Charged particle beam device, sample stage unit, and sample observation method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9472375-B2
Application number	US-201314443293-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2013
Priority date	Nov 21, 2012
Publication date	Oct 18, 2016
Grant date	Oct 18, 2016

Abstract

A charged particle beam device provided with: a charged particle optical lens column generating a primary charged particle beam; a housing which has its inside evacuated by a vacuum pump; a first diaphragm that forms a part of the housing and able to keep an airtight state of the interior space of the housing; and a second diaphragm disposed between the first diaphragm and the sample, wherein a primary charged particle beam generated by the charged particle optical lens column is transmitted by or passes through the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm, and then is irradiated, on the sample that is in contact with the second diaphragm.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A charged particle beam device comprising:
a charged particle optical lens column irradiating a primary charged particle beam on a sample;
a housing connected with the charged particle optical lens column at an upper side of the housing, and having an internal space evacuated by a vacuum pump;
a first diaphragm being provided on a bottom surface of the housing and separating a vacuum in an internal space of the housing and a gas atmosphere in an external space to the housing to keep an airtight state of the evacuated internal space, and allowing the primary charged particle beam to be transmitted by or pass through the first diaphragm;
a second diaphragm being arranged between the first diaphragm and the sample, and allowing the primary charged particle beam to be transmitted thereby or pass therethrough, wherein
the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are separated with each other across the external space to the housing, and
the primary charged particle beam is irradiated on the sample which is in contact with the second diaphragm.

2. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1 ,
comprising a sample stage capable of being mounted with the second diaphragm and the sample, wherein
a positional relationship between the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm is able to be changed in a state in which the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are not in contact with each other.

3. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1 , wherein
the sample is introduced into a sample-holding space whose part is formed with the second diaphragm, in a state in which a distance between the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm is fixed.

4. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1 , wherein
a plurality of the second diaphragms are arranged on a sample platform or a sample stage.

5. The charged particle beam device according to claim 4 , wherein
a window area of the second diaphragm is smaller than that of the first diaphragm.

6. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1 , comprising
an optical microscope that is arranged at the other side over the sample with respect to the second diaphragm.

7. A sample stage unit used for a sample observation device, the sample observation device including a first diaphragm provided under the charged particle optical lens column to allow a primary charged particle beam to be transmitted thereby or pass therethrough, the first diaphragm separating spaces inside and outside the charged particle optical lens column, the sample being observed using the sample observation device by irradiating the primary charged particle beam on the sample, the sample stage unit comprising:
a second diaphragm allowing the primary charged particle beam to be transmitted thereby or pass therethrough;
a holding member holding the second diaphragm;
a sample platform on which the holding member holding the second diaphragm is mounted, wherein
the sample is held in a space formed by the second diaphragm, the holding member, and the sample platform,
the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are separated with each other across the space outside the charged particle optical lens column,
the space in which the sample is held is isolated by the second diaphragm, and
the irradiating the primary charged particle beam on the sample is performed in a state that a pressure in the space holding the sample is kept larger than a pressure in the space inside the charged particle optical lens column.

8. The sample stage unit according to claim 7 , comprising
a member for limiting a minimum distance between the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm.

9. The sample stage unit according to claim 7 , wherein
a plurality of the second the diaphragms are arranged on the sample platform.

10. The sample stage unit according to claim 7 , wherein
the sample platform holding the sample includes an opening for introducing the sample, in a surface opposing to the second diaphragm.

11. The sample stage unit according to claim 7 , wherein, a flow channel for the sample is included by the space formed by the second diaphragm, the holding member, and the sample platform, and holding the sample.

12. A sample observation method, comprising:
a step of a primary charged particle beam being transmitted by or passing through a first diaphragm, the primary charged particle beam being radiated by a charged particle optical lens column, the first diaphragm being provided under the charged particle optical lens column to isolate a space inside the charged particle optical lens column;
a step of the primary charged particle beam that has been transmitted by or passed through the first diaphragm passing through a space outside the charged particle optical lens column between the first diaphragm and a second diaphragm;
a step of the primary charged particle beam being transmitted by or passing through the second diaphragm;
a step of the primary charged particle beam that has been transmitted by or passed through the second diaphragm is irradiated on the sample in contact with the second diaphragm; and
a step of detecting a signal generated from the sample on which the primary charged particle beam is irradiated, wherein
the primary charged particle beam is radiated in a state that a pressure in a space in which the sample is hold is kept larger than a pressure in the space inside the charged particle optical lens column.

13. The sample observation method according to claim 12 , wherein
a positional relationship between the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm is changed by moving a sample stage holding the second diaphragm and the sample, in a state in which the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are in noncontact with each other.

14. The sample observation method according to claim 12 , wherein
the sample is introduced into a space whose part is formed by the second diaphragm, in a state in which a distance between the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm is fixed.

15. The sample observation method according to claim 12 , wherein
a plurality of the second diaphragms are provided,
the plurality of the second diaphragm is arranged on a sample platform, and
the sample platform is moved such that some or all of the plurality of the second diaphragms are irradiated with the primary charged particle beam that has been transmitted by or passed through the first diaphragm.

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• Ominami Yusuke
• Konomi Mami
• Kawanishi Shinsuke
• Suzuki Hiroyuki

Classifications

• H01J2237/2608

  with environmental specimen chamber · CPC title

• H01J37/20 Primary

  Means for supporting or positioning the object or the material; Means for adjusting diaphragms or lenses associated with the support · CPC title

• H01J2237/2004

  Biological samples · CPC title

• H01J37/16 Primary

  Vessels; Containers · CPC title

• H01J37/28

  with scanning beams {(H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence)} · CPC title