The present invention proposes a pattern measurement tool characterized by being provided with: a charged-particle beam sub-system having a tilt deflector; and a computer sub-system which is connected to the charged-particle beam sub-system and which is for executing measurement of a pattern on the basis of a signal obtained by said charged-particle beam sub-system, wherein the charged-particle beam sub-system acquires at least two signal profiles by scanning beams having at least two incidence angles, the computer sub-system measures the dimension between one end and the other end of the pattern on the basis of the at least two signal profiles, calculates the difference between the two measurements, and calculates the height of the pattern by inputting the difference value determined by said calculation into a relational formula indicating the relation between the height of the pattern and said difference value.

A multi-beam apparatus for observing a sample with high resolution and high throughput is proposed. In the apparatus, a source-conversion unit forms plural and parallel images of one single electron source by deflecting plural beamlets of a parallel primary-electron beam therefrom, and one objective lens focuses the plural deflected beamlets onto a sample surface and forms plural probe spots thereon. A movable condenser lens is used to collimate the primary-electron beam and vary the currents of the plural probe spots, a pre-beamlet-forming means weakens the Coulomb effect of the primary-electron beam, and the source-conversion unit minimizes the sizes of the plural probe spots by minimizing and compensating the off-axis aberrations of the objective lens and condenser lens.

Systems and methods of reducing the Coulomb interaction effects in a charged particle beam apparatus are disclosed. The charged particle beam apparatus may comprise a charged particle source and a source conversion unit comprising an aperture-lens forming electrode plate configured to be at a first voltage, an aperture lens plate configured to be at a second voltage that is different from the first voltage for generating a first electric field, which enables the aperture-lens forming electrode plate and the aperture lens plate to form aperture lenses of an aperture lens array to respectively focus a plurality of beamlets of the charged particle beam, and an imaging lens configured to focus the plurality of beamlets on an image plane. The charged particle beam apparatus may comprise an objective lens configured to focus the plurality of beamlets onto a surface of the sample and form a plurality of probe spots thereon.

An aberration measurement method for an objective lens in an electron microscope including an objective lens which focuses an electron beam that illuminates a specimen, and a detector which detects an electron beam having passed through the specimen, includes: introducing a coma aberration to the objective lens; measuring an aberration of the objective lens before introducing the coma aberration to the objective lens; measuring an aberration of the objective lens after introducing the coma aberration to the objective lens; and obtaining a position of an optical axis of the objective lens on a detector plane of the detector based on measurement results of the aberration of the objective lens before and after introducing the coma aberration.

Ion beams are directed to a substrate surface to expose a tapered, tilted surface in the substrate. The ion beams and the substrate are situated so that a first ion beam is incident along a first axis at a glancing angle, and a second ion beam is incident along a second axis in a plane defined by the glancing angle and at an angle with respect to the first axis. Exposure to the second ion beam tends to produced superior quality in the exposed surface such as by reducing curtain artifacts.

The focused ion beam apparatus includes: a vacuum container; an emitter tip disposed in the vacuum container and having a pointed front end; a gas field ion source; a focusing lens; a first deflector; a first aperture; an objective lens focusing the ion beam passing through the first deflector; and a sample stage. A signal generator responding to the ion beam in a point-shaped area is formed between the sample stage and an optical system including at least the focusing lens, the first aperture, the first deflector, and the objective lens, and a scanning field ion microscope image of the emitter tip is produced by matching a signal output from the signal generator and scanning of the ion beam by the first deflector with each other.

A charged particle beam device includes an electron source which generates an electron beam, an objective lens which is applied with a coil current to converge the electron beam on a sample, a control unit which controls the current to be applied to the objective lens, a hysteresis characteristic storage unit which stores hysteresis characteristic information of the objective lens, a history information storage unit which stores history information related to the coil current, and an estimation unit which estimates a magnetic field generated by the objective lens on the basis of the coil current, the history information, and the hysteresis characteristic information.

The present application relates to an apparatus for processing a photolithographic mask, said apparatus comprising: (a) at least one time-varying particle beam, which is embodied for a local deposition reaction and/or a local etching reaction on the photolithographic mask; (b) at least one first means for providing at least one precursor gas, wherein the precursor gas is embodied to interact with the particle beam during the local deposition reaction and/or the local etching reaction; and (c) at least one second means, which reduces a mean angle of incidence () between the time-varying particle beam and a surface of the photolithographic mask.

Techniques for high throughput electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) by varying electron beam energy are provided. In one aspect, a method for ECCI of a crystalline wafer includes: placing the crystalline wafer under an electron microscope having an angle of less than 90 relative to a surface of the crystalline wafer; generating an electron beam, by the electron microscope, incident on the crystalline wafer; varying an accelerating voltage of the electron microscope to access a channeling condition of the crystalline wafer; and obtaining an image of the crystalline wafer. A system for ECCI is also provided.

Embodiments may include methods, systems, and apparatuses for correcting a response function of an electron beam tool. The correcting may include modulating an electron beam parameter having a frequency; emitting an electron beam based on the electron beam parameter towards a specimen, thereby scattering electrons, wherein the electron beam is described by a source wave function having a source phase and a landing angle; detecting a portion of the scattered electrons at an electron detector, thereby yielding electron data including an electron wave function having an electron phase and an electron landing angle; determining, using a processor, a phase delay between the source phase and the electron phase, thereby yielding a latency; and correcting, using the processor, the response function of the electron beam tool using the latency and a difference between the source wave function and the electron wave function.