A includes arranging a substrate in a working region of a first particle beam column and a second particle beam column; producing a desired target structure on the substrate by directing a first particle beam generated by the first particle beam column at a multiplicity of sites of the substrate to deposit material thereon or to remove material therefrom;

repeatedly interrupting the production of the desired target structure and producing a marking on the substrate by directing the first particle beam onto the substrate and continuing the production of the desired target structure; and capturing positions of the markings on the substrate by directing a second particle beam produced by the second particle beam column onto the markings on the substrate, and detecting particles or radiation which are produced in the process by the second particle beam on the substrate.

At timing t0, a brake gas (raw material gas) starts to be supplied to an ion beam generator, and the brake gas is fed into a turbo molecular pump. After timing t1, a vent valve is opened intermittently to feed atmospheric air into the turbo molecular pump. The brake gas may be different from the raw material gas. The brake gas is supplied using a gas supply system.

The system described herein relates to a method for operating a beam apparatus, such as a particle beam apparatus or laser beam apparatus, a computer program product and a beam apparatus for carrying out the method, and to an object holder for an object that, for example, is able to be arranged in a particle beam apparatus. The method includes generating a marking on an object holder using a laser beam of a laser beam device and/or using a particle beam of the particle beam apparatus, where the particle beam includes charged particles, arranging an object on the object holder, moving the object holder, positioning the particle beam and/or the laser beam in relative fashion in relation to the object using the marking, and processing, imaging and/or analyzing the object using the particle beam and/or the laser beam.

Apparatuses and methods directed toward endpoint detection are disclosed herein. An example method at least includes forming a plurality of lines on a top surface of a sample; removing, a plurality of times, material from a working surface of the sample, the working surface different than the top surface; imaging, a plurality of times, the sample to at least capture the plurality of lines; and determining an endpoint based on a relative spatial characteristic between two or more lines of the plurality of lines.

A thin-sample-piece fabricating device is provided with a focused-ion-beam irradiation optical system, a stage, a stage driving mechanism, and a computer. The focused-ion-beam irradiation optical system performs irradiation with a focused ion beam (FIB). The stage holds a sample piece (Q). The stage driving mechanism drives the stage. The computer sets a thin-piece forming region serving as a treatment region, as well as a peripheral section surrounding the entire periphery of the thin-piece forming region, on the sample piece (Q). The computer causes irradiation with the focused ion beam (FIB) from a direction crossing the irradiated face of the sample piece (Q) so as to perform etching treatment such that the thickness of the thin-piece forming region becomes less than the thickness of the peripheral section.

A novel method for cross-section sample preparation has a sample oriented normal to an SEM/GFIS or other imaging column via a stage, and is operated upon by an FIB to form the cross-section pre-lamella within the sample, followed by an approximate 90° rotation with no tilt of the stage for cut out by the FIB. Asymmetric trenches are milled to have a three-dimensional depth profile to ensure that the FIB has clear line of sight to a face of the resulting pre-lamella when the sample has been rotated. The three-dimensional depth profile further minimizes overall milling time required for the preparation of the pre-lamella.

To accomplish fast automated micro-sampling, provided is a charged particle beam apparatus, which is configured to automatically fabricate a sample piece from a sample, the charged particle beam apparatus including: a charged particle beam irradiation optical system configured to radiate a charged particle beam; a sample stage configured to move the sample that is placed on the sample stage; a sample piece transportation unit configured to hold and convey the sample piece separated and extracted from the sample; a holder fixing base configured to hold a sample piece holder to which the sample piece is transported; and a computer configured to perform position control with respect to a second target, based on a machine learning model in which first information including a first image of a first target is learned, and on second information including a second image, which is obtained by irradiation with the charged particle beam.

Methods and systems for creating TEM lamella using image restoration algorithms for low keV FIB images are disclosed. An example method includes irradiating a sample with an ion beam at low keV settings, generating a low keV ion beam image of the sample based on emissions resultant from irradiation by the ion beam, and then applying an image restoration model to the low keV ion beam image of the sample to generate a restored image. The sample is then localized within the restored image, and a low keV milling of the sample is performed with the ion beam based on the localized sample within the restored image.

A method is carried out with the aid of a particle beam microscope which includes a particle beam column for producing a beam of charged particles, the particle beam column having an optical axis. Furthermore, the particle beam microscope includes a holding device for holding the extracted micro-sample. The method includes holding the extracted micro-sample and an adjacent hinge element via the holding device. The micro-sample adopts a first spatial orientation relative to the optical axis. The method also includes producing a bending edge in the hinge element by way of irradiation with a beam of charged particles such that the adjacent micro-sample is moved in space and the spatial orientation of the micro-sample is altered. The method further includes holding the micro-sample in a second spatial orientation relative to the optical axis, wherein the second spatial orientation differs from the first spatial orientation.

Apparatuses and methods directed toward endpoint detection are disclosed herein. An example method at least includes forming a plurality of lines on a top surface of a sample; removing, a plurality of times, material from a working surface of the sample, the working surface different than the top surface; imaging, a plurality of times, the sample to at least capture the plurality of lines; and determining an endpoint based on a relative spatial characteristic between two or more lines of the plurality of lines.