An object of the invention is to acquire a high-quality image while maintaining an improvement in throughput of image acquisition (measurement (length measurement)). The present disclosure provides a charged particle beam system including a charged particle beam device and a computer system configured to control the charged particle beam device. The charged particle beam device includes an objective lens, a sample stage, and a backscattered electron detector that is disposed between the objective lens and the sample stage and that adjusts a focus of a charged particle beam with which a sample is irradiated. The computer system adjusts a value of an electric field on the sample in accordance with a change in a voltage applied to the backscattered electron detector.

An example multi-beam scanning electron microscope (MB-SEM) for correcting both astigmatism and linear distortion at least includes an electron source coupled to provide an electron beam, an aperture plate comprising an array of apertures, the aperture plate arranged to form an array of electron beamlets from the electron beam, and an electron column including a plurality of lenses and first and second stigmators, the electron column coupled to direct the array of electron beamlets toward a sample, wherein the first and second stigmators are arranged and excited to correct both astigmatism and linear distortion.

Disclosed herein is a micro stage using a piezoelectric element that can be reliably operated even in a vacuum environment. In a particle column requiring a high precision, for example, a microelectronic column, the micro stage can be used as a stage with micro or nano degree precision for alignment of parts of the column, or for moving a sample, and so on.

Provided is a charged particle beam apparatus which includes a charged particle source, a sample table on which a sample is placed, a charged particle beam optical system that includes an objective lens and emits a charged particle beam emitted from the charged particle source onto the sample, a plurality of detectors which detect secondary particles emitted from the sample when being irradiated with the charged particle beam, and a rotation member which magnetically, electrically, or mechanically changes a detected azimuth angle of the secondary particles emitted from the sample.

Embodiments comprise a system created through fabricating a lens array through which lasers are emitted. The lens array may be fabricated in the semiconductor substrate used for fabricating the lasers or may be a separate substrate of other transparent material that would be aligned to the lasers. In some embodiments, more lenses may be produced than will eventually be used by the lasers. The inner portion of the substrate may be formed with the lenses that will be used for emitting lasers, and the outer portion of the substrate may be formed with lenses that will not be used for emitting lasers—rather, through etching these additional lenses, the inner lenses may be created with a higher quality.

Disclosed is a charged particle optical apparatus, which includes a particle optical arrangement, configured to define a particle beam path for inspecting an object. The object is accommodated in a pressure-controlled interior of a specimen chamber during the inspection of the object. The charged particle optical apparatus further includes a differential pressure module having a differential pressure aperture. A positioning arm is arranged in the specimen chamber for selectively position the differential pressure module within the pressure-controlled interior of the specimen chamber into an operating position in which the particle beam path passes through the differential pressure aperture. The selective positioning includes an advancing movement of the differential pressure module toward the primary particle beam path. The advancing movement is transmitted to the differential pressure module by a track-guided movement of the positioning arm.

A multi-electron beam writing apparatus includes a light source array to include plural light sources and generate plural first lights, a multi-lens array to include plural first lenses, and to divide the plural first lights into plural second lights by that each of the plural first lights illuminates a corresponding lens set of plural lens sets each composed of plural second lenses being a portion of the plural first lenses and by that each of lenses, being at least a part of the plural second lenses, is irradiated with two or more first lights of the plural first lights, a photoemissive surface to receive the plural second lights through its upper surface, and emit multiple photoelectron beams from its back surface, and a blanking aperture array mechanism to perform an individual blanking control by individually switching between ON and OFF of each of the multiple photoelectron beams.

Embodiments comprise a system created through fabricating a lens array through which lasers are emitted. The lens array may be fabricated in the semiconductor substrate used for fabricating the lasers or may be a separate substrate of other transparent material that would be aligned to the lasers. In some embodiments, more lenses may be produced than will eventually be used by the lasers. The inner portion of the substrate may be formed with the lenses that will be used for emitting lasers, and the outer portion of the substrate may be formed with lenses that will not be used for emitting lasers—rather, through etching these additional lenses, the inner lenses may be created with a higher quality.

A height measuring device includes a light source that emits light in a direction oblique to a top surface of a specimen, a slit that shapes the light from the light source to form a slit image on the specimen, an imaging element that detects reflected light reflected by the specimen, and an arithmetic unit. The arithmetic unit: identifies a slit image of the reflected light reflected by the top surface of the specimen from among a plurality of slit images based on respective positions of the plurality of slit images on a detection surface of the imaging element; and determines the height of the top surface of the specimen based on the position of the slit image of the reflected light reflected by the top surface of the specimen on the detection surface.

Embodiments comprise a system created through fabricating a lens array through which lasers are emitted. The lens array may be fabricated in the semiconductor substrate used for fabricating the lasers or may be a separate substrate of other transparent material that would be aligned to the lasers. In some embodiments, more lenses may be produced than will eventually be used by the lasers. The inner portion of the substrate may be formed with the lenses that will be used for emitting lasers, and the outer portion of the substrate may be formed with lenses that will not be used for emitting lasers—rather, through etching these additional lenses, the inner lenses may be created with a higher quality.