There is provided an objective lens capable of reducing the effects of magnetic fields on a sample. The objective lens includes a first lens and a second lens. The lenses are arranged so that the component of the magnetic field of the first lens lying along the optical axis and the component of the magnetic field of the second lens lying along the optical axis cancel out each other at a sample placement surface. The first and second lenses each include an inner polepiece and an outer polepiece. The inner polepieces have front end portions, respectively. The outer polepieces have front end portions, respectively, which jut out toward the optical axis. The distances of the front end portions of the outer polepieces, respectively, from the sample placement surface are less than the distances of the front end portions of the inner polepieces, respectively, from the sample placement surface.

A composite beam apparatus includes an electron beam column for irradiating an electron beam onto a sample, a focused ion beam column for irradiating a focused ion beam onto the sample to form a cross section, and a neutral particle beam column having an acceleration voltage set lower than that of the focused ion beam column for irradiating a neutral particle beam onto the sample to perform finish processing of the cross section. The electron beam column, the focused ion beam column, and the neutral particle beam column are arranged such that the beams of the columns cross each other at an irradiation point. A controller controls the electron beam column to irradiate and scan the electron beam on the sample during cross section processing by the focused ion beam column and during finish processing by the neutral particle beam column. The composite beam apparatus is capable of suppressing the influence of charge build-up, or electric field or magnetic field leakage from an electron beam column, when subjecting a sample to cross-section processing with a focused ion beam and then performing finishing processing with another beam.

A charged particle beam device includes: a charged particle source; an acceleration electric power source connected to the charged particle source for accelerating a charged particle beam emitted by the acceleration electric power source; and an objective lens for focusing the charged particle beam onto a sample, the objective lens including: a central magnetic pole having a central axis coinciding with an ideal optical axis of the charged particle beam; an upper magnetic pole; a cylindrical side-surface magnetic pole; and a disk-shaped lower magnetic pole, the central magnetic pole having an upper portion on a side of the sample and a column-shaped lower portion, the upper magnetic pole having a circular opening at a center thereof and being in a shape of a disk that is tapered to a center thereof and that is thinner at a position closer to a center of gravity of the central magnetic pole.

The present invention provides apparatuses to inspect small particles on the surface of a sample such as wafer and mask. The apparatuses provide both high detection efficiency and high throughput by forming Dark-field BSE images. The apparatuses can additionally inspect physical and electrical defects on the sample surface by form SE images and Bright-field BSE images simultaneously. The apparatuses can be designed to do single-beam or even multiple single-beam inspection for achieving a high throughput.

In order to provide an aberration correction system that realizes a charged particle beam of which the anisotropy is reduced or eliminated on a sample surface even in the case where there is magnetic interference between pole stages of an aberration corrector, an correction system includes a line cross position control device (209) which controls a line cross position in the aberration corrector of the charged particle beam so that a designed value and an actually measured value of the line cross position are equal to each other, an image shift amount extraction device (210), and a feedback determination device (211) which determines whether or not changing an excitation amount of the aberration corrector is necessary whether or not changing an excitation amount is necessary from an extracted image shift amount.

A multi-beam lens device is described, which includes: a first beam passage for a first charged particle beam formed along a first direction between a first beam inlet of the first beam passage and a first beam outlet of the first beam passage; a second beam passage for a second charged particle beam formed along a second direction between a second beam inlet of the second beam passage and a second beam outlet of the second beam passage, wherein the first direction and the second direction are inclined with respect to each other by an angle () of 5 or more such that the first beam passage approaches the second beam passage toward the first beam outlet; and a common excitation coil or a common electrode arrangement configured for focussing the first charged particle beam and the second charged particle beam. Further, a charged particle beam device as well as a method of operating a multi-beam lens device are described.

There is provided an objective lens capable of reducing the effects of magnetic fields on a sample. The objective lens permits observation of the sample at high resolution. The objective lens (100) includes a first electromagnetic lens (10) and a second electromagnetic lens (20). The first and second lenses (10, 20) produce their respective magnetic fields including components lying along an optical axis (L), and are so arranged that the component of the magnetic field of the first lens (10) lying along the optical axis (L) and the component of the magnetic field of the second lens (20) lying along the optical axis (L) cancel out each other at a sample placement surface (2). The first lens (10) includes an inner polepiece (15) and an outer polepiece (16). Similarly, the second lens (20) includes an inner polepiece (25) and an outer polepiece (26). The inner polepieces (15, 25) have front end portions (15a, 25a), respectively. The outer polepieces (16, 26) have front end portions (16a, 26a), respectively, which jut out toward the optical axis (L). The distances (D2, D4) of the front end portions (16a, 26a) of the outer polepieces (16, 26), respectively, from the sample placement surface (2) are less than the distances (D1, D3) of the front end portions (15a, 25a) of the inner polepieces (15, 25), respectively, from the sample placement surface (2).

A multipole element for creating a magnetic multipole field or for creating an electric-magnetic multipole field for a particle beam system such as a scanning electron microscope, for example, comprises: a tube surrounding a central axis of the multipole element; an external space assembly arranged outside of the tube and a vacuum space assembly arranged within the tube. The external space assembly comprises: a magnetically conductive circumferential pole piece surrounding the tube; a plurality of magnetically conductive supports arranged so as to be distributed around the central axis and extending from the circumferential pole piece up to an outer wall surface of the tube; and a plurality of coils. The vacuum space assembly comprises a plurality of magnetically conductive pole pieces arranged so as to be distributed around the central axis and extending from the tube in the direction of the central axis.

Disclosed is a composite beam apparatus capable of suppressing the influence of charge build-up, or electric field or magnetic field leakage from an electron beam column when subjecting a sample to cross-section processing with a focused ion beam and then performing finishing processing with another beam. The Composite beam apparatus includes: an electron beam column irradiating an electron beam onto a sample; a focused ion beam column irradiating a focused ion beam onto the sample to form a cross section; a neutral particle beam column having an acceleration voltage set lower than that of the focused ion beam column, and irradiating a neutral particle beam onto the sample to perform finish processing of the cross section, wherein the electron beam column, the focused ion beam column, and the neutral particle beam column are arranged such that the beams of the columns cross each other at an irradiation point.

A charged particle beam device includes: a charged particle source; an acceleration electric power source connected to the charged particle source for accelerating a charged particle beam emitted by the acceleration electric power source; and an objective lens for focusing the charged particle beam onto a sample, the objective lens including: a central magnetic pole having a central axis coinciding with an ideal optical axis of the charged particle beam; an upper magnetic pole; a cylindrical side-surface magnetic pole; and a disk-shaped lower magnetic pole, the central magnetic pole having an upper portion on a side of the sample and a column-shaped lower portion, the upper magnetic pole having a circular opening at a center thereof and being in a shape of a disk that is tapered to a center thereof and that is thinner at a position closer to a center of gravity of the central magnetic pole.