Method and apparatus for inspecting integrated circuit pattern using a plurality of charged particle beams

A pattern inspection device having:

• three or more electron sources arranged in a same column;
• and means for scanning primary electron beams emitted from said three or more electron sources on a substrate where circuit patterns are formed by respectively using electron-optical systems, said device detecting secondary charged particles generated in the respective electron-optical systems within said electron-optical systems then obtaining images of circuit patterns, by accelerating the secondary charged particles generated from sample, comparing plural images and determining a defect in the circuit patterns substantially simultaneously.

A pattern inspection device having:

• three or more electron sources arranged in a same column;
• and means for scanning primary electron beams emitted from said three or more electron sources on a substrate where circuit patterns are formed by respectively using electron-optical systems, said device decelerating said primary electron beams immediately before they are emitted on said sample and accelerating secondary charged particles generated from said sample immediately after they are emitted from said sample, within the respective electron-optical systems, deflecting said secondary charged particles toward detectors by E×B deflectors provided between the sample and the detectors, and detecting the particles, thereby obtaining images of the circuit patterns, then comparing plural images and determining a defect in said circuit patterns.

A pattern inspection device having:

• three or more electron sources arranged in a same column;
• and means for scanning primary electron beams emitted from said three or more electron sources on a substrate where circuit patterns are formed by respectively using electron-optical systems, said device decelerating said primary electron beams immediately before they are emitted on said sample and accelerating secondary charged particles generated from said sample immediately after they are emitted from said sample, within the respective electron-optical systems, colliding said secondary charged particles against reflection plates to cause second secondary electrons, inducing said second secondary electrons to detectors set to a positive potential from said reflection plates and detecting the electrons, thereby obtaining images of the circuit patterns, comparing plural images and determining a defect in said circuit patterns.

An electron-beam application device having at least three electron sources, emitting primary electron beams emitted from said electron sources on a sample by using respectively independent electron-optical systems arranged in a same column, wherein areas around said electron sources are evacuated by a vacuum pump different from that for an area around a sample chamber.

An electron-beam application device having at least three electron sources, said device emitting primary electron beams emitted from said electron sources on a sample by using respectively independent electron-optical systems arranged in a same column, wherein shielded electrodes are provided to confine electric fields or magnetic fields in the respective electron-optical systems within the same electron-optical systems, and wherein said shielded electrodes respectively have a structure to evacuate space inside each of the shielded electrode to a high degree of vacuum state.

An electron-beam application device having at least three electron sources, comprising:

• means for emitting primary electron beams emitted from said electron sources on a sample by using respectively independent electron-optical systems arranged in a same column;
• shield means for confining the primary electron beams within said respective electron-optical systems;
• and detection means for inducing secondary charged particles from the sample into said respective shield means and detecting the particles.

An electron-beam application device having;

• three or more electron sources;
• emitting apparatus which emits primary electron beams emitted from said three or more electron sources on a sample by using respectively independent electron-optical systems;
• detecting apparatus which detects secondary electrons or reflected electrons generated from said sample by using detectors independently provided in the respective electron-optical systems, wherein the secondary electrons or reflected electrons generated from said sample are collected by the detectors within the same electron-optical systems by accelerating apparatus which accelerates the secondary electrons or reflected electrons toward the electron source side in a direction of electron beam axes immediately after they are emitted from said sample and detecting the electrons.

An electron-beam application device having:

• three or more electron sources, emitting apparatus which emits primary electron beams emitted from said three or more electron sources on a sample by using respectively independent electron-optical systems;
• and detecting apparatus which detects secondary electrons or reflected electrons generated from said sample by detectors independently provided in the respective electron-optical systems, wherein the secondary electrons or reflected electrons are collected by the detectors in the same electron-optical systems by accelerating apparatus which accelerates the secondary electrons or reflected electrons generated from said sample toward the electron source side in a direction of electron beam axes immediately after the electrons are emitted from the sample and colliding the electrons against reflection plates thereby causing second secondary electrons and by inducing apparatus which induces said second secondary electrons to the detectors set to a positive potential higher than that of said reflection plates and detecting the electrons.