Apparatus and method for inspecting a surface of a sample. The apparatus includes a multi-beam charged particle column comprising a source for creating multiple primary beams directed towards the sample, an objective lens for focusing the primary beams on the sample, an electron-photon converter unit having an array of electron to photon converter sections, each section is located next to a primary beam within a distance equal to a pitch of the primary beams at the electro-photon converter unit, a photon transport unit for transporting light from the electron to photon converter sections to a photo detector, and an electron collection unit for guiding secondary electrons created in the sample, towards the electron-photon converter unit. The electron collection unit is arranged to project secondary electrons created in the sample by one of said primary beams to at least one of the electron to photon converter sections.

A multi-beam charged particle column for inspecting a surface of a sample includes a source for creating multiple primary charged particle beams which are directed towards the sample, an objective lens unit for focusing the primary charged particle beams on the sample, a detector for detecting signal charged particles from the sample, and a magnetic deflection unit arranged between the detector and the sample. The magnetic deflection unit includes a plurality of strips of a magnetic or ferromagnetic material. At least two strips of the plurality of strips are located at opposite sides of a trajectory of a primary charged particle beam and within a distance equal to a pitch of the trajectories of the primary charged particle beams at the magnetic deflection unit. The strips are configured to establish a magnetic field having field lines substantially perpendicular to the trajectories of the primary charged particle beams.

To provide a sample image observation device and a method that restore an image based on a sparsely sampled image and that can improve observation throughput and usability by maintaining a restored image quality constant regardless of a change in an observation condition. In a sample image observation device that irradiates a part of an observation area of the sample 19 with an electron beam and restores an image including a pixel not irradiated with the electron beam, the control system 22 includes a storage unit configured to store a correlation between an irradiation condition of irradiating the observation area of the sample with the electron beam and an observation condition of the sample, a control unit configured to synchronize an irradiation proportion of the electron beam with the observation condition based on the correlation, and an input unit configured to input sample information on the sample.

The objective of the present invention is to propose a charged particle beam device with which an imaging optical system and an irradiation optical system can be adjusted with high precision. In order to achieve this objective, provided is a charged particle beam device comprising: a first charged particle column which serves as an irradiation optical signal; a deflector that deflects charged particles which have passed through the inside of the first charged particle column toward an object; and a second charged particle column which serves as an imaging optical system. The charged particle beam device is provided with: a light source that emits light toward the object; and a control device that obtains, on the basis of detection charged particles generated according to irradiation of light emitted from the light source, a plurality of deflection signals which maintain a certain deflection state, and that selects or calculates, from the plurality of deflection signals or from relationship information produced from the plurality of deflection signals, a deflection signal that satisfies a predetermined condition.

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.

The invention relates to an object preparation device (114) for preparing an object (124, 425) in a particle beam apparatus. By way of example, the particle beam apparatus is an electron beam apparatus and/or an ion beam apparatus. The invention moreover relates to a particle beam apparatus having such an object preparation device (114) and to a method for operating the particle beam apparatus (124, 425). The object preparation device (114) has an object receptacle device (704) for receiving the object (125, 425), a cutting device (700) and a cutting bevel (701) for cutting the object (125, 425), wherein the cutting bevel (701) is arranged at the cutting device (700). The cutting bevel (701) lies in a cutting plane (703). Further, an axis of rotation (R1) lies in the cutting plane (703). The cutting bevel (701) is embodied to be rotatable about the axis of rotation (R1).

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).

The invention is to simplify operations performed when imaging an electron diffraction pattern by using a transmission electron microscope. As a solution to the problem, a transmission electron microscope includes a detector to which an electron diffraction pattern is projected, a mask for zero-order wave configured to be inserted into and pulled out from between a sample and the detector, and a current detector configured to be inserted into and pulled out from a detection region of the zero-order waves in a state where the mask is inserted. An amount of current of electron beams emitted to the mask is measured in real time, and the measurement result is automatically reflected in settings of imaging conditions of an imaging camera provided in the transmission electron microscope.

The present disclosure is related to a Schottky thermal field (TFE) source for emitting an electron beam. Electron optics can adjust a shape of the electron beam before the electron beam impacts a scintillator screen. Thereafter, the scintillator screen generates an emission image in the form of light. An emission image can be adjusted and captured by a camera sensor in a camera at a desired magnification to create a final image of the Schottky TFE source's tip. The final image can be displayed and analyzed to for defects.