# US 10,319,562 B2 · Charged particle beam device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,319,562 B2 - Document ID: US10319562B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/916,968 - Filed: 2018-03-09 - Published: 2018-09-13 - Granted: 2019-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-13 - Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd. - Applicants: Hitachi, Ltd. - Inventors: Megumi Kimura; Momoyo Enyama; Makoto Sakakibara - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10319562B2 ## CPC - H01J 37/28: with scanning beams {(H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence)} - H01J 37/1474: {Scanning means} - H01J 2237/22: Treatment of data - H01J 2237/2809: characterised by the imaging problems involved - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) ## Abstract To reduce the risk of measurement accuracy degradation and information lost due to adhesion of contamination that occurs by irradiation with charged particle beam. The charged particle beam device includes: a deflector for scanning a charged particle beam; a detector for detecting secondary charged particles generated by the interaction of the charged particle beam with a sample; and a system control unit including a calculation part, a measurement part, and a storage part. The measurement part measures a feature amount from an image formed based on a signal output from the detector after a charged particle beam is scanned on the sample by the deflector (S303). The calculation part calculates an amount of contamination adhering to a surface of the sample by irradiation of the sample with the charged particle beam, from a change in the feature amount measured by the measurement part (S304). Then, the storage part adds the information of the contamination amount to the image and stores the image information (S313). ## Claims ### Claim 1 A charged particle beam device comprising: a deflector for scanning a charged particle beam; a detector for detecting secondary charged particles generated by the interaction of the charged particle beam with a sample; and a system control unit including a calculation part, a measurement part, and a storage part, wherein the measurement part measures a feature amount from an image formed based on a signal output from the detector after a charged particle beam is scanned on the sample by the deflector, wherein the calculation part calculates an amount of contamination adhering to a surface of the sample by irradiation of the sample with the charge particle beam, from a change in the feature amount measured by the measurement part, and wherein the storage part adds the information of the contamination amount to the image and stores the image information. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The charged particle beam device according to claim 1, wherein the storage part stores the image together with a text file in which information of the contamination amount is described. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The charged particle beam device according to claim 1, wherein, in the calculation part, when the contamination amount calculated by the calculation part is equal to or more than a first threshold value, the device displays an alert indicating the end of the irradiation of the sample with the charged particle beam. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The charged particle beam device according to claim 3, wherein an observation region for forming the image as well as a wide region including the observation region are set on the sample, and wherein the deflector is controlled to switch between a scan period for the observation region and a scan period for the wide region at a predetermined ratio. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The charged particle beam device according to claim 4, wherein, in the calculation part, when the contamination amount calculated by the calculation part is equal to or more than a second threshold value, the ratio of the scan period for the wide region to the scan period for the observation region is increased, or an area of the wide region is increased. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The charged particle beam device according to claim 5, wherein the first threshold value is greater than the second threshold value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The charged particle beam device according to claim 4, wherein when a size of the observation region is greater than a predetermined threshold value, the wide region is set to the same as the size of the observation region, and wherein when the size of the observation region is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the size of the wide region is set greater than the size of the observation region. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The charged particle beam device according to claim 1, wherein the storage part stores an observation result database and a learning model database, wherein the observation result database accumulates a past observation result, as well as the observation conditions and sample information under which the past observation result was obtained, wherein the learning model database accumulates a learning model showing the relationship between the change in the feature amount and the contamination amount under given observation conditions and sample information, which is generated based on a past observation result accumulated in the observation result database as a teacher model, and wherein the calculation part calls the learning model corresponding to the current observation conditions and sample information, and calculates the contamination amount from the change in the feature amount measured by the measurement part. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The charged particle beam device according to claim 8, wherein the calculation part restores the image before adhesion of contamination by correcting the image based on the relationship between the change in the feature amount and the contamination amount in the learning model. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The charged particle beam device according to claim 1, wherein the feature amount is any one of image brightness, contrast, and sample shape pattern, or a combination of them. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The charged particle beam device according to claim 10, wherein the calculation part calculates the amount of contamination adhering to the surface of the sample by irradiation of the sample with the charged particle beam, from the change in the feature amount measured by the measurement part.