The present invention provides a digital high-resolution detector for detecting X-ray, UV light or charged particles. In various embodiments, the digital detector comprises an array of CMOS or CCD pixels and a layer of conversion material on top of the array designed for converting incident X-ray, UV light or charged particles into photons for CMOS or CCD sensors to capture. The thin and high-resolution detector of the invention is particularly useful for monitoring and aligning beams in, and optimizing system performance of, an apparatus of charged-particle beam e.g. an electron microscope.

The present invention provides a driving system comprising two actuators for moving a stage through two elastic connectors; and a general apparatus/device comprising such a driving system, such as a machine tool, an analytical instrument, an optical microscope, and an apparatus of charged-particle beam such as electron microscope and an electron beam lithographical apparatus. When used in an electron microscope, the stage can be used as a specimen stage or a plate having apertures for electron beam to pass through. The novel stage driving system exhibits numerous technical merits such as simpler structure, better manufacturability, improved cost-effectiveness, and higher reliability, among others.

The present invention provides an apparatus of charged-particle beam such as an electron microscope with co-condensers. A source of charged particles is configured to emit a beam of charged particles, and the co-condensers including two or more magnetic condensers are configured to coherently focus the beam to a single crossover spot. The invention exhibits numerous technical merits such as continuous image resolution tuning, and automatic switching between multiple resolutions, among others.

The present invention provides a digital high-resolution detector for detecting X-ray, UV light or charged particles. In various embodiments, the digital detector comprises an array of CMOS or CCD pixels and a layer of conversion material on top of the array designed for converting incident X-ray, UV light or charged particles into photons for CMOS or CCD sensors to capture. The thin and high-resolution detector of the invention is particularly useful for monitoring and aligning beams in, and optimizing system performance of, an apparatus of charged-particle beam e.g. an electron microscope.

The present invention provides a driving system comprising two actuators for moving a stage through two elastic connectors; and a general apparatus/device comprising such a driving system, such as a machine tool, an analytical instrument, an optical microscope, and an apparatus of charged-particle beam such as electron microscope and an electron beam lithographical apparatus. When used in an electron microscope, the stage can be used as a specimen stage or a plate having apertures for electron beam to pass through. The novel stage driving system exhibits numerous technical merits such as simpler structure, better manufacturability, improved cost-effectiveness, and higher reliability, among others.

The present invention provides an apparatus of charged-particle beam such as an electron microscope with co-condensers. A source of charged particles is configured to emit a beam of charged particles, and the co-condensers including two or more magnetic condensers are configured to coherently focus the beam to a single crossover spot. The invention exhibits numerous technical merits such as continuous image resolution tuning, and automatic switching between multiple resolutions, among others.

The present invention provides an apparatus of charged-particle beam such as an electron microscope including a specimen table that can slide on a planar surface around the lower pole piece of the objective lens. The specimen table is confined in a specimen stage having one elastic protrusion and one or more elastic force receiving parts (e.g three permanent protrusions) that contact and press the table. When the specimen is under microscopic examination, disturbing vibration cannot generate a force sufficient to overcome the limiting friction between the specimen table and the planar surface of the objective lens. The invention exhibits numerous technical merits such as minimal or zero vibration noise, and improved image quality, among others.

Methods and systems for investigating a sample using a dual beam bifocal charged particle microscope, according to the present disclosure include emitting a plurality of charged particles toward the sample, forming the plurality of charged particles into a first charged particle beam and a second charged particle beam, and modifying the focal properties of at least one of the first charged particle beam and the second charged particle beam. The focal properties of at least one of the first charged particle beam and the second charged particle beam is modified such that the corresponding focal planes of the first charged particle beam and the second charged particle beam are different.

Disclosed is a charged particle beam system, which includes: a particle source, a column and a specimen chamber with a first movable vacuum window. The particle source is configured to generate a charged particle beam which impinges the specimen to be detected placed in a specimen chamber. The column includes a deflection device for deflecting the charged particle beam and a focusing device for focusing the charged particle beam. The charged particle beam system is compatible with multiple external optical systems to achieve simultaneous detection or fast-switching detection of the specimen. An opto-electro simultaneous detection system and the method are also disclosed.

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.