Provided is a charged particle beam apparatus capable of analyzing foreign matters generated when a sample is transported or observed. The charged particle beam apparatus includes a sample stage on which a measurement sample is provided, a charged particle beam source that irradiates the measurement sample with a charged particle beam, and a detector that detects charged particles emitted by irradiation with the charged particle beam, and includes a foreign matter observation sample held on the sample stage together with the measurement sample and a foreign matter observation unit that causes a foreign matter to be observed on the foreign matter observation sample.

A GUI (graphical user interface) image includes an input portion and a reference image. The reference image includes a plan diagram and numerical value information. The plan diagram includes a figure indicating an electron penetration range, a figure indicating a characteristic X-ray generation range, and a figure indicating a back-scattered electron generation range. The numerical value information includes numerical values indicating sizes of these ranges.

An optical system used in a charged particle beam inspection system. The optical system includes one or more optical lenses, and a compensation lens configured to compensate a drift of a focal length of a combination of the one or more optical lenses from a first medium to a second medium.

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.

An optical pyrometer having a coaxial light guide delivers laser radiation through optics to heat a localized area on a sample, and simultaneously collects optical radiation from the sample to perform temperature measurement of the heated area. Inner and outer light guides can comprise the core and inner cladding, respectively, of a double-clad fiber (DCF), or can be formed using a combination of optical fibers in one or more coaxial bundles. Coaxial construction and shared optics facilitate alignment of the centers of the heated and observed areas on the sample. The heated area can be on the order of micrometers when using a single-mode optical fiber core as the inner light guide. The system can be configured to heat small samples within a vacuum system of charged-particle beam microscopes such as electron microscopes. A method for using the invention in a microscope is also provided.

First shape data representing a three-dimensional shape of a sample unit including a sample is generated based on a result of three-dimensional shape measurement of the sample. Second shape data representing a three-dimensional shape of a structure which exists in a sample chamber is generated. Movement of the sample unit is controlled based on the first shape data and the second shape data such that collision of the sample unit with the structure does not occur.

A wafer inspection system includes a controller in communication with an electron-beam inspection tool. The controller includes circuitry to: acquire, via an optical imaging tool, coordinates of defects on a sample; set a Field of View (FoV) of the electron-beam inspection tool to a first size to locate a subset of the defects; determine a position of each defect of the subset of the defects based on inspection data generated by the electron-beam inspection tool during a scanning of the sample; adjust the coordinates of the defects based on the determined positions of the subset of the defects; and set the FoV of the electron-beam inspection tool to a second size to locate additional defects based on the adjusted coordinates.

A metal pattern inspection method which applies a pulsed voltage to a metallic pattern, sets a cycle of the pulsed voltage to be shorter than a scanning cycle in which a focused ion beam is swept, indicating only a region of a secondary charged particle image corresponding to a portion of the metallic pattern which is isolated by a wire breakage and to which the pulsed voltage is applied in the form of a first pattern created as a function of surface electrical potentials changing in level with time, detecting, as a disconnection, a boundary between the first pattern and a second pattern created as a function of surface electrical potentials not changing in level with time, and determining whether there is a breaking of or a short circuit in the metallic pattern based on the presence or absence of the disconnection.

The invention relates to Transmission Charged Particle Beam (TCPB) apparatus comprising a sample holder, for holding a sample, a source for producing a beam of charged particles and an illuminator for directing said beam so as to irradiate the sample; The TCPB apparatus comprises an imaging system, for receiving a flux of charged particles transmitted through the sample and directing it onto a sensing device. Further, a controller is provided for controlling at least some operational aspects of the TCPB apparatus. As defined herein, the controller is arranged for receiving calibration data of said TCPB apparatus and using said calibration data for optically aligning said TCPB apparatus. Said calibration data may be obtained in a calibration session, wherein different settings for eucentric focus can be used as a measure of eucentric height, so that the TCPB apparatus can be optically aligned in absence of a sample on the sample holder.

An emitter is configured to emit charged particles. The emitter comprises a body, a metal layer and a charged particle source layer. The body has a point. The metal layer is of a first metal on at least the point. The charged particle source layer is on the metal layer. The point comprises a second metal other than the first metal.