The present invention refers to a two-systems compact specimen holder (SH) easy to use which enables to analyze the same sample by employing either an atomic force microscope (AFM) or a scanning electron microscope (SEM), by preserving the setting reference of the details for both microscopies, so that it satisfies the requirements of size, conductivity, magnetization, tidiness, reference and adaptability. The capacity of preserving the location reference of the details for both microscopies, in the scope of correlational microscopy, results essential to obtain information and images in both fields of microscopy, which can be correlated in order to acquire valuable combined information.

The present application discloses methods, systems and devices for using charged particle beam tools to pattern and inspect a substrate. The inventors have discovered that it is highly advantageous to use patterns generated using the Hadamard transform as alignment and registration marks (Hadamard targets) for multiple-column charged particle beam substrate processing and inspection tools. Hadamard targets can be written to a substrate using charged particle beams performing, for example, resist-based lithography or resist-less direct processing. High-order Hadamard targets can also be patterned and imaged to obtain superior column performance metrics for applications such as super-rapid beam calibration DOE, column matching, and column performance tracking. Hadamard target blocks can be written highly locally to electrically functional pattern portions, or integrated into said pattern portions, thereby enabling re-registration local and contemporaneous to writing and improving beam targeting accuracy following re-registration. Superior alignment and registration, and column parameter optimization, allow significant yield gains.

The present application discloses methods, systems and devices for using charged particle beam tools to pattern and inspect a substrate. The inventors have discovered that it is highly advantageous to use patterns generated using the Hadamard transform as alignment and registration marks (Hadamard targets) for multiple-column charged particle beam substrate processing and inspection tools. Hadamard targets can be written to a substrate using charged particle beams performing, for example, resist-based lithography or resist-less direct processing. High-order Hadamard targets can also be patterned and imaged to obtain superior column performance metrics for applications such as super-rapid beam calibration DOE, column matching, and column performance tracking. Hadamard target blocks can be written highly locally to electrically functional pattern portions, or integrated into said pattern portions, thereby enabling re-registration local and contemporaneous to writing and improving beam targeting accuracy following re-registration. Superior alignment and registration, and column parameter optimization, allow significant yield gains.

There is provided a method capable of calibrating a sample stage easily. This method is for use in a charged particle beam system having the sample stage for moving a sample and an imaging subsystem for capturing a charged particle beam image and obtaining a final image. The method includes the steps of obtaining the final image from the imaging subsystem (step S100), obtaining correlation information that associates a given position in the final image with a position of the sample stage assumed when the final image was taken (step S102), obtaining length information about a length per pixel of the final image at a final magnification (step S106), and finding a correction between coordinates of the final image and coordinates of the sample stage on the basis of the correlation information and of the length information (step S110).

A charged-particle beam microscope includes a charged-particle beam source to generate a charged-particle beam. A stage is provided to hold a sample in the path of the charged-particle beam. Beam optics are provided to illuminate the sample with the charged-particle beam. One or more detectors are provided to detect radiation emanating from the sample as a result of the illumination. A controller may control one or more of the beam optics, stage, and detectors to generate an image of the sample based on the detected radiation.

A method and apparatus are provided for aligning a sample in a charged particle beam system. The charged particle beam is directed toward the sample to obtain a sample diffraction pattern. The sample diffraction pattern is compared with reference diffraction patterns having known misalignments to determine which reference pattern most closely matches the sample pattern. The known alignment of the best-matching reference diffraction pattern is used to correct the tilt of the sample. The patterns compared can be lists of bright spots with corresponding intensities rather than images.

A calibration method for calibrating the position error in the point of interest induced from the stage of the defect inspection tool is achieved by controlling the deflectors directly. The position error in the point of interest is obtained from the design layout database.

The present invention shortens the time spent in a search for a visual field by a user in a charged particle beam apparatus in which an observation range on a sample is set by using a captured image of the sample. When the contour of a sample table is circularly configured, for example, the central position of a sample table image on an optical image is quickly, easily, and accurately obtained by calculating, from the coordinates of the respective vertices of a triangle circumscribed about the contour created on the optical image by the user, the incenter of the triangle without direct recognition by automatic image analysis, which is complex and time-consuming, of the contour of the sample table image on the optical image.

The invention relates to a method of determining an aberration of a charged particle microscope. The method comprises a step of providing a charged particle microscope that is at least partly operable by a user. Then, a set of image data is obtained with said charged particle microscope. The image data is processed to determine an aberration of said charged particle microscope. According to the invention, said set of image data is actively obtained by a user. In particular, the image data may be obtained during normal operation of the microscope by a user, which may include navigating and/or focusing of the microscope. Thus, the set of image data is acquired by said user, and not by the controller thereof. This allows background processing of an aberration, and aberration correction during use of the charged particle microscope. The invention further relates to a charged particle microscope incorporating the method.

Described herein is a metrology system and a method for converting metrology data via a trained machine learning (ML) model. The method includes accessing a first (MD1) SEM data set (e.g., images, contours, etc.) acquired by a first scanning electron metrology (SEM) system (TS1) and a second (MD2) SEM data set acquired by a second SEM system (TS2), where the first SEM data set and the second SEM data set being associated with a patterned substrate. Using the first SEM data set and the second SEM data set as training data, a machine learning (ML) model is trained (P303) such that the trained ML model is configured to convert (P307) a metrology data set (310) acquired (P305) by the second SEM system to a converted data set (311) having characteristics comparable to metrology data being acquired by the first SEM system. Furthermore, measurements may be determined based on the converted SEM data.