An objective lens arrangement includes a first, second and third pole pieces, each being substantially rotationally symmetric. The first, second and third pole pieces are disposed on a same side of an object plane. An end of the first pole piece is separated from an end of the second pole piece to form a first gap, and an end of the third pole piece is separated from an end of the second pole piece to form a second gap. A first excitation coil generates a focusing magnetic field in the first gap, and a second excitation coil generates a compensating magnetic field in the second gap. First and second power supplies supply current to the first and second excitation coils, respectively. A magnetic flux generated in the second pole piece is oriented in a same direction as a magnetic flux generated in the second pole piece.

The purpose of the present invention is to reduce the amount of charged particles that are lost by colliding with the interior of a column of a charged particle beam device, and detect charged particles with high efficiency. To achieve this purpose, proposed is a charged particle beam device provided with: an objective lens that focuses a charged particle beam; a detector that is disposed between the objective lens and a charged particle source; a deflector that deflects charged particles emitted from a sample such that the charged particles separate from the axis of the charged particle beam; and a plurality of electrodes that are disposed between the deflector and the objective lens and that form a plurality of electrostatic lenses for focusing the charged particles emitted from the sample on a deflection point of the deflector.

A process control method is provided for ion implantation methods and apparatuses, to produce a high dosage area on a substrate such as may compensate for noted non-uniformities. In an ion implantation tool, separately controllable electrodes are provided as multiple sets of opposed electrodes disposed outside an ion beam. Beam blockers are positionable into the ion beam. Both the electrodes and beam blockers are controllable to reduce the area of the ion beam that is incident upon a substrate. The electrodes and beam blockers also change the position of the reduced-area ion beam incident upon the surface. The speed at which the substrate scans past the ion beam may be dynamically changed during the implantation process to produce various dosage concentrations in the substrate.

An objective lens arrangement includes a first, second and third pole pieces, each being substantially rotationally symmetric. The first, second and third pole pieces are disposed on a same side of an object plane. An end of the first pole piece is separated from an end of the second pole piece to form a first gap, and an end of the third pole piece is separated from an end of the second pole piece to form a second gap. A first excitation coil generates a focusing magnetic field in the first gap, and a second excitation coil generates a compensating magnetic field in the second gap. First and second power supplies supply current to the first and second excitation coils, respectively. A magnetic flux generated in the second pole piece is oriented in a same direction as a magnetic flux generated in the second pole piece.

The present invention is related to an apparatus for transporting a charged particle beam. The apparatus may include means for scanning the charged particle beam on a target, a dipole magnet arranged upstream of the means for scanning, at least three quadrupole lenses arranged between the dipole magnet and the means for scanning and means for adjusting the field strength of said at least three quadrupole lenses in function of the scanning angle of the charged particle beam. The apparatus can be made at least single achromatic.

To improve detection efficiency of secondary particles without increasing a size of a charged particle beam apparatus, a charged particle beam apparatus according to the invention includes: a charged particle beam source configured to irradiate a sample with a primary particle beam; a scanning deflector configured to scan and deflect the primary particle beam to a desired position of the sample; and a detector configured to detect secondary particles emitted from the desired position. The charged particle beam apparatus further includes: a focusing lens electrode arranged coaxially with the primary particle beam and configured to generate a focusing electric field that is an electric field that focuses a trajectory of the secondary particles; and a mesh electrode configured to reduce leakage of the focusing electric field on a trajectory of the primary particle beam.

Arrangements involving objective lens array assemblies for charged-particle assessment tools are disclosed. In one arrangement, the assembly comprises an objective lens array and a control lens array. Each objective lens projects a respective sub-beam of a multi-beam onto a sample. The control lens array is associated with the objective lens array and positioned up-beam of the objective lens array. The control lenses pre-focus the sub-beams.

An electrode arrangement for acting on a charged particle beam in a charged particle beam apparatus is described. The electrode arrangement includes a first electrode with a first opening for the charged particle beam; a first spacer element positioned in a first recess provided in the first electrode on a first electrode side for aligning the first electrode relative to a second electrode, the first spacer element having a first blind hole; a first conductive shield provided in the first blind hole; and a contact assembly protruding from the first electrode into the first blind hole for ensuring an electrical contact between the first electrode and the first conductive shield. Further, a contact assembly for such an electrode arrangement, a charged particle beam device with such an electrode arrangement, as well as a method of reducing an electrical field strength in an electrode arrangement are described.

A decelerating electrode of this energy filter comprises: an electrode pair that has an opening; and a cavity portion that provided in a rotationally symmetrical manner with the center of the opening as the optical axis. Voltages with electric potentials that are substantially the same as that of a charged particle beam are independently applied to the both sides of the decelerating electrode. When an electrical field protrudes into the cavity portion provided in the decelerating electrode, a saddle point having the same electric potential as that of incident charged particles is formed inside the decelerating electrode. The saddle point acts as a high pass filter for incident charged particles at an energy resolution of 1 mV or less. By analyzing charged particles which have been energy-separated, it is possible to measure the energy spectrum and ΔE at the high resolution of 1 mV or less. In addition, by causing the energy-separated charged particle beam to converge and scan on the sample surface with an electron lens, it is possible to obtain an SEM/STEM image with a high resolution (see FIG. 3).

To improve detection efficiency of secondary particles without increasing a size of a charged particle beam apparatus, a charged particle beam apparatus according to the invention includes: a charged particle beam source configured to irradiate a sample with a primary particle beam; a scanning deflector configured to scan and deflect the primary particle beam to a desired position of the sample; and a detector configured to detect secondary particles emitted from the desired position. The charged particle beam apparatus further includes: a focusing lens electrode arranged coaxially with the primary particle beam and configured to generate a focusing electric field that is an electric field that focuses a trajectory of the secondary particles; and a mesh electrode configured to reduce leakage of the focusing electric field on a trajectory of the primary particle beam.