Electron beam system and electron beam measuring and observing method

An electron beam system, connected to an electron beam device including an electron beam source for emitting an electron beam;

• an electron optical system for irradiating the electron beam on a sample, a sample holder for holding the sample, a sample tilting section for tilting the sample holder and the irradiated electron beam relative to each other so that a stereo image can be acquired, and an electron beam detecting section for detecting an electron beam outgoing from the sample, the electron beam system comprising:
• a first measuring section for finding a shape or coordinate values of the reference template held by the sample holder based on a stereo image of the reference template photographed by the electron beam detecting section while the reference template and the irradiated electron beam are tilted relative to each other by the sample tilting section;
• a calibration data preparing section adapted to compare measurement results of the reference template by the first measuring section with known reference data on the reference template, to prepare calibration data for a stereo image photographed by the electron beam detecting section;
• a calibration section for performing a calibration based on the calibration data so as to reduce aberration in an image of the sample detected by the electron beam detecting section;
• a second measuring section for finding a shape or coordinate values of the sample based on a stereo image, photographed by the electron beam detecting section, of the sample placed in a tilt state made by the sample tilting section on the sample holder, the sample being calibrated by the calibration section;
• and
• an image display section for displaying a stereo image of the sample based on the electron beam detected by the electron beam detecting section.

An electron beam measuring method, using an electron beam system including an electron beam source for emitting an electron beam, an electron optical system for irradiating the electron beam on a sample, a sample holder for holding the sample, a sample tilting section for tilting the sample holder and the irradiated electron beam relative to each other so that a stereo image can be acquired, and an electron beam detecting section for detecting an electron beam outgoing from the sample, wherein a computer is caused to perform:

• a first measuring step of finding a shape or coordinate values of the reference template held by the sample holder based on a stereo image of the reference template photographed by the electron beam detecting section while the reference template and the irradiated electron beam are tilted relative to each other by the sample tilting section;
• a calibration data preparing step of comparing measurement results of the reference template in the first measuring step with known reference data on the reference template, to prepare calibration data for a stereo image photographed by the electron beam detecting section;
• a calibration step of performing a calibration based on the calibration data so as to reduce aberration in an image of the sample detected by the electron beam detecting section;
• and
• a second measuring step of finding a shape or coordinate values of the sample based on a stereo image, photographed by the electron beam detecting section, of the sample placed in a tilt state made by the sample tilting section on the sample holder, the sample being calibrated in the calibration step.

An electron beam measuring method, using an electron beam system including an electron beam source for emitting an electron beam, an electron optical system for irradiating the electron beam on a sample, a sample holder for holding the sample, a sample tilting section for tilting the sample holder and the irradiated electron beam relative to each other so that a stereo image can be acquired, and an electron beam detecting section for detecting an electron beam outgoing from the sample, wherein a computer is caused to perform:

• a first measuring step of finding a shape or coordinate values of the reference template held by the sample holder based on a stereo image of the reference template photographed by the electron beam detecting section while the reference template and the irradiated electron beam are tilted relative to each other by the sample tilting section;
• a calibration data preparing step of comparing measurement results of the reference template in the first measuring step with known reference data on the reference template, to prepare calibration data for a stereo image photographed by the electron beam detecting section;
• a calibration step of performing a calibration based on the calibration data so as to reduce aberration in an image of the sample detected by the electron beam detecting section;
• a correction factor storing step of storing correction factors for a stereo image, photographed by the electron beam detecting section, for a plurality of tilt states made by the sample tilting section;
• an approximate measurement step of finding an approximate shape or coordinate values of the sample based on a stereo image, photographed by the electron beam detecting section, of the sample placed in a tilt state made by the sample tilting section on the sample holder, the sample being calibrated in the calibration step;
• an image correcting step of reading a correction factor corresponding to a tilt state in which the stereo image is photographed from the correction factors stored in the correction factor storing step and applying the correction factor to the shape or coordinate values of the sample found in the approximate measurement step to correct the stereo image;
• and
• a precise measurement step of finding a shape or coordinate values of the sample based on the stereo image corrected in the image correcting step.

An electron beam measuring method, using an electron beam system including an electron beam source for emitting an electron beam, an electron optical system for irradiating the electron beam on a sample, a sample holder for holding the sample, a sample tilting section for tilting the sample holder and the irradiated electron beam relative to each other so that a stereo image can be acquired, and an electron beam detecting section for detecting an electron beam outgoing from the sample, wherein a computer is caused to perform:

• a first measuring step of finding a shape or coordinate values of the reference template held by the sample holder based on a stereo image of the reference template photographed by the electron beam detecting section while the reference template and the irradiated electron beam are tilted relative to each other by the sample tilting section;
• a calibration data preparing step of comparing measurement results of the reference template in the first measuring step with known reference data on the reference template, to prepare calibration data for a stereo image photographed by the electron beam detecting section;
• a calibration step of performing a calibration based on the calibration data so as to reduce aberration in an image of the sample detected by the electron beam detecting section;
• a second measuring step of finding a shape or coordinate values of the sample based on a stereo image, photographed by the electron beam detecting section, of the sample placed in a tilt state made by the sample tilting section on the sample holder, the sample being calibrated in the calibration step;
• and
• an image displaying step of displaying a stereo image of the sample based on the electron beam detected by the electron beam detecting section.

An electron beam system, comprising:

• an electron beam source for emitting an electron beam;
• an electron optical system for irradiating the electron beam on a sample;
• a sample holder for holding the sample;
• a sample tilting section for tilting the sample holder and the irradiated electron beam relative to each other so that a stereo image can be acquired;
• an electron beam detecting section for detecting an electron beam outgoing from the sample;
• a third measuring section for finding a shape or coordinate values of the sample based on an output corresponding to the acquired stereo image in the tilt state made by the sample tilting section;
• a first measuring step of finding a shape or coordinate values of the reference template, of which a shape or coordinate values are identified, held by the sample holder based on a signal corresponding to the stereo image outputted from the electron beam detecting section while the reference template and the irradiated electron beam are tilted relative to each other by the sample tilting section;
• a correction factor storing section adapted to compare measurement results of the reference template by the first measuring section with the identified reference data on the reference template, to store a correction factor for a space other than a tilted surface to which the sample is tilted by the sample tilting section;
• and
• an image correcting section adapted to read a corresponding correction factor from the correction factor storing section to correct the image,
• wherein the third measuring section performs an approximate measurement step of finding an approximate shape or coordinate values of the sample based on the output corresponding to the stereo image from the electron beam detecting section,
• the image correcting section performs an image correcting step of reading a corresponding image correction factor from the correction factor storing section to correct the image based on the shape or coordinate values of the sample found in the approximate measurement step, and
• the third measuring section performs a precise measurement step of finding a shape or coordinate values of the sample based on the corrected stereo image corrected by the image correcting section.

An electron beam system, comprising:

• an electron beam source for emitting an electron beam;
• an electron optical system for converging the electron beam emitted from the electron beam source and irradiating the electron beam on a sample;
• a detecting section for receiving an electron from the sample on which the electron beam is irradiated;
• a sample holder for holding the sample;
• a sample tilting section for tilting the electron beam irradiated on the sample held by the sample holder and the sample relative to each other;
• and
• a data processing section adapted to receive, for each tilt angle, a signal detected by the detecting section receiving an electron from a reference sample having at least two tilted surfaces and held by the sample holder so as to be free in the relative tilt, to find a tilt angle of the reference sample based on an image of the two tilted surfaces and a reference dimension of the reference sample.

An electron beam system, comprising:

• an electron beam source for emitting an electron beam;
• an electron optical system for converging the electron beam emitted from the electron beam source and irradiating the electron beam on a sample;
• a detecting section for receiving an electron from the sample on which the electron beam is irradiated;
• a sample holder for holding the sample;
• a sample tilting section for tilting the electron beam irradiated on the sample held by the sample holder and the sample relative to each other;
• and
• a data processing section adapted to receive, for each tilt angle, a signal detected by the detecting section receiving an electron from a reference sample having at least two tilted surfaces and held by the sample holder so as to be free in the relative tilt, to perform a process of finding a tilt angle of the reference sample based on an image of the two tilted surfaces derived from an image of the sample in a position where little displacement in the electron optical system occurs due to tilting of the sample and a reference dimension of the reference sample, and a process of finding a correction factor based on a difference between a magnification in a neighboring image at the tilt angle and a magnification in an image according to the detected signal.