Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Haruhiko Hatano

Takashi Mizuo

Tomohisa Ohtaki

Toru Iwaya

Yoshihiko Nakayama

Kotaro Hosoya

Kazutaka Nimura

Takeshi Sunaoshi

Hiroyuki Suzuki

Sakae Kobori

Yusuke Tamba

Yoshihisa Orai

Masaomi Ohno

The invention is directed to a charged particle beam apparatus that enables temperature maintenance in a cooling unit provided inside a vacuum application apparatus using a refrigerant. The charged particle beam apparatus includes a cooling tank that contains a refrigerant for cooling a cooling unit, a cooling pipe that supplies the refrigerant from the cooling tank to the cooling unit, and a unit that leads the refrigerant to liquefy when the refrigerant is biased to a solid.

Charged particle beam apparatus and control method thereof

In conventional structures, a space between a dual cooling tank is vacuum insulated, and a cooling part is cooled via a highly thermally conductive material connected to an inner container. Such structures are affected by heat infiltrating into the highly thermally conductive material and the cooling part. For instance, in cases when liquid nitrogen is used as a coolant, it takes approximately 30 minutes for the temperature to reach &#x2212;120&#xb0; C. Even in cases when a significant amount of time has been spent, the temperature only reaches approximately &#x2212;150&#xb0; C., and thus falls significantly short of the temperature of liquid nitrogen, namely &#x2212;196&#xb0; C. Accordingly, an anti-contamination trap and a vacuum application device according to the present invention are provided with a structure in which a device-internal cooling part in the vacuum application device is cooled, and are characterized by being provided with: a cooling tank filled with a coolant for cooling a cooling part; and a cooling pipe extending from the cooling tank to the vicinity of the cooling part. The anti-contamination trap and the vacuum application device are further characterized in that: the coolant is supplied to an end of the cooling part; and a tube for releasing air bubbles inside the cooling pipe is inserted so as to extend to the cooling part.

Anti-contamination trap, and vacuum application device

The present invention makes it possible, even when using an ordinary electron beam device (not an environment-controlled electron beam device), to create locally a low vacuum condition in the vicinity of a sample and cool said sample by means of a sample holder alone, without modifying the device or adding equipment such as a gas cylinder. The sample to be observed is placed in a sample holder provided with: a vessel that can contain a substance to serve as a gas source; and a through-hole in the bottom of a sample mount on said vessel. Via the through-hole, gas evaporating or volatilizing from the vessel is supplied to the sample under observation, thereby creating a localized low-vacuum state at or in the vicinity of the sample. Also, the heat of vaporization required for volatilization can be used to cool the sample.

Electron microscope sample holder and sample observation method

There is provided a scanning electron microscope capable of achieving a size reduction of the device while at the same time suppressing the increase in column temperature as well as maintaining performance, e.g., resolution, etc. With respect to a scanning electron microscope for observing a sample by irradiating the sample with an electron beam emitted from an electron source and focused by condenser lenses, and detecting secondary electrons from the sample, the condenser lenses comprise both an electromagnetic coil-type condenser lens and a permanent magnet-type condenser lens.

Scanning electron microscope

With a scanning electron microscope (SEM) adopting a commonly available exhaust system such as a turbo-molecular pump, an ion pump, or a rotary pump, and so forth, there is realized an apparatus capable of safely executing observation, or adsorption of a target substance that is high in rarity. Further, there is realized a safe SEM low in the risk of an electrical discharge by providing the apparatus with a probe, a means for replacing an atmosphere in a specimen chamber, with a predetermined gas, and a means for forming an image by detection of an ion current, and detection of an absorption current. Further, there is provided a means for controlling the polarity of a voltage applied to the probe. Still further, there is provided a control means for controlling a value of the voltage applied to the probe according to a degree of vacuum.

Growing community of inventors

Hitachinaka, Japan

Haruhiko Hatano