Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Mitsuru Konno

Mitsugu Sato

Tsuyoshi Ohnishi

Toshie Yaguchi

Takeo Kamino

Takeshi Ogashiwa

Yuya Suzuki

Conventionally, in a general-purpose scanning electron microscope, the maximum accelerating voltage which can be set is low, and hence thin crystal samples which can be observed under normal high-resolution observation conditions are limited to samples with large lattice spacing. For this reason, there has no means for accurately performing magnification calibration. As means for solving this problem, the present invention includes an electron source which generates an electron beam, a deflector which deflects the electron beam so as to scan a sample with the electron beam, an objective lens which focuses the electron beam on the sample, a detector which detects an elastically scattered electron and an inelastically scattered electron which are transmitted through the sample, and an aperture disposed between the sample and the detector to control detection angles of the elastically scattered electron and the inelastically scattered electron. The electron beam enters the sample at a predetermined convergence semi-angle, and a lattice image is acquired at a second convergence semi-angle larger than a first convergence semi-angle at which a beam diameter is minimized on the sample.

Scanning electron microscope

A focused ion beam system capable of acquiring surface structure information, internal structure information, and internal composition information about a sample simultaneously from the same field of view of the sample. A method of sample preparation and observation employs such focused ion beam system to accurately set a sample processing position based on information about the structure and composition of the sample acquired from multiple directions of the sample, and to process and observe the sample. The system includes, in order to acquire the sample structure and composition information simultaneously, a secondary electron detector, a transmission electron detector, and an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope or an electron energy loss spectroscope, and employs a stub having the sample rotating and tilting function. The method includes a marking process.

Focused ion beam system and a method of sample preparation and observation

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Mitsuru Konno