Charged particle beam apparatus, specimen observation system and operation program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9792832-B2
Application number	US-201314385239-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Mar 16, 2012
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

An image display device displays operation items of an electron microscope on an operation screen, and a storage device stores information of assist buttons which display image state information acquired via a detector of the electron microscope. The information of the assist buttons corresponds to image quality of an acquired image via the detector as well as to observation conditions composed of a combination of parameter setting values of the electron microscope, an operation program which analyzes the image quality of the acquired image. The information of the assist buttons is acquired based on analytical results of the image quality as well as current observation conditions, and the assist buttons are displayed on a predetermined part of the operation screen. Accordingly, the skills of a novice user operating a charged particle beam apparatus can be improved.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A charged particle beam apparatus comprising:
an image display device;
a storage unit which stores image state information on a state of a specimen image acquired via a detector of the charged particle beam apparatus such that the image state information is correspondent to image quality of the specimen image as well as to observation conditions comprised of a combination of parameter setting values of the charged particle beam apparatus; and
a processor which is programmed to make operation items of the charged particle beam apparatus be displayed on an operation screen on the image display device, analyze the image quality of the specimen image acquired via the detector, acquire the image state information of the specimen image from the storage unit based on analytical results of the image quality of the specimen image as well as current observation conditions, and make the acquired image state information be displayed on a predetermined part of the operation screen on the image display device,
wherein the image quality of the specimen image includes values of luminescence distribution and sharpness acquired from the specimen image, and
wherein the processor is further programmed to:
make information confirming whether or not the specimen is coated or pretreated be displayed on the operation screen prior to acquiring a first image of the specimen.

2. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor is further programmed to:
acquire the specimen image under observation conditions set in advance, and make the image state information be displayed on the image display screen based on the image quality of the acquired specimen image as well as the current observation conditions, and
when the observation conditions are modified via an input unit, repeatedly execute processing of:
reacquiring the specimen image under the modified observation conditions, and making the image state information be displayed on the image display screen based on the image quality of the acquired specimen image as well as the current observation conditions, until an instruction of stopping the process is inputted via the input unit.

3. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein processor is further programmed to:
make a learning screen be displayed and the operation screen be inactive, the learning screen showing at least one of a structure of an electron microscope, an operation procedure of the electron microscope, and an explanation of operation items during a processing standby time.

4. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to:
hide or deactivate predetermined operation items which are displayed on the operation screen be hidden or deactivated.

5. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the predetermined operation items are at least one of focus adjustment, focus X adjustment, and focus Y adjustment.

6. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is further programmed to:
make information indicating a current step of operation be displayed on the operation screen separately from the image state information,
wherein the information indicating the current step of operation is comprised of a main item showing a main step of operation and a sub item showing a sub step thereof,
wherein the main step of operation includes one of preparation, visual field search, image confirmation according to one of a manual adjustment mode and an automatic adjustment mode, and image capture, and
wherein, when the main step of operation is image confirmation and when in the manual adjustment mode, the sub item includes focus and manual adjustment.

7. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor is further programmed to:
make the acquired specimen image be displayed on the operation screen, and
make at least one of a magnification adjustment slider, a focus adjustment slider, a focus X adjustment slider and a focus Y adjustment slider be displayed near the specimen image shown on the operation screen.

8. A charged particle beam apparatus comprising:
an image display device;
a storage unit which stores image state information on a state of a specimen image acquired via a detector of the charged particle beam apparatus such that the image state information is correspondent to image quality of the specimen image as well as to observation conditions comprised of a combination of parameter setting values of the charged particle beam apparatus;
a processor which is programmed to make operation items of the charged particle beam apparatus be displayed on an operation screen on the image display device, analyze the image quality of the specimen image acquired via the detector, acquire the image state information of the specimen image from the storage unit based on analytical results of the image quality of the specimen image as well as current observation conditions, and make the acquired image state information be displayed on a predetermined part of the operation screen on the image display device; and
a deflector control circuit, an upper deflector, a lower deflector, and an input device,
wherein the image quality of the specimen image includes values of luminescence distribution and sharpness acquired from the specimen image, and
wherein the processor is further programmed to:
restrict a function of the charged particle beam apparatus under the observation conditions by executing the steps of:
activating an image shift by causing the deflector control circuit to control the upper deflector and the lower deflector to deflect a primary electron beam and deactivating stage movement based on information inputted through the input device when a magnification is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or

activating stage movement based on information inputted through the input device and deactivating an image shift by causing the deflector control circuit to control the upper deflector and the lower deflector not to deflect the primary electron beam when a magnification is smaller than the predetermined value.

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• KONISHI Yayoi
• Noda Hiroyuki
• Inada Takahiro
• Shigeto Kunji
• Ando Tohru
• Iizumi Noriko
• Tamochi Ryuichiro
• Sato Mitsugu

Classifications

• G09B19/24 Primary

  Use of tools · CPC title

• H01J37/28 Primary

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

• H01J2237/22

  Treatment of data · CPC title

• H01J37/265

  Controlling the tube; circuit arrangements adapted to a particular application not otherwise provided, e.g. bright-field-dark-field illumination · CPC title

• G09B5/02

  with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip · CPC title