A scanning electron microscope. The scanning electron microscope may include a sliding vacuum seal between the electron optical imaging system and the sample carrier with a first plate having a first aperture associated with the electron optical imaging system and resting against a second plate having a second aperture associated with the sample carrier. The first plate and/or the second plate includes a groove circumscribing the first and/or second aperture. The scanning electron microscope may include a detector 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.

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.

An object of the invention is to provide a charged particle beam device capable of increasing the contrast of an observation image of a sample as much as possible in accordance with light absorption characteristics that change for each optical parameter. The charged particle beam device according to the invention changes an optical parameter such as a polarization plane of light emitted to the sample, and generates the observation image having a contrast corresponding to the changed optical parameter. An optical parameter that maximizes a light absorption coefficient of the sample is specified according to a feature amount of a shape pattern of the sample (refer to FIG. 5).

A method of performing Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy (EELS) in an electron microscope, comprising: Producing a beam of electrons from a source; Using an illuminator to direct said beam so as to irradiate the specimen; Using an imaging system to receive a flux of electrons transmitted through the specimen and direct it onto a spectroscopic apparatus comprising: A dispersion device, for dispersing said flux in a dispersion direction so as to form an EELS spectrum; and A detector, comprising a detection surface that is sub-divided into a plurality of detection zones, specifically comprising: Using at least a first detection zone, a second detection zone and a third detection zone to register a plurality of EELS spectral entities; and Reading out said first and said second detection zones whilst said third detection zone is registering one of said plurality of EELS spectral entities.

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.

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.

An imaging device images a sample holder held by a sample stage. At a front side (target side) of the imaging device, a light emitter device array and a mask array are provided. A plurality of light beams are generated by the light emitter device array. A plurality of center parts of the plurality of light beams are masked by the mask array. A plurality of shadows produced thereby are covered by a plurality of peripheral parts of the plurality of light beams.

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.

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.

A charged particle beam device wherein a transmission image corresponding to an arbitrary diffraction spot or a diffraction pattern corresponding to a partial range in the transmission image are easily and automatically captured. A charged particle beam device having: an image-capturing unit for forming an image of a sample; a diaphragm disposed in the image-capturing unit, a plurality of openings having different sizes for transmitting an electron beam from the sample being formed in the diaphragm; a movement unit for varying the position of the diaphragm; and a display unit for displaying the formed image, wherein when the operator selects, e.g., a diffraction spot (A) on the display unit, the movement unit moves the diaphragm from the positional relationship between the diaphragm and the image in accordance with the position of the diffraction spot (A).