structure 202 opening in the upper surface and extending in a first direction, and a second recess structure 203 opening in the upper surface and extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction, in which the first recess structure and the second recess structure each include a first side surface and a first bottom surface that intersects the first side surface, and a second side surface and a second bottom surface that intersects the second side surface, the first side surface and the second side surface are {111} planes, and the first bottom surface and the second bottom surface are crystal planes different from the {110} planes.

Systems and methods for observing a sample in a multi-beam apparatus are disclosed. A charged particle optical system may include a deflector configured to form a virtual image of a charged particle source and a transfer lens configured to form a real image of the charged particle source on an image plane. The image plane may be formed at least near a beam separator that is configured to separate primary charged particles generated by the source and secondary charged particles generated by interaction of the primary charged particles with a sample. The image plane may be formed at a deflection plane of the beam separator. The multi-beam apparatus may include a charged-particle dispersion compensator to compensate dispersion of the beam separator. The image plane may be formed closer to the transfer lens than the beam separator, between the transfer lens and the charged-particle dispersion compensator.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a method for automatically adjusting an electron beam emitted from an electron gun equipped with a photocathode to the incident axis of an electron optical system. [Solution] An incident axis alignment method for an electron gun equipped with a photocathode, the electron gun being capable of emitting an electron beam in a first state due to the photocathode being irradiated with excitation light, and the method including at least an excitation light radiation step, a first excitation light irradiation position adjustment step for changing the irradiation position of the excitation light on the photocathode and adjusting the irradiation position of the excitation light, and an electron beam center detection step for detecting whether a center line of the electron beam in the first state coincides with an incident axis of an electron 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 particle beam system includes a multi-beam particle source for generating a multiplicity of charged individual particle beams, and a magnetic multi-deflector array for deflecting the individual particle beams in the azimuthal direction. The magnetic multi-deflector array includes a magnetically conductive multi-aperture plate having a multiplicity of openings, which is arranged in the beam path of the particle beams such that the individual particle beams substantially pass through the openings of the multi-aperture plate. The magnetic multi-deflector array also includes a magnetically conductive aperture plate having an individual opening. The aperture plate is arranged in the beam path of the particle beams such that the individual particle beams substantially pass through the first aperture plate. The multi-aperture plate and the first aperture plate are connected to each other such that a cavity is formed between the two plates. A first coil for generating a magnetic field is arranged in the cavity between the first aperture plate and the multi-aperture plate such that the multiplicity of individual particle beams substantially pass through the coil.

The present disclosure proposes a crossover-forming deflector array of an electro-optical system for directing a plurality of electron beams onto an electron detection device. The crossover-forming deflector array includes a plurality of crossover-forming deflectors positioned at or at least near an image plane of a set of one or more electro-optical lenses of the electro-optical system, wherein each crossover-forming deflector is aligned with a corresponding electron beam of the plurality of electron beams.

Systems and methods for observing a sample in a multi-beam apparatus are disclosed. A charged particle optical system may include a deflector configured to form a virtual image of a charged particle source and a transfer lens configured to form a real image of the charged particle source on an image plane. The image plane may be formed at least near a beam separator that is configured to separate primary charged particles generated by the source and secondary charged particles generated by interaction of the primary charged particles with a sample. The image plane may be formed at a deflection plane of the beam separator. The multi-beam apparatus may include a charged-particle dispersion compensator to compensate dispersion of the beam separator. The image plane may be formed closer to the transfer lens than the beam separator, between the transfer lens and the charged-particle dispersion compensator.

Provided are a charged particle beam device and a charged particle beam adjustment method capable of observing or inspecting a change in observation conditions in a more appropriate beam state while preventing an increase in a time required for each measurement point. The charged particle beam device includes a condenser lens 3 and an objective lens 14 configured to focus an electron beam 4 emitted from an electron source 2, a primary beam scanning deflector 5 or a secondary electron deflector 15, an adjusting element 13 configured to adjust an axis of the electron beam 4, and a control device 9 configured to supply a signal representing a control amount to the adjusting element 13 for control. The control device 9 is configured to determine the control amount by using a change amount of an intensity of the condenser lens 3, the objective lens 14, the primary beam scanning deflector 5, or the secondary electron deflector 15, and a calculation formula or a table showing a relation between the change amount of the intensity and the control amount.

A multiple-charged particle-beam irradiation apparatus includes a shaping aperture array substrate that causes a charged particle beam to pass through a plurality of first apertures to form multi-beams, a plurality of blanking aperture array substrates each provided with a plurality of second apertures, which enable corresponding beams to pass, and including a blanker arranged at each of the second apertures, a movable table on which the blanking aperture array substrates are mounted so as to be spaced apart from each other in a second direction, which is orthogonal to a first direction along an optical axis, and that moves in the second direction to position one of the blanking aperture array substrates on the optical axis, and an alignment mechanism that performs an alignment adjustment between the blanking aperture array substrate on the optical axis and the shaping aperture array substrate.

Automatic alignment of the zone axis of a sample and a charged particle beam is achieved based on a diffraction pattern of the sample. An area corresponding to the Laue circle is segmented using a trained network. The sample is aligned with the charged particle beam by tilting the sample with a zone axis tilt determined based on the segmented area.