Method for examining a sample by using a charged particle beam

A method for examining a sample with scanning charged particle beam imaging apparatus, comprising:

• specifying an image area and a scan area, wherein said image area is a portion of a surface of said sample and said scan area is an area to be scanned, wherein a portion of said image area is entirely covered with said scan area, wherein an orientation of said scan area is at a tilted angle neither parallel nor perpendicular to an orientation of said image area and
• scanning said scan area, wherein said charged particle beam is moved in parallel to said orientation of said scan area, wherein another portion of said scan area outside said image area is essentially not exposed to said charge particle beam, wherein when said scan area is a quadrangle with a edge along a first direction and a edge along a second direction and said image area is a quadrangle located inside said scan area and with its two opposite edges overlapping said edge and an edge opposite to said edge of said scan area, said scan area is scanned according to the process steps:
• (B1) projecting said charged particle beam on said proximal end of said edge, said proximal end being on a proximal vertex of said image area, said proximal end being on an interaction of said edge and said edge;
• (B2) blanking said charged particle beam when scanning along said first direction from said proximal end of said edge to a distal end of said edge, said distal end of said edge being on an interaction of said edge and an edge opposite to said edge;
• (B3) scanning back to a third point of said edge, said third point being a third distance away from said proximal end;
• (B4) scanning along said first direction from said edge to said edge opposite to said edge, wherein said charged particle beam is projected when scanning within said image area and is blanked when scanning outside said image area;
• (B5) scanning back to a fourth point of said edge, said fourth point being a fourth distance away from said third point;
• and
• (B6) repeating said steps (B4) to (B5) until said charged particle beam completely scans said scan area along said second direction.

A method for examining a sample with scanning charged particle beam imaging apparatus, comprising:

• specifying an image area and a scan area, wherein said image area is a portion of a surface of said sample and said scan area is an area to be scanned, wherein said image area is entirely covered with said scan area, wherein a shape of said scan area is similar with a shape of said image area, and wherein a size of said scan area is at most slightly larger than a size of said image area;
• and
• scanning said scan area, wherein said charged particle beam is moved at a tilted angle neither parallel nor perpendicular to an orientation of said image area, wherein when said scan area is a quadrangle angle with a edge along a first direction and a edge along a second direction, and when said image area is a quadrangle angle with a edge along a third direction and a edge with a fourth direction, said scan area is scanned by said charged particle beam according to the following process steps:
• (C1) scanning from said edge along said fifth direction through a first portion of said image area to said edge, wherein said first portion of said image area is proximate to or equal to a proximal vertex of said image area, said proximal vertex is an interaction of said edge and said edge;
• (C2) scanning back to a first point of said edge, said first point being a first distance away from a point where said scanning in step (C1) is started;
• (C3) scanning from said edge along said fifth direction through a second portion of said image area to said edge;
• (C4) scanning back to a second point of said edge, said second point being a second distance away from said first end;
• and
• (C5) repeating said steps (C3) and (C4) until said charged particle beam completely scans said image area along said second direction.