An x-ray detector and a corresponding method of detecting x-rays are disclosed. The detector includes a scintillator structure, light guide, multi-layer dielectric reflective material, and photodetector. The scintillator receives incident x-rays and produces scintillation light. The light guide is mechanically and optically coupled to the scintillator and guides the scintillation light to the photodetector, assisted by the multi-layer dielectric, which at least partially surrounds the light guide and scintillator and confines the scintillation light within the light guide via reflection. The detector can enable transmission imaging using an x-ray pencil beam of a backscatter imaging system so that backscatter and transmission images can be obtained in the same scan. Use of the multi-layer dielectric reflector facilitates compact, inexpensive, flexible, multi-channel detector arrangements from which superior transmission imaging can be obtained, compared with existing detectors.

Signal electrons with high energy that pass near an optical axis, for example, backscattered electrons or secondary electrons in a booster optical system, can be detected. Therefore, there is provided a charged particle beam device including: a charged particle beam source configured to generate a charged particle beam; an objective lens configured to focus the charged particle beam to a sample; and a first charged particle detecting element disposed between the charged particle beam source and the objective lens and configured to detect charged particles generated by an interaction between the charged particle beam and the sample, in which a detection surface of the first charged particle detecting element is disposed on a center axis of the objective lens.

A charged particle beam device includes a scintillator and a light guide. The light guide has an incident surface configured to incident a light from the scintillator, an emission surface configured to emit a light incident from the incident surface, and a first surface configured to guide the light incident from the incident surface to a side of the emission surface. The light guide has a bent portion. The bent portion has a second surface configured to guide the light to the side of the emission surface in regions excluding a region between the incident surface and the emission surface.

The invention relates to an image capture assembly and method for use in an electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) system. An image capture assembly comprises a scintillation screen (10) including a predefined screen region (11), an image sensor (20) comprising an array of photo sensors and a lens assembly (30). The image capture assembly is configured to operate in at least a first configuration or a second configuration. In the first configuration the lens assembly (30) projects the predefined region (11) of the scintillation screen (10) onto the array and in the second configuration the lens assembly (30) projects the predefined region (11) of the scintillation screen (10) onto a sub-region (21) of the array. In each of the first and second configurations the field of view of the lens assembly (30) is the same.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a charged-particle beam apparatus capable of performing various types of signal discriminations according to the shape and the size of a sample. The present invention proposes a charged-particle beam apparatus for irradiating a sample disposed in a vacuum vessel with a charged particle beam. The charged-particle beam apparatus is provided with: a first light-generating surface for generating light on the basis of the collision of charged particles released from the sample; a light-guiding member for guiding the generated light to the outside of the vacuum vessel while maintaining the generation distribution of the light generated at the first light-generating surface; a photodetector for detecting the light guided by the light-guiding member to the outside of the vacuum vessel; and a light-transmission restricting member for restricting transmission of the light guided by the light-guiding member between the photodetector and the light-guiding member.

Lithography system, sensor and method for measuring properties of a massive amount of charged particle beams of a charged particle beam system, in particular a direct write lithography system, in which the charged particle beams are converted into light beams by using a converter element, using an array of light sensitive detectors such as diodes, CCD or CMOS devices, located in line with said converter element, for detecting said light beams, electronically reading out resulting signals from said detectors after exposure thereof by said light beams, utilizing said signals for determining values for one or more beam properties, thereby using an automated electronic calculator, and electronically adapting the charged particle system so as to correct for out of specification range values for all or a number of said charged particle beams, each for one or more properties, based on said calculated property values.

A charged particle beam device includes a scintillator and a light guide. The light guide has an incident surface configured to incident a light from the scintillator, an emission surface configured to emit a light incident from the incident surface, and a first surface configured to guide the light incident from the incident surface to a side of the emission surface. The light guide has a bent portion. The bent portion has a second surface configured to guide the light to the side of the emission surface in regions excluding a region between the incident surface and the emission surface.

Provided is a multiple electron beam inspection apparatus including: an irradiation source irradiating a substrate with multiple electron beams; a stage on which is cable of mounting the substrate; an electromagnetic lens provided between the irradiation source and the stage, the electromagnetic lens generating a lens magnetic field, the multiple electron beams being capable of passing through the lens magnetic field; an electrostatic lens provided in the lens magnetic field, the electrostatic lens including a plurality of through-holes and a plurality of electrodes, the plurality of through-holes having wall surfaces respectively, each of the multiple electron beams being capable of passing through the corresponding each of the plurality of through-holes, each of the plurality of electrodes provided on each of the wall surfaces of the plurality of through-holes, at least one of the through-holes provided apart from a central axis of trajectory of the multiple electron beams having a spiral shape; and a power source connected to the electrodes.

The present invention provides a light guide capable of guiding light generated by a scintillator at high efficiency to a photoreceiving element, a detector, and a charged particle beam device. For attaining the purpose, the present invention proposes a light guide that guides light generated by a scintillator to a photoreceiving element, provided with a scintillator containment portion formed of a first surface facing a surface opposite to a charged particle incident surface of the scintillator and a second surface facing a surface different from the surface opposite to the charged particle incident surface of the scintillator, and a tilted surface reflecting light incident from the second surface to the inside of the light guide.

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for inspecting a sample. The apparatus includes: a sample holder, a multi beam charged particle generator for generating an array of primary charged particle beams, an electro-magnetic lens system for directing the array of primary charged particle beams into an array of separate focused primary charged particle beams on the sample, a multi-pixel photon detector arranged for detecting photons created by the focused primary charged particle beams when the primary charged particle beams impinge on the sample or after transmission of the primary charged particle beams through the sample, and an optical assembly for conveying photons created by at least two adjacent focused primary charged particle beams of the array of separate focused primary charged particle beams to distinct and/or separate pixels or groups of pixels of the multi-pixel photon detector.