The present disclosure provides a sample analyzer and an analyzing method thereof. The sample analyzer includes a first beam source configured to provide a first energy beam to a sample, a second beam source configured to provide a second energy beam, which is different from the first energy beam, to the sample, a reflected beam sensor disposed between the second beam source and the sample to detect a reflected beam of the second energy beam, which is reflected by one side of the sample, and a transmitted beam sensor disposed adjacent to the other side of the sample to detect a transmitted beam of the second energy beam.

A scanning electron microscope (1) including a sliding vacuum seal (20) between an electron optical imaging system (2) and a sample carrier (10) with a first plate (22) having a first aperture (24) associated with the electron optical imaging system and resting against a second plate (26) having a second aperture (28) associated with the sample carrier. The first plate and/or the second plate includes a groove (40) circumscribing the first and/or second aperture. The scanning electron microscope may include a detector (8) movable relative to the electron beam. The scanning electron microscope may include a motion control unit for moving a sample carrier along a collision free path.

A scintillator assembly including an entrance surface for receiving charged particles into the scintillator assembly, the charged particles including first charged particles at a first energy level and second charged particles at a second energy level. A first scintillator structure configured for receiving the first charged particles and generating a corresponding first signal formed of first photons with a first wavelength of 1, a second scintillator structure configured for receiving the second charged particles and generating a corresponding second signal of second photons with a second wavelength of 2, and an emitting surface for egress of a combined signal from the scintillator assembly, the combined signal including the first and second photons, and at least one beam splitter for receiving the combined signal and separating the combined signal to first and second photons.

The charged particle beam apparatus includes a charged particle source generating a charged particle beam, a deflector deflecting the charged particle beam, a detector detecting secondary electrons emitted from an irradiation target in response to irradiation with the charged particle beam, and a processor system. The processor system (A) acquires a first time-series change in secondary electron detection-related quantity by repeatedly performing the following (A1) and (A2), (A1) directly or indirectly, maintains or changes the control amount applied to the deflector to a first control amount, and (A2) acquires the secondary electron detection-related quantity based on an output from the detector, and (B) acquires a time-series change in variation of the beam diameter of the charged particle beam based on the first time-series change.

According to one embodiment, a holder includes a top member, a side member, and a bottom member. The top member has a hole for allowing transmission of a charged particle beam, and the sample is mountable in the hole. The bottom member is provided to overlap with the top member in a plan view. The side member is connected to a part of the top member and a part of the bottom member such that the top member and the bottom member are separated from each other in a cross-sectional view. An opening portion is a region surrounded by the top member, the side member, and the bottom member, and a scintillator is provided in the opening portion.

According to one embodiment, a holder includes a top member, a side member, and a bottom member. The top member has a hole for allowing transmission of a charged particle beam, and the sample is mountable in the hole. The bottom member is provided to overlap with the top member in a plan view. The side member is connected to a part of the top member and a part of the bottom member such that the top member and the bottom member are separated from each other in a cross-sectional view. An opening portion is a region surrounded by the top member, the side member, and the bottom member, and a scintillator is provided in the opening portion.

A charged particle beam apparatus includes an irradiation system that supplies a converged charged particle beam to a sample and scans the sample with the charged particle beam, an imaging optical system that images the energy generated in the sample, a detection system that detects an image formed by the imaging optical system with an avalanche photodiode array, and a control unit that changes a pixel to be operated in a Geiger mode among pixels configuring the avalanche photodiode array according to movement of an irradiation range of the energy.

Techniques of using a Transmission Charged Particle Microscope for diffraction pattern detection are disclosed. An example method including irradiating at least a portion of a specimen with a charged particle beam, using an imaging system to collect charged particles that traverse the specimen during said irradiation, and to direct them onto a detector configured to operate in a particle counting mode, using said detector to record a diffraction pattern of said irradiated portion of the specimen, recording said diffraction pattern iteratively in a series of successive detection frames, and during recording of each frame, using a scanning assembly for causing relative motion of said diffraction pattern and said detector, so as to cause each local intensity maximum in said pattern to trace out a locus on said detector.

Techniques of using a Transmission Charged Particle Microscope for diffraction pattern detection are disclosed. An example method including irradiating at least a portion of a specimen with a charged particle beam, using an imaging system to collect charged particles that traverse the specimen during said irradiation, and to direct them onto a detector configured to operate in a particle counting mode, using said detector to record a diffraction pattern of said irradiated portion of the specimen, recording said diffraction pattern iteratively in a series of successive detection frames, and during recording of each frame, using a scanning assembly for causing relative motion of said diffraction pattern and said detector, so as to cause each local intensity maximum in said pattern to trace out a locus on said detector.

Systems, devices and methods for inspecting and imaging of contents of a volume is disclosed. One implementation of the disclosed systems, devices and methods includes an apparatus for inspecting and imaging of contents of a volume of interest which includes a first particle tracking unit of detectors to receive incoming charged particles that transit through an object and to measure position and direction of the charged particles that transit through the object while allowing the charged particles to pass through, and a second particle tracking unit of detectors installed relative to the first particle tracking unit of detectors and to the volume of interest containing the object of inspection so that it is positioned to receive the outgoing charged particles that transit through the first particle tracking unit and transit through the object of inspection and to measure a position and a direction of the outgoing charged particles. The apparatus also includes a processor that processes information from the first and second particle tracking units of detectors to yield an estimate of a spatial map of atomic number and a density of the object. The methods disclosed here include triggering algorithms for signal selection, positional calibration algorithms for locating particle tracking units in absolute three dimensional coordinate space, and three-dimensional tomographic image reconstruction algorithms combining the tracking information from multiple pairs of particle tracking units.