The present invention realizes a composite charged particle beam apparatus capable of suppressing a leakage magnetic field from a pole piece forming an objective lens of an SEM with a simple structure. The charged particle beam apparatus according to the present invention obtains an ion beam observation image while passing a current to a first coil constituting the objective lens, and performs an operation of reducing the image shift by passing a current to a second coil with a plurality of current values, and determines a current to be passed to the second coil based on a difference between the operations.

The object of the present invention provides a scanning transmission electron microscope with the ability to formed at least one diffraction pattern. The scanning electron microscope comprises an electron source, which is configured to provide primary electron beam, a condenser lens system, an objective electromagnetic system, a projection lens system and a detection system, in addition, the objective electromagnetic lens consists of an upper pole piece and a lower pole piece, wherein each pole piece comprises a pole piece face, which is a flat surface oriented towards a sample plane. A salient feature of the present invention is to form at least one diffraction pattern located in the distance from the lower pole piece face outside the pole piece gap, wherein the pole piece gap is the space between the upper pole piece face and the lower pole piece face.

A lens for a charged particle beam apparatus, the lens having lens components, is described. The lens includes a first magnetic lens having an upper pole piece and a middle pole piece; a second magnetic lens having the middle pole piece and a lower pole piece; a first coil arranged in the first magnetic lens and to provide a first magnetic field between the upper pole piece and the middle pole piece; a second coil arranged in the second magnetic lens and to provide a second magnetic field between the middle pole piece and the lower pole piece; and an electrostatic lens having an upper electrode and a lower electrode, wherein at least one of a first inner diameter defined by the upper pole piece and a second inner diameter defined by the middle pole piece is larger than a third inner diameter of the lower pole piece.

The object of the present invention provides a scanning transmission electron microscope with the ability to formed at least one diffraction pattern. The scanning electron microscope comprises an electron source, which is configured to provide primary electron beam, a condenser lens system, an objective electromagnetic system, a projection lens system and a detection system, in addition, the objective electromagnetic lens consists of an upper pole piece and a lower pole piece, wherein each pole piece comprises a pole piece face, which is a flat surface oriented towards a sample plane. A salient feature of the present invention is to form at least one diffraction pattern located in the distance from the lower pole piece face outside the pole piece gap, wherein the pole piece gap is the space between the upper pole piece face and the lower pole piece face.

A charged-particle microscope having a vacuum chamber comprises a specimen holder, a particle-optical column, a detector and an exchangeable column extending element. The specimen holder is for holding a specimen. The particle-optical column is for producing and directing a beam of charged particles along an axis so as to irradiate the specimen. The column has a terminal pole piece at an extremity facing the specimen holder. The detector is for detecting a flux of radiation emanating from the specimen in response to irradiation by the beam. The exchangeable column extending element is magnetically mounted on the pole piece in a space between the pole piece and the specimen holder. Methods of using the microscope are also disclosed.

A multi-electron beam image acquisition apparatus includes a first electromagnetic lens configured to focus multiple primary electron beams to form an image on a substrate, and a second electromagnetic lens configured to be able to variably adjust a peak position of a magnetic field distribution in a direction of a trajectory central axis of multiple secondary electron beams, and to focus the multiple secondary electron beams to form an image on either one of a detection surface of a detector and a position conjugate to the detection surface. The first electromagnetic lens focuses, to form an image, the multiple secondary electron beams before they are separated from the multiple primary electron beams, and the second electromagnetic lens is arranged between a separator which separates the multiple secondary electron beams and an image forming point on which the multiple secondary electron beams are focused by the first electromagnetic lens.

A charged particle lens for focusing a beam of charged particles towards a sample mounted at a sample position. The charged particle lens comprises a first pole piece, a second pole piece, a lens coil and at least one voltage supply. The second pole piece is electrically insulated from the first pole piece and has a central aperture, wherein the second pole piece is arranged to be aligned with the first pole piece, which also has a central aperture, such that a central axis of the charged particle lens extends through the central aperture of the first pole piece and the second pole piece. The lens coil is arranged to generate a magnetic field at the first and second pole pieces, and the at least one voltage supply is arranged to apply a potential difference between the second pole piece and the sample to generate an electric field.