Disclosed herein is charged particle beam device and a a method of operating a charged particle beam device, comprising forming a plurality of focused charged particle beamlets. Charged particles are directed from a charged particle source to a multi-aperture plate. A plurality of beamlets are passed through a plurality of apertures of the multi-aperture plate. The beamlets include an inner beamlet of charged particles and a plurality of outer beamlets of charged particles. The outer beamlets are focused to form a plurality of outer focal points on a virtual ring having a center along an optical axis, the outer beamlets subjected to a field curvature aberration, such that the virtual ring is axially displaced relative to a virtual focal point of an uncompensated inner beamlet. A compensated inner beamlet is focused to a compensated focal point. The inner beamlet is compensated to form the compensated inner beamlet; and the compensated focal point is coplanar with the virtual ring.

A multi-beam apparatus for observing a sample with high resolution and high throughput is proposed. In the apparatus, a source-conversion unit forms plural and parallel images of one single electron source by deflecting plural beamlets of a parallel primary-electron beam therefrom, and one objective lens focuses the plural deflected beamlets onto a sample surface and forms plural probe spots thereon. A movable condenser lens is used to collimate the primary-electron beam and vary the currents of the plural probe spots, a pre-beamlet-forming means weakens the Coulomb effect of the primary-electron beam, and the source-conversion unit minimizes the sizes of the plural probe spots by minimizing and compensating the off-axis aberrations of the objective lens and condenser lens.

The invention relates to a transmission charged particle microscope comprising a charged particle beam source for emitting a charged particle beam, a sample holder for holding a sample, an illuminator for directing the charged particle beam emitted from the charged particle beam source onto the sample, and a control unit for controlling operations of the transmission charged particle microscope. As defined herein, the transmission charged particle microscope is arranged for operating in at least two modes that substantially yield a first magnification whilst keeping said diffraction pattern substantially in focus. Said at least two modes comprise a first mode having first settings of a final projector lens of a projecting system; and a second mode having second settings of said final projector lens.

In one embodiment, a charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a blanking circuit applying a blanking voltage to a blanking deflector, a stage on which a substrate is placed, a mark on the stage, a detector detecting an irradiation position of the charged particle beam based on irradiation of the mark with the charged particle beam, and a diagnostic electric circuitry that causes the charged particle beam to enter a predetermined defocused state relative to the mark, obtains a difference between a first irradiation position when the mark is scanned under first irradiation conditions and a second irradiation position when the mark is scanned under second irradiation conditions in which at least either of irradiation time and settling time in the first irradiation conditions is varied, and determines occurrence of a failure of the blanking circuit when the difference is a predetermined value or more.

A method of inspecting a specimen with an array of primary charged particle beamlets in a charged particle beam device is described. The method includes generating a primary charged particle beam with a charged particle beam emitter; illuminating a multi-aperture lens plate with the primary charged particle beam to generate the array of primary charged particle beamlets; correcting a field curvature with at least two electrodes, wherein the at least two electrodes include aperture openings; directing the primary charged particle beamlets with a lens towards an objective lens; guiding the primary charged particle beamlets through a deflector array arranged within the lens; wherein the combined action of the lens and the deflector array directs the primary charged particle beamlets through a coma free point of the objective lens; and focusing the primary charged particle beamlets on separate locations on the specimen with the objective lens.

An object of the present disclosure is to propose a charged particle beam device capable of appropriately evaluating and setting a beam aperture angle. As one aspect for achieving the above-described object, provided is a charged particle beam device which includes a plurality of lenses and controls the plurality of lenses so as to set a focus at a predetermined height of a sample and to adjust the beam aperture angle. The charged particle beam device generates a first signal waveform based on a detection signal obtained by scanning with the beam in a state where the focus is set at a first height that is a bottom portion of a pattern formed on the sample, calculates a feature amount of a signal waveform on a bottom edge of the pattern based on the first signal waveform, and calculates the beam aperture angle based on the calculated feature amount.

The present invention provides an electron beam device suitable for observing the bottom of a deep groove or a deep hole with a high degree of accuracy under a large current condition. The electron beam device has: an electron optical system having an irradiation optical system to irradiate an aperture 153 with an electron beam 116 emitted from an electron source 100 and a reduction projection optical system to project and form an aperture image of the aperture on a sample 114; and a control unit 146 to control a projection magnification of the aperture image of the aperture projected and formed on the sample and an aperture angle 402 of the electron beam emitted to the sample by the electron optical system.

The present disclosure aims at proposing a multi-beam irradiation device capable of correcting off-axis aberrations. In order to achieve the above object, a beam irradiation device is proposed, which includes a beam source which emits a plurality of beams; an objective lens (17) which focuses a beam on a sample; a first lens (16) which is arranged such that a lens main surface is positioned at an object point of the objective lens and deflects a plurality of incident beams toward an intersection point of a lens main surface of the objective lens and an optical axis; a second lens (15) which is arranged closer to a beam source side than the first lens and focuses the plurality of beams on a lens main surface of the first lens; and a third lens (14) which is arranged closer to the beam source side than the second lens and deflects the plurality of beams toward an intersection point of a lens main surface of the second lens and the optical axis.

A multi-beam apparatus for observing a sample with high resolution and high throughput is proposed. In the apparatus, a source-conversion unit forms plural and parallel images of one single electron source by deflecting plural beamlets of a parallel primary-electron beam therefrom, and one objective lens focuses the plural deflected beamlets onto a sample surface and forms plural probe spots thereon. A movable condenser lens is used to collimate the primary-electron beam and vary the currents of the plural probe spots, a pre-beamlet-forming means weakens the Coulomb effect of the primary-electron beam, and the source-conversion unit minimizes the sizes of the plural probe spots by minimizing and compensating the off-axis aberrations of the objective lens and condenser lens.

Disclosed herein is charged particle beam device and a a method of operating a charged particle beam device, comprising forming a plurality of focused charged particle beamlets. Charged particles are directed from a charged particle source to a multi-aperture plate. A plurality of beamlets are passed through a plurality of apertures of the multi-aperture plate. The beamlets include an inner beamlet of charged particles and a plurality of outer beamlets of charged particles. The outer beamlets are focused to form a plurality of outer focal points on a virtual ring having a center along an optical axis, the outer beamlets subjected to a field curvature aberration, such that the virtual ring is axially displaced relative to a virtual focal point of an uncompensated inner beamlet. A compensated inner beamlet is focused to a compensated focal point. The inner beamlet is compensated to form the compensated inner beamlet; and the compensated focal point is coplanar with the virtual ring.