INTEGRATED OPTICAL AND CHARGED PARTICLE INSPECTION APPARATUS
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for inspecting a sample, is equipped with a charged particle column for producing a focused beam of charged particles to observe or modify the sample, and an optical microscope to observe a region of interest on the sample as is observed by the charged particle beam or vice versa. The apparatus is accommodated with a processing unit adapted and equipped to represent an image as generated with the column and an image as generated with the microscope. The unit is further adapted to perform an alignment procedure mutually correlating a region of interest in one of the images, wherein the alignment procedure involves detecting a change in the optical image as caused by the charged particle beam.
14 Citations
37 Claims
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1-17. -17. (canceled)
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18. Apparatus for inspecting a sample, provided with a charged particle microscope having a column for producing a focused beam of charged particles to observe or modify the sample, and an optical microscope to observe a region of interest on the sample as is observed by the charged particle beam or vice versa, the apparatus accommodated with a detection and processing unit is adapted and equipped for acquiring an image as generated with said charged particle and said optical microscope, the unit is further adapted for performing an image alignment procedure mutually correlating the image coordinate systems of said images,
wherein the apparatus is adapted for using a detection of a change in the optical image as caused therein by the charged particle beam for correlating said images.
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29. Method for correlating a charged particle microscope image and an optical image in an apparatus for inspecting a sample, said apparatus equipped with a charged particle column for producing a focused beam of charged particles to observe or modify the sample, and an optical microscope to simultaneously observe the same region of interest on the sample as is observed by the charged particle beam,
wherein the method involves detecting a change in the optical image caused by the charged particle beam.
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34. Apparatus for inspecting a sample, provided with a charged particle microscope having a column for producing a focused beam of charged particles to observe or modify the sample, and an optical microscope to observe a region of interest on the sample as is observed by the charged particle beam or vice versa, the apparatus accommodated with a detection and processing unit is adapted and equipped for acquiring an image as generated with said charged particle and said optical microscope, the unit is further adapted for performing an image alignment procedure mutually correlating the image coordinate systems of said images,
wherein the apparatus is adapted for using a detection in the optical image of a modification in the luminescence or fluorescence as caused therein by the charged particle beam, for correlating said images.
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35. Apparatus for inspecting a sample, provided with a charged particle microscope having a column for producing a focused beam of charged particles to observe or modify the sample, and an optical microscope to observe a region of interest on the sample as is observed by the charged particle beam or vice versa, the apparatus accommodated with a detection and processing unit is adapted and equipped for acquiring an image as generated with said charged particle and said optical microscope, the unit is further adapted for performing an image alignment procedure mutually correlating the image coordinate systems of said images,
wherein the apparatus is adapted for using a detection in the optical image of the generation of cathodoluminescence light by the charged particle beam falling on the sample, for correlating said images.
Specification