# US 2019/0355546 A1 · Multiple electron beam image acquisition apparatus and multiple electron beam image acquisition method

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- Number: US 2019/0355546 A1
- Document ID: US20190355546A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/381,052
- Filed: 2019-04-11
- Published: 2019-11-21
- Earliest claimed: 2018-05-16
- Assignees: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
- Applicants: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
- Inventors: Atsushi Ando; Kiyoshi Hattori
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190355546A1

## CPC

- H01J 37/1471: {for centering, aligning or positioning of ray or beam}
- H01J 37/28: with scanning beams {(H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence)}
- H01J 37/045: {Beam blanking or chopping, i.e. arrangements for momentarily interrupting exposure to the discharge}
- H01J 37/09: Diaphragms; Shields associated with electron or ion-optical arrangements; Compensation of disturbing fields
- H01J 37/141: Electromagnetic lenses
- H01J 37/153: Electron-optical or ion-optical arrangements for the correction of image defects, e.g. stigmators
- H01J 37/244: Detectors; Associated components or circuits therefor
- H01J 37/265: {Controlling the tube; circuit arrangements adapted to a particular application not otherwise provided, e.g. bright-field-dark-field illumination}
- H01J 2237/1501: Beam alignment means or procedures
- H01J 2237/152: Magnetic means
- H01J 2237/1534: Aberrations
- H01J 2237/2448: Secondary particle detectors
- H01J 2237/2817: Pattern inspection
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)

## Abstract

A multiple electron beam image acquisition apparatus includes an electromagnetic lens to receive multiple electron beams and refract them, a beam selection mechanism, in the magnetic field of the electromagnetic lens, to individually correct the trajectory of each of the multiple electron beams and select a variable desired number of beams from the multiple electron beams, a limiting aperture substrate to block beams which were not selected from the multiple electron beams, a magnification adjustment system to change magnification of the beams selected, depending on the number of beams, being the desired number, selected from the multiple electron beams, an objective lens to focus the beams selected onto the target object surface, a beam separator to separate, from the beams selected, secondary electrons emitted because of the target object surface being irradiated with the beams selected, and a detector to detect the secondary electrons separated by the beam separator.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A multiple electron beam image acquisition apparatus comprising:
an electromagnetic lens configured to receive incidence of multiple electron beams and refract them;
a beam selection mechanism disposed in a magnetic field of the electromagnetic lens, and configured to be able to individually correct a trajectory of each beam of the multiple electron beams and select a desired number of beams from the multiple electron beams, where the desired number is variable;
a limiting aperture substrate configured to block beams which were not selected from the multiple electron beams;
a magnification adjustment optical system configured to change magnification of the beams selected, depending on a number of the beams, being the desired number, selected from the multiple electron beams;
an objective lens configured to focus the beams selected onto a surface of a target object;
a beam separator configured to separate, from the beams selected, secondary electrons emitted due to that the surface of the target object was irradiated with the beams selected; and
a detector configured to detect the secondary electrons separated by the beam separator.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the beam selection mechanism selects the desired number of the beams by individually adjusting focus positions of the beams.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnification adjustment optical system changes magnification of the beams such that a position of crossover of the beams to irradiate the surface of the target object is a position of the beam separator regardless of the number of the beams selected.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the magnification adjustment optical system includes at least two electromagnetic lenses.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the objective lens does not change a focus position of the beams selected, in a case of changing the magnification of the beams selected.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the beam selection mechanism includes
a plurality of substrates in each of which a plurality of passage holes, through each of which a corresponding one of the multiple electron beams passes, are formed, and
a plurality of electrode sets each composed of two or more electrodes for each of the plurality of passage holes, where the each of the plurality of electrode sets is arranged on one of the plurality of substrates such that the two or more electrodes of the each of the plurality of electrode sets sandwich the corresponding one of the multiple electron beams passing through the plurality of passage holes.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a focus position of the each beam of the multiple electron beams is individually adjusted by applying a bias potential, which is set for each of the plurality of passage holes, to the two or more electrodes for the each of the plurality of passage holes.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein in a case of no trajectory correction being performed by the beam selection mechanism, all of the multiple electron beams pass through the limiting aperture substrate.

### Claim 9

A multiple electron beam image acquisition method comprising:
selecting, as a mode, one of a first mode and a second mode;
selecting a desired number of beams, where the desired number is variable depending on the mode selected, by a beam selection mechanism disposed in a magnetic field of an electromagnetic lens for refracting multiple electron beams, and configured to be able to individually correct a trajectory of each beam of the multiple electron beams;
blocking beams which were not selected from the multiple electron beams;
changing magnification of the beams selected, depending on the mode selected;
focusing the beams selected onto a surface of a target object; and
acquiring an image of a pattern on the surface of the target object by detecting secondary electrons emitted due to that the surface of the target object was irradiated with the beams selected.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method according to claim 9, wherein the first mode and the second mode have been set in advance as the mode, all of the multiple electron beams are selected in the first mode, and one of the multiple electron beams is selected in the second mode.