A multiple particle beam system with a mirror mode of operation, a method for operating a multiple particle beam system with a mirror mode of operation and an associated computer program product are disclosed. The multiple particle beam system can be operated in different mirror modes of operation which allow the multiple particle beam system to be inspected and recalibrated thoroughly. A detection system configured to operate in a first detection mode and/or in a second detection mode is used for the analysis.

An inspection system that includes charged particle optics that irradiate a bottom of a hole with a charged particle beam propagated along an optical axis, an energy dispersive x-ray detector and a processor. The x-ray detector detects x-ray photons emitted from the bottom of the hole and generates detection signals indicative of the x-ray photons. The processor processes the detection signals to provide an estimate of the bottom of the hole.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide an apparatus comprising a primary beam column configured to direct a primary beam of energetic particles onto a location of interest on a sample containing one or more integrated circuit structures, a detector configured to produce a signal in response to detection of secondary charged particles generated as a result of an interaction between the primary beam of energetic particles and the location of interest, and a signal processor coupled to the detector configured to measure the transient behavior of generation of the secondary charged particles from the signal produced by the detector, and a characterizing module configured to characterize the location of interest by comparing the measured transient behavior to a predetermined reference transient behavior. The detector has a response that is fast enough to detect a transient behavior of generation of the secondary charged particles.

The present invention discloses an e-beam inspection tool, and an apparatus for detecting defects. In one aspect is described an apparatus for detecting defects that includes a focusing column that accelerates the e-beam and separately, for each of the plurality of predetermined locations, focuses the e-beam to a predetermined non-circular spot that is within the predetermined surface area of each of the plurality of predetermined locations based upon the major axis.

A multi-beam apparatus for multi-beam inspection with an improved source conversion unit providing more beamlets with high electric safety, mechanical availability and mechanical stabilization has been disclosed. The source-conversion unit comprises an image-forming element array having a plurality of image-forming elements, an aberration compensator array having a plurality of micro-compensators, and a pre-bending element array with a plurality of pre-bending micro-deflectors. In each of the arrays, adjacent elements are placed in different layers, and one element may comprise two or more sub-elements placed in different layers. The sub-elements of a micro-compensator may have different functions such as micro-lens and micro-stigmators.

An object of the invention is to provide a charged particle beam apparatus capable of performing high-precision measurement even on a pattern in which a width of edges is narrow and inherent peaks of the edges cannot be easily detected. In order to achieve the above object, there is proposed a charged particle beam apparatus including an opening portion forming member having a passage opening of a charged particle beam and a detector for detecting charged particles emitted from a sample or charged particles generated by causing the charged particles to collide with the opening portion forming member, the charged particle beam apparatus including: a deflector for deflecting the charged particles emitted from the sample; and a control device for controlling the deflector, the control device performing pattern measurement with the use of a first detected signal in which a signal of one edge is emphasized relatively more than a signal of another edge among a plurality of edges on the sample and a second detected signal in which the signal of the another edge is emphasized relatively more than the signal of the one edge among the plurality of edges.

A scanning electron microscopy system is disclosed. The system includes a sample stage configured to secure a sample having conducting structures disposed on an insulating substrate. The system includes an electron-optical column including an electron source configured to generate a primary electron beam and 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 system includes a detector assembly configured to detect electrons emanating from the surface of the sample. The system includes a controller communicatively coupled to the detector assembly. The controller is configured to direct the electron-optical column and stage to perform, with the primary electron beam, an alternating series of image scans and flood scans of the portion of the sample, wherein each of the flood scans are performed sequential to one or more of the imaging scans.

Transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) are being utilized more often in failure analysis labs as processing nodes decrease and alternative device structures, such as three dimensional, multi-gate transistors, e.g., FinFETs (Fin Field Effect Transistors), are utilized in IC designs. However, these types of structures may confuse typical TEM sample (or “lamella”) preparation as the resulting lamella may contain multiple potentially faulty structures, making it difficult to identify the actual faulty structure. Passive voltage contrast may be used in a dual beam focused ion beam (FIB) microscope system including a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column by systematically identifying non-faulty structures and milling them from the lamella until the faulty structure is identified.

Provided is an assembly for inspecting the surface of a sample. The assembly includes two or more multi-beam electron column units. Each unit has: a single thermal field emitter for emitting a diverging electron beam towards a beam splitter; wherein the beam splitter includes a first multi-aperture plate having multiple apertures for creating multiple primary electron beams; a collimator lens for collimating the diverging electron beam from the emitter; an objective lens unit for focusing said multiple primary electron beams on said sample; and a multi-sensor detector system for separately detecting the intensity of secondary electron beams created by each one of said focused primary electron beams on said sample. The two or more multi-beam electron column units are arranged adjacent to each other for inspecting different parts of the surface of the sample at the same time.

An inspection apparatus according to an embodiment includes an irradiation part configured to irradiate an inspection target substrate with multiple beams including energy beams, a detector, on which a plurality of charged particle beams of charged particles released from the inspection target substrate are imaged, configured to detect each of the charged particle beams as an electrical signal, and a comparing unit configured to compare reference image data and image data that is reproduced based on the detected electrical signals and that represents patterns formed on the inspection target substrate to inspect the patterns. The detector includes a plurality of detecting elements corresponding one-to-one to the charged particle beams. The detecting elements each have a size greater than a size that covers a beam blur of each charged particle beam imaged on the detector.