A high voltage inspection system that includes a vacuum chamber; electron optics that is configured to direct an electron beam towards an upper surface of a substrate; a substrate support module that comprises a chuck and a housing; wherein the chuck is configured to support a substrate; wherein the housing is configured to surround the substrate without masking the electron beam, when the substrate is positioned on the chuck during a first operational mode of the high voltage inspection system; and wherein the substrate, the chuck and the housing are configured to (a) receive a high voltage bias signal of a high voltage level that exceeds ten thousand volts, and (b) to maintain at substantially the high voltage level during the first operational mode of the high voltage inspection system.

Techniques for yield management in semiconductor inspection systems are described. According to one aspect of the present invention, columns of sensing mechanism are configured with different functions, weights and performances to inspect a sample to significantly reduce the time that would be otherwise needed when all the columns were equally applied.

A method of operating a charged particle beam device is disclosed, including focusing a charged particle beam onto a sample with an objective lens assembly; passing a reflected light beam through a bore of the objective lens assembly to an interferometer; and interferometrically determining a z-position of the sample with the interferometer. A charged particle beam device is disclosed, including a charged particle beam generator which has a charged particle source. A charged particle path for the charged particle beam extends through a bore of an objective lens assembly toward a sample stage. An interferometer is arranged to receive a reflected light beam which passes through the bore of the objective lens assembly.

An inspection apparatus according to an embodiment includes an irradiation part configured to irradiate an inspection target substrate with multiple beams including energy beams, a detector, on which a plurality of charged particle beams of charged particles released from the inspection target substrate are imaged, configured to detect each of the charged particle beams as an electrical signal, and a comparing unit configured to compare reference image data and image data that is reproduced based on the detected electrical signals and that represents patterns formed on the inspection target substrate to inspect the patterns. The detector includes a plurality of detecting elements corresponding one-to-one to the charged particle beams. The detecting elements each have a size greater than a size that covers a beam blur of each charged particle beam imaged on the detector.

A positioning system for an electron microscope includes a first carriage comprising a holder for holding a workpiece and a second carriage. The first carriage being coupled to one or more first drive units configured to position the workpiece along first, second, and third axes, and along a first tilt axis. The second carriage housing the one or more first drive units and being coupled to one or more second drive units configured to position the workpiece along a second tilt axis.

The present invention relates to acquisition of medical image information of an object. In order to provide a user-friendly alignment of X-ray tube and a detector, optionally combined with an anti-scatter grid, an alignment arrangement is proposed, which comprises a tube attachment with a first light projection device and a detector attachment with a second light projection device. The first and second light projection devices each generate a light pattern on a projection surface. The tube attachment and the detector attachment can be brought into a correct spatial arrangement relative to each other by bringing the first light pattern in a predetermined spatial relation with the second light pattern on the projection surface.

According to an embodiment, a charged particle beam apparatus includes a stage; a chamber; an emission source of the charged particle beam; an electronic optical system configured to emit the charged particle beam; an optical column including the emission source and the electronic optical system; a charged particle detector configured to detect a position of the charged particle beam; a first actuator configured to provide a frequency vibration to the stage based on a first excitation signal; a second actuator configured to provide a frequency vibration to the optical column based on a second excitation signal; a third actuator configured to provide a frequency vibration to the chamber based on a third excitation signal; and a controller configured to generate the first to third excitation signals.

A chuck interface that includes a mirror; an inner surface that is shaped and sized to match a portion of a sidewall of a chuck; wherein the inner surface is mechanically coupled to the mirror; and at least one interfacing element for assisting in attaching the chuck to the mirror; and wherein a difference between a thermal expansion coefficient of the chuck and a thermal expansion coefficient of the mirror does not exceed 0.5 micron*Kelvin per Meter.

A control unit for generating a timing signal for an imaging unit in an inspection system in which an image of an inspection target object is captured by the imaging unit while the inspection target object is caused to travel in a predetermined direction includes a traveling distance determination section configured to detect a traveling distance of the inspection target object based on a count value acquired as an integer value from a laser interferometer provided in the inspection system for detecting a traveling distance of the inspection target object, and configured to determine whether the detected traveling distance reaches a threshold, and a timing signal generation section configured to generate a timing signal when it is determined that the detected traveling distance reaches the threshold. The traveling distance determination section executes the determination by using a plurality of values selectively as the threshold.

A charged particle beam apparatus includes a sample stage on which a sample is mounted, a control device that controls to drive the sample stage, a linear scale that detects a position of the sample stage, laser position detection means for detecting the position of the sample stage, an optical microscope that observes the sample mounted on the sample stage, and a barrel that irradiates the sample mounted on the sample stage with an electron beam, and generates a secondary electron. Image data of a first correction sample mounted on the sample stage is acquired by the optical microscope, and position data of the sample stage is detected by the laser position detection means. The sample stage is positioned with respect to the barrel based on the image data acquired by the optical microscope and the position data of the sample stage detected by the laser position detection means.