Hitachi-High-Technologies Corporation

Hitachi, Ltd.

Tomohiro Kudo

Katsuhiro Sasada

Hiroaki Mito

Tomonori Saeki

Kazuo Kato

Hideo Todokoro

Yoichi Ose

Makoto Ezumi

Osamu Yamada

Yasuo Yahagi

Masayuki Kobayashi

Shou Takami

A sample measuring method and a charged particle beam apparatus are provided which remove contaminants, that have adhered to a sample in a sample chamber of an electron microscope, to eliminate adverse effects on the subsequent manufacturing processes. To achieve this objective, after the sample measurement or inspection is made by using a charged particle beam, contaminants on the sample are removed before the next semiconductor manufacturing process. This allows the contaminants adhering to the sample in the sample chamber to be removed and therefore failures or defects that may occur in a semiconductor fabrication process following the measurement and inspection can be minimized.

Charged particle beam apparatus

An object of this invention is to provide a charged particle beam apparatus that is capable of handling samples without adhering impurities onto the samples. In a scanning electron microscope in which a lubricant was coated on a sliding portion of a movable member that moves inside a vacuum chamber, a substance from which low molecular components were removed is used as the lubricant. It is thus possible to inhibit sample contamination and suppress the occurrence of defects in a process following measurement of the samples.

The present invention relates to a scanning electron microscope employing a deceleration field forming technology (retarding), more particularly a scanning electron microscope which separates and detects secondary electrons at high efficiency. The object of the present invention is accomplished by providing an electron source, a lens for condensing the primary electron beam which is emitted from said electron source, a detector for detecting electrons which are generated by radiation of the primary electron beam onto a specimen, a first deceleration means for decelerating the primary electron beam which is radiated onto said specimen, a second deceleration means for decelerating electrons which are generated on the specimen, and a deflector for deflecting said electrons which are decelerated by said second decelerating means.

Scanning electron microscope

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Hitachinaka, Japan

Tomohiro Kudo