Provided are a charged particle detector and a radiation detector capable of obtaining an observation image with correct contrast without saturation even when the number of signal electrons incident on a detector is increased due to an increase in the current of a primary electron beam. The charged particle detector is characterized by having a scintillator (109) having a signal electron detection surface (109a) for detecting signal electrons emitted when a specimen is irradiated with primary electrons and converting the signal electrons into light, a light detector (111) having a light detection surface (111a) for detecting the light emitted from the scintillator (109), and a light guide (110) disposed between the scintillator (109) and the light detector (111), wherein the area of the light detection surface (111a) is larger than the area of the signal electron detection surface (109a).

An ion collector includes a plurality of segments and a plurality of integrators. The plurality of segments are physically separated from one another and spaced around a substrate support. Each of the segments includes a conductive element that is designed to conduct a current based on ions received from a plasma. Each of the plurality of integrators is coupled to a corresponding conductive element. Each of the plurality of integrators is designed to determine an ion distribution for a corresponding conductive element based, at least in part, on the current conducted at the corresponding conductive element. An example benefit of this embodiment includes the ability to determine how uniform the ion distribution is across a wafer being processed by the plasma.

Using a segmented detector having detection regions enables an observation of atoms in a specimen with a high contrast. A scanning transmission electron microscope system 100 scans an electron beam EB over a specimen S, uses a segmented detector 105 having detection regions disposed in a bright-field area to detect electrons transmitted through and scattered from the specimen S for each detection region, generates segmented images based on results of detecting the electrons in the detection regions, and applies filters determined based on a signal-to-noise ratio to the segmented images to generate a reconstructed image. The signal-to-noise ratio is proportional to an absolute value of a total phase contrast transfer function normalized by a noise level, the total phase contrast transfer function being defined by product-sum operation of complex phase contrast transfer functions and weight coefficients for the detection regions. The filters are determined based on the weight coefficients that yield a maximum of the signal-to-noise ratio.

A detector for use in a charged particle device for an assessment tool to detect signal particles from a sample, the detector including a substrate, the substrate including: a semiconductor element configured to detect signal particles above a first energy threshold; and a charge-based element configured to detect signal particles below a second energy threshold.

Systems and methods are provided for charged particle detection. The detection system can comprise a signal processing circuit configured to generate a set of intensity gradients based on electron intensity data received from a plurality of electron sensing elements. The detection system can further comprise a beam spot processing module configured to determine, based on the set of intensity gradients, at least one boundary of a beam spot; and determine, based on the at least one boundary, that a first set of electron sensing elements of the plurality of electron sensing elements is within the beam spot. The beam spot processing module can further be configured to determine an intensity value of the beam spot based on the electron intensity data received from the first set of electron sensing elements and also generate an image of a wafer based on the intensity value.

A segmented detector device with backside illumination. The detector is able to collect and differentiate between secondary electrons and backscatter electrons. The detector includes a through-hole for passage of a primary electron beam. After hitting a sample, the reflected secondary and backscatter electrons are collected via a vertical structure having a P+/P−/N+ or an N+/N−/P+ composition for full depletion through the thickness of the device. The active area of the device is segmented using field isolation insulators located on the front side of the device.

A charged particle beam apparatus using a light guide that improves light utilization efficiency includes a detector including a scintillator for emitting light when a charged particle is incident, a light receiving element, and a light guide for guiding the light from the scintillator to the light receiving element. The light guide includes: an incident surface that faces a light emitting surface of the scintillator and to which the light emitted by the scintillator is incident; an emitting surface that is configured to emit light; and a reflecting surface that is inclined with respect to the incident surface so that the light from the incident surface is reflected toward the emitting surface. The emitting surface is smaller than the incident surface. A slope surface is provided between the incident surface and the emitting surface, faces the reflecting surface, and is inclined with respect to the incident surface.

A segmented detector device with backside illumination. The detector is able to collect and differentiate between secondary electrons and backscatter electrons. The detector includes a through-hole for passage of a primary electron beam. After hitting a sample, the reflected secondary and backscatter electrons are collected via a vertical structure having a P+/P−/N+ or an N+/N−/P+ composition for full depletion through the thickness of the device. The active area of the device is segmented using field isolation insulators located on the front side of the device.

A charged particle beam apparatus acquires a scanned image by scanning a specimen with a charged particle beam, and detecting charged particles emitted from the specimen. The apparatus includes a charged particle beam source that emits the charged particle beam; an irradiation optical system that scans the specimen with the charged particle beam; a plurality of detection units that detects the charged particles emitted from the specimen; and an image processing unit that reconstructs a profile of a specimen surface of the specimen, based on a plurality of detection signals outputted from the plurality of detection units. The image processing unit: determines an inclination angle of the specimen surface, based on the plurality of detection signals; processing to determine a height of the specimen surface, based on the scanned image; and reconstructs the profile of the specimen surface, based on the inclination angle and the height.

An electron beam is irradiated on a specimen in a state where a negative voltage is applied to the specimen. The specimen is rotated to establish an optimum orientation of a specimen surface shape relative to an orientation of a detector having two detection surfaces disposed at rotational symmetric positions with respect to an optical axis of the electron beam taken as an axis of rotation, and an image is generated based on a quantity of a signal from reflected electrons detected by the detector.