In an embodiment, a method includes: placing a wafer on an implanter platen, the wafer including alignment marks; measuring a position of the wafer by measuring positions of the alignment marks with one or more cameras; determining an angular displacement between the position of the wafer and a reference position of the wafer; and rotating the implanter platen by the angular displacement.

In an embodiment, a method includes: placing a wafer on an implanter platen, the wafer including integrated circuit dies; measuring a position of the wafer by measuring a positions of an outer edge of the integrated circuit dies with a camera; determining an angular displacement between the position of the wafer and a reference position of the wafer; and rotating the implanter platen by the angular displacement.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a plasma processing system, comprising: a transfer chamber, the transfer chamber including a plurality of sidewalls, each sidewall being connected with a plurality of process chambers; each process chamber including a base therein, the base including a central point; wherein at least two process chambers connected to a same sidewall form one process chamber group, wherein a first distance is provided between the central points of two bases in a first process chamber group, and a second distance is provided between the central points of two bases in a second process chamber group, the first distance being greater than the second distance; and the transfer chamber comprises a mechanical transfer device; a rotating pedestal includes two independently movable robot arms thereon, the two robot arms; and the two robot arms both include a plurality of rotating shafts and a plurality of rotating arms, wherein a remote rotating arm of each robot arm further includes an end effector for holding a substrate. The mechanical transfer device according to the present disclosure may simultaneously retrieve and place the substrate in the process chamber group with the first distance and the substrate in the process chamber group with the second distance.

A sample holder (19) includes a base portion (41), a sample carrying portion (42), a rotation guide portion (43), a cooling stage (46), a connection member (47), a first support portion, and a fixing guide portion (48). The base portion (41) is configured to be fixed to a stage (12), which is configured to be driven to rotate by a stage driving mechanism (13). The rotation guide portion (43) is configured to guide synchronous rotation of the base portion (41) and the sample carrying portion (42). The cooling stage (46) is configured to cool a sample (S). The connection member (47) is configured to be connected to the cooling stage (46). The first support portion is configured to support the base portion (41), which is configured to be driven to rotate by the stage (12).

A 3D nanoprinter electron beam lithography module for a lithography system, such as a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or an environmental SEM (ESEM) with a beam blanker and electron beam lithography attachment, but generally applicable to any electron beam lithography capable system. The module is comprised of an in-situ spin-coating stage that is compatible with a cooling-SEM stage, with a spin-coating motor, a spin-coating sample stub, a liquid waste collector cup, a liquid dispensing arm holding a tube bundle that is connected via tubing to micro-syringe pumps or a pressure driven flow controller or pumps connected to fluid reservoirs, an electron beam scan generator control box, electrical feedthroughs, control electronics, and a computing system responsible for controlling the entire module. The dispensing arm can be controlled by a servo motor.

This invention pertains to an imaging method, the purpose of which is to reveal, over a wide range, information about a plurality of layers contained in a multilayer structure, or form an image of the revealed applicable layers. The method proposed includes: a step in which, while rotating the sample with the axis of the normal line of the sample surface as the axis of rotation, the sample is irradiated with an ion beam from a direction inclined with respect to the normal line direction, via a mask having an opening which selectively allows the passage of an ion beam and which is disposed at a position distant from the sample, thereby forming a hole with a band-shaped sloped surface that is inclined with respect to the sample surface; and a step in which a first image viewed from a direction intersecting with the sloped surface of the applicable layer is formed, on the basis of a signal obtained by irradiating, with a charged particle beam, the applicable layer contained in the band-shaped sloped surface.

An electron beam is irradiated on a specimen in a state where a negative voltage is applied to the specimen. The specimen is rotated to establish an optimum orientation of a specimen surface shape relative to an orientation of a detector having two detection surfaces disposed at rotational symmetric positions with respect to an optical axis of the electron beam taken as an axis of rotation, and an image is generated based on a quantity of a signal from reflected electrons detected by the detector.

Provided is an ion milling apparatus capable of enhancing reproducibility of an ion distribution. The ion milling apparatus includes: an ion source 101; a sample stage 102 on which a sample to be processed by being irradiated with an unfocused ion beam from the ion source 101 is placed; and a measurement member holding unit 106 that holds an ion beam current measurement member 105. A covering material 120 is provided so as to cover at least a surface of the measurement member holding unit 106 and the sample stage 102 facing the ion source 101. A material of the covering material 120 contains, as a main component, an element having an atomic number smaller than that of an element of a material of a structure on which the covering material is provided. The ion beam current measurement member 105 is moved in an irradiation range of the ion beam on a trajectory, which is located between the ion source and the sample stage, in a state where the ion beam is output from the ion source 101 under a first irradiation condition, and an ion beam current flowing when the ion beam current measurement member 105 is irradiated with the ion beam is measured.

The present disclosure provides a flexible workpiece pedestal capable of tilting a workpiece support surface. The workpiece pedestal further includes a heater mounted on the workpiece support surface. The heater includes a plurality of heating sources such as heating coils. The plurality of heating sources in the heater allows heating the workpiece at different temperatures for different zones of the workpiece. For example, the workpiece can have a central zone heated by a first heating coil, a first outer ring zone that is outside of the central zone heated by a second heating coil, a second outer ring zone that is outside of the first outer ring zone heated by a third heating coil. By using the tunable heating feature and the tilting feature of the workpiece pedestal, the present disclosure can reduce or eliminate the shadowing effect problem of the related workpiece pedestal in the art.

Methods include holding a sample with a movement stage configured to rotate the sample about a rotation axis, directing an imaging beam to a first sample location with the sample at a first rotational position about the rotation axis and detecting a first transmitted imaging beam image, rotating the sample using the movement stage about the rotation axis to a second rotational position, and directing the imaging beam to a second sample location by deflecting the imaging beam in relation to an optical axis of the imaging beam and detecting a second transmitted imaging beam image, wherein the second sample location is spaced apart from the first sample location at least at least in relation to the optical axis. Related systems and apparatus are also disclosed.