A multi-degree-of-freedom sample holder, comprising a housing and a rotating shaft, is disclosed. A frame is provided between the housing and the rotating shaft, and the frame is coaxial with the housing and rotating shaft. The present invention has multiple degrees of freedom such as high-precision translational freedom of the sample along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis, and 360° rotation of the sample around the axis, etc. The sample is always aligned with the sample holder shaft during the rotation, and the static electricity accumulated on the sample can be led out.

The present invention refers to an apparatus (100) and a method for detecting characteristics of a probe. In an embodiment, the apparatus (100) comprises a vacuum chamber (104) and a beam generator (102) adapted to generate a beam of charged particles within the vacuum chamber (104). When the beam of charged particles falls onto the probe, interaction particles and/or interaction radiation are generated. The apparatus (100) further comprises an electromechanical unit (114) within the vacuum chamber (104) and a detector (110) comprising a plurality of detection units and being arranged on the electromechanical unit (114) allowing for the detector (110) to move from a first position (302) with respect to the beam generator (102) to a second position (304) with respect to the beam generator (102) and vice versa, upon a corresponding actuation of the electromechanical unit (114) performable from outside of the vacuum chamber (104).

A focused ion beam apparatus (100) includes: a focused ion beam lens column (20); a sample table (51); a sample stage (50); a memory (6M) configured to store in advance three-dimensional data on the sample table and an irradiation axis of the focused ion beam, the three-dimensional data being associated with stage coordinates of the sample stage; a display (7); and a display controller (6A) configured to cause the display to display a virtual positional relationship between the sample table (51v) and the irradiation axis (20Av) of the focused ion beam, which is exhibited when the sample stage is operated to move the sample table to a predetermined position, based on the three-dimensional data on the sample table and the irradiation axis of the focused ion beam.

A method is carried out with the aid of a particle beam microscope which includes a particle beam column for producing a beam of charged particles, the particle beam column having an optical axis. Furthermore, the particle beam microscope includes a holding device for holding the extracted micro-sample. The method includes holding the extracted micro-sample and an adjacent hinge element via the holding device. The micro-sample adopts a first spatial orientation relative to the optical axis. The method also includes producing a bending edge in the hinge element by way of irradiation with a beam of charged particles such that the adjacent micro-sample is moved in space and the spatial orientation of the micro-sample is altered. The method further includes holding the micro-sample in a second spatial orientation relative to the optical axis, wherein the second spatial orientation differs from the first spatial orientation.

A system and method that is capable of measuring the incident angle of an ion beam, especially an ion beam comprising heavier ions, is disclosed. In one embodiment, X-rays, rather than ions, are used to determine the channeling direction. In another embodiment, the workpiece is constructed, at least in part, of a material having a high molecular weight such that heaver ion beams can be measured. Further, in another embodiment, the parameters of the ion beam are measured across an entirety of the beam, allowing components of the ion implantation system to be further tuned to create a more uniform beam.

Provided is a charged particle beam apparatus including a focused ion beam column, a sample holder, a stage supporting the sample holder, a securing member rotating unit, a stage driving unit, and a control device. The sample holder includes a securing member fixing a sample. The securing member rotating unit rotates the securing member around a first rotational axis and a second rotational axis. The stage driving unit translates the stage in three dimensions and rotates the stage around a third rotational axis. The control device acquires a correction value for correcting a change in a position of a center of rotation for rotation around at least one among a first rotational axis, a second rotational axis, and a third rotational axis. The control device translates the stage according to the correction value.

The present disclosure provides a process chamber and a semiconductor process apparatus. The process chamber is applied in the semiconductor process apparatus and includes a chamber body, a base, and a chuck assembly. The reaction chamber is formed in the chamber body. The base is located in the reaction chamber. The chuck assembly is connected to the base and configured to carry a wafer. The base includes a base body and a plurality of cantilevers. The plurality of cantilevers are arranged evenly along the circumference of the base body. Each cantilever is connected to the inner wall of the chamber body and the outer wall of the base body. The chamber body, the base body, and the cantilever have an integral structure and are made of a material having the electrical conductivity and the thermal conductivity.

The present invention is in the field of a cryo transfer system for use in microscopy, and a microscope comprising said system. The present invention is in the field of microscopy, specifically in the field of electron and focused ion beam microscopy (EM and FIB), and in particular Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). However its application is extendable in principle to any field of microscopy, especially wherein a specimen (or sample) is cooled or needs cooling.

A stage includes a sample table on which a sample is placed, a first drive mechanism moving the sample table in a first direction; a position measurement element measuring a position in the first direction that is a driving direction of the sample table. The stage also has a scale element having a scale measurement axis that is parallel to a first measurement axis in the first direction based on the position measurement element and is different from the first measurement axis in height, and measuring the position of the sample table in the first direction. A controller calculates the orientation of the sample table by using a measurement value by the position measurement element and a measurement value by the scale element and correcting the Abbe error of the sample table.

The present invention refers to a method for improving a Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction, TKD pattern, wherein the method comprises the steps of: Detecting a TKD pattern (20b) of a sample (12) in an electron microscope (60) comprising at least one active electron lens (61) focussing an electron beam (80) in z-direction on a sample (12) positioned in distance D below the electron lens (61), the detected TKD (20b) pattern comprising a plurality of image points x.sub.D, y.sub.D and mapping each of the detected image points x.sub.D, y.sub.D to an image point of an improved TKD pattern (20a) with the coordinates x.sub.0, y.sub.0 by using and inverting generalized terms of the form x.sub.D=γ*A+(1−γ)*B and y.sub.D=γ*C+(1−γ)*D wherein

[00001]$\gamma =\frac{Z}{D}$ with Z being an extension in the z-direction of a cylindrically symmetric magnetic field B.sub.Z of the electron lens (61), and wherein A, B, C, D are trigonometric expressions depending on the coordinates x.sub.0, y.sub.0, with B and D defining a rotation around a symmetry axis of the magnetic field B.sub.Z, and with A and C defining a combined rotation and contraction operation with respect to the symmetry axis of the magnetic field B.sub.Z. The invention further relates to a measurement system, computer program and computer-readable medium for carrying out the method of the invention.