A charged particle beam device is provided in which axis adjustment as a superimposing lens is facilitated by aligning an axis of an electrostatic lens resulting from a deceleration electric field with an axis of a magnetic field lens. The charged particle beam device includes: an electron source; an objective lens that focuses a probe electron beam from the electron source on a sample; a first beam tube and a second beam tube through each of which the probe electron beam passes; a deceleration electrode arranged between the first beam tube and a sample; a first voltage source that forms a deceleration electric field for the probe electron beam between the first beam tube and the deceleration electrode by applying a first potential to the first beam tube; and a first moving mechanism that moves a position of the first beam tube.

Provided is a scanning electron microscope provided with an energy selection and detection function for a SE.sub.1 generated on a sample while suppressing the detection amount of a SE.sub.3 excited due to a BSE in the scanning electron microscope that does not apply a deceleration method. Provided are: an electron optical system that includes an electron source 21 generating an irradiation electron beam and an objective lens 12 focusing the irradiation electron beam on a sample; a detector 13 that is arranged outside an optical axis of the electron optical system and detects a signal electron generated when the sample is irradiated with the irradiation electron beam; a deflection electrode that forms a deflection field 26 to guide the signal electron to the detector; a disk-shaped electrode 23 that is arranged to be closer to the electron source than the deflection field and has an opening through which the irradiation electron beam passes; and a control electrode arranged along the optical axis to be closer to the sample than the deflection field. The sample and the objective lens are set to a reference potential. A potential lower than the reference potential is applied to the disk-shaped electrode, and a potential higher than the reference potential is applied to the control electrode.

Provided is a scanning electron microscope provided with an energy selection and detection function for a SE.sub.1 generated on a sample while suppressing the detection amount of a SE.sub.3 excited due to a BSE in the scanning electron microscope that does not apply a deceleration method. Provided are: an electron optical system that includes an electron source 21 generating an irradiation electron beam and an objective lens 12 focusing the irradiation electron beam on a sample; a detector 13 that is arranged outside an optical axis of the electron optical system and detects a signal electron generated when the sample is irradiated with the irradiation electron beam; a deflection electrode that forms a deflection field 26 to guide the signal electron to the detector; a disk-shaped electrode 23 that is arranged to be closer to the electron source than the deflection field and has an opening through which the irradiation electron beam passes; and a control electrode arranged along the optical axis to be closer to the sample than the deflection field. The sample and the objective lens are set to a reference potential. A potential lower than the reference potential is applied to the disk-shaped electrode, and a potential higher than the reference potential is applied to the control electrode.

An adjustment method for adjusting a path of an electron beam passing through an electron beam device including at least one unit having at least one lens and at least one aligner electrode, and a detector configured to detect the electron beam, the method including: a step of measuring, by a coordinate measuring machine, an assembly tolerance for each of a plurality of the units constituting the electron beam device; a step of determining a shift amount of the electron beam at a position of the at least one of the lenses; a step of determining an electrode condition for each of a plurality of the aligner electrodes included in the units in a manner such that a shift amount of the electron beam is to be the determined shift amount; and a step of setting each of the aligner electrodes to the corresponding determined electrode condition.

An adjustment method for adjusting a path of an electron beam passing through an electron beam device including at least one unit having at least one lens and at least one aligner electrode, and a detector configured to detect the electron beam, the method including: a step of measuring, by a coordinate measuring machine, an assembly tolerance for each of a plurality of the units constituting the electron beam device; a step of determining a shift amount of the electron beam at a position of the at least one of the lenses; a step of determining an electrode condition for each of a plurality of the aligner electrodes included in the units in a manner such that a shift amount of the electron beam is to be the determined shift amount; and a step of setting each of the aligner electrodes to the corresponding determined electrode condition.

A wafer inspection system includes a controller in communication with an electron-beam inspection tool. The controller includes circuitry to: acquire, via an optical imaging tool, coordinates of defects on a sample; set a Field of View (FoV) of the electron-beam inspection tool to a first size to locate a subset of the defects; determine a position of each defect of the subset of the defects based on inspection data generated by the electron-beam inspection tool during a scanning of the sample; adjust the coordinates of the defects based on the determined positions of the subset of the defects; and set the FoV of the electron-beam inspection tool to a second size to locate additional defects based on the adjusted coordinates.

A wafer inspection system includes a controller in communication with an electron-beam inspection tool. The controller includes circuitry to: acquire, via an optical imaging tool, coordinates of defects on a sample; set a Field of View (FoV) of the electron-beam inspection tool to a first size to locate a subset of the defects; determine a position of each defect of the subset of the defects based on inspection data generated by the electron-beam inspection tool during a scanning of the sample; adjust the coordinates of the defects based on the determined positions of the subset of the defects; and set the FoV of the electron-beam inspection tool to a second size to locate additional defects based on the adjusted coordinates.

A charged particle beam system includes a charged particle source that generates a first charged particle beam and a multi beam generator that generates a plurality of charged particle beamlets from an incoming first charged particle beam. Each individual beamlet is spatially separated from other beamlets. The charged particle beam system also includes an objective lens that focuses incoming charged particle beamlets in a first plane so that a first region in which a first individual beamlet impinges in the first plane is spatially separated from a second region in which a second individual beamlet impinges in the first plane. The charged particle beam system also includes a projection system and a detector system including a plurality of individual detectors. The projection system images interaction products leaving the first region within the first plane due to impinging charged particles onto a first detector and images interaction products leaving the second region in the first plane onto a second detector.

A charged particle beam system includes a charged particle source that generates a first charged particle beam and a multi beam generator that generates a plurality of charged particle beamlets from an incoming first charged particle beam. Each individual beamlet is spatially separated from other beamlets. The charged particle beam system also includes an objective lens that focuses incoming charged particle beamlets in a first plane so that a first region in which a first individual beamlet impinges in the first plane is spatially separated from a second region in which a second individual beamlet impinges in the first plane. The charged particle beam system also includes a projection system and a detector system including a plurality of individual detectors. The projection system images interaction products leaving the first region within the first plane due to impinging charged particles onto a first detector and images interaction products leaving the second region in the first plane onto a second detector.

A focus adjustment method for a charged particle beam device having a magnetic field lens used for focus adjustment and an astigmatism corrector includes: acquiring a plurality of first images by varying an excitation current of the magnetic field lens within a focus search range, and determining a reference value of the excitation current; removing hysteresis from the magnetic field lens by setting the excitation current of the magnetic field lens outside the focus search range before and after varying the excitation current of the magnetic field lens within the focus search range; and acquiring a plurality of second images by varying the excitation current of the magnetic field lens using the reference value as a reference and varying a stigma correction value of the astigmatism corrector at each excitation current, and then determining optimum values of the excitation current and the stigma correction value.