The charged particle beam device includes a charged particle beam source which emits a primary charged particle beam, an objective lens which focuses the primary charged particle beam on a sample, a passage electrode which is formed of a metal material and is disposed between the charged particle beam source and a tip end of the objective lens, a detector which detects a secondary charged particle emitted from the sample, and an electrostatic field electrode which is electrically insulated from the passage electrode. The passage electrode is formed such that the primary charged particle beam passes through the inside of the passage electrode. The electrostatic field electrode is formed to cover an outer periphery of the passage electrode.

The present disclosure provides a charged particle optical device for a charged particle system. The device projects an array of charged particle beams towards a sample. The device comprises a control lens array to control a parameter of the array of beams; and an objective lens array to project the array of beams onto the sample, the objective lens array being down beam of the control lens. The objective lens array comprises: an upper electrode; and a lower electrode arrangement that comprises an up-beam electrode and a down-beam electrode. The device is configured to apply an upper potential to the upper electrode, an up-beam potential to the up-beam electrode and a down-beam potential to the down-beam electrode. The potentials are controlled to control the landing energy of the beams on the sample and. to maintain focus of the beams on the sample at the landing energies.

A stage apparatus for a particle-beam apparatus is disclosed. A particle beam apparatus may comprise a conductive object and an object table, the object table being configured to support an object. The object table comprises a table body and a conductive coating, the conductive coating being provided on at least a portion of a surface of the table body. The conductive object is disposed proximate to the conductive coating and the table body is provided with a feature proximate to an edge portion of the conductive coating. Said feature is arranged so as to reduce an electric field strength in the vicinity of the edge portion of the conductive coating when a voltage is applied to both the conductive object and the conductive coating.

A particle-optical arrangement comprises a charged-particle source for generating a beam of charged particles; a multi-aperture plate arranged in a beam path of the beam of charged particles, wherein the multi-aperture plate has a plurality of apertures formed therein in a predetermined first array pattern, wherein a plurality of charged-particle beamlets is formed from the beam of charged particles downstream of the multi-aperture plate, and wherein a plurality of beam spots is formed in an image plane of the apparatus by the plurality of beamlets, the plurality of beam spots being arranged in a second array pattern; and a particle-optical element for manipulating the beam of charged particles and/or the plurality of beamlets; wherein the first array pattern has a first pattern regularity in a first direction, and the second array pattern has a second pattern regularity in a second direction electron-optically corresponding to the first direction, and wherein the second regularity is higher than the first regularity.

A charged particle beam arrangement is described. The charged particle beam arrangement includes a charged particle source including a cold field emitter, a beam limiting aperture between the charged particle source and a magnetic condenser lens; the magnetic condenser lens comprising a first inner pole piece and a first outer pole piece, wherein a first axial distance between the charged particle source and the first inner pole piece is equal or less than approximately 20 mm, an acceleration section for accelerating the charged particle beam to an energy of 10 keV or more, a magnetic objective lens comprising a second inner pole piece and a second outer pole piece, a third axial distance between the second inner pole piece and a surface of a specimen is equal to or less than approximately 20 mm, and a deceleration section.

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.

An apparatus may include an electrode assembly, the electrode assembly comprising a plurality of electrodes, arranged in a plurality of electrode pairs arranged to conduct an ion beam therethrough. A given electrode pair lies along a radius of an arc describing a nominal central ray trajectory, wherein a radius of a first electrode pair and an adjacent electrode pair define an angular spacing. The plurality of electrode pairs may define a plurality of angular spacings, wherein, in a first configuration, the plurality of angular spacings are not all equal. The apparatus may also include a power supply in communication with the EM, the power supply configured to independently supply voltage to the plurality of electrodes.

A charged particle assessment tool including: an objective lens configured to project a plurality of charged particle beams onto a sample, the objective lens having a sample-facing surface defining a plurality of beam apertures through which respective ones of the charged particle beams are emitted toward the sample; and a plurality of capture electrodes, each capture electrode adjacent a respective one of the beam apertures, configured to capture charged particles emitted from the sample.

An apparatus may include an electrode assembly, the electrode assembly comprising a plurality of electrodes, arranged in a plurality of electrode pairs arranged to conduct an ion beam therethrough. A given electrode pair lies along a radius of an arc describing a nominal central ray trajectory, wherein a radius of a first electrode pair and an adjacent electrode pair define an angular spacing. The plurality of electrode pairs may define a plurality of angular spacings, wherein, in a first configuration, the plurality of angular spacings are not all equal. The apparatus may also include a power supply in communication with the EM, the power supply configured to independently supply voltage to the plurality of electrodes.

A charged particle apparatus configured to project a multi-beam of charged particles along a multi-beam path toward a sample, the charged particle apparatus comprising: a charged particle source configured to emit a charged particle beam toward a sample; a charged particle-optical device configured to project sub-beams of a multi-beam of charged particles along the multi-beam path toward the sample, the sub-beams of the multi-beam of charged particles derived from the charged particle beam; a tube surrounding the multi-beam path configured to operate at a first potential difference from a ground potential; and a support configured to support the sample at a second potential difference from the ground potential, the first potential difference and the second potential difference having a difference so as to accelerate the multi-beam of charged particles towards the sample; wherein the first potential difference is greater than the second potential difference.