An optical system of a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) is configured to use a square-shaped electron beam. Preferably, the square-shaped electron beam is produced by using an aperture with a square hole positioned in an aperture plane of TEM's beam shaping aperture (typically, the C2 lens). The square beam enables exhaustive tiling and data collection, enabling the complete imaging of large biological objects. In single particle analysis, a square beam also speeds up data collection rates. These improvements come with no significant loss in imaging quality compared to the standard round beam method of imaging.

A method of producing a corrected beam of charged particles for use in a charged-particle microscope, comprising the following steps: Providing a non-monoenergetic input beam of charged particles; Passing said input beam through an optical module comprising a series arrangement of: A stigmator, thereby producing an astigmatism-compensated, energy-dispersed intermediate beam with a particular monoenergetic line focus direction; A beam selector, comprising a slit that is rotationally oriented so as to match a direction of the slit to said line focus direction, thereby producing an output beam comprising an energy-discriminated portion of said intermediate beam.

An electron beam apparatus addresses blanking issues resulting from sinking high-power heat onto an aperture diaphragm by evenly spreading heat on the aperture diaphragm. The apparatus can include an aperture diaphragm and a deflector that deflects the electron beam on the aperture diaphragm. The electron beam is directed at the aperture diaphragm in a pattern around the aperture. The pattern may be a circle, square, or polygon. The pattern also may include a variable locus relative to the aperture.

A charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a limiting aperture member at the downstream side of the emission source, arranged such that its height position can be selectively adjusted, according to condition, to be one of the n-th height position (n being an integer of 1 or more) based on the n-th condition depending on at least one of the height position of the emission source and an emission current value, and the (n+m)th height position (m being an integer of 1 or more) based on the (n+m)th condition depending on at least one of the height position of the emission source and the emission current value, and a shaping aperture member at the downstream side of the electron lens and the limiting aperture member to shape the charged particle beam by letting a part of the charged particle beam pass through a second opening.

The invention relates to a particle beam device (100) for imaging, analyzing and/or processing an object (114). The particle beam device (100) comprises a first particle beam generator (300) for generating a first particle beam, wherein the first particle beam generator (300) has a first generator beam axis (301), wherein an optical axis (OA) of the particle beam device (100) and the first generator beam axis (301) are identical; a second particle beam generator (400) for generating a second particle beam, wherein the second particle beam generator (400) has a second generator beam axis (401), wherein the optical axis (OA) and the second generator beam axis (401) are arranged at an angle being different from 0 and 180; a deflection unit (500) for deflecting the second particle beam from the second generator beam axis (401) to the optical axis (OA) and along the optical axis (OA), wherein the deflection unit (500) has a first opening (501) and a second opening (502) being different from the first opening (501), wherein the optical axis (OA) runs through the first opening (501), wherein the second generator beam axis (401) runs through the second opening (502); an objective lens (107) for focusing the first particle beam or the second particle beam onto the object (114), wherein the optical axis (OA) runs through the objective lens (107); and at least one detector (116, 121, 122) for detecting interaction particles and/or interaction radiation.

An E-beam exposure method may include receiving exposure information on a pattern subject to exposure, determining on beams and off beams of an E-beam exposure apparatus, determining an exposure time in an exposure process, performing the exposure process using the E-beam exposure apparatus, measuring a current of the off beams on an aperture plate of the E-beam exposure apparatus, and a first determination of determining whether the current is within a reference range. If the current is not within the reference range in the first determination, the determining the exposure time may be performed and the exposure time may be changed.

An optical system of a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) is configured to use a square-shaped electron beam. Preferably, the square-shaped electron beam is produced by using an aperture with a square hole positioned in an aperture plane of TEM's beam shaping aperture (typically, the C2 lens). The square beam enables exhaustive tiling and data collection, enabling the complete imaging of large biological objects. In single particle analysis, a square beam also speeds up data collection rates. These improvements come with no significant loss in imaging quality compared to the standard round beam method of imaging.

Inspection systems and methods are disclosed. An inspection system may include a first energy source configured to provide a first landing energy beam and a second energy source configured to provide a second landing energy beam. The inspection system may also include a beam controller configured to selectively deliver one of the first and second landing energy beams towards a same field of view, and to switch between delivery of the first and second landing energy beams according to a mode of operation of the inspection system.

A reflectance confocal scanning electron microscope according to of the present inventive concept may include, a first column device configured to allow an electron beam to be incident on a sample, and a second column device configured to de-scan the electron beam after it is reflected from the sample to confocally detect electrons emitted from the sample.

A method includes generating an electron beam from a radiation source; modifying an energy distribution of the electron beam through a first shaping aperture; and exposing a substrate to portions of the electron beam passing through the first shaping aperture. The first shaping aperture comprises blocking strips with a plurality of slots therebetween, a frame surrounding the blocking strips, and a diagonal support connected to the frame and one of the blocking strips.