Thin film damage detection function and charged particle beam device

Abstract

A risk of breakage of a sample holder can be reduced and a biochemical sample or a liquid sample can be observed easily and with a high observation throughput. A sample holderholding a sample includes: a sample chamber including a first insulating thin filmand a second insulating thin filmthat sandwich and hold the samplein a liquid or gel form and face each other, a vacuum partition wall inside which the sample chamber holding the sample is fixed in a state in which the thin film is exposed to a surrounding atmosphere, and whose internal space is kept at a degree of vacuum at least lower than that of the sample room at the time of observation of the sample, a detection electrodedisposed to face the second insulating thin film in a state in which the sample chamber is fixed to the vacuum partition wall, and a signal detection unitconnected to the detection electrode. Before the surrounding atmosphere of the sample holder is evacuated from an atmospheric pressure to a vacuum, the charged particle beam device receives a detection signal from the signal detection unit via a connector and detects an abnormality of the sample chamber based on the detection signal.