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.

Directed energy beam deflections are compensated by mapping pixel coordinates of an image of a patterning field to patterning field spatial coordinates. For example, electron beam scanning is compensated by imaging calibration features defined on a reticle to produce a mapping between pixel and physical coordinates. An electron beam is scanned to produce cathodoluminescence at a plurality of scan locations in a patterning field. With the pixel coordinate mapping, an image of the cathodoluminescence is used to determine compensated scan drive values. Other directed energy beam deflections can be similarly compensated.

Provided is a charged particle beam apparatus including: an XY stage on which a sample is placed; a charged particle beam source which irradiates the sample with a charged particle beam; a detector which detects charged particles emitted from the sample upon the irradiation with the charged particle beam; an image generator which generates an SEM image of the sample based on a detection signal output by the detector; and a controller configured to set control parameters based on a movement starting point and a movement ending point of the XY stage and control a driving unit for moving the XY stage according to the control parameters.

A multiple charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a rotatable shaping aperture array substrate, including plural openings, to form/shape multiple beams by letting portions of a charged particle beam individually pass through the plural openings, a data rotation correction circuitry to read writing data from a storage device, and generate pattern data, in which the entire figure pattern has been reversely rotated against a rotational deviation direction of an aperture array image by a rotational deviation amount of the aperture array image, using information on the rotational deviation amount of the aperture array image of the multiple beams on the target object caused by a residual error of rotation adjustment of the shaping aperture array substrate, and a blanking aperture array mechanism, rotatable with the shaping aperture array substrate, to provide individual blanking control of the multiple beams, based on the pattern data of the figure pattern reversely rotated.

A purpose of the present invention is to provide a charged particle beam device that suppresses an off-axis amount when a field of view moves, said move causing an aberration, and allows large field of view moves to be carried out. In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, this charged particle beam device is provided with an objective lens and deflectors for field of view moves, said deflectors deflecting a charged particle beam, and is further provided with an accelerating tube positioned between the objective lens and the deflectors for field of view moves, a power source that applies a voltage to the accelerating tube, and a control device that controls the voltage to be applied to the power source in response to the deflection conditions of the deflectors for field of view moves.

A charged particle beam device that detects a secondary charged particle beam generated by irradiation of a sample by a primary charged particle beam, includes: an image shift deflector that shifts an irradiation region for irradiation of the sample by the primary charged particle beam; a magnetic sector that separates the primary charged particle beam passing therein from the secondary charged particle beam from the sample using a magnetic field generated therein; a correction mechanism that is placed off of a trajectory of the primary charged particle beam but on a trajectory of the secondary charged particle beam inside the magnetic sector, the correction mechanism deflecting the secondary charged particle beam passing through; and a controller that controls the correction mechanism according to a defined relationship between a shift amount by the image shift deflector and a correction amount by the correction mechanism.

There is proposed a charged particle beam device that generates a first signal waveform on the basis of scanning, the number of scanning lines of which is one or more, the scanning intersecting an edge of a pattern on a sample, generates a second signal waveform for a first area that is wider than the one scanning line on the basis of scanning, the number of scanning lines of which is larger than that of scanning for generating the first signal waveform, then determines a deviation between the generated first and second signal waveforms, and thereby determines, from the deviation, correction data used at the time of dimensional measurement.

A scanning electron microscopy system is disclosed. The system includes an electron beam source configured to generate a primary electron beam. The system includes a sample stage configured to secure a sample. The system includes 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 set of electron-optical elements includes an upper deflector assembly and a lower deflector assembly. The upper deflector assembly is configured to compensate for chromatic aberration in the primary electron beam caused by the lower deflector assembly. In addition, the system includes a detector assembly configured to detect electrons emanating from the surface of the sample.

An electron-optical system for inspecting or reviewing an edge portion of a sample includes an electron beam source configured to generate one or more electron beams, a sample stage configured to secure the sample and an electron-optical column including a set of electron-optical elements configured to direct at least a portion of the one or more electron beams onto an edge portion of the sample. The system also includes a sample position reference device disposed about the sample and a guard ring device disposed between the edge of the sample and the sample position reference device to compensate for one or more fringe fields. One or more characteristics of the guard ring device are adjustable. The system also includes a detector assembly configured to detect electrons emanating from the surface of the sample.

Provided is a charged particle beam device for which deterioration in throughput in the event of abnormality of multiple beams can be prevented. The charged particle beam device includes: a stage 11 on which a sample is mounted; a charged particle optical system configured to irradiate the sample with multiple beams including multiple primary beams; a detector 15 configured to detect secondary beams generated by interactions between the primary beams and the sample and output detection signals; and a control unit 17 configured to control the stage and the charged particle optical system to generate image data based on the detection signals from the detector obtained by scanning the sample with the multiple beams using a first scanning method. The control unit changes, when the abnormality of the multiple beams is detected based on the image data, the multiple beams to scan the sample using a second scanning method, and a scanning width of the multiple beams for scanning the sample is greater in the second scanning method than in the first scanning method.