The present invention relates to a charged particle beam device capable of suppressing table deformation caused by movement of a rolling element of a guide with a simple configuration, and a strain isolation guide structure, a stage using the guide structure, and a charged particle beam device using the stage are proposed, the strain isolation guide structure being characterized in that, in a sample stage including a linear guide including a carriage (201), a rolling element, and a guide rail (202), and a table (105), the carriage (201) and the table (105) are connected via an adapter (401) as an elastically deformable member.

A method of operating a charged particle beam device is disclosed, including passing each of a plurality of beamlets through a deflector and a scanner, in that order. Each of the beamlets is focused with an objective lens on a sample to form a plurality of focal spots, forming an array. A first beamlet is focused on a first spot and a second beamlet is focused on a second spot. In a centered configuration of the device, each of the plurality of beamlets is directed by the deflector toward a coma free point. In a beamlet-displaced configuration of the device, the scanner is scanned such that the first beamlet passes through an acceptable aberrations point, the first beamlet scanning a displaced first field of view; and the first spot is displaced from the regular first focal spot to a displaced first focal spot.

A method of operating a charged particle beam device is disclosed, including passing each of a plurality of beamlets through a deflector and a scanner, in that order. Each of the beamlets is focused with an objective lens on a sample to form a plurality of focal spots, forming an array. A first beamlet is focused on a first spot and a second beamlet is focused on a second spot. In a centered configuration of the device, each of the plurality of beamlets is directed by the deflector toward a coma free point. In a beamlet-displaced configuration of the device, the scanner is scanned such that the first beamlet passes through an acceptable aberrations point, the first beamlet scanning a displaced first field of view; and the first spot is displaced from the regular first focal spot to a displaced first focal spot.

A charged particle beam inspection method conducted by disposing a sample on a stage and by performing a first scanning in a first beam scanning area on the sample by using one first charged particle beam out of a plurality of charged particle beams while the stage is moved so that a first inspection of a first inspection unit in the first beam scanning area is performed, and by performing a second scanning in a second beam scanning area on the sample by using one second charged particle beam out of the charged particle beams while the stage is moved so that a second inspection of a second inspection unit in the second beam scanning area is performed.

Systems and methods of observing a sample in a multi-beam apparatus are disclosed. A multi-beam apparatus may comprise an array of deflectors configured to steer individual beamlets of multiple beamlets, each deflector of the array of deflectors having a corresponding driver configured to receive a signal for steering a corresponding individual beamlet. The apparatus may further include a controller having circuitry to acquire profile data of a sample and to control each deflector by providing the signal to the corresponding driver based on the acquired profile data, and a steering circuitry comprising the corresponding driver configured to generate a driving signal, a corresponding compensator configured to receive the driving signal and a set of driving signals from other adjacent drivers associated with adjacent deflectors and to generate a compensation signal to compensate a corresponding deflector based on the driving signal and the set of driving signals.

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.

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 displacement measuring apparatus includes an illumination system to obliquely irradiate the target object surface with beams, a sensor to receive a reflected light from the target object surface, an optical system to diverge the reflected light in a Fourier plane with respect to the target object surface, a camera to image a diverged beam in the Fourier plane, a gravity center shift amount calculation circuitry to calculate a gravity center shift amount of the reflected light in the light receiving surface of the sensor, based on a light quantity distribution of the beam imaged by the camera, and a measurement circuitry to measure a heightwise displacement of the target object surface by an optical lever method, using information on a corrected gravity center position obtained by correcting the gravity center position of the reflected light received by the sensor by using the gravity center shift amount.

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.

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.