Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Hitachi-science Systems, Ltd.

Mine Nakagawa

Mitsugu Sato

Shunya Watanabe

Kaname Takahashi

Atsushi Muto

Yuusuke Tanba

Akinari Morikawa

Atsushi Takane

Kazutaka Nimura

Shuichi Takeuchi

The charged particle beam device of this invention separately detects secondary signal particles emitted from the surface of a sample, dark field signal particles scattered within and transmitted through the sample, bright field signal particles transmitted through the sample without being scattered within the sample, and thereby allows the operator to observe the image with an optimum contrast according to applications. In order to detect only the dark field transmitted signal particles scattered within the sample, among the transmitted signal particles obtained by the primary charged particle beams having transmitted through the thin film sample, the device includes a transmitted signal conversion member having an opening through which the bright field transmitted signal particles not being scattered within the sample can pass, and a detection means for detecting signals colliding against the conversion member.

Charged particle beam device

The invention provides a sample observation method capable of understanding the three-dimensional shape of a sample in a wider range. The observation method of the invention calculates heights (height differences) in the whole domain of an image, from plural sheets of images of different field-of-view angles, being in focus over the whole image, attained by means of the focal depth expanding function to thereby create a map (Z map) of the height information by each pixel, and displays a three-dimensional image as a bird's-eye view. The method also displays to superpose a Z map attained from image signals reflecting the surface structure on a Z map attained from image signals reflecting the composition information with different colors, which makes it possible to clearly understand the spatial distribution of a substance of unique composition inside the sample.

Scanning electron microscope and sample observing method using it

Growing community of inventors

Hitachinaka, Japan

Mine Nakagawa