A charged particle beam device for irradiating or inspecting a specimen is described. The charged particle beam device includes a charged particle beam source for generating a primary charged particle beam and a multi-aperture lens plate having a plurality of apertures for forming four or more primary. Two or more electrodes having one opening, e.g. having one opening each, for the primary charged particle beam or the four or more primary beamlets are provided. The charged particle beam device further includes a collimator for deflecting a first primary beamlet, a second primary beamlet, a third primary beamlet, and a fourth primary beamlet of the four or more primary beamlets with respect to each other. The charged particle beam device further includes an objective lens unit having three or more electrodes, each electrode having openings for the four or more primary beamlets.

An optical height detection system in a charged particle beam inspection system. The optical height detection system includes a projection unit including a modulated illumination source, a projection grating mask including a projection grating pattern, and a projection optical unit for projecting the projection grating pattern to a sample; and a detection unit including a first detection grating mask including a first detection grating pattern, a second detection grating mask including a second detection grating pattern, and a detection optical system for forming a first grating image from the projection grating pattern onto the first detection grating mask and forming a second grating image from the projection grating pattern onto the second detection grating masks. The first and second detection grating patterns at least partially overlap the first and second grating images, respectively.

Systems and methods of providing a probe spot in multiple modes of operation of a charged-particle beam apparatus are disclosed. The method may comprise activating a charged-particle source to generate a primary charged-particle beam and selecting between a first mode and a second mode of operation of the charged-particle beam apparatus. In the flooding mode, the condenser lens may focus at least a first portion of the primary charged-particle beam passing through an aperture of the aperture plate to form a second portion of the primary charged-particle beam, and substantially all of the second portion is used to flood a surface of a sample. In the inspection mode, the condenser lens may focus a first portion of the primary charged-particle beam such that the aperture of the aperture plate blocks off peripheral charged-particles to form the second portion of the primary charged-particle beam used to inspect the sample surface.

An apparatus for and a method of inspecting a substrate in which a charged particle beam is arranged to impinge on a portion of the substrate and a first light beam having a first wavelength and a second light beam having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength are also arranged to impinge on the portion of the substrate.

A charged particle assessment tool including: an objective lens configured to project a plurality of charged particle beams onto a sample, the objective lens having a sample-facing surface defining a plurality of beam apertures through which respective ones of the charged particle beams are emitted toward the sample; and a plurality of capture electrodes, each capture electrode adjacent a respective one of the beam apertures, configured to capture charged particles emitted from the sample.

A substrate processing system includes: a substrate processing apparatus including a stage on which a substrate and an annular member are placed; a substrate transport mechanism including a substrate holder; a distance sensor provided in the substrate holder; and a control device, wherein the substrate transport mechanism is configured to place a jig substrate having a reference surface as a reference for a height of the annular member on the stage, wherein the distance sensor is configured to measure a distance from the substrate holder positioned above the stage to the reference surface of the jig substrate and a distance from the substrate holder to the annular member, and wherein the control device is configured to estimate the height of the annular member based on a measurement result of the distance to the reference surface and a measurement result of the distance to the annular member.

A wafer inspection system is disclosed. According to certain embodiments, the system includes an electron detector that includes circuitry to detect secondary electrons or backscattered electrons (SE/BSE) emitted from a wafer. The electron beam system also includes a current detector that includes circuitry to detect an electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) from the wafer. The electron beam system further includes a controller having one or more processors and a memory, the controller including circuitry to: acquire data regarding the SE/BSE; acquire data regarding the EBIC; and determine structural information of the wafer based on an evaluation of the SE/BSE data and the EBIC data.

Capacitive sensors and capacitive sensing data integration for plasma chamber condition monitoring are described. In an example, a plasma chamber monitoring system includes a plurality of capacitive sensors, a capacitance digital converter, and an applied process server coupled to the capacitance digital converter, the applied process server including a system software. The capacitance digital converter includes an isolation interface coupled to the plurality of capacitive sensors, a power supply coupled to the isolation interface, a field-programmable gate-array firmware coupled to the isolation interface, and an application-specific integrated circuit coupled to the field-programmable gate-array firmware.

A method of characterizing plasmas during semiconductor processes may include receiving operating conditions for a semiconductor process, where the semiconductor process may be configured to generate a plasma inside of a chamber of a semiconductor processing system. The method may also include providing the operating conditions for the semiconductor process as inputs to a model, where the model may have been trained to characterize plasmas in the chamber. The method may also include generating, using the model, a characterization of the plasma in the chamber resulting from the operating conditions of the semiconductor process.

An apparatus and a method for non-destructive inspection of quality of an electrostatic chuck are disclosed. The apparatus includes a measurement unit for measuring a first capacitance of a dielectric layer of the electrostatic chuck and for measuring a second capacitance of an electrode installed in the dielectric layer; and a control unit configured to evaluate quality of the electrode, based on the first capacitance and the second capacitance.