Excessive evaporation of powder is prevented. A three-dimensional shaping apparatus includes an electron gun that generates an electron beam; a primary main deflector that deflects the electron beam one- or two-dimensionally; at least one lens that is provided between the electron gun and the primary main deflector and focuses the electron beam; a sub-deflector that is provided between the electron gun and the primary main deflector, deflects the electron beam one- or two-dimensionally, and has a deflection area smaller than the deflection area of the primary main deflector and the scanning speed higher than a scanning speed of the primary main deflector; and a controller that controls deflection directions and the scanning speeds of the primary main deflector and the sub-deflector. The primary main deflector moves the deflection area of the sub-deflector, and the sub-deflector performs multiple scanning and irradiation of small regions, in which scanning and irradiation the small regions are each included in the deflection area and scanned and irradiated with the electron beam for a predetermined number of times.

An ion implantation apparatus includes a beam scanner that provides a reciprocating beam scan in a beam scan direction in accordance with a scan waveform, a mechanical scanner that causes a wafer to reciprocate in a mechanical scan direction, and a control device that controls the beam scanner and the mechanical scanner to realize a target two-dimensional dose amount distribution on a surface of the wafer. The control device includes a scan frequency adjusting unit that determines a frequency of the scan waveform in accordance with the target two-dimensional dose amount distribution, and a beam scanner driving unit that drives the beam scanner by using the scan waveform having the frequency determined by the scan frequency adjusting unit.

An ion implantation apparatus includes a beam scanner that provides reciprocating beam scanning in a beam scanning direction, a beam measurer that measures a beam current intensity distribution in the beam scanning direction at a downstream of the beam scanner, and a controller. The controller includes a scanning waveform preparing unit that determines whether or not a measured beam current intensity distribution measured by the beam measurer with use of a given scanning waveform fits a target non-uniform dose amount distribution, and that, in a case of fitting, correlates the given scanning waveform with the target non-uniform dose amount distribution.

A method for determining a distortion-corrected position of a feature in an image that is composed of one or a plurality of image patches, each image patch being composed of a plurality of image subfields, each image subfield being imaged with a related beamlet of a multi-beam charged particle microscope, respectively, comprises: a) providing a plurality of vector distortion maps for each image subfield, respectively, each vector distortion map characterizing the position dependent distortion for each pixel of the related image subfield; b) identifying a feature of interest in the image; c) extracting a geometric characteristic of the feature; d) determining a corresponding image subfield comprising the extracted geometric characteristic of the feature; e) determining a position or positions of the extracted geometric characteristic of the feature within the determined corresponding image subfield; and f) correcting the position or positions of the extracted geometric characteristic in the image.

A method is provided for processing and/or observing an object using at least one particle beam that is scanned over the object. A scan region on the object is determined, the scan region having scan lines, and the particle beam is moved in a first scanning direction along one of the scan lines. The first scanning direction is changed to a second scanning direction at a change-of-direction time. Changing from the first scanning direction to the second scanning direction comprises setting of a point of rotation in that scan line of the scan region in which the particle beam is situated at the change-of-direction time, with an axis of rotation extending through the point of rotation. The first scanning direction is changed into the second scanning direction by rotating the scan region about the axis of rotation, with the point of rotation being selected dependent on the direction of rotation.

An ion implantation method includes transporting ions to a wafer as an ion beam, causing the wafer to undergo wafer mechanical slow scanning and also causing the ion beam to undergo beam fast scanning or causing the wafer to undergo wafer mechanical fast scanning in a direction perpendicular to a wafer slow scanning direction, irradiating the wafer with the ion beam by using the wafer slow scanning in the wafer slow scanning direction and the beam fast scanning of the ion beam or the wafer fast scanning of the wafer in the direction perpendicular to the wafer slow scanning direction, measuring a two-dimensional beam shape of the ion beam before ion implantation into the wafer, and defining an implantation and irradiation region of the ion beam by using the measured two-dimensional beam shape to thereby regulate the implantation and irradiation region.

A multi-beam charged particle beam system and a method of operating a multi-beam charged particle beam system with higher precision are configured for a determination of an assignment of secondary electron focus spot to a plurality of sets of detection elements. The system and method are further configured to adjust the assignment and for a calibration of a monitoring method and system for monitoring the assignment. The system and method are applicable for an inspection of samples, for example for wafer or mask inspection.

The rocking beam method is used to generate a first image of an object and a second image of the object. A control device sets the size and/or the shape of an opening and/or the position of an aperture unit of the particle beam apparatus, and/or at least one electrostatic and/or magnetic deflection unit of the particle beam apparatus for displacing the scanning region, in such a way that a first irradiation direction of the particle beam in the direction of the location on the surface of the object corresponds to a second irradiation direction of the particle beam in the direction of the location on the surface of the object, wherein the first irradiation direction is ascertained from the first image and wherein the second irradiation direction is ascertained from the second image.

A multi charged particle beam apparatus irradiates a substrate placed on a stage with a multi charged particle beam through an illumination optical system including a plurality of components, and an objective lens successively. In one embodiment, an optical system adjustment method for the multi charged particle beam apparatus includes measuring positional deviation amounts of a plurality of individual beams included in the multi charged particle beam at two or more different heights in an optical axis direction of a measurement surface or an imaging position of the multi charged particle beam, calculating a normalized position difference based on the two or more heights and the positional deviation amounts, the normalized position difference being an illumination system aberration equivalent amount of the illumination optical system, and adjusting a set value for at least one of the plurality of components using a value of the normalized position difference.

An inspection device includes an emission unit of first charging particles. A deflection unit deflects the first charging particles to scan a surface of a target object with the first charging particles. A detection unit detects second charging particles generated from the surface of the target object receiving the first charging particles. An image generation unit generates an image of the surface of the target object based on a detection result of the second charging particles by the detection unit. A control unit controls a scan direction of the first charging particles. A calculation unit detects normal directions to a contour of an uneven portion on the surface of the target object in a first image obtained by scanning in a first scan direction. The calculation unit calculates a frequency of a first angle formed between a reference axis of the first image and a normal direction of each of a plurality of unit regions. The calculation unit determines the normal direction corresponding to a most frequent value of the first angle among the normal directions as a second scan direction. The calculation unit calculates a height of the uneven portion based on a second image obtained by scanning in the second scan direction.