An electron beam apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises an e-beam source configured to generate an electron beam, a first part configured to support a substrate, the first part comprising an object table for supporting the substrate, the first part further comprising a short stroke actuator system for actuating the object table relative to the e-beam source, the short stroke actuator system comprising a short stroke forcer. The apparatus further comprises a second part configured to movably support the first part and a long stroke actuator system configured to actuate movement of the first part with respect to the second part, the long stroke actuator system comprising a long stroke forcer, wherein the short stroke forcer and/or the long stroke forcer is configured to be switched off while the electron beam is projected onto the substrate.

The present invention makes it possible to analyze trace carbon in a sample without the effects of contamination. In an electron probe microanalyzer, a liquid nitrogen trap and a plasma or oxygen radical generator are jointly used as a means for suppressing contamination, and two or more carbon detection units for detecting characteristic x-rays of carbon in the sample are provided.

An analysis system, an analysis method and a sample holder make it possible to analyse a battery via a particle beam system, for example to record images of the battery via the particle beam system, while the battery is arranged in a vacuum chamber of the particle beam system and is manipulated according to a multiplicity of different parameter value sets in the vacuum chamber. By way of example, the battery is kept at a predefined temperature, a predefined pressure is exerted on the battery, and the battery is electrically charged and discharged according to a loading scheme and at the same time images of the battery are recorded via the particle beam system.

Generating an image of an object and/or a representation of data about the object uses a particle beam apparatus. The particle beam apparatus comprises at least one control unit for setting a guide unit by selecting a value of a control parameter of the control unit. A functional relationship is determined between a first control parameter value and a second control parameter value depending on the predeterminable range of a landing energy of the particles. A desired value of the landing energy is set. The value of the control parameter corresponding to the desired value of the landing energy is selected on the basis of the determined functional relationship and the guide unit is controlled using the value of the control parameter corresponding to the desired value of the landing energy.

An electron beam device obtains contrast reflecting an electronic state of a sample with high sensitivity. The device includes an electron optical system which emits an electron beam to a sample and detects electrons emitted from the sample; a light pulse emission system that emits a light pulse to the sample; a synchronization processing unit that samples the emitted electrons; an image signal processing unit which forms an image by a detection signal output based upon the emitted electrons detected by the electron optical system; and a device control unit for setting a control condition of the electron optical system. The device control unit sets a sampling frequency for detection sampling of the emitted electrons to be greater than a value obtained by dividing the number of emissions of the light pulse per unit pixel time by the unit pixel time.

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.

Transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) are being utilized more often in failure analysis labs as processing nodes decrease and alternative device structures, such as three dimensional, multi-gate transistors, e.g., FinFETs (Fin Field Effect Transistors), are utilized in IC designs. However, these types of structures may confuse typical TEM sample (or “lamella”) preparation as the resulting lamella may contain multiple potentially faulty structures, making it difficult to identify the actual faulty structure. Passive voltage contrast may be used in a dual beam focused ion beam (FIB) microscope system including a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column by systematically identifying non-faulty structures and milling them from the lamella until the faulty structure is identified.

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.

An image forming method includes: arranging a sample between a first main surface of an insulating thin film and a counter electrode, measuring an impedance value by inputting an AC potential signal to the counter electrode, scanning a physical beam while focusing and irradiating a conductive thin film given to cover a second main surface of the insulating thin film with the physical beam to lower an insulation property of the insulating thin film directly below an irradiation position, guiding the AC potential signal to the irradiation position, and forming an image from the impedance value corresponding to the irradiation position.

A detecting method and a detecting equipment therefor are provided. The detecting method includes: inspecting whether a display panel has a defective position; after acquiring the defective position of the display panel by the inspecting, using a first focused ion beam generated by a first ion overhaul apparatus to cut the defective position of the display panel, so as to strip a defect at the defective position and observe morphology of defect; using a repair apparatus to perform a repair treatment on the defective position after the defect is stripped. An inspection apparatus for the inspecting of the defective position, the first ion overhaul apparatus and the repair apparatus are sequentially installed on the same production line.