A semiconductor analysis system includes a machining device that machines a semiconductor wafer to prepare a thin film sample for observation, a transmission electron microscope device that acquires a transmission electron microscope image of the thin film sample, and a host control device that controls the machining device and the transmission electron microscope device. The host control device evaluates the thin film sample based on the transmission electron microscope image, updates acquisition conditions of the transmission electron microscope image based on an evaluation result of the thin film sample, and outputs the updated acquisition conditions to the transmission electron microscope device

A lamella 10 including an analysis portion 11 and a cutout portion 12 separated from the analysis portion 11 is produced. When a plurality of the lamellae 10 are transported to a lamella grid 20, the plurality of lamellae 10 are supported by a support portion 22 protruding from a surface of a substrate 21, and are mounted adjacent to each other in a Z direction. At this time, the cutout portion 12 prevents the analysis portion 11 from damage.

Provided is an ion milling apparatus capable of enhancing reproducibility of an ion distribution. The ion milling apparatus includes: an ion source 101; a sample stage 102 on which a sample to be processed by being irradiated with an unfocused ion beam from the ion source 101 is placed; and a measurement member holding unit 106 that holds an ion beam current measurement member 105. A covering material 120 is provided so as to cover at least a surface of the measurement member holding unit 106 and the sample stage 102 facing the ion source 101. A material of the covering material 120 contains, as a main component, an element having an atomic number smaller than that of an element of a material of a structure on which the covering material is provided. The ion beam current measurement member 105 is moved in an irradiation range of the ion beam on a trajectory, which is located between the ion source and the sample stage, in a state where the ion beam is output from the ion source 101 under a first irradiation condition, and an ion beam current flowing when the ion beam current measurement member 105 is irradiated with the ion beam is measured.

A method of performing x-ray spectroscopy material analysis of a region of interest within a cross-section of a sample using an evaluation system that includes a focused ion beam (FIB) column, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column, and an x-ray detector, including: forming a lamella having first and second opposing side surfaces in the sample by milling, with the FIB column, first and second trenches in the sample to expose the first and second sides surface of the lamella, respectively; depositing background material in the second trench, wherein the background material is selected such that the background material does not include any chemical elements that are expected to be within the region of interest of the sample; generating a charged particle beam with the SEM column and scanning the charged particle beam across a region of interest on the first side surface of the lamella such that the charged particle beam collides with the first side surface of the lamella at a non-vertical angle; and detecting x-rays generated while the region of interest is scanned by the charged particle beam.

The invention relates to a method for processing an object using a material processing device that has a particle beam apparatus. The method comprises the following steps: determining a region of interest of the object on or in a first material region of the object, ablating material from a second material region adjoining the first material region by means of an ablation device, recognizing a geometric shape of the first material region, the geometric shape having a center, ablating material from a second portion of the first material region adjoining a first portion by means of a particle beam, the first portion having a first subregion and a second subregion, the region of interest being arranged in the first subregion, recognizing a further geometric shape of the first material region, the further geometric shape having a further center at a second position, relative positioning of the object such that the first position corresponds to the second position, and ablating material from the second subregion by means of the particle beam.

A 3D imaging system and method for a nanostructure is provided. The 3D imaging system includes a master control center, a vacuum chamber, an electron gun, an imaging signal detector, a broad ion beam source device, and a laser rangefinder component. A sample loading device is arranged inside the vacuum chamber. A radial source of the broad ion beam source device is arranged in parallel with an etched surface of a sample. The laser rangefinder component includes a first laser rangefinder configured to measure a distance from a top surface of an ion beam shielding plate and a second laser rangefinder configured to measure a distance from a non-etched area of the sample, the first laser rangefinder and the second laser rangefinder are arranged side by side, and a laser traveling direction is perpendicular to a traveling direction of the broad ion beam source device.

A sample stand includes a base portion that is made of a first material and has an arcuate outer edge in a plane having a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, a first portion that is provided on an upper portion of the base portion in the second direction and in which a second material is embedded, a second portion that is provided on the upper portion of the base portion in the second direction and in which a third material is embedded, and a sample holding portion on which a sample is to be held. The sample holding portion is provided on the upper portion of the base portion in the second direction, between the first portion and the second portion in a third direction orthogonal to each of the first direction and the second direction.

Systems and methods of sample preparation using dual ion beam trenching are described. In an example, an inside of a semiconductor package is non-destructively imaged to determine a region of interest (ROI). A mask is positioned over the semiconductor package, and a mask window is aligned with the ROI. A first ion beam and a second ion beam are swept, simultaneously or sequentially, along an edge of the mask window to trench the semiconductor package and to expose the ROI for analysis.

This cross-section observation device bombards an object with a charged particle beam to repeatedly expose cross-sections of the object, bombards at least some of the cross-sections from among the plurality of the exposed cross-sections with a charged particle beam to acquire cross-sectional image information describing each of the at least some of the cross-sections, generates for each of these cross-sections a cross-sectional image described by the cross-sectional image information acquired, and generates a three-dimensional image in which the generated cross-sectional images are stacked together. This cross-section observation device displays a first three-dimensional image along with a second three-dimensional image, the first three-dimensional image being a three-dimensional image from the stacking of first cross-sectional images, which are cross-sectional images of the cross-sections described by the corresponding cross-sectional image information acquired on the basis of a first condition, and the second three-dimensional image being a three-dimensional image from the stacking of second cross-sectional images, which are cross-sectional images of the cross-sections described by the corresponding cross-sectional image information acquired on the basis of a second condition.

A semiconductor analysis system includes a machining device that machines semiconductor wafer to prepare a thin film sample for observation, a transmission electron microscope device that acquires a transmission electron microscope image of the thin film sample, and a host control device that controls the machining device and the transmission electron microscope device. The host control device evaluates the thin film sample based on the transmission electron microscope image, updates machining conditions based on an evaluation result of the thin film sample, and outputs the updated machining conditions to the machining device.