A system that predicts an apparatus state of a plasma processing apparatus including a processing chamber in which a sample is processed is configured to have a data recording unit that records emission data of plasma during processing of the sample and electrical signal data obtained from the apparatus during the plasma processing, an arithmetic unit that includes a first calculation unit for calculating a first soundness index value of the plasma processing apparatus and a first threshold for an abnormality determination using a first algorithm with respect to the recorded emission data and a second calculation unit for calculating a second soundness index value of the plasma processing apparatus and a second threshold for the abnormality determination using a second algorithm with respect to the electrical signal data recorded in the data recording unit, and a determination unit that determines soundness of the plasma processing apparatus using the calculated first soundness index value and the first threshold and the calculated second soundness index value and the second threshold.

An ion implantation system is described, including: an ion implanter comprising a housing defining an enclosed volume in which is positioned a gas box configured to hold one or more gas supply vessels, the gas box being in restricted gas flow communication with gas in the enclosed volume that is outside the gas box; a first ventilation assembly configured to flow ventilation gas through the housing and to exhaust the ventilation gas from the housing to an ambient environment of the ion implanter; a second ventilation assembly configured to exhaust gas from the gas box to a treatment apparatus that is adapted to at least partially remove contaminants from the gas box exhaust gas, or that is adapted to dilute the gas box exhaust gas, to produce a treated effluent gas, the second ventilation assembly comprising a variable flow control device for modulating flow rate of the gas box exhaust gas between a relatively lower gas box exhaust gas flow rate and a relatively higher gas box exhaust gas flow rate, and a motive fluid driver adapted to flow the gas box exhaust gas through the variable flow control device to the treatment apparatus; and a monitoring and control assembly configured to monitor operation of the ion implanter for occurrence of a gas hazard event, and thereupon to responsively prevent gas-dispensing operation of the one or more gas supply vessels, and to modulate the variable flow control device to the relatively higher gas box exhaust gas flow rate so that the motive fluid driver flows the gas box exhaust gas to the treatment apparatus at the relatively higher gas box exhaust gas flow rate. Preferably, in a gas hazard event, the shell exhaust discharge from the housing is also terminated, to facilitate exhausting all gas within the housing, outside as well as inside the gas box, to the treatment unit.

A gas field ionization source in which an ion beam current is stable for a long time is achieved in an ion beam apparatus equipped with a field ionization source that supplies gas to a chamber, ionizes the gas, and applies the ion beam to a sample. The ion beam apparatus includes an emitter electrode having a needle-like extremity; a chamber inside which the emitter electrode is installed; a gas supply unit that supplies the gas to the chamber; a cooling unit that is connected to the chamber and cools the emitter electrode; a discharge type exhaust unit that exhausts gas inside the chamber; and a trap type exhaust unit that exhausts gas inside the chamber. The exhaust conductance of the discharge type exhaust unit is larger than the total exhaust conductance of the trap type exhaust unit.

Provided is an electron microscope with which a sample can be observed stably and with high accuracy. The electron microscope comprises: a sample stage; an electron optical system that scans an electron beam over a sample; a vacuum system that maintains the sample stage and the electron optical system in a vacuum; a secondary electron detector that detects secondary electrons emitted from the sample; transmitted electron detectors that detect transmitted electrons that have transmitted through the sample; and a control device that obtains a secondary electron image and a transmitted electron image on the basis of the secondary electrons and the transmitted electrons detected by the secondary electron detector and the transmitted electron detectors and stores the secondary electron image and the transmitted electron image. The sample stage is provided with cooling means for cooling the sample. The vacuum system is provided with a cold trap that sucks moisture from around the sample and a vacuum gauge that measures the degree of vacuum of the vacuum system.

In order to observe a water-containing sample with excellent convenience under an air atmosphere or a gas atmosphere, or under a desired pressure, in the present invention, there is provided an observation support unit for observation by irradiating the sample disposed in a non-vacuum space separated by a diaphragm from an inner space of a charged particle optical lens barrel that generates a charged particle beam, with the charged particle beam. The observation support unit includes a main body portion for covering a hole portion that forms an observation region where the sample is observed, and the sample, and the observation support unit is directly mounted between the sample and the diaphragm, that is, on the sample.

A focused ion beam apparatus may include an ion beam emitter for emitting an ion beam, a focused ion beam chamber into which ion gas may be introduced, a sample stage in the focused ion beam chamber to support a wafer sample, and an air bag in the focused ion beam chamber. The airbag may be positioned to not interfere with the sample stage.

A method of post-deposition processing includes performing a preheat process in a radical treatment chamber, the preheat process comprising exposing a substrate having a metal layer formed thereon to purge gas and purging the purge gas at a pressure of between 400 Torr and 535 Torr, and performing a radical treatment process in the radical treatment chamber, the radical treatment process comprising exposing the substrate to radical species.

A method of manufacturing a group III-nitride semiconductor includes a loading step, a pressure reduction step, a heating step, a first film forming step, and a second film forming step. In the pressure reduction step, a pressure in the chamber is reduced. In the heating step, the substrate is heated. In the first film forming step, an organic metal gas containing a group III element is supplied to the substrate in the chamber, and a first gas containing hydrogen gas and nitrogen gas is excited into plasma and supplied to the substrate in the chamber. In the second film forming step, an organic metal gas containing the group III element is supplied to the substrate in the chamber, and a second gas not containing hydrogen gas and containing nitrogen gas is excited into plasma and supplied to the substrate in the chamber.

The invention is directed to a charged particle beam apparatus that enables temperature maintenance in a cooling unit provided inside a vacuum application apparatus using a refrigerant. The charged particle beam apparatus includes a cooling tank that contains a refrigerant for cooling a cooling unit, a cooling pipe that supplies the refrigerant from the cooling tank to the cooling unit, and a unit that leads the refrigerant to liquefy when the refrigerant is biased to a solid.

Disclosed is an x-ray tube including a hybrid electron emission source, which uses, as an electron emission source, a cathode including both a field electron emission source and a thermal electron emission source. An x-ray tube includes an electron emission source emitting an electron beam, and a target part including a target material that emits an x-ray as the emitted electron beam collides with the target part, wherein the electron emission source includes a thermal electron emission source and a field electron emission source, and emits the electron beam by selectively using at least one of the thermal electron emission source and the field electron emission source.