This disclosure relates to an apparatus and methods for applying X-ray reflectometry (XRR) in characterizing three dimensional nanostructures supported on a flat substrate with a miniscule sampling area and a thickness in nanometers. In particular, this disclosure is targeted for addressing the difficulties encountered when XRR is applied to samples with intricate nanostructures along all three directions, e.g. arrays of nanostructured poles or shafts. Convergent X-ray with long wavelength, greater than that from a copper anode of 0.154 nm and less than twice of the characteristic dimensions along the film thickness direction, is preferably used with appropriate collimations on both incident and detection arms to enable the XRR for measurements of samples with limited sample area and scattering volumes.

This disclosure relates to an apparatus and methods for applying X-ray reflectometry (XRR) in characterizing three dimensional nanostructures supported on a flat substrate with a miniscule sampling area and a thickness in nanometers. In particular, this disclosure is targeted for addressing the difficulties encountered when XRR is applied to samples with intricate nanostructures along all three directions, e.g. arrays of nanostructured poles or shafts. Convergent X-ray with long wavelength, greater than that from a copper anode of 0.154 nm and less than twice of the characteristic dimensions along the film thickness direction, is preferably used with appropriate collimations on both incident and detection arms to enable the XRR for measurements of samples with limited sample area and scattering volumes.

A geological analysis system, device, and method are provided. The geological analysis system includes sensors, including an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) unit, which detect properties of geological sample materials, a sample tray which holds the geological sample materials therein, and a processor. The XRF unit includes a body and a separable head unit and an output port configured to emit helium onto the geological sample materials within the sample tray. The sample tray includes chambers formed in an upper surface, ports, and passages, each providing communication between an interior of a chamber and an interior of a port. The ports are configured to be attachable to vials. The processor is configured to automatically position at least one of the sensors and the sample tray with respect to the other of the at least one of the sensors and the sample tray and to control the sensors.

A geological analysis system, device, and method are provided. The geological analysis system includes sensors, including an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) unit, which detect properties of geological sample materials, a sample tray which holds the geological sample materials therein, and a processor. The XRF unit includes a body and a separable head unit and an output port configured to emit helium onto the geological sample materials within the sample tray. The sample tray includes chambers formed in an upper surface, ports, and passages, each providing communication between an interior of a chamber and an interior of a port. The ports are configured to be attachable to vials. The processor is configured to automatically position at least one of the sensors and the sample tray with respect to the other of the at least one of the sensors and the sample tray and to control the sensors.

For volumetric analysis of the elemental composition of a measured sample (3) the method of three-dimensional scanning is executing using fluorescence induced by electromagnetic radiation, in which the primary beam (1) of electromagnetic radiation is flattened and is directed at the measured sample (3) in which it irradiates the measured area (6). From the measured area (6) there exits fluorescence radiation, which is almost completely shielded by the shielding means (7) to a secondary beam (9), which is released towards the shielded detector (4) through the permeable area (8) formed in the shielding means (7). The secondary beam (9) projects the image of the measured area (6) onto the shielded detector (4), which records the data of the measured area (6) and subsequently uses the data to obtain an elemental composition of the measured sample (3), including the distribution of concentration of elements in the sample volume.

There is provided a system and method of measuring a lateral recess in a semiconductor specimen, comprising: obtaining a first image acquired by collecting SEs emitted from the surface of the specimen, and a second image acquired by collecting BSEs scattered from an interior region of the specimen between the surface and a target second layer, the specimen scanned using an electron beam with a landing energy selected to penetrate to a depth corresponding to the target second layer; generating a first GL waveform based on the first image, and a second GL waveform based on the second image; estimating a first width of the first layers based on the first GL waveform, and a second width with respect to at least the target second layer based on the second GL; and measuring a lateral recess based on the first width and the second width.

There is provided a system and method of measuring a lateral recess in a semiconductor specimen, comprising: obtaining a first image acquired by collecting SEs emitted from the surface of the specimen, and a second image acquired by collecting BSEs scattered from an interior region of the specimen between the surface and a target second layer, the specimen scanned using an electron beam with a landing energy selected to penetrate to a depth corresponding to the target second layer; generating a first GL waveform based on the first image, and a second GL waveform based on the second image; estimating a first width of the first layers based on the first GL waveform, and a second width with respect to at least the target second layer based on the second GL; and measuring a lateral recess based on the first width and the second width.

Method and system are disclosed for determining sample composition from spectral data acquired by a charged particle microscopy system. Chemical elements in a sample are identified by processing the spectral data with a trained neural network (NN). If the identified chemical elements not matching with a known elemental composition of the sample, the trained NN is retrained with the spectral data and the known elemental composition of the sample. The retrained NN can then be used to identify chemical elements within other samples.

An analysis method includes: obtaining n×m pieces of map data by repeating, m times, a map measurement in which n pieces of map data are obtained by scanning a specimen with a primary probe to detect electrons emitted from the specimen with an electron spectrometer, while measurement energy ranges of an analyzer are varied; and generating a spectral map in which a position on the specimen is associated with a spectrum based on the n×m pieces of map data, the measurement energy ranges of m times of the map measurement not overlapping each other.

Provided is a portable XRF data screening method for heavy metal contaminated soil, relating to the technical field of heavy metal contamination test. The method includes the following steps: (1) laboratory test; (2) XRF test; and (3) calculation of a recheck interval: dividing test data into four areas by a contaminant screening value X.sub.c as a horizontal line and a correlation-derived site screening value as a vertical line to calculate the recheck interval. The method is simple and efficient, and is beneficial to saving investigation costs and shortening a project cycle.