An analysis and observation device includes an analysis unit, a primary storage device that reads a substance library in which types of substances are associated with a plurality of characteristics, and a processor that executes processing based on the substance library. The substance library is configured by storing hierarchical information of superclasses each of which represents a general term of a substance and subclasses each of which represents a type of the substance. A processor includes: a spectrum acquirer that acquires an intensity distribution spectrum; a characteristic extractor that extracts a characteristic of a substance based on the intensity distribution spectrum; a substance estimator that estimates the type of the substance from subclasses based on the extracted characteristic; and a user interface controller that causes a display to display the estimated subclass and the superclass to which the subclass belongs in a hierarchical manner.

An analyzer includes a wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectrometer and a control unit that controls the wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectrometer, the control unit performing: processing of acquiring an analysis result of preparatory analysis performed on a specimen to be analyzed; processing of setting spectroscopic conditions for WDS analysis using the wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectrometer based on the analysis result of the preparatory analysis; and processing of performing the WDS analysis on the specimen to be analyzed under the set spectroscopic conditions.

A magnetic material observation method in accordance with the present invention includes: an irradiating step including irradiating a region of a sample with an excitation beam and thereby allowing a magnetic element contained in the sample to radiate a characteristic X-ray; a detecting step including detecting intensities of a right-handed circularly polarized component and a left-handed circularly polarized component contained in the characteristic X-ray; and a calculating step including calculating the difference between the intensity of the right-handed circularly polarized component and the intensity of the left-handed circularly polarized component. Reference to such a difference enables precise measurement of the direction or magnitude of magnetization without strict limitations as to the sample.

The X-ray analysis apparatus contains an X-ray generation unit. The X-ray generation unit includes a target plate having a target that is irradiated with an electron beam from an electron beam source and generates X-rays, X-ray convergence optics that converges X-rays generated from the target in conjunction with a movement of the target plate, and a driving unit that changes a position of the target plate or the X-ray convergence optics relative to the electron beam source.

An X-ray analyzer includes: a specimen stage; a spectrometer having a spectroscopic element and an X-ray detector; a temperature measuring unit including at least one of a first temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the specimen stage and a second temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the spectrometer; a storage unit which stores calibration data of the spectrometer, and a previous measurement result by the temperature measuring unit at the time of execution of the calibration of the spectrometer; and a notifying unit which acquires a measurement result by the temperature measuring unit, calculates a temperature variation amount of the acquired measurement result with respect to the previous measurement result stored in the storage unit, and notifies that calibration is needed, based on the temperature variation amount.

Disclosed herein is a method of operating an imaging system which comprises (A) an image sensor comprising (a) a top surface, (b) M physically separate active areas on the top surface, and (c) a dead zone on the top surface and between the M active areas, and (B) a radiation source system which comprises an electron bombardment target, the method comprising: for i=1, . . . , N, sequentially causing emission of X-ray photons (i) from a radiation position (i) by causing electrons to bombard a target surface of the electron bombardment target at the radiation position (i); and for i=1, . . . , N, in response to the emission of the X-ray photons (i), capturing M images (i) of portions (i) of a same object, respectively in the M active areas, resulting in M×N images, wherein each point of the object is captured in at least one image of the M×N images.

Spectrums are measured by irradiating an electron beam on a sample while varying an accelerating potential and by detecting X-rays emitted from the sample. A normalizer unit normalizes the spectrums and thereby calculates normalized spectrums. A difference calculator unit calculates difference spectrums based on the normalized spectrums. A search unit performs a search in a database for each comparison difference spectrum, and identifies compounds contained in the sample.

Characteristic X-rays (soft X-rays) from a sample are detected using a spectroscope to thereby generate a plurality of intensity spectrums arranged in order of time sequence. A contour map creation unit creates a contour map by converting, in accordance with a color conversion condition, the plurality of intensity spectrums into a plurality of one-dimensional maps, and arranging the plurality of one-dimensional maps in order of time sequence. When displaying the contour map, a waveform array and a difference contour map may also be displayed. Based on the contour map, a timepoint at which a state change occurs in the sample is determined.

An inspection system that includes charged particle optics that irradiate a bottom of a hole with a charged particle beam propagated along an optical axis, an energy dispersive x-ray detector and a processor. The x-ray detector detects x-ray photons emitted from the bottom of the hole and generates detection signals indicative of the x-ray photons. The processor processes the detection signals to provide an estimate of the bottom of the hole.

A method of investigating a specimen using charged-particle microscopy, comprising the following steps: (a) On a surface of the specimen, selecting a virtual sampling grid extending in an XY plane and comprising grid nodes to be impinged upon by a charged-particle probing beam during a two-dimensional scan of said surface; (b) Selecting a landing energy E.sub.i for said probing beam, with an associated nominal Z penetration depth d.sub.i below said surface; (c) At each of said nodes, irradiating the specimen with said probing beam and detecting output radiation emanating from the specimen in response thereto, thereby generating a scan image I.sub.i; (d) Repeating steps (b) and (c) for a series {E.sub.i} of different landing energies, corresponding to an associated series {d.sub.i} of different penetration depths, further comprising the following steps: (e) Pre-selecting an initial energy increment ΔE.sub.i by which E.sub.i is to be altered after a first iteration of steps (b) and (c); (f) Associating energy increment ΔE.sub.i with a corresponding depth increment Δd in the value of d.sub.i; (g) Selecting said sampling grid to have a substantially equal node pitch p in X and Y, which pitch p is matched to the value of Δd so as to produce a substantially cubic sampling voxel; (h) Selecting subsequent energy values in the series {E.sub.i} so as to maintain a substantially constant depth increment Δd between consecutive members of the series {d.sub.i}, within the bounds of selected minimum and maximum landing energies E.sub.min and E.sub.max, respectively.