Methods include holding a sample with a movement stage configured to rotate the sample about a rotation axis, directing an imaging beam to a first sample location with the sample at a first rotational position about the rotation axis and detecting a first transmitted imaging beam image, rotating the sample using the movement stage about the rotation axis to a second rotational position, and directing the imaging beam to a second sample location by deflecting the imaging beam in relation to an optical axis of the imaging beam and detecting a second transmitted imaging beam image, wherein the second sample location is spaced apart from the first sample location at least at least in relation to the optical axis. Related systems and apparatus are also disclosed.

A charged particle beam system includes: a charged particle beam device configured to emit a charged particle beam from a charged particle source to a sample via a charged particle optical system; and a control system configured to control the charged particle beam device. The control system scans the sample with the charged particle beam in a manner of forming a scan trajectory and determines scores of signal intensities associated with different scan directions in the scan trajectory. The control system generates, based on a relation between the scores and the different scan directions, information on at least one of a focus deviation and an aberration coefficient of the charged particle optical system.

A multi-electron beam inspection apparatus includes first sample hold circuits, each configured to include a capacitor and a switch arranged for each of electrodes of each of a plurality of multipoles, and to hold, using the capacitor and the switch, a potential to be applied to the each of the electrodes, power sources configured to apply potentials to the plurality of first sample hold circuits, a control circuit configured to control the plurality of first sample hold circuits such that the plurality of potentials having been applied to the plurality of first sample hold circuits are held, in synchronization with swinging back of the collective beam deflection by the objective deflector, by a plurality of second sample hold circuits selected from the plurality of first sample hold circuits, and a detector configured to detect multiple secondary electron beams emitted because the substrate is irradiated with the multiple primary electron beams.

A particle beam system includes a multi-source system. The multi-source system comprises an electron emitter array as a particle multi-source. The inhomogeneous emission characteristics of the various emitters in this multi-source system are correctable, or pre-correctable for subsequent particle-optical imaging, via particle-optical components that are producible via MEMS technology. A beam current of the individual particle beams is adjustable in the multi-source system.

A method of determining aberrations in images obtained by a charged-particle beam tool, comprising: a) obtaining two or more images of a sample, wherein each image is obtained at a known relative difference in a measurement condition of the charged-particle beam tool; b) selecting an estimated aberration parameter for the aberrations of a probe profile representing the charged-particle beam used by the charged-particle beam tool; c) evaluating an error function indicative of the difference between the two or more images and two or more estimated images that are a function of the estimated aberration parameter and the known relative difference in the measurement condition; d) updating the estimated aberration parameter; e) performing processes c) and d) iteratively; f) determining the final aberration parameter as the estimated aberration parameter that provides the smallest value of the error function.

The present invention relates to a scanning electron microscope configured to scan a workpiece, such as a wafer, mask, panel, or substrate, with an electron beam to generate an image of the workpiece. The scanning electron microscope includes a deflector (17, 18) configured to deflect the electron beam to scan a target region (T) on the workpiece (W) with the electron beam, and a deflection controller (22) configured to apply to the deflectors (17, 18) a scanning voltage that causes the electron beam to scan the target region (T) and an offset voltage that shifts the electron beam from an optical axial center (O) to the target region (T).

An electrostatic lens for transporting charged particles in an axial direction includes a first group of first electrodes configured to receive a first DC potential from a DC voltage source, and a second group of second electrodes configured to receive a second DC potential from the DC voltage source different from the first DC potential. The first electrodes are interdigitated with the second electrodes. The first group and/or the second group has a geometric feature that progressively varies along the axial direction. The lens generates an axial potential profile that progressively changes along the axial direction, and thereby reduces geometrical aberrations. The lens may be part of a charged particle processing apparatus such as, for example, a mass spectrometer or an electron microscope.

Aberration corrector includes a lower electrode substrate to be formed therein with plural first passage holes having a first hole diameter and making multiple electron beams pass therethrough, and to be arranged thereon plural electrode sets each being plural electrodes of four or more poles, surrounding a first passage hole, for each of the plural first passage holes, and an upper electrode substrate above the lower one, to be formed therein with plural second passage holes making multiple electron beams pass therethrough, whose size from the top of the upper electrode substrate to the middle of way to the back side of the upper electrode substrate is a second hole diameter, and whose size from the middle to the back side is a third hole diameter larger than each of the first and second hole diameters, wherein a shield electrode is on inner walls of plural second passage holes.

A multi-beam manipulator device operates on sub-beams of a multi-beam to deflect the sub-beam paths. The device include: an electrode as pairs of parallel surfaces. Each pair of parallel surfaces includes a first surface that is arranged along a side of a corresponding line of sub-beam paths and a second surface that is arranged parallel to the first surface and along an opposite side of the corresponding line of sub-beam paths. A first pair of parallel surfaces is configured to electrostatically interact with an entire line of sub-beams in the multi-beam so that it is capable of applying a deflection amount to the paths of sub-beams in a first direction. A second pair of parallel surfaces is configured to electro-statically interact with an entire line of sub-beams in the multi-beam so that it is capable of applying another deflection amount to the paths of sub-beams in a second direction.

A charged particle beam apparatus for inspecting a specimen with a plurality of beamlets is described. The charged particle beam apparatus includes a charged particle beam emitter (105) for generating a charged particle beam (11) propagating along an optical axis (A) and a multi-beamlet generation- and correction-assembly (120), including a first multi-aperture electrode (121) with a first plurality of apertures for creating the plurality of beamlets from the charged particle beam, at least one second multi-aperture electrode (122) with a second plurality of apertures of varying diameters for the plurality of beamlets for providing a field curvature correction, and a plurality of multipoles (123) for individually influencing each of the plurality of beamlets, wherein the multi-beamlet generation- and correction-assembly (120) is configured to focus the plurality of beamlets to provide a plurality of intermediate beamlet crossovers. The charged particle beam apparatus further includes an objective lens (150) for focusing each of the plurality of beamlets to a separate location on the specimen, and a single transfer lens (130) for beamlet collimation arranged between the multi-beamlet generation- and correction-assembly and the objective lens. Further, a method of inspecting a specimen with a charged particle beam apparatus is described.