A charged particle beam device capable of observing a sample in an air atmosphere or gas atmosphere has a thin film for separating the atmospheric pressure space from the decompressed space. A vacuum evacuation pump evacuates a first housing; and a detector detects a charged particle beam (obtained by irradiation of the sample) in the first housing. A thin film is provided to separate the inside of the first housing and the inside of a second housing at least along part of the interface between the first and second housings. An opening part is formed in the thin film so that its opening area on a charged particle irradiation unit's side is larger than its opening area on the sample side; and the thin film which covers the sample side of the opening part transmits or allows through the primary charged particle beam and the charged particle beam.

Disclosed is a charged particle optical apparatus. The charged particle optical apparatus has a liner electrode in a first vacuum zone. The liner electrode is used to generate an electrostatic objective lens field. The apparatus has a second electrode which surrounds at least a section of the primary particle beam path. The section extends in the first vacuum zone and downstream of the liner electrode. A third electrode is provided having a differential pressure aperture through which the particle beam path exits from the first vacuum zone. A particle detector is configured for detecting emitted particles, which are emitted from the object and which pass through the differential pressure aperture of the third electrode. The liner electrode, the second and third electrodes are operable at different potentials relative to each other.

Conventional devices have been difficult to use due to insufficient consideration being given to factors such as the cost necessary for diaphragm replacement and the convenience of the work. In the present invention, a diaphragm mounting member installed in a charged particle beam device for radiating a primary charged particle beam through a diaphragm separating a vacuum space and an atmospheric pressure space onto a sample placed in the atmospheric pressure space is provided with a diaphragm installation portion to which a TEM membrane is mounted and a casing fixing portion mounted on a casing of the charged particle beam device. The diaphragm installation portion has a positioning structure for positioning a platform on which the diaphragm is held.

Charged particle beam imaging and measurement systems are provided using gas amplification with an improved imaging gas. The system includes a charged particle beam source for directing a charged particle beam to work piece, a focusing lens for focusing the charged particles onto the work piece, and an electrode for accelerating secondary electrons generated from the work piece irradiation by the charged practice beam, or another gas cascade detection scheme. The gas imaging is performed in a high pressure scanning electron microscope (HPSEM) chamber for enclosing the improved imaging gas including CH.sub.3CH.sub.2OH (ethanol) vapor. The electrode accelerates the secondary electrons though the CH.sub.3CH.sub.2OH to ionize the CH.sub.3CH.sub.2OH through ionization cascade to amplify the number of secondary electrons for detection. An optimal configuration is provided for use of the improved imaging gas, and techniques are provided to conduct imaging studies of organic liquids and solvents, and other CH.sub.3CH.sub.2OH-based processes.

A permanently sealed vacuum tube is used to provide the electrons for an electron microscope. This advantageously allows use of low vacuum at the sample, which greatly simplifies the overall design of the system. There are two main variations. In the first variation, imaging is provided by mechanically scanning the sample. In the second variation, imaging is provided by point projection. In both cases, the electron beam is fixed and does not need to be scanned during operation of the microscope. This also greatly simplifies the overall system.

A water solution in which an observation sample is, for example, dissolved is sandwiched on a first insulative thin film side provided under a conductive thin film. When an electron beam incident part is charged minus, electric dipoles of water molecules are arrayed along a potential gradient. Electric charges are also generated on the surface of a second insulative thin film. The electric charges are detected by a terminal section and changes to a measurement signal. In a state in which an electron beam is blocked, the minus potential disappears. Consequently, the electric charges on the surface of the first insulative thin film also disappear, and the measurement signal output from the terminal section changes to 0.

Provided is a charged particle beam device or charged particle microscope permitting observation of even a large-sized specimen in the air atmosphere or a gaseous atmosphere. A charged particle beam device that adopts a thin film which partitions a vacuum atmosphere and the air atmosphere (or gaseous atmosphere) includes a charged particle optical lens barrel in which a charged particle optical system is stored, a housing in which a route along which a primary charged particle beam emitted from the charged particle optical lens barrel reaches the thin film is sustained in the vacuum atmosphere, and a mechanism that bears the charged particle optical lens barrel and first housing against a device installation surface. As the bearing mechanism, a housing having an opening through which a large-sized specimen is carried in or a mechanism having a shape other than the shape of the housing, such as, a post is adopted.

Build material handling unit for a powder module for an apparatus for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects, which apparatus is adapted to successively layerwise selectively irradiate and consolidate layers of a build material which can be consolidated by means of an energy source, wherein the build material handling unit is coupled or can be coupled with a powder module, wherein the build material handling unit is adapted to level and/or compact a volume of build material arranged inside a powder chamber of the powder module by controlling the gas pressure inside the powder chamber.