The invention provides a charged particle beam device capable of reducing a positional shift between secondary beams generated in a beam separator. The charged particle beam device includes a charged particle beam source configured to irradiate a sample with a plurality of primary beams, a plurality of detectors configured to detect secondary beams emitted from the sample in correspondence to the primary beams, and a beam separator configured to deflect the secondary beams in a direction different from that of the primary beams. The charged particle beam device further includes a deflector provided between the beam separator and the detector to correct a positional shift between the secondary beams generated in the beam separator.

A multi-electron beam image acquisition apparatus includes: a first electromagnetic lens configured to focus the multiple primary electron beams to form an image on the substrate; and a second electromagnetic lens configured to be able to variably adjust a peak position of a magnetic field distribution in a direction of a trajectory central axis of the multiple secondary electron beams, and to focus the multiple secondary electron beams to form an image on either one of a detection surface of the detector and a position conjugate to the detection surface, wherein the first electromagnetic lens focuses, to form an image, the multiple secondary electron beams in a state before being separated from the multiple primary electron beams, and the second electromagnetic lens is arranged between the separator and an image forming point on which the multiple secondary electron beams are focused by the first electromagnetic lens.

An object of the invention is to acquire a high-quality image while maintaining an improvement in throughput of image acquisition (measurement (length measurement)). The present disclosure provides a charged particle beam system including a charged particle beam device and a computer system configured to control the charged particle beam device. The charged particle beam device includes an objective lens, a sample stage, and a backscattered electron detector that is disposed between the objective lens and the sample stage and that adjusts a focus of a charged particle beam with which a sample is irradiated. The computer system adjusts a value of an electric field on the sample in accordance with a change in a voltage applied to the backscattered electron detector.

A method of evaluating a region of a sample, the method comprising: positioning a sample within a vacuum chamber; generating an electron beam with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column that includes an electron gun at one end of the column and a column cap at an opposite end of the column; focusing the electron beam on the sample and scanning the focused electron beam across the region of the sample, while the SEM column is operated in tilted mode, thereby generating secondary electrons and backscattered electrons from within the region; and during the scanning, collecting backscattered electrons with one or more detectors while applying a negative bias voltage to the column cap to alter a trajectory of the secondary electrons preventing the secondary electrons from reaching the one or more detectors.

A multi-beam charged particle microscope and a method of operating a multi-beam charged particle microscope for wafer inspection with high throughput and with high resolution and high reliability are provided. The method of operation and the multi-beam charged particle beam microscope comprises a mechanism for a synchronized scanning operation and image acquisition by a plurality of charged particle beamlets according a selected scan program, wherein the selected scan program can be selected according an inspection task from different scan programs.

Apparatuses, systems, and methods for beam array geometry optimization of a multi-beam inspection tool are disclosed. In some embodiments, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) may include a first row of apertures; a second row of apertures positioned below the first row of apertures; a third row of apertures positioned below the second row of apertures; and a fourth row of apertures positioned below the third row of apertures; wherein the first, second, third, and fourth rows are parallel to each other in a first direction; the first and third rows are offset from the second and fourth rows in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction; the first and third rows have a first length; the second and fourth rows have a second length; and the first length is longer than the second length in the second direction.

An object of the invention is to provide a charged particle beam device capable of specifying an irradiation position of light on a sample when there is no mechanism for forming an image of backscattered electrons. The charged particle beam device according to the invention determines whether an irradiation position of a primary charged particle beam and an irradiation position of light match based on a difference between a first observation image acquired when the sample is irradiated with only the primary charged particle beam and a second observation image acquired when sample is irradiated with the light in addition to the primary charged particle beam. It is determined whether the irradiation position of the primary charged particle beam and the irradiation position of the light match using the first observation image and a measurement result by a light amount measuring device.

A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) system is disclosed. The SEM system includes an electron source configured to generate an electron beam and a set of electron optics configured to scan the electron beam across the sample and focus electrons scattered by the sample onto one or more imaging planes. The SEM system includes a first detector module positioned at the one or more imaging planes, wherein the first detector module includes a multipixel solid-state sensor configured to convert scattered particles, such as electrons and/or x-rays, from the sample into a set of equivalent signal charges. The multipixel solid-state sensor is connected to two or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) configured to process the set of signal charges from one or more pixels of the sensor.

A charged particle beam apparatus acquires an image that is not affected by movement of a stage at a high speed. The apparatus includes: a charged particle source for irradiating a sample with a charged particle beam; a stage on which the sample is placed; a measurement unit for measuring a movement amount of the stage; a deflector; a deflector offset control unit, which is a feedback control unit for adjusting a deflection amount of the deflector according to the movement amount of the stage; a plurality of detectors for detecting secondary charged particles emitted from the sample by irradiation of the charged particle beam; a composition ratio calculation unit that calculates composition ratios of signals output from the detectors based on the deflection amount adjusted by the feedback control unit; and an image generation unit for generating a composite image by compositing the signals using the composition ratio.

The device for observing permeation and diffusion path of observation target gas includes: a scanning electron microscope 15; an observation target ion detecting unit 20; an observation target gas supply unit 19; a diaphragm-type sample holder 12, to which the sample is mounted in attachable/detachable state, as a diaphragm dividing between the analysis chamber 11 and the observation target gas pipe 14; and a control unit 50. The control unit acquires a SEM image and at the same time detects the observation target gas, which diffuses within the sample and is discharged to the surface of the sample, by electron stimulated desorption, in a state where stress is applied to the sample due to differential pressure generated between the analysis chamber and the observation target gas pipe by supplying the observation target gas, and obtains an ESD image of the observation target ions.