Electron microscope and specimen orientation alignment method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12586752-B2
Application number	US-202318243178-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2023
Priority date	Sep 9, 2022
Publication date	Mar 24, 2026
Grant date	Mar 24, 2026

Abstract

An electron microscope includes an irradiation optical system that irradiates a specimen with an electron beam, a specimen stage that supports the specimen, an image forming optical system that forms an image of electrons transmitted through the specimen, an imaging apparatus that captures an image formed by the image forming optical system, and a control unit that controls inclination of the specimen with respect to an incident direction of the electron beam. The irradiation optical system includes an aperture that cuts off a part of the electron beam to be irradiated to the specimen. The control unit acquires an image including Kikuchi bands that appear in a shadow region of the aperture, detects the Kikuchi bands in the shadow region of the aperture in the image, and controls inclination of the specimen with respect to the incident direction of the electron beam, based on the detected Kikuchi bands.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electron microscope comprising:
an irradiation optical system that irradiates a specimen with an electron beam; a specimen stage that supports the specimen; an image forming optical system that forms an image of electrons transmitted through the specimen; an imaging apparatus that captures an image formed by the image forming optical system; and a control unit that controls inclination of the specimen with respect to an incident direction of the electron beam, wherein the irradiation optical system comprises an aperture that cuts off a part of the electron beam to be irradiated to the specimen, and wherein the control unit is configured to:
acquire an image including Kikuchi bands that appear in a shadow region of the aperture,
detect the Kikuchi bands in the shadow region of the aperture in the image, and
control inclination of the specimen with respect to the incident direction of the electron beam, based on the detected Kikuchi bands.

2 . The electron microscope according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit causes the imaging apparatus to capture the image.

3 . The electron microscope according to claim 2 , wherein
the control unit causes the imaging apparatus to capture the image in a defocused state.

4 . The electron microscope according to claim 2 , wherein
the control unit causes the imaging apparatus to capture the image by scanning the specimen with the electron beam.

5 . The electron microscope according to claim 2 , wherein
the control unit causes the imaging apparatus to capture a plurality of images under a plurality of mutually different conditions of the incident direction of the electron beam with respect to the specimen, and the control unit controls the inclination of the specimen with respect to the incident direction of the electron beam, based on the plurality of images and the plurality of conditions.

6 . The electron microscope according to claim 1 , wherein
the specimen stage comprises an inclining mechanism to incline the specimen, and the control unit controls the inclination of the specimen with respect to the incident direction of the electron beam, by controlling the inclining mechanism.

7 . The electron microscope according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit controls the inclination of the specimen with respect to the incident direction of the electron beam such that a center of a Kikuchi pattern and a center of the optical axis match in the image.

8 . A specimen orientation alignment method for an electron microscope comprising an irradiation optical system that irradiates a specimen with an electron beam, a specimen stage that supports the specimen, an image forming optical system that forms an image of electrons transmitted through the specimen, and an imaging apparatus that captures an image formed by the image forming optical system, the irradiation optical system comprising an aperture that cuts off a part of the electron beam to be irradiated to the specimen,
the method comprising: acquiring an image comprising Kikuchi bands that appear in a shadow region of the aperture; detecting the Kikuchi bands in the shadow region of the aperture in the image; and controlling inclination of the specimen with respect to the incident direction of the electron beam, based on the detected Kikuchi bands.

Assignees

• Jeol Ltd

Inventors

• Saitoh Motofumi
• Kawai Shuji

Classifications

• H01J2237/20207

  Tilt · CPC title

• H01J2237/20285

  computer-controlled · CPC title

• H01J2237/20221

  Translation · CPC title

• H01J37/222

  Image processing arrangements associated with the tube · CPC title

• G01N23/04

  and forming images of the material · CPC title