Charged particle beam device for moving an aperture having plurality of openings and sample observation method

• US 10,636,621 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hanawa, Akinari, Kikuchi, Hideki, Taniguchi, Yoshifumi, Yaguchi, Toshie, Dobashi, Takashi, Watanabe, Keitaro, Tamaki, Hirokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi, James
• Application Number:
  US15/560,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20180076004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,841 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/0455 with variable aperture
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/09 Diaphragms; Shields associated with electron or ion-optical arrangements; Compensation of disturbing fields
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/224 Luminescent screens or photographic plates for imaging; Apparatus specially adapted therefor, e. g. cameras, TV-cameras, photographic equipment or exposure control; Optical subsystems specially adapted therefor, e. g. microscopes for observing image on luminescent screen
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/26 Electron or ion microscopes; Electron or ion diffraction tubes
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/265 Controlling the tube; circuit arrangements adapted to a particular application not otherwise provided, e.g. bright-field-dark-field illumination
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/295 Electron or ion diffraction tubes

Abstract

A charged particle beam device wherein a transmission image corresponding to an arbitrary diffraction spot or a diffraction pattern corresponding to a partial range in the transmission image are easily and automatically captured. A charged particle beam device having: an image-capturing unit for forming an image of a sample; a diaphragm disposed in the image-capturing unit, a plurality of openings having different sizes for transmitting an electron beam from the sample being formed in the diaphragm; a movement unit for varying the position of the diaphragm; and a display unit for displaying the formed image, wherein when the operator selects, e.g., a diffraction spot (A) on the display unit, the movement unit moves the diaphragm from the positional relationship between the diaphragm and the image in accordance with the position of the diffraction spot (A).

Claims

1. A charged particle beam device comprising:

a condenser lens which irradiates a sample with a charged particle beam;

a projective lens which forms an image of the sample based on the charged particle beam that passes through the sample;

an aperture which is disposed inside the projective lens and in which a plurality of openings, having different sizes, for transmitting an electron beam from the sample are formed;

a movement unit, including a gear and feed screws, which changes a position of the aperture;

a camera which obtains the image formed by the projective lens;

a controller storing a program which, when executed, causes the controller to automatically switch between a diffraction pattern observation mode and a TEM image observation mode, and automatically adjust the position of the aperture;

a display device which displays the image obtained by the camera;

a graphical user interface which selects a first predetermined portion of a plurality of predetermined portions from the displayed image; and

a measurement unit, including one or more linear scales, which measures a movement distance of the aperture,

wherein the controller controls the movement unit to move the aperture from a positional relationship between the aperture and the image in accordance with a position of the selected first predetermined portion,

wherein the image is at least one of an electron beam diffraction image and a transmission image of the sample,

wherein the aperture is at least one of an objective aperture capable of being inserted into a diffraction surface within the projective lens and a selected area aperture capable of being inserted into a primary image surface within the projective lens,

wherein the graphical user interface automatically and consecutively selects each of unselected ones of the plurality of predetermined portions after the first predetermined portion, and the movement unit automatically and consecutively moves the aperture from the positional relationship between the aperture and the image in accordance with a position of each of the plurality of predetermined portions to automatically acquire all dark field images corresponding to the plurality of predetermined portions,

wherein all of the dark field images corresponding to the plurality of predetermined portions are observable at once in a same screen of the display device, and

wherein the movement unit changes the position of the aperture by feeding back a measurement result of the measurement unit.

2. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1,

wherein the image is an electron beam diffraction image and a transmission image of the sample, and

wherein the aperture is an objective aperture capable of being inserted into a diffraction surface within the projective lens and a selected area aperture capable of being inserted into a primary image surface within the projective lens.

3. A sample observation method using a charged particle beam device including a condenser lens which irradiates a sample with a charged particle beam, a projective lens which forms an image of the sample based on the charged particle beam that passes through the sample, an aperture which is disposed inside the projective lens and in which a plurality of openings, having different sizes, for transmitting an electron beam from the sample are formed, a movement unit which changes a position of the aperture, a camera which obtains the image formed by the projective lens, a controller storing a program which, when executed, causes the controller to control operation of the charged particle beam device, a display device which displays the image obtained by the camera, a graphical user interface which selects a predetermined portion from the displayed image, and a measurement unit, including one or more linear scales, which measures a movement distance of the aperture, the method comprising:

receiving selection of the predetermined portion from the image displayed on the display device through the graphical user interface; and

causing the movement unit to move the aperture from a positional relationship between the aperture and the image in accordance with a position of the selected predetermined portion; and

automatically switching between a diffraction pattern observation mode and a TEM image observation mode, and automatically adjusting the position of the aperture,

wherein the image is at least one of an electron beam diffraction image and a transmission image of the sample,

wherein the aperture is at least one of an objective aperture capable of being inserted into a diffraction surface within the projective lens and a selected area aperture capable of being inserted into a primary image surface within the projective lens,

wherein the graphical user interface automatically and consecutively selects each of unselected ones of the plurality of predetermined portions after the first predetermined portion, and the movement unit automatically and consecutively moves the aperture from the positional relationship between the aperture and the image in accordance with a position of each of the plurality of predetermined portions to automatically acquire all dark field images corresponding to the plurality of predetermined portions,

wherein all of the dark field images corresponding to the plurality of predetermined portions are observable at once in a same screen of the display device, and

wherein the movement unit changes the position of the aperture by feeding back a measurement result of the measurement unit.

4. The sample observation method using the charged particle beam device according to claim 3,

wherein the image is an electron beam diffraction image and a transmission image of the sample, and

wherein the aperture is an objective aperture capable of being inserted into a diffraction surface within the projective lens and a selected area aperture capable of being inserted into a primary image surface within the projective lens.