Charged particle beam system and pattern slant observing method

A charged particle beam system comprising:

• a charged particle beam emitting device for generating a charged particle beam and for irradiating a sample to be inspected with said charged particle beam;
• a stage for supporting the sample thereon;
• a condenser lens for condensing said charged particle beam which enters from said charged particle beam emitting device along a beam axis of said charged particle beam, the beam axis being substantially perpendicular to a surface of said stage on which the sample is supported;
• an objective lens for focusing said charged particle beam on the surface of the sample;
• a scanning/slant observing deflecting device, arranged between said objective lens and the sample, for generating a scanning magnetic field or a scanning electric field for scanning the sample with said charged particle beam and for generating an nonuniform magnetic field or a nonuniform electric field which deflects said charged particle beam at an arbitrary slant angle from the beam axis so that the trajectory of said charged particle beam is bent, said charged particle beam traveling along the bent trajectory to be obliquely incident on the sample;
• a charged particle detector for detecting a secondary charged particle and/or a reflected charged particle which are generated from the sample irradiated with said charged particle beam;
• and
• a control part for controlling the slant angle.

A pattern slant observing method using a charged particle beam system which comprises a charged particle beam source, a charged particle beam optical system, a stage for supporting a sample on which a pattern is formed, and a charged particle detector, said charged particle beam optical system including a scanning deflecting device and an objective lens, said pattern slant observing method comprising:

• an irradiation step of emitting a charged particle beam from said charged particle beam source and of irradiating the sample with said charged particle beam, said charged particle beam traveling along a beam axis thereof to enter said charged particle beam system, the beam axis being substantially perpendicular to a surface of said stage on which the sample is supported;
• a scanning step of deflecting said charged particle beam by said scanning deflecting device to scan said charged particle beam on the sample;
• a focusing step of focusing said charged particle beam on the surface of the sample by said objective lens;
• a slant incident step of forming a nonuniform electric field or a nonuniform magnetic field at a position at which said charged particle beam leaves said charged particle beam optical system or in a region in the vicinity of the position and of deflecting said charged particle beam by said nonuniform electric field or a nonuniform magnetic field so that the trajectory of said focused charge particle beam is bent at an arbitrary slant angle from the beam axis of said charged particle beam and said charged particle beam travels along the bent trajectory to be obliquely incident on the sample;
• a detection step of detecting a secondary charged particle and/or a reflected charged particle which are generated from the sample by irradiation with said charged particle beam;
• and
• an image data acquiring step of acquiring image data, which are to be a slant image of the pattern, on the basis of the secondary charged particle and/or the reflected charged particle.