Charged particle beam device and evaluation method using the charged particle beam device

A charged particle beam device comprising:

• a unit which generates a deceleration electric field for a primary charged particle beam;
• a specimen holding mechanism of electrostatic attraction type having a surface on which to hold a specimen to be evaluated, a circular first electrode plate and ring-shaped second, third and fourth electrode plates, the ring-shaped second, third and fourth electrode plates being insulated from each other and from the first electrode plate and arranged concentrically, in that order from inside to outside, around the first electrode plate;
• a unit which applies a predetermined voltage to a control electrode disposed between the specimen and an objective lens;
• a unit which applies to the first electrode plate and the third electrode plate a voltage of a positive polarity with respect to a reference voltage and of an arbitrary magnitude, the reference voltage being used to generate the deceleration electric field;
• and
• a unit which applies to the second electrode plate and the fourth electrode plate a voltage of a negative polarity with respect to the reference voltage and of an arbitrary magnitude;
• wherein an outer diameter of the second electrode plate is larger than an outer diameter of a small-diameter specimen;
• wherein a ring-shaped area of the second electrode plate enclosed by an inner diameter of the second electrode plate and the outer diameter of the small-diameter specimen is substantially equal to an area of the first electrode plate;
• wherein an outer diameter of the fourth electrode plate is larger than an outer diameter of a large-diameter specimen;
• and
• wherein a sum of a ring-shaped area of the fourth electrode plate enclosed by an inner diameter of the fourth electrode plate and the outer diameter of the large-diameter specimen and an area of the second electrode plate is substantially equal to a sum of the area of the first electrode plate and an area of the third electrode plate.

A charged particle beam device comprising:

• a unit which generates a deceleration electric field for a primary charged particle beam;
• a specimen holding mechanism of electrostatic attraction type having a surface on which to hold a specimen to be evaluated, a circular first electrode plate and ring-shaped second and third electrode plates, the ring-shaped second and third electrode plates being insulated from each other and from the first electrode plate and arranged concentrically, in that order from inside to outside, around the first electrode plate;
• a unit which applies a predetermined voltage to a control electrode disposed between the specimen and an objective lens;
• a unit which applies to the first electrode plate a voltage of a positive or a negative polarity with respect to a reference voltage and of an arbitrary magnitude and, to the second electrode plate, a voltage of a polarity opposite to that of the voltage applied to the first electrode plate and of an arbitrary magnitude, the reference voltage being used to generate the deceleration electric field;
• and
• a unit which applies to the third electrode plate a voltage of a negative polarity with respect to the reference voltage and of an arbitrary magnitude;
• wherein an outer diameter of the second electrode plate is larger than an outer diameter of a small-diameter specimen;
• wherein a ring-shaped area of the second electrode plate enclosed by an inner diameter of the second electrode plate and the outer diameter of the small-diameter specimen is substantially equal to an area of the first electrode plate;
• wherein an outer diameter of the fourth electrode plate is larger than an outer diameter of a large-diameter specimen;
• and
• wherein a sum of a ring-shaped area of the third electrode plate enclosed by an inner diameter of the third electrode plate and the outer diameter of the large-diameter specimen and the area of the first electrode plate is substantially equal to an area of the second electrode plate.

A specimen evaluation method using a charged particle beam device, wherein the charged particle beam device comprises:

• a unit which generates a deceleration electric field for a primary charged particle beam;
• a specimen holding mechanism of electrostatic attraction type having a surface on which to hold a specimen to be evaluated;
• and
• a unit which applies a predetermined voltage to a control electrode disposed between the specimen and an objective lens;
• wherein the specimen holding mechanism has a circular first electrode plate and a ring-shaped second electrode plate, insulated from each other and arranged concentrically, the second electrode plate having an outer diameter larger than an outer diameter of the specimen;
• and
• wherein, when a ring-shaped area of the second electrode plate enclosed between an inner diameter of the second electrode plate and the outer diameter of the specimen is substantially equal to an area of the first electrode plate, the specimen evaluation method executes an operation of applying to the first electrode plate a voltage of a positive polarity with respect to a reference voltage and of an arbitrary magnitude, the reference voltage being used to generate the deceleration electric field, and an operation of applying to the second electrode plate a voltage of a negative polarity with respect to the reference voltage and of an arbitrary magnitude.

A specimen evaluation method using a charged particle beam device, wherein the charged particle beam device comprises:

• a unit which generates a deceleration electric field for a primary charged particle beam;
• a specimen holding mechanism of electrostatic attraction type having a surface on which to hold a specimen to be evaluated;
• and
• a unit which applies a predetermined voltage to a control electrode disposed between the specimen and an objective lens;
• wherein the specimen holding mechanism has a circular first electrode plate and ring-shaped second, third and fourth electrode plates, the ring-shaped second, third and fourth electrode plates being insulated from each other and from the first electrode plate and arranged concentrically, in that order from inside to outside, around the first electrode plate;
• wherein an outer diameter of the second electrode plate is larger than an outer diameter of a small-diameter specimen;
• wherein a ring-shaped area of the second electrode plate enclosed by an inner diameter of the second electrode plate and the outer diameter of the small-diameter specimen is substantially equal to an area of the first electrode plate, and an outer diameter of the fourth electrode plate is larger than an outer diameter of a large-diameter specimen;
• and
• wherein, when a sum of a ring-shaped area of the fourth electrode plate enclosed between an inner diameter of the fourth electrode plate and the outer diameter of the large-diameter specimen is substantially equal to a sum of the area of the first electrode plate and an area of the third electrode plate, the specimen evaluation method executes an operation of applying to the first electrode plate and the third electrode plate a voltage of a positive polarity with respect to a reference voltage and of an arbitrary magnitude, the reference voltage being used to generate the deceleration electric field, and an operation of applying to the second electrode plate and the fourth electrode plate a voltage of a negative polarity with respect to the reference voltage and of an arbitrary magnitude.

A specimen evaluation method using a charged particle beam device, wherein the charged particle beam device comprises:

• a unit which generates a deceleration electric field for a primary charged particle beam;
• a specimen holding mechanism of electrostatic attraction type having a surface on which to hold a specimen to be evaluated;
• and
• a unit which applies a predetermined voltage to a control electrode disposed between the specimen and an objective lens;
• wherein the specimen holding mechanism has a circular first electrode plate and ring-shaped second and third electrode plates, the ring-shaped second and third electrode plates being insulated from each other and from the first electrode plate and arranged concentrically, in that order from inside to outside, around the first electrode plate;
• wherein an outer diameter of the second electrode plate is larger than an outer diameter of a small-diameter specimen;
• wherein a ring-shaped area of the second electrode plate enclosed by an inner diameter of the second electrode plate and the outer diameter of the small-diameter specimen is substantially equal to an area of the first electrode plate, and an outer diameter of the third electrode plate is larger than an outer diameter of a large-diameter specimen;
• and
• wherein, when a sum of a ring-shaped area of the third electrode plate enclosed between an inner diameter of the third electrode plate and the outer diameter of the large-diameter specimen and an area of the second electrode plate is substantially equal to an area of the second electrode plate, the specimen evaluation method executes an operation of applying to the first electrode plate a voltage of a positive or a negative polarity with respect to a reference voltage and of an arbitrary magnitude and, to the second electrode plate, a voltage of a polarity opposite to that of the voltage applied to the first electrode plate and of an arbitrary magnitude, the reference voltage being used to generate the deceleration electric field, and an operation of applying to the third electrode plate a voltage of a negative polarity with respect to the reference voltage and of an arbitrary magnitude.