An observation apparatus and method that avoids drawbacks of a Lorentz method and observes a weak scatterer or a phase object with in-focus, high resolution, and no azimuth dependency, by a Foucault method observation using a hollow-cone illumination that orbits and illuminates an incident electron beam having a predetermined inclination angle, an electron wave is converged at a position (height) of an aperture plate downstream of a sample, and a bright field condition in which a direct transmitted electron wave of the sample passes through the aperture plate, a dark field condition in which the transmitted electron wave is shielded, and a Schlieren condition in which approximately half of the transmitted wave is shielded as a boundary condition of both of the above conditions are controlled, and a spatial resolution of the observation image is controlled by selecting multiple diameters and shapes of the opening of the aperture plate.

A specimen machining device for machining a specimen by irradiating the specimen with an ion beam includes an ion source for irradiating the specimen with the ion beam, a shielding member disposed on the specimen to block the ion beam, a specimen stage for holding the specimen, a camera for photographing the specimen, a coaxial illumination device for irradiating the specimen with illumination light along an optical axis of the camera, and a processing unit for determining whether to terminate the machining based on an image photographed by the camera. The processing unit performs processing for acquiring information indicating a target machined width, processing for acquiring the image, processing for measuring a machined width on the acquired image, and processing for terminating the machining when the measured machined width equals or exceeds the target machined width.

In an electron beam device provided with two columns including an irradiation optical system and an imaging optical system, a photoelectron image for use in adjusting the irradiation optical system is made sharper. The electron beam device includes: an irradiation optical system which irradiates a sample placed on a stage with an electron beam; a light irradiation unit 50 which irradiates the sample with light containing ultraviolet rays; a sample voltage control unit 44 which applies a negative voltage to the sample so that, before the electron beam reaches the sample, the electron orbit inverts; and an imaging optical system which acquires a mirror electron image by forming an image of mirror electrons reflected by application of the negative voltage. In the electron beam device, the imaging optical system includes a sensor 32 which obtains a mirror electron image and a stray light suppression part 27 which is provided between the sensor and the stage 31 and which suppresses reaching the sensor of the light emitted from the light irradiation unit.

An apparatus for and a method of inspecting a substrate in which a charged particle beam is arranged to impinge on a portion of the substrate and a first light beam having a first wavelength and a second light beam having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength are also arranged to impinge on the portion of the substrate.

A GUI (graphical user interface) image includes an input portion and a reference image. The reference image includes a plan diagram and numerical value information. The plan diagram includes a figure indicating an electron penetration range, a figure indicating a characteristic X-ray generation range, and a figure indicating a back-scattered electron generation range. The numerical value information includes numerical values indicating sizes of these ranges.

An aperture array for a multi-beam array system and a method of selecting a subset of a beam from a multi-beam array system are provided. The aperture array comprises an array body arranged proximate to a beam source. The array body comprises a plurality of apertures, at least two of the apertures having different geometries. The array body is movable, via an actuator, relative to an optical axis of the beam source, such that a subset of a beam from the beam source is selected based on the geometry of the aperture that is intersected by the optical axis.

A 3D imaging system and method for a nanostructure is provided. The 3D imaging system includes a master control center, a vacuum chamber, an electron gun, an imaging signal detector, a broad ion beam source device, and a laser rangefinder component. A sample loading device is arranged inside the vacuum chamber. A radial source of the broad ion beam source device is arranged in parallel with an etched surface of a sample. The laser rangefinder component includes a first laser rangefinder configured to measure a distance from a top surface of an ion beam shielding plate and a second laser rangefinder configured to measure a distance from a non-etched area of the sample, the first laser rangefinder and the second laser rangefinder are arranged side by side, and a laser traveling direction is perpendicular to a traveling direction of the broad ion beam source device.

An object of the invention is to provide a charged particle beam device capable of specifying an irradiation position of light on a sample when there is no mechanism for forming an image of backscattered electrons. The charged particle beam device according to the invention determines whether an irradiation position of a primary charged particle beam and an irradiation position of light match based on a difference between a first observation image acquired when the sample is irradiated with only the primary charged particle beam and a second observation image acquired when sample is irradiated with the light in addition to the primary charged particle beam. It is determined whether the irradiation position of the primary charged particle beam and the irradiation position of the light match using the first observation image and a measurement result by a light amount measuring device.

Described herein are a system and method of preparing integrated circuits (ICs) so that the ICs remain electrically active and can have their active circuitry probed for diagnostic and characterization purposes using charged particle beams. The system employs an infrared camera capable of looking through the silicon substrate of the ICs to image electrical circuits therein, a focused ion beam system that can both image the IC and selectively remove substrate material from the IC, a scanning electron microscope that can both image structures on the IC and measure voltage contrast signals from active circuits on the IC, and a means of extracting heat generated by the active IC. The method uses the system to identify the region of the IC to be probed, and to selectively remove all substrate material over the region to be probed using ion bombardment, and further identifies endpoint detection means of milling to the required depth so as to observe electrical states and waveforms on the active IC.

An electron beam application apparatus includes: an optical system configured to irradiate a sample with excitation light; an electron optical system configured to project, onto a camera, a photoelectron image formed by photoelectrons emitted from the sample irradiated with the excitation light; and a control unit. The optical system includes a light source configured to generate the excitation light and a pattern forming unit. The excitation light forms an optical pattern on a surface of the sample when the pattern forming unit is turned on, and the excitation light is emitted to the sample without forming the optical pattern on the surface of the sample when the pattern forming unit is turned off. The control unit adjusts the electron optical system based on feature data of a bright and dark pattern formed by the optical pattern in the photoelectron image obtained by turning on the pattern forming unit.