An electron beam apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises an e-beam source configured to generate an electron beam, a first part configured to support a substrate, the first part comprising an object table for supporting the substrate, the first part further comprising a short stroke actuator system for actuating the object table relative to the e-beam source, the short stroke actuator system comprising a short stroke forcer. The apparatus further comprises a second part configured to movably support the first part and a long stroke actuator system configured to actuate movement of the first part with respect to the second part, the long stroke actuator system comprising a long stroke forcer, wherein the short stroke forcer and/or the long stroke forcer is configured to be switched off while the electron beam is projected onto the substrate.

In one embodiment, a multi-charged-particle beam writing apparatus includes an emission unit emitting a charged-particle beam, a limiting aperture substrate including a single first aperture, a shaping aperture array that has a plurality of second apertures and that is irradiated with the charged-particle beam having passed through the first aperture in a region including the plurality of second apertures and forms multi-beams by letting part of the charged-particle beam pass through the plurality of second apertures, and a blanking aperture array member including a plurality of third apertures through each of which a corresponding one of the multi-beams that have passed through the plurality of second apertures passes, the blanking aperture array member having a blanker in each of the third apertures, the blanker performing blanking deflection on the corresponding beam.

Provided is a charged particle beam apparatus including: an XY stage on which a sample is placed; a charged particle beam source which irradiates the sample with a charged particle beam; a detector which detects charged particles emitted from the sample upon the irradiation with the charged particle beam; an image generator which generates an SEM image of the sample based on a detection signal output by the detector; and a controller configured to set control parameters based on a movement starting point and a movement ending point of the XY stage and control a driving unit for moving the XY stage according to the control parameters.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a charged particle beam image acquisition apparatus includes a rectangular parallelepiped chamber where a target object is disposed; a primary electron optical column placed on an upper surface of the chamber so that a point of intersection between two diagonal lines on the upper surface of the chamber is located at a center of a horizontal section of the primary electron optical column, a primary charged particle beam optics irradiating the target object with a primary charged particle beam being disposed in the primary electron optical column; and a secondary electron optical column connected to a lower portion of the primary electron optical column, a secondary charged particle beam optics being disposed in the secondary electron optical column and a secondary charged particle beam passing through the secondary charged particle beam optics.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a charged particle beam irradiation apparatus includes an electromagnetic lens configured to refract the charged particle beam; a plurality of electrodes arranged in a magnetic field of the electromagnetic lens and arranged to surround an outer space of a passage region of the charged particle beam; a supply mechanism configured to supply a gas to the space surrounded by the plurality of electrodes; a potential control circuit configured to control potentials of the plurality of electrodes so that a plasma is generated in the space surrounded by the plurality of electrodes and movements of electrons or positive ions generated by the plasma are controlled; and a stage configured to dispose a substrate irradiated with a charged particle beam passing through the electromagnetic lens, wherein the substrate is irradiated with light radiated by the plasma.

A poling apparatus for poling a polymer thin film formed on a workpiece carried by a workpiece carrier. The workpiece has multiple grounding electrodes, grounding pads located at its edges, and a polymer thin film including multiple areas each covering only one grounding electrode. The poling apparatus includes, in a poling chamber, a poling source generating a plasma, a shadow mask below the poling source, and a Z-elevator to raise the workpiece carrier toward the shadow mask and poling source. When the workpiece in the workpiece carrier is raised to contact the underside of the shadow mask, multiple openings of the shadow mask expose only the corresponding multiple thin film areas of the workpiece to the plasma; meanwhile, conductive grounding terminals on the underside of the shadow mask electrically connect the grounding pads of the workpiece with carrier electrodes on the workpiece carrier, to ground the workpiece.

A system and method is provided for of characterizing nanostructured surfaces. A nanostructure sample is placed in an SEM chamber and imaged. The system and method locates one of the nanostructures using images from the SEM imaging, excises a top portion of the nanostructure, places said top portion on a substrate such that the nanostructures are perpendicular to the substrate and a base of the top portion contacts the substrate, performs high energy ion beam assisted deposition of metal at the base to attach the top portion to the substrate, SEM imaging the top portions in the SEM chamber, determining coordinates of the top portions relative to the substrate from the SEM imaging of the top portions, placing the substrate in an AFM chamber, and performing AFM imaging of the top portions using the coordinates previously determined.

A sample carrier capable of preventing damage to a support stage on which a sample holder is placed while ensuring a sufficient level of conveyance speed includes a sample holder, a holder mounting member, and a transport portion. The transport portion has a drive source (constant-speed motor), a rotary member (second toothed wheel), a guide portion (linear guide), and a rod. The rotary member is rotated about its axis of rotation by the drive source. The guide portion operates to guide the holder mounting member in a linear direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotary member. The rod is rotatably coupled to the rotary member and to the holder mounting member and has a coupled portion coupled to the rotary member. At a midpoint of the range of movement of the holder mounting member, the shortest distance from the coupled portion to the guide portion is greatest.

An electron beam apparatus includes an electron optics system to generate an electron beam, an object table to hold the specimen at a target position so that a target portion of the specimen is irradiated by the electron beam, and a positioning device to displace the object table relative to the electron beam. The positioning device includes a stage actuator and a balance mass. The stage actuator exerts a force onto the object table to cause an acceleration of the object table. The force onto the object table results in a reaction force onto the balance mass. The balance mass moves in response to the reaction force. The positioning device enables the balance mass to move in a first direction in response to a component of the reaction force in the first direction.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an optical system adjustment method of an image acquisition apparatus includes: extracting one primary electron beam after another from primary electron beams at a plurality of preset positions among multiple primary electron beams; and adjusting, a first detector being capable of individually detecting multiple secondary electrons emitted due to irradiation of a target with the multiple primary electron beams, a trajectory of the one primary electron beam using a primary electron optics while detecting secondary electrons corresponding to the one primary electron beam for each of the primary electron beams extracted one by one using a movable second detector having an inspection surface of a size capable of detecting the multiple secondary electrons as a whole and arranged on an optical path for guiding the multiple secondary electrons to the first detector.