Control system configured for sample tracking in an electron microscope environment registers a movement associated with a region of interest located within an active area of a sample under observation with an electron microscope. The registered movement includes at least one directional constituent. The region of interest is positioned within a field of view of the electron microscope. The control system directs an adjustment of the electron microscope control component to one or more of dynamically center and dynamically focus the view through the electron microscope of the region of interest. The adjustment comprises one or more of a magnitude element and a direction element.

Control system configured for sample tracking in an electron microscope environment registers a movement associated with a region of interest located within an active area of a sample under observation with an electron microscope. The registered movement includes at least one directional constituent. The region of interest is positioned within a field of view of the electron microscope. The control system directs an adjustment of the electron microscope control component to one or more of dynamically center and dynamically focus the view through the electron microscope of the region of interest. The adjustment comprises one or more of a magnitude element and a direction element.

A multi-beam apparatus for multi-beam inspection with an improved source conversion unit providing more beamlets with high electric safety, mechanical availability and mechanical stabilization has been disclosed. The source-conversion unit comprises an image-forming element array having a plurality of image-forming elements, an aberration compensator array having a plurality of micro-compensators, and a pre-bending element array with a plurality of pre-bending micro-deflectors. In each of the arrays, adjacent elements are placed in different layers, and one element may comprise two or more sub-elements placed in different layers. The sub-elements of a micro-compensator may have different functions such as micro-lens and micro-stigmators.

A charged particle assessment tool includes: 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 adjacent respective ones of the beam apertures and configured to capture charged particles emitted from the sample.

A method and an integrated system. The integrated system can include an optical inspection unit, a charged particle device, an interface unit, and at least one controller.

A method includes controlling a multi-scanning electron microscope, mSEM, to capture a first image of a wafer attached to a motorized handling stage while the motorized handling stage is in a first position. The first image includes at least a part of a notch of the wafer. The method also includes determining a radial axis of the wafer based on the first image, and controlling the motorized handling stage to shift the wafer along the radial axis by half a diameter of the wafer so that the motorized handling stage is in a second position. The method further includes controlling the mSEM to capture a second image of the wafer while the motorized handling stage is in the second position. The second image includes wafer structures. In addition, the method includes determining a reference position of the wafer based on a structure recognition of the wafer structures of the second image, and registering a wafer coordinate system of the wafer to a stage coordinate system of the motorized handling stage based on the reference position and the radial axis.

Linear fiducials including notches or chevrons with known angles relative to each other are formed such that each branch of a chevron appears in a cross-sectional face of the sample as a distinct structure. Therefore, when imaging the cross-section face during the cross-sectioning operation, the distance between the identified structures allows unique identification of the position of the cross-section plane along the Z axis. Then a direct measurement of the actual position of each slice can be calculated, allowing for dynamic repositioning to account for drift in the plane of the sample and also dynamic adjustment of the forward advancement rate of the FIB to account for variations in the sample, microscope, microscope environment, etc. that contributes to drift. An additional result of this approach is the ability to dynamically calculate the actual thickness of each acquired slice as it is acquired.

A multi-beam apparatus for multi-beam inspection with an improved source conversion unit providing more beamlets with high electric safety, mechanical availability and mechanical stabilization has been disclosed. The source-conversion unit comprises an image-forming element array having a plurality of image-forming elements, an aberration compensator array having a plurality of micro-compensators, and a pre-bending element array with a plurality of pre-bending micro-deflectors. In each of the arrays, adjacent elements are placed in different layers, and one element may comprise two or more sub-elements placed in different layers. The sub-elements of a micro-compensator may have different functions such as micro-lens and micro-stigmators.

A charged particle beam device is described, which includes: a beam source configured to generate a charged particle beam propagating along an optical axis (A); an aperture device with a plurality of apertures configured to create a plurality of beamlets from the charged particle beam; and a field curvature corrector. The field curvature corrector includes: a first multi-aperture electrode with a first plurality of openings having diameters that vary as a function of a distance from the optical axis (A); a second multi-aperture electrode with a second plurality of openings; and an adjustment device configured to adjust at least one of a first electrical potential (U1) of the first multi-aperture electrode and a second electrical potential (U2) of the second multi-aperture electrode. Further, a field curvature corrector and methods of operating a charged particle beam device are described.

A structure for grounding an extreme ultraviolet mask (EUV mask) is provided to discharge the EUV mask during the inspection by an electron beam inspection tool. The structure for grounding an EUV mask includes at least one grounding pin to contact conductive areas on the EUV mask, wherein the EUV mask may have further conductive layer on sidewalls or/and back side. The inspection quality of the EUV mask is enhanced by using the electron beam inspection system because the accumulated charging on the EUV mask is grounded. The reflective surface of the EUV mask on a continuously moving stage is scanned by using the electron beam simultaneously. The moving direction of the stage is perpendicular to the scanning direction of the electron beam.