The present disclosure concerns an electron microscopy method, including the emission of a precessing electron beam and the acquisition, at least partly simultaneous, of an electron diffraction pattern and of intensity values of X rays.

The invention relates to system and method of inspecting a specimen with a plurality of charged particle beamlets. The method comprises the steps of providing a specimen, providing a plurality of charged particle beamlets and focusing said plurality of charged particle beamlets onto said specimen, and detecting a flux of radiation emanating from the specimen in response to said irradiation by said plurality of charged particle beamlets.

A system for collection information from a sample includes a scan generator having a first communication channel and a second communication channel. The first communication channel provides data communication between the scan generator and one or more sampling location movement devices. The second communication channel provides data communication with one or more signal detectors.

The present invention makes it possible to analyze trace carbon in a sample without the effects of contamination. In an electron probe microanalyzer, a liquid nitrogen trap and a plasma or oxygen radical generator are jointly used as a means for suppressing contamination, and two or more carbon detection units for detecting characteristic x-rays of carbon in the sample are provided.

An inspection system that includes charged particle optics that irradiate a bottom of a hole with a charged particle beam propagated along an optical axis, an energy dispersive x-ray detector and a processor. The x-ray detector detects x-ray photons emitted from the bottom of the hole and generates detection signals indicative of the x-ray photons. The processor processes the detection signals to provide an estimate of the bottom of the hole.

The present invention discloses a combination of two existing approaches for mineral analysis and makes use of the Similarity Metric Invention, that allows mineral definitions to be described in theoretical compositional terms, meaning that users are not required to find examples of each mineral, or adjust rules. This system allows untrained operators to use it, as opposed to previous systems, which required extensive training and expertise.

A method of investigating a specimen using a tomographic imaging apparatus comprising: A specimen holder, for holding the specimen; A source, for producing a beam of radiation that can be directed at the specimen; A detector, for detecting a flux of radiation transmitted through the specimen from the source; A stage apparatus, for producing relative motion of the source with respect to the specimen, so as to allow the source and detector to image the specimen along a series of different viewing axes; A processing apparatus, for assembling output from the detector into a tomographic image of at least part of the specimen,
which method comprises the following steps: Considering a virtual reference surface that surrounds the specimen and is substantially centered thereon; Considering an incoming point of intersection of each of said viewing axes with this reference surface, thereby generating a set of such intersection points corresponding to said series of viewing axes; Choosing discrete viewing axes in said series so as to cause said set to comprise a two-dimensional lattice of points located areally on said reference surface in a substantially uniform distribution.

An X-ray analyzer includes an X-ray excitation device, an X-ray detection device, and a gate valve. The X-ray excitation device includes a sample chamber in which a sample as an analysis target can be disposed. The X-ray detection device includes a TES which can detect a characteristic X-ray emitted from the sample, and a room-temperature shield which surrounds the TES. The gate valve is disposed between the X-ray excitation device and the X-ray detection device. The inside of the room-temperature shield is provided to enable communication with the inside of the sample chamber. The gate valve includes a partition plate provided to enable blocking of a communication between the inside of the sample chamber and the inside of the room-temperature shield. The partition plate has a pressure-resistant X-ray window.

Responsive to irradiation of a charged particle beam, emission from sample is acquired in the form of spectral data. The spectral data is decomposed by a machine learning estimator to abundances and spectral components based on a character of the detector. Images showing compositional information of the sample are generated based on the abundances and the spectral components.

A mask member is provided at an entrance opening of a mirror unit. Of a first diffraction grating and a second diffraction grating, when the second diffraction grating is used, the mask member masks preceding mirrors. With this process, aberration caused by reflective X-ray is suppressed. When the first diffraction grating is used, the mask member does not function. Alternatively, the mask member and another mask member may be selectively used.