A charged particle buncher includes a series of spaced apart electrodes arranged to generate a shaped electric field. The series includes a first electrode, a last electrode and one or more intermediate electrodes. The charged particle buncher includes a waveform device attached to the electrodes and configured to apply a periodic potential waveform to each electrode independently in a manner so as to form a quasi-electrostatic time varying potential gradient between adjacent electrodes and to cause spatial distribution of charged particles that form a plurality of nodes and antinodes. The nodes have a charged particle density and the antinodes have substantially no charged particle density, and the nodes and the antinodes are formed from a charged particle beam configured to hit the target.

A method of evaluating a region of interest of a sample including: positioning the sample within in a vacuum chamber of an evaluation tool that includes a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column and a focused ion beam (FIB) column; acquiring a plurality of two-dimensional images of the region of interest by alternating a sequence of delayering the region of interest with a charged particle beam from the FIB column and imaging a surface of the region of interest with the SEM column; generating an initial three-dimensional data cube representing the region of interest by stacking the plurality of two-dimensional images on top of each other in an order in which they were acquired; identifying distortions within the initial three-dimensional data cube; and creating an updated three-dimensional data cube that includes corrections for the identified distortions.

The present invention provides a simpler method for sharpening a tip of an emitter. In addition, the present invention provides an emitter including a nanoneedle made of a single crystal material, an emitter including a nanowire made of a single crystal material such as hafnium carbide (HfC), both of which stably emit electrons with high efficiency, and an electron gun and an electronic device using any one of these emitters. A method for manufacturing the emitter according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises processing a single crystal material in a vacuum using a focused ion beam to form an end of the single crystal material, through which electrons are to be emitted, into a tapered shape, wherein the processing is performed in an environment in which a periphery of the single crystal material fixed to a support is opened.

Disclosed herein are techniques directed toward a protective shutter for a charged particle microscope. An example apparatus at least includes a charged particle column and a focused ion beam (FIB) column, a gas injection nozzle coupled to a translation device, the translation device configured to insert the gas injection nozzle in close proximity to a stage, and a shutter coupled to the gas injection nozzle and arranged to be disposed between the sample and the SEM column when the gas injection nozzle is inserted in close proximity to the stage.

A method for positioning a movable object in a sample chamber of a particle beam microscope is carried out with the aid of a flexible particle beam barrier. The particle beam microscope comprises at least one particle beam column for producing a beam of charged particles, and a sample chamber, a detector for detecting interaction signals and a control and evaluation unit. In the method, initially an object is provided in the sample chamber. Next, a barrier region is defined, which is subsequently scanned with the beam of charged particles. The interaction signals produced during the scan are detected. The object is moved towards the barrier region, wherein the detected interaction signals are monitored and signal changes are registered, with the result that it is possible to detect when the object moves into the barrier region or leaves the barrier region.

Analyzing a sidewall of a hole milled in a sample to determine thickness of a buried layer includes milling the hole in the sample using a charged particle beam of a focused ion beam (FIB) column to expose the buried layer along the sidewall of the hole. After milling, the sidewall of the hole has a known slope angle. From a perspective relative to a surface of the sample, a distance is measured between a first point on the sidewall corresponding to an upper surface of the buried layer and a second point on the sidewall corresponding to a lower surface of the buried layer. The thickness of the buried layer is determined using the known slope angle of the sidewall, the distance, and the angle relative to the surface of the sample.

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 invention relates to a particle beam device (100) for imaging, analyzing and/or processing an object (114). The particle beam device (100) comprises a first particle beam generator (300) for generating a first particle beam, wherein the first particle beam generator (300) has a first generator beam axis (301), wherein an optical axis (OA) of the particle beam device (100) and the first generator beam axis (301) are identical; a second particle beam generator (400) for generating a second particle beam, wherein the second particle beam generator (400) has a second generator beam axis (401), wherein the optical axis (OA) and the second generator beam axis (401) are arranged at an angle being different from 0° and 180°; a deflection unit (500) for deflecting the second particle beam from the second generator beam axis (401) to the optical axis (OA) and along the optical axis (OA), wherein the deflection unit (500) has a first opening (501) and a second opening (502) being different from the first opening (501), wherein the optical axis (OA) runs through the first opening (501), wherein the second generator beam axis (401) runs through the second opening (502); an objective lens (107) for focusing the first particle beam or the second particle beam onto the object (114), wherein the optical axis (OA) runs through the objective lens (107); and at least one detector (116, 121, 122) for detecting interaction particles and/or interaction radiation.

A method of performing x-ray spectroscopy material analysis of a region of interest within a cross-section of a sample using an evaluation system that includes a focused ion beam (FIB) column, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column, and an x-ray detector, including: forming a lamella having first and second opposing side surfaces in the sample by milling, with the FIB column, first and second trenches in the sample to expose the first and second sides surface of the lamella, respectively; depositing background material in the second trench, wherein the background material is selected such that the background material does not include any chemical elements that are expected to be within the region of interest of the sample; generating a charged particle beam with the SEM column and scanning the charged particle beam across a region of interest on the first side surface of the lamella such that the charged particle beam collides with the first side surface of the lamella at a non-vertical angle; and detecting x-rays generated while the region of interest is scanned by the charged particle beam.

A method to compensate for drift while controlling a charged particle beam (CPB) system having at least one charged particle beam controllable in position. Sources of drift include mechanical variations in the stage supporting the sample, beam deflection shifts, and environmental impacts, such as temperature. The method includes positioning a sample supported by a stage in the CPB system, monitoring a reference fiducial on a surface of the sample from a start time to an end time, determining a drift compensation to compensate for a drift that causes an unintended change in the position of a first charged particle beam relative to the sample by a known amount over a period of time based on a change in the position of the reference fiducial between the start time and the end time, and adjusting positions of the first charged particle beam by applying the determined drift compensation during an operation of the CPB system.