A method of influencing a charged particle beam (11) propagating along an optical axis (A) is described. The method includes: guiding the charged particle beam (11) through at least one opening (102) of a multipole device (100, 200) that comprises a first multipole (110, 210) with four or more first electrodes (111, 211) and a second multipole (120, 220) with four or more second electrodes (121, 221) arranged in the same sectional plane, the first electrodes and the second electrodes being arranged alternately around the at least one opening (102); and at least one of exciting the first multipole to provide a first field distribution for influencing the charged particle beam in a first manner, and exciting the second multipole to provide a second field distribution for influencing the charged particle beam in a second manner. Further, a multipole device (100, 200) with a first multipole (110, 210) and a second multipole (120, 220) provided on the same substrate as well as a charged particle beam apparatus (500) with a multipole device (100, 200) are provided.

Disclosed herein is an apparatus comprising: a first electrically conductive layer; a second electrically conductive layer; a plurality of optics element s between the first electrically conductive layer and the second electrically conductive layer, wherein the plurality of optics elements are configured to influence a plurality of beams of charged particles; a third electrically conductive layer between the first electrically conductive layer and the second electrically conductive layer; and an electrically insulating layer physically connected to the optics elements, wherein the electrically insulating layer is configured to electrically insulate the optics elements from the first electrically conductive layer, and the second electrically conductive layer.

A charged particle beam device including: a charged particle beam source which emits a charged particle beam; a blanking device which has an electrostatic deflector that deflects and blocks the charged particle beam; an irradiation optical system which irradiates a specimen with the charged particle beam; and a control unit which controls the electrostatic deflector, the control unit performing processing of: acquiring a target value of a dose of the charged particle beam for the specimen; setting a ratio A/B of a time A during which the charged particle beam is not blocked to a unit time B (where A≠B, A≠0), based on the target value; and operating the electrostatic deflector based on the ratio.

The device includes a beam source for generating an electron beam, a beam guiding tube passed through an objective lens, an objective lens for generating a magnetic field in the vicinity of the specimen to focus the particles of the particle beam on the specimen, a control electrode having a potential for providing a retarding field to the particle beam near the specimen to reduce the energy of the particle beam when the beam collides with the specimen, a deflection system including a plurality of deflection units situated along the optical axis for deflecting the particle beam to allow scanning on the specimen with large area, at least one of the deflection units located in the retarding field of the beam, the remainder of the deflection units located within the central bore of the objective lens, and a detection unit to capture secondary electron (SE) and backscattered electrons (BSE).

A Wien filter and a charged particle beam imaging apparatus are provided. The Wien filter Wien filter, including a Wien filter body which includes: an electrostatic deflector, including at least one pair of electrodes, respective two electrodes in each pair of which are opposite to each other, each electrode including an electrode body constructed in an arc-shaped form, and respective electrode bodies of respective two electrodes in each pair of the at least one pair of electrodes being arranged concentrically with and opposite to each other in a diameter direction, and the at least one pair of electrodes being configured to generate respective electric fields by cooperation of the respective two electrodes in each pair of the at least one pair of electrodes, in the condition of respective bias voltages applied individually thereon; and a magnetic deflector, including at least one pair of magnetic poles, respective two magnetic poles in each pair of which are opposite to each other, each magnetic pole including a magnetic pole body constructed in an arc-shaped form, and respective magnetic pole bodies of respective two magnetic poles in each pair of the at least one pair of magnetic poles being arranged concentrically with and opposite to each other in the diameter direction, and the magnetic pole bodies of the at least one pair of magnetic poles in the magnetic deflector and the electrode bodies of the at least one pair of electrodes in the electrostatic deflector being arranged concentrically and spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction, and the at least one pair of magnetic poles being configured to generate respective magnetic fields by cooperation of respective two magnetic poles in each pair of the at least one pair of magnetic poles; a resultant electric field formed collectively by all of the respective electric fields is perpendicular to a resultant magnetic field formed collectively by all of the respective magnetic fields; and each electrode is also provided with a respective first protrusion extending radially inwards from a radial inner side of the respective electrode body thereof, and each magnetic pole is also provided with a second protrusion extending radially inwards from a radial inner side of the respective magnetic pole body thereof.

A multi-charged particle beam irradiation apparatus includes a forming mechanism to form multiple charged particle beams, a multipole deflector array to individually deflect each beam of the multiple charged particle beams so that a center axis trajectory of each beam of the multiple charged particle beams may not converge in a region of the same plane orthogonal to the direction of a central axis of a trajectory of the multiple charged particle beams, and an electron optical system to irradiate a substrate with the multiple charged particle beams while maintaining a state where the multiple charged particle beams are not converged.

A method comprising the irradiation of a wafer by an ion beam that passes through an implantation filter. The wafer is heated to a temperature of more than 200° C. The wafer is a semiconductor wafer including SiC, and the ion beam includes aluminum ions.

A multi-beam apparatus for observing a sample with high resolution and high throughput is proposed. In the apparatus, a source-conversion unit changes a single electron source into a virtual multi-source array, a primary projection imaging system projects the array to form plural probe spots on the sample, and a condenser lens adjusts the currents of the plural probe spots. In the source-conversion unit, the image-forming means is on the upstream of the beamlet-limit means, and thereby generating less scattered electrons. The image-forming means not only forms the virtual multi-source array, but also compensates the off-axis aberrations of the plurality of probe spots.

A multi-beam apparatus for observing a sample with high resolution and high throughput is proposed. In the apparatus, a source-conversion unit forms plural and parallel images of one single electron source by deflecting plural beamlets of a parallel primary-electron beam therefrom, and one objective lens focuses the plural deflected beamlets onto a sample surface and forms plural probe spots thereon. A movable condenser lens is used to collimate the primary-electron beam and vary the currents of the plural probe spots, a pre-beamlet-forming means weakens the Coulomb effect of the primary-electron beam, and the source-conversion unit minimizes the sizes of the plural probe spots by minimizing and compensating the off-axis aberrations of the objective lens and condenser lens.

An electron beam apparatus including: an electron beam source configured to generate an electron beam; a beam conversion unit including an aperture array configured to generate a plurality of beamlets from the electron beam, and a deflector unit configured to deflect one or more groups of the plurality of beamlets; and a projection system configured to project the plurality of beamlets onto an object, wherein the deflector unit is configured to deflect the one or more groups of the plurality of beamlets to impinge on the object at different angles of incidence, each beamlet in a group having substantially the same angle of incidence on the object.