Charged particle beam apparatus

• US 8,629,395 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2011
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Morishita, Hideo, Hatano, Michio, Ohshima, Takashi, Sato, Mitsugu, Sawahata, Tetsuya, Ito, Sukehiro, Aoki, Yasuko
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanore, David A
• Application Number:
  US13/521,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20120298864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 250/305, 250/306, 250/307, 250/310, 250/311, 250/397, 250/398, 250/396.R
• US Class Current: 250/310
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2441 Semiconductor detectors, e.g. diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/24465 Sectored detectors, e.g. quadrants
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2448 Secondary particle detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/28 Scanning microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/244 Detectors; Associated components or circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/067 Ion lenses, apertures, skimmers

Abstract

In order to provide a charged particle beam apparatus that can detect charged particle beam signals in discrimination into a plurality of energy bands, and obtain high-resolution images for each of the energy bands using the signals, the charged particle beam apparatus has a charged particle source (12-1); an aperture (16) that limits the diameter of the charged particle beam (4); optics (14, 17, 19) for the charged particle beam; a specimen holder (21); a charged particle detector (40) that detects secondary charged particles and reflected charged particles from a specimen; and signal calculation unit that processes the output signal from the charged particle detector. The charged particle detector (40) is provided with a first small detector (51) having a first detection sensitivity and a second small detector (52) having a second detection sensitivity, and makes the detection solid angle viewed from a position on the specimen, to which the charged particle beam (4) is to be radiated, to be the same for the first small detector (51) and the second small detector (52).

Claims

1. A charged particle beam apparatus comprising:

a charged particle source to generate a charged particle beam that works as a probe;

an aperture to limit the diameter of the particle beam;

an optics for the charged particle beam;

a specimen holder on which a specimen, to which the charged particle beam is to be irradiated, is mounted;

a charged particle detector to detect secondary charged particles and backscattered charged particles from a specimen; and

a signal calculation unit to process an output signal from the charged particle detector, wherein

the charged particle detector includes a first small detector having a first detection sensitivity and a second small detector having a second detection sensitivity higher than the first detection sensitivity, and

the charged particle detector makes detection solid angles viewed from a position on the specimen, to which the charged particle beam is to be irradiated, for the first small detector and for the second small detector to be the same.

2. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charged particle beam detector includes a detector plane on which a thin film is formed.

3. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the film thickness of the thin film is 10 nm or more and 100 μ

m or less.

4. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the charged particle beam apparatus further comprises a second charged particle detector other than the charged particle detector, and

the second charged particle detector is disposed in such a position as to be able to detect a charged particle generated when a signal charged particle hits the thin film formed on the detector plane of the charged particle detector.

5. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection solid angles being the same means that the difference between the detection solid angles is within 10%.

6. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector plane of the first small detector and the detector plane of the second small detector are disposed on the same plane.

7. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the detector planes of the first small detector and the second small detector being disposed on the same plane means that the distance between the two detector planes is within 1 mm.

8. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the energy sensitivity of the charged particle beam detector is adjusted using the film thickness of the thin film, the material of the thin film, or both.

9. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charged particle beam apparatus is a scanning electron microscope.

10. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charged particle beam detector is a solid state detector, a detector using an avalanche diode, a detector using a micro channel plate, a detector using a scintillator as a component, or a combination of some of the above detectors.

11. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the charged particle detector includes a hole, through which a primary charged particle beam passes, at the center thereof;

the hole is disposed axisymmetrically about the optical axis of the optics for the charged particle beam; and

each of the detector plane shapes of the first and the second small detector is segmented and separated axisymmetrically about the optical axis.

12. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first small detector and the second small detector are arranged in an array form.

13. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first detector and the second detector respectively include amplifiers;

and

the signal calculation unit, which performs addition, subtraction, and multiplication using output signals from the amplifiers, obtains

a high pass detection signal using an output signal from the first small detector, and

a low pass detection signal and a band pass detection signal by amplifying respective output signals of the first small detector and the second small detector, both of which have the same sized detection solid angles but do not have the same energy sensitivities, and performing difference calculation.

14. A charged particle beam apparatus comprising:

a charged particle source to generate a charged particle beam;

a specimen holder on which a specimen, to which the charged particle beam is to be irradiated, is mounted;

an objective lens to converge the charged particle beam onto the specimen;

a charged particle detector to detect secondary charged particles and backscattered charged particles from a specimen; and

a signal calculation unit to process an output signal from the charged particle detector, wherein

the charged particle detector includes a first small detector having a first detection sensitivity and a second small detector having a second detection sensitivity higher than the first detection sensitivity, and

the charged particle detector makes detection solid angles viewed from a position on the specimen, to which the charged particle beam is to be irradiated, for the first small detector and for the second small detector to be the same.

15. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the objective lens is an out-lens type objective lens.

16. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the objective lens is a semi-in-lens type objective lens.

17. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the objective lens is an in-lens type objective Lens.