Charged particle apparatus, scanning electron microscope, and sample inspection method

A scanning electron microscope comprising:

• a stage for placing a sample;
• a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column which scans a primary electron beam on the sample that was placed on a stage;
• an electron optical system;
• an image optical system having a detector which detects by imaging the electrons which are generated from the sample by the scanning;
• an image display system which displays by imaging the signal which is detected by the image optical system;
• a SEM column control device which controls the SEM column;
• and
• a memory means which stores a plurality of control information for the SEM column control device which has a plurality of characteristics
• wherein the SEM column control device stores a wafer map and a defect file in the memory means;
• wherein the SEM column control device aligns the sample on the stage;
• wherein the SEM column control device displays and selects defect sites of the sample;
• wherein the SEM column control device generates a 2-D coordinate system with a throughput of defect inspection as a vertical axis, and displays the 2-D coordinate system on a GUI;
• wherein the SEM column control device reads an inspection recipe from a recipe memory section of the memory means and plots a recipe ID of the inspection recipe on the 2-D coordinate system which is displayed on the GUI where coordinates of the recipe ID are determined by a robustness variable of charge up and the throughput of defect inspection for the inspection recipe;
• wherein the SEM column control device determines whether or not recipe IDs of all of the inspection recipes which are stored in the recipe memory section are plotted on the 2-D coordinate system which is displayed on the GUI;
• wherein the SEM column control device selects the inspection recipes from the 2-D coordinate system;
• wherein the SEM column control device irradiates the charged particle beam according to the electron optical system by outputting a control signal to every part of the electron optical system through a D/A converter, the sample which was placed on the stage, and an observation condition of the inspection recipe,
• wherein the SEM column control device moves the stage by the stage controller according to the wafer map and the defect file, and the SEM column control device scans the charged particle beam on an area which includes the defect sites of the sample, and the detector detects secondary electrons of the sample;
• and
• wherein the SEM column control device acquires a detection signal through an A/D converter, and generates SEM image data by executing image analysis processing and stores the data in a image memory section of the memory means.