A multi-electron beam image acquiring apparatus includes a stage configured to mount thereon a substrate, an illumination optical system configured to apply multiple primary electron beams to the substrate, a plurality of multipole lenses including at least two stages of multipole lenses, arranged at positions common to a trajectory of the multiple primary electron beams and a trajectory of multiple secondary electron beams which are emitted because the substrate is irradiated with the multiple primary electron beams and each configured to include at least four electrodes and at least four magnetic poles, and a multi-detector configured to detect the multiple secondary electron beams separated from the trajectory of the multiple primary electron beams, wherein one of the plurality of multipole lenses separates the multiple secondary electron beams from the trajectory of the multiple primary electron beams.

A multi-electron beam image acquiring apparatus includes a stage configured to mount thereon a substrate, an illumination optical system configured to apply multiple primary electron beams to the substrate, a plurality of multipole lenses including at least two stages of multipole lenses, arranged at positions common to a trajectory of the multiple primary electron beams and a trajectory of multiple secondary electron beams which are emitted because the substrate is irradiated with the multiple primary electron beams and each configured to include at least four electrodes and at least four magnetic poles, and a multi-detector configured to detect the multiple secondary electron beams separated from the trajectory of the multiple primary electron beams, wherein one of the plurality of multipole lenses separates the multiple secondary electron beams from the trajectory of the multiple primary electron beams.

Systems for reducing the generation of thermal magnetic field noise in optical elements of microscope systems, are disclosed. Example microscopy optical elements having reduced Johnson noise generation according to the present disclosure comprises an inner core composed of an electrically isolating material, and an outer coating composed of an electrically conductive material. The product of the thickness of the outer coating and the electrical conductivity is less than 0.01?.sup.?1. The outer coating causes a reduction in Johnson noise generated by the optical element of greater than 2?, 3?, or an order of magnitude or greater. In a specific example embodiment, the optical element is a corrector system having reduced Johnson noise generation. Such a corrector system comprises an outer magnetic multipole, and an inner electrostatic multipole. The inner electrostatic multipole comprises an inner core composed of an electrically isolating material and an outer coating composed of an electrically conductive material.

A scanning electron microscope device for a sample to be detected and an electron beam inspection apparatus are provided, the scanning electron microscope device being configured to project electron beam to a surface of the sample to generate backscattered electrons and secondary electrons, and comprising: an electron beam source, a deflection mechanism, and an objective lens assembly. The deflection mechanism comprises a first deflector located downstream the electron beam source and a second deflector located downstream the first deflector. The objective lens assembly comprises: an excitation coil; and a magnetic yoke, formed by a magnetizer material as a housing which opens towards the sample and comprising a hollow body defining an internal chamber where the excitation coil is accommodated, and at least one inclined portion extending inward from the hollow body at an angle with reference to the hollow body and directing towards the optical axis, with an end of the at least one inclined portion being formed into a pole piece. The deflection mechanism further comprises a third deflector located between the second deflector and the objective lens assembly and disposed in an opening delimited and circumscribed by the pole piece, and each of the first deflector, the second deflector and the third deflector is an electrostatic deflector.

In one embodiment, a charged particle beam writing apparatus includes an emitter emitting a charged particle beam, a first aperture shaping the charged particle beam, a second aperture shaping the charged particle beam transmitted through the first aperture, a projection lens projecting the charged particle beam transmitted through the first aperture on the second aperture, an object lens focusing the charged particle beam transmitted through the second aperture, the object lens being a magnetic field-type lens, and an electrostatic lens performing focus correction of the charged particle beam in accordance with a surface height of a substrate that is a writing target. The electrostatic lens is disposed inside the object lens, a positive voltage is applied to an electrode of the electrostatic lens. A strength of a magnetic field of the object lens at an upper end of the electrode has a predetermined value or less.

When a high-performance retarding voltage applying power supply cannot be employed in terms of costs or device miniaturization, it is difficult to sufficiently adjust focus in a high acceleration region within a range of changing an applied voltage, and identify a point at which a focus evaluation value is maximum. To address the above problems, the invention is directed to a scanning electron microscope including: an objective lens configured to converge an electron beam emitted from an electron source; a current source configured to supply an excitation current to the objective lens; a negative-voltage applying power supply configured to form a decelerating electric field of the electron beam on a sample; a detector configured to detect charged particles generated when the electron beam is emitted to the sample; and a control device configured to calculate a focus evaluation value from an image formed according to an output of the detector. The control device calculates a focus evaluation value when an applied voltage is changed, determines whether to increase or decrease an excitation current according to an increase or a decrease of the focus evaluation value, and supplies the excitation current based on a result of the determination.

A method for projecting a charged particle multi-beam toward a sample comprises manipulating respective sub-beams of a charged particle multi-beam using a control lens array comprising a plurality of control lenses for the respective sub-beams; controlling the control lens array to manipulate the sub-beams such that the sub-beams are shaped by respective apertures of a beam shaping aperture array such that less than a threshold current of charged particles of each sub-beam passes through the respective apertures of the beam shaping aperture array, down-beam of the control lens array, comprising a plurality of apertures for the respective sub-beams; and controlling the control lens array to manipulate the sub-beams such that at least the threshold current of at least a proportion of the sub-beams passes through the respective apertures of the beam shaping aperture array.

The present disclosure proposes an anti-rotation lens and using it as an anti-rotation condenser lens in a multi-beam apparatus with a pre-beamlet-forming mechanism. The anti-rotation condenser lens keeps rotation angles of beamlets unchanged when changing currents thereof, and thereby enabling the pre-beamlet-forming mechanism to cut off electrons not in use as much as possible. In this way, the multi-beam apparatus can observe a sample with high resolution and high throughput, and is competent as a yield management tool to inspect and/or review defects on wafers/masks in semiconductor manufacturing industry.

The present disclosure proposes an anti-rotation lens and using it as an anti-rotation condenser lens in a multi-beam apparatus with a pre-beamlet-forming mechanism. The anti-rotation condenser lens keeps rotation angles of beamlets unchanged when changing currents thereof, and thereby enabling the pre-beamlet-forming mechanism to cut off electrons not in use as much as possible. In this way, the multi-beam apparatus can observe a sample with high resolution and high throughput, and is competent as a yield management tool to inspect and/or review defects on wafers/masks in semiconductor manufacturing industry.

An electron beam irradiation apparatus includes a first electrode being annular, arranged along the optical axis of the electron beam, at the downstream from the deflector, and in the magnetic field of the objective lens, to which a first potential being positive is variably applied, a second electrode being annular, arranged in the magnetic field of the objective lens and between the deflector and the first electrode, to which a second potential being positive and higher than the first potential is applied, and a third electrode being annular, arranged in the magnetic field of the objective lens and to be opposite to the second electrode with respect to the first electrode, to which a third potential lower than the first potential is applied.