A system for determining Schottky thermal field emission (TFE) usable current and brightness of a Schottky TFE source is provided, the system including: one or more processors, configured to: acquire and store in a memory a Schottky TFE emission image in a digital format; and determine Schottky TFE usable beam current and brightness for the based on experimentally developed algorithms that utilize usable current criteria and usable emission current density, the usable current criteria being generated based on properties of a central beam component and an outer beam component of Schottky TFE beam current.

By irradiating a sample with an unfocused ion beam, processing accuracy of an ion milling device for processing a sample or reproducibility accuracy of a shape of a processed surface is improved. Therefore, the ion milling device includes a sample chamber, an ion source position adjustment mechanism provided at the sample chamber, an ion source attached to the sample chamber via the ion source position adjustment mechanism and configured to emit an ion beam, and a sample stage configured to rotate around a rotation center. When a direction in which the rotation center extends when an ion beam center of the ion beam matches the rotation center is set as a Z direction, and a plane perpendicular to the Z direction is set as an XY plane, the ion source position adjustment mechanism is capable of adjusting a position of the ion source on the XY plane and a position of the ion source in the Z direction.

A device for generating a source current of charge carriers and a method for stabilizing a source current of charge carriers are disclosed. In an embodiment the device includes at least one field emission element configured to emit charge carriers, which lead to an emission current in the field emission element, at least one extraction electrode configured to apply an extraction voltage in order to extract the charge carriers from the field emission element, wherein a first part of the extracted charge carriers contributes to the source current, and a second part of the extracted charge carriers impinges on the extraction electrode and leads to an extraction current in the extraction electrode and a control device configured to reduce fluctuations of a controlled variable Q which is a characteristic for the source current, wherein Q is a function of a difference between the emission current and the extraction current.

There is provided a control method for an electron microscope including a thermionic-emission gun of self-bias type using a fixed bias resistor, an accelerating voltage power supply supplying an accelerating voltage to the thermionic-emission gun, and an optical system for irradiating a specimen with an electron beam. The control method includes: obtaining a value of a load current which is a current passing through an accelerating voltage power supply; determining a filament height of the thermionic-emission gun based on the value of the load current; and setting a condition of the optical system based on the filament height.

An input and output device includes: an instruction analysis unit configured to generate a conversation document in which a conversation uttered by a user is converted into character string data and recognize, based on the conversation document, a conversation intention of the user including an instruction to an image acquisition device; a history retention unit configured to record, as history information, the conversation document, the conversation intention, and a response of the image acquisition device to the instruction to the image acquisition device; a difference analysis unit configured to divide a report creation period using a timing when the user issues, to the image acquisition device, an instruction including an intention to save a captured image as a boundary and output report creation information in which history information divided for each of the report creation periods, and a captured image and a differential condition corresponding to the history information are associated with each other; and a report retention unit configured to create a report for each of the report creation periods based on the report creation information and record the created report.

An electron beam detection element includes a control unit configured to cause a diode to transition from an inactive state to an active state in response to a change of signal level of a control signal for causing an electron gun to change from an inactive state to an active state.

An apparatus for measuring ion beam current values without disturbing the state of ionization of an ion source includes a high-voltage circuit for applying a voltage between an anode and at least one cathode of an ion source based on a voltage condition and supplying its output current to the anode; a gas flow rate adjusting mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of a gas being an ion source material for generating ions and to be admitted into the ion source; a memory in which there is stored information representing a relationship between the flow rate of the gas and the value of an extraction current flowing through an extraction electrode; and an arithmetic processor for finding the extraction current corresponding to the flow rate of the gas based on the information stored in the memory and subtracting the value of the extraction current from the value of the output current supplied to the anode by the high-voltage circuit to compute the electrical current value of the ion beam.

In one embodiment, a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a measurement unit measuring a first beam shape of a multi-beam based on a beam current of each beam of the multi-beam or an intensity of charged particles reflected from a reflection mark provided on a stage, an amounts of adjustment calculator calculating amounts of adjustment of a reduction ratio and a rotation angle of the multi-beam based on the first beam shape, a correction map generation unit generating a first correction map in which an amount of displacement is defined that is obtained for each beam of the multi-beam based on a difference between a beam shape based on the amounts of adjustment and the first beam shape, a writing data processor generating shot data in which an amount of irradiation with each beam of the multi-beam is defined by converting writing data in which information regarding a graphic pattern to be written is defined, and correcting the amount of irradiation with each beam defined in the shot data based on the first correction map, and a controller controlling the reduction ratio and rotation angle of the multi-beam based on the amounts of adjustment.

Systems and methods of measuring beam current in a multi-beam apparatus are disclosed. The multi-beam apparatus may include a charged-particle source configured to generate a primary charged-particle beam, and an aperture array. The aperture array may comprise a plurality of apertures configured to form a plurality of beamlets from the primary charged-particle beam, and a detector including circuitry to detect a current of at least a portion of the primary charged-particle beam irradiating the aperture array. The method of measuring beam current may include irradiating the primary charged-particle beam on the aperture array and detecting an electric current of at least a portion of the primary charged-particle beam.

The present disclosure relates to a method and system for adjusting a focal point position of an X-ray tube. The method may include: obtaining a first thermal capacity and a first position of a focal point of an X-ray tube; obtaining a second thermal capacity of the X-ray tube; determining a second position of the focal point the X-ray tube based on the second thermal capacity; determining a target grid voltage difference of a focusing cup of the X-ray tube based on the first position and the second position of the focal point; and adjusting the X-ray tube based on the target grid voltage difference.