Simple spherical aberration corrector for sem

Abstract

According to the present disclosure, a compact corrector for correcting spherical aberrations of a particle-optical lens in a charged particle microscope system comprises a strong hexapole configured to generate a strong hexapole field when a voltage is applied, and a weak hexapole positioned between the strong hexapole and a sample. The strong hexapole is positioned such that the crossover of the charged particle beam of the charged particle system does not pass through the center of the strong hexapole, so that the strong hexapole field applies at least A2 aberrations and D4 aberrations to the charged particle beam. The weak hexapole is additionally positioned or otherwise configured so that when a voltage is applied to the weak hexapole, it generates a weak hexapole field that applies at least combined A2 aberrations and combined D4 aberrations to the charged particle beam of the charged particle microscope system.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] Particle-optical microscopes utilize round lenses to direct a beam of electrons or charged particles to investigate a sample. However, round lenses generate a positive spherical aberration coefficient (Cs) that limits higher aperture angles and suppresses resolution and probe current. Over the years, many Cs-corrector systems have been developed to address spherical aberration in microscopy systems such as transmission electron microscopes (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopes (STEM).

[0002] However, Cs-compensators have been difficult to successfully implement in scanning electron microscope (SEM) columns due to the difficulties in manufacturing such compensators, and their apparent manufacturing cost has also been an issue. This is because current Cs-compensator designs used in S(T)EM systems require many additional components that can be difficult and expensive to manufacture. These many additional elements and excitations are typically required to mask parasitic aberrations caused by mechanical errors inherent in conventional component manufacturing techniques. Consequently, the cost of these technologies exceeds the budget of most SEM users. Since these factors result in costs for many current Cs-compensators for SEM systems exceeding the cost of the SEM column itself, it is desirable to find simpler and more compact Cs-compensator systems (e.g., fragments that are easier to manufacture) capable of correcting spherical aberrations in SEM optical columns. Furthermore, additional cost reductions can be recognized if highly precise manufacturing technologies, such as MEMS technology, are also utilized.

[0003] According to the present disclosure, a compact corrector for correcting spherical aberrations of a particle-optical lens in a charged particle microscope system comprises a first multipole element (e.g., a 6-pole element, an 8-pole element, a 12-pole element, etc.) configured to generate a strong hexapole field when a first voltage is applied, and a second multipole element configured to generate a weak hexapole field positioned between the first multipole element and a sample when the corrector module is used in the charged particle microscope system. According to the present invention, the strong hexapole is positioned such that the crossover of the charged particle beam of the charged particle system does not pass through the center of the first multipole element (i.e., the strong hexapole), thereby causing the first multipole element field to apply at least A2 aberrations and D4 aberrations to the charged particle beam. A second multipole element is additionally positioned or otherwise configured so that when a second voltage is applied to the second multipole element, the weak hexapole field it generates applies at least combined A2 aberrations and combined D4 aberrations to the charged particle beam of the charged particle microscope system. In this way, the net combination of aberrations applied to the charged particle beam by the weak and strong hexapole fields produces a beam having desired A2, C3, and D4 aberrations at or near the sample plane.

[0004] Additionally, a charged particle system comprising a compact compensator according to the present disclosure comprises a sample holder configured to fix a sample, an optical column configured to direct the charged particle beam toward the sample and incident on the sample, and a detector system configured to detect emissions generated from the sample irradiated by the charged particle beam. The optical column comprises a compact compensator module comprising a first multipole (i.e., a rigid hexapole) configured to generate a rigid hexapole field when a first voltage is applied, and a second multipole (i.e., a weak hexapole) positioned between the rigid hexapole and the sample. When a second voltage is applied to a weak hexapol that generates a weak hexapol field that applies at least the combined A2 aberration and the combined D4 aberration to a charged particle beam, the strong hexapol is positioned so that the crossover of the charged particle beam does not pass through the center of the strong hexapol, which causes the strong hexapol field to apply at least the A2 aberration and the D4 aberration to the charged particle.

[0005] Furthermore, an optical compensator module for a charged particle column comprising a split multipole according to the present invention comprises at least one split multipole composed of two multipoles (e.g., wafer multipole, magnetic multipole, electrostatic multipole, etc.) separated by a distance smaller than any of 100 mm, 10 mm, 1 mm, 100 μm, and 10 μm. Each of the individual multipoles comprises at least two electrodes positioned to partially define a beam path through the multipole. According to the present invention, each electrode comprises a first surface facing upstream of the charged particle beam when used in the charged particle column, and a second surface facing downstream of the charged particle beam when used in the charged particle column, wherein the thickness between the first surface and the second surface for each electrode is less than 3 mm. Within the scope of the present disclosure, the split multipole may be electrostatic and may correspond to a hexapole. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0006] A detailed description is provided with reference to the attached drawings. In the drawings, the leftmost digit of a drawing symbol identifies the drawing in which the symbol first appears. The same drawing symbol across multiple drawings indicates similar or identical items. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary compact corrector for correcting A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations on or near a sample plane according to the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary charged particle microscope system(s) for inspecting components of a sample according to the present invention, wherein the optical column includes a compact corrector for correcting A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations at or near the sample plane. FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary compact corrector of an alternative embodiment for correcting A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations on or near a sample plane according to the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary Crewe corrector comprising a single split multipole according to the present disclosure. FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary corrector as described in relation to FIGS. 1 to 3, wherein the rigid hexapole corresponds to a division composed of two hexapoles. FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a Crewe-type corrector of the prior art and a Crewe-type corrector according to the present disclosure in which one or more hexapoles are each divided hexapoles. FIG. 8 illustrates a rose-type corrector comprising at least one divided hexapol. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the optical behavior of a rose-type corrector comprising two divided hexapoles according to the present disclosure. The same reference numerals across multiple drawings indicate corresponding parts. Generally, in the drawings, elements that may be included in a given example are illustrated by solid lines, while elements that are optional to a given example are illustrated by dashed lines. However, elements illustrated by solid lines are not essential to all embodiments of the present disclosure, and elements illustrated by solid lines may be omitted in certain examples without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0007] A compact corrector system for correcting spherical aberrations of particle-optical lenses in charged particle microscopy systems, including but not limited to SEM, STEM, TEM, and FIB, is disclosed herein. Specifically, the systems disclosed herein use multipoles (e.g., electromagnetic multipoles, electrostatic multipoles, split multipoles, etc.) to correct A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations. An exemplary compensator system according to the present disclosure comprises a rigid hexapole positioned such that its center is misaligned with the beam crossover (e.g., a combination in which the rigid hexapole is positioned within the system and the beam is manipulated, or the beam is manipulated so that the center of the rigid hexapole is 0.1 to 2 mm from the position of the beam crossover), and a weak hexapole (e.g., 10 x, 50 x, 100 x, etc., smaller than the rigid hexapole) is positioned downstream of the rigid hexapole. According to the present invention, the misalignment of the rigid hexapole is in the direction of the weak hexapole. Due to this displacement, when a first voltage is applied to the rigid hexapole, it generates a rigid hexapole field and, when the compensator module is used in a charged particle microscope system, generates a weak hexapole positioned between the rigid hexapole and the sample.

[0008] According to the present invention, a rigid hexapole is positioned such that the crossover of the charged particle beam of the charged particle system does not pass through the center point of the rigid hexapole (i.e., does not pass within a distance of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.5 mm, or 2 mm from the center of the rigid hexapole), and the rigid hexapole field applies at least A2 aberrations and D4 aberrations to the charged particle beam. Subsequently, a second voltage may be applied to the rigid hexapole to generate a weak hexapole field that applies at least combined A2 aberrations and combined D4 aberrations to the charged particle beam of the charged particle microscope system. In some embodiments, the weak and rigid hexapoles may be positioned, charged, or otherwise configured so that the two hexapole fields additionally apply combined C3 aberrations to the beam. In this way, the net combination of aberrations applied to the charged particle beam by weak and strong hexapole fields can be adjusted so that the charged particle beam has desired A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations at or near the sample plane. By doing so, the compact compensator according to the present disclosure can improve the resolution of the charged particle microscope. For example, the compact compensator according to the present disclosure can improve the resolution of a 30 kV beam SEM optical column by at least 2.5x.

[0009] The present disclosure further describes various types of compensator systems comprising split multipoles. A split multipole is composed of two hexapoles separated by a distance (e.g., less than 20 mm), wherein each multipole is composed of two or more electrodes having a thickness of 10 mm, 5 mm, 3 mm, or less than 1 mm. For example, where the multipoles are wafer multipoles, such wafer multipoles are composed of two or more electrodes having a thickness of 1 to 100 μm each. In some embodiments, such wafer hexapoles may be constructed corresponding to and / or using the system and method disclosed in U.S. Patent No. XX / XXX,XXX filed July 22, 2022, under the title “Component of a charged particle optical system and manufacture thereof,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The split multipoles are configured to generate a rigid multipol field when a voltage (e.g., 100 V to 300 kV) is applied to each of the wafer multipoles. By applying the same voltage to each of the multipoles, the combined electromagnetic field generated by the two multipoles is combined to provide the effect of a rigid multipoles. Since the split multipoles are composed of multipoles, the split multipoles can be used to correct aberrations of a charged particle beam with energy greater than 10 KeV.

[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary compact corrector (100) for correcting A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations on or near a sample plane according to the present invention. The exemplary compact multipole correctors (100) are configured to generate a rigid hexapole field when a first voltage is applied, with an effective length LIt comprises a rigid hexapole (102) having a (e.g., a first 6-pole, 8-pole, or 12-pole element) and a weak hexapole (104) located downstream of the rigid hexapole (102) when used in a charged particle system configured to generate a weak hexapole field when a second voltage is applied. The strength and / or orientation of the rigid hexapole and the weak hexapole can be adjusted to allow a desired value of the contribution of their generated fields to A2, C3, and / or D4. In various embodiments, the rigid hexapole (102) may be an electrostatic multipole having a length within the range of 0.01 to 10 mm (e.g., at least 5 mm), and the first voltage may be 0.1 kV to 30 kV. Furthermore, the weak hexapol (104) is at least 30 x, 50 x, or 100 x weaker than the strong hexapol (102). As shown in FIG. 9, in some embodiments, the strong hexapol (102) may be a split hexapol composed of two hexapoles separated by a distance smaller than 100 mm, 10 mm, 1 mm, 100 μm, and 10 μm. Such a multipole is composed of two or more electrodes with a thickness of 10 mm, 5 mm, 3 mm, or less than 1 mm.

[0011] During the operation of a charged particle system including a compact compensator (100), a charged particle beam (106) is directed along a central axis (108) toward a first end (110) of the compact compensator. According to the present invention, a weak hexapol (104) is positioned, excited, and / or otherwise configured such that a weak hexapol field is combined with a strong hexapol field to create a combination aberration that applies to the charged particle beam as it passes through the compensator (100), which is one or more of the A2, C3, and / or D4 aberration effects. According to the present invention, the contribution of a strong hexapole field to one or more of the A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations and the combined aberration effect generated by the combination of a strong hexapole field and a weak hexapole field may be such that the net result of the contribution of the strong hexapole field and the combined aberration effect to one or more of the A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations causes the value of one or more of the A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations in the charged particle (106) at or near the sample plane has a desired value. In some embodiments, this may produce a charged particle beam (106) having A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations of zero or close to zero when exiting the corrector (100). Alternatively or additionally, if the compensator is combined with other aberration effects of other optical elements downstream of the compensator (100) within the charged particle system so that desired values ​​of A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations exist in the charged particle beam (106) at the sample plane, the charged particle beam (106) may have the desired A2, C3, and / or D4 aberration values ​​when the charged particle beam (106) leaves the compensator (100).

[0012] In a compensator of the prior art, a component multipole is positioned at the crossover of a charged particle beam to prevent aberrations. However, in an exemplary compact compensator (100), a rigid hexapole (102) is positioned, a charged particle beam (106) is adjusted, or a combination thereof, so as to the displacement It is positioned so that it exists between the center (112) of the rigid hexapole and the crossover (114) of the charged particle beam. Since the rigid hexapole (102) is misaligned with the charged particle beam crossover (114) in this way, there is a contribution of the rigid hexapole field to the A2, C3, and D4 aberrations of the charged particle beam (106). Specifically, the contribution of the rigid hexapole field contributes to each of the A2, C3, and D4 aberrations of the charged particle beam (106), which each cause displacement It is a function of. For example, in a model compact corrector (100) in which the hexapoles are self-hexaapoles, the backward extrapolated contribution to each of the A2, C3, and D4 aberrations by the corrector at position (114) using the Hamiltonian equation can be illustrated as follows:

[0013]

[0014]

[0015] Additionally, in the second example, the backward extrapolated contribution to each of the A2, C3, and D4 aberrations by the corrector at position (114) in the electrostatic model compact corrector (100) of the hexapole (102) can be illustrated as follows:

[0016]

[0017] A person skilled in the art (1) to (6) the characteristics of the rigid hexapole (102) (i.e., the first voltage, L , k (etc.) and displacement values In such an exemplary system, it will be understood that A2, C3, and D4 aberrations in the 106 charged particle beam can be affected or otherwise induced when passing through the rigid hexapole (102). Those skilled in the art will understand how the subsequent lens (118) and / or the weak hexapole (104) can be designed, positioned, or otherwise adjusted so that the resulting values ​​of the A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations of the charged particle beam (106) have desired values ​​at the sample plane. For example, displacement The A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations can each be adjusted so that they have a desired non-zero or zero value in the sample plane. In another example, the dimensions, position, and excitation of the subsequent lens (118) and the weak hexapol (104) can be selected to be combined with the corresponding contribution of the strong hexapol (104)1 to the charged particle beam such that the contribution to the A2, C3, and D4 aberrations in the charged particle beam (106) is such that A2 and D4 are nearly zero. In such an embodiment, the characteristics of the strong hexapol (102), the weak hexapol (104), and / or the lens (118) can be adjusted so that the slight negative spherical aberration present in the charged particle beam (106) after passing through the compensator (100) compensates for the contribution of the objective lens (116) to the spherical aberration of the charged particle beam. In the above equation, k is the strength of the rigid hexapol, and L is the effective length of the hexapole.

[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a weak hexapol in close proximity to the objective lens (116) of a charged particle system. In some embodiments, the weak hexapol (104) may be located within the field of the objective lens (116) of the charged particle system and / or within the objective lens (116) of the charged particle system itself. However, those skilled in the art will understand that, according to the present invention, the weak hexapol (104) may be placed at any location between the strong hexapol (102) and the sample being irradiated, provided that (1) the voltage applied to the weak hexapol (104) and / or the strong hexapol (102) can be adjusted to affect the beam (106) striking the sample and (2) the voltage applied to the weak hexapol (104) and / or the strong hexapol (102) is adjusted so that the A2, C3 and / or D4 contributions by each corresponding hexapol field are combined to produce a desired net A2, C3 and / or D4 contribution to the beam (106).

[0019] Additionally, although not illustrated in FIG. 1, the weak hexapol (104) may be located upstream or downstream of a microscope beam scanning system (e.g., an AC scan unit). For example, in one embodiment, the weak hexapol (104) may be located downstream of the microscope scanning unit and may be configured to dynamically adjust the hexapol field it generates based on the path of the beam through the weak hexapol (104). Additionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the weak hexapol (104) may be dynamically adjusted based on one or more components of the microscope system in which it is used. For example, the weak hexapol (104) may be adjustable to compensate for beam rotation generated by a lens in such a microscope system.

[0020] FIG. 1 further illustrates a compact corrector (100) comprising optional transfer lens(s) (118) positioned between a strong hexapole (102) and a weak hexapole (104) and downstream of the weak hexapole. However, embodiments of the corrector system (100) may include only one of these transfer lenses, additional transfer lenses, or no such transfer lenses. For example, in an embodiment of the present invention, the corrector (100) may include a round lens (118) positioned between a strong hexapole and a weak hexapole, which are positioned, charged, or otherwise configured to apply a lens effect to a charged particle beam, so as to affect the magnitude of the D4 aberration in the charged particle beam (106) to allow the D4 aberration to have a desired value at the sample plane. In FIG. 1, the multipole corrector (100) is illustrated as a box comprising a plurality of optical components (i.e., multipoles and lenses). In various embodiments, these optical components may be surrounded or partially surrounded by a protective and / or supporting structure. Additionally, in embodiments comprising such a structure, one or more of the optical components may not be located within such a structure.

[0021] FIG. 2 is an example of an exemplary charged particle microscope system(s) (200) for inspecting / imaging a component of a sample (202) according to the present invention, comprising a compact corrector (100) for correcting A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations in or near the sample plane. The exemplary charged particle microscope system(s) (200) may include an electron microscope (EM) setup or electron lithography setup configured to irradiate and / or otherwise collide a beam of electrically charged particles (204) (typically an electron beam or an ion beam) onto the sample (202). In various embodiments, the charged particle microscope system (200) may be or may include one or more different types of EM and / or charged particle microscopes, such as, but not limited to, a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), a transmission electron microscope (TEM), a charged particle microscope (CPM), a dual-beam microscope system, etc. Additionally, in some embodiments, the TEM can also operate as a STEM. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary charged particle microscope system(s) (200) as a SEM system (206). However, since the compact compensator (100) according to the present invention can be composed of an electrostatic hexapole capable of accommodating a wide range of excitations (e.g., 50 kV and 300 kV, but not limited thereto), the compact compensator can compensate for A2, C3, and / or D4 in TEM and STEM systems.

[0022] An exemplary charged particle microscope system(s) (200) includes a charged particle source (208) (e.g., a thermionic source, Schottky-emitting source, field emission source, liquid metal ion source, plasma ion source, etc.) that emits a charged particle beam (204) along an emission axis (210) and toward an accelerator lens (212). The emission axis (210) is a central axis extending along the length of the exemplary charged particle microscope system(s) (200) from the charged particle source (208) through a sample (202).

[0023] The accelerator lens (212) accelerates / decels, focuses, and / or directs the charged particle beam (204) toward the focusing column (214). The focusing column (214) focuses the charged particle beam (204) so ​​that the charged particle beam (204) is incident on the sample (202). Additionally, the focusing column (214) corrects and / or tunes the aberrations (e.g., geometric aberration, chromatic aberration) of the charged particle beam (204).

[0024] In FIG. 2, the focusing column (214) is illustrated as comprising a compact corrector (100) for correcting A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations at or near the sample plane according to the present invention. That is, FIG. 2 illustrates a charged particle microscope system(s) (200) comprising an SEM multipole corrector system (100) comprising a rigid hexapole (102) and a weak hexapole (104), wherein the center of the rigid hexapole (112) is displaced from the axial crossover (114) of the charged particle beam It is displaced by. The rigid hexapole (102) may be configured to generate a rigid hexapole field when a first voltage is applied, and the weak hexapole (104) may be configured to generate a weak hexapole field when a second voltage is applied. In some embodiments, the rigid hexapole (102) may be a split hexapole composed of two wafer hexapoles separated by a distance smaller than any of 100 mm, 10 mm, 1 mm, 100 μm, and 10 μm. Those skilled in the art will understand how a weak hexapol (104) can be positioned, excited, and / or otherwise configured to contribute to one or more of the A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations in a charged particle beam (204) combined with the contribution of a strong hexapol field to one or more of the A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations in a charged particle beam (204). In this way, by adjusting the positioning and excitation of the weak hexapol (104), the contribution of the weak hexapol field to one or more of the A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations can be combined with the contribution of the strong hexapol field to cause the charged particle beam (204) to have the desired A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations at or near the sample plane.

[0025] The objective lens (216) is an optical element that focuses a charged particle beam (204) to a point on the sample (202). The objective lens (216) may include a single-poleless lens, a magnetostatic compound lens, an electrostatic detector objective lens, or other types of objective lenses. An additional advantage of the compact compensator (100) according to the present invention is that they allow for an increased opening angle of the charged particle beam. For example, an exemplary compact compensator (100) may allow the opening angle of the charged particle beam to be greater than 20 mrad.

[0026] FIG. 2 further illustrates that an exemplary charged particle microscope system(s) (200) includes a sample holder (218) configured to hold a sample (202). An exemplary charged particle microscope system(s) (300) is also illustrated as including a detector system(s) (220) configured to detect emissions from the sample (202) generated from a charged particle beam (204) incident on the sample (202). Additionally, although not illustrated in FIG. 2, the exemplary charged particle microscope system(s) (200) may include an astigmatism correction and / or scan coil to cause the charged particle beam (204) to scan the surface of the sample (202). For example, by operating the scan coil, the direction of the charged particle beam (204) may be shifted to strike different locations on the sample (202). Those skilled in the art will understand that in a TEM or (S)TEM system, the detector system (220) may also include and / or be made of one or more detector locations under the sample.

[0027] FIG. 2 further illustrates an exemplary charged particle microscope system(s) (200) optionally including computing device(s) (230). Those skilled in the art will understand that the computing device (230) illustrated in FIG. 2 is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The computing system and device may include any combination of hardware or software capable of performing the indicated functions, including a computer, network device, internet device, PDA, wireless telephone, controller, vibrator, amplifier, etc. The computing device (230) may also be connected to other devices not illustrated, or instead may operate as a standalone system.

[0028] FIG. 3 is an example of an alternative embodiment of an exemplary compact corrector (300) for correcting A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations at or near a sample plane according to the present invention. The exemplary compact multipole correctors (300) are configured to generate a rigid hexapole field when a first voltage is applied, with an effective length L It includes a strong hexapole (102) having a weak hexapole field when used in a charged particle system configured to generate a weak hexapole field when a second voltage is applied, and a weak hexapole (104) located downstream of the strong hexapole (102). During operation of the charged particle system including the compact compensator (300), the charged particle beam (302) is directed along the central axis (304) toward the first end (306) of the compact compensator (300).

[0029] FIG. 3 further illustrates a compact corrector (300) comprising optional transfer lens(s) (118) located on each side of the rigid hexapol (102) and downstream of the weak hexapol (104). In some embodiments, an AC scan unit may be positioned upstream of the weak hexapol (104), but FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment in which an AC scanning unit (308) is positioned between the compact corrector (300) and the objective lens (310) of the microscope system.

[0030] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary Crewe compensator (400) comprising a single split multipole according to the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 4 illustrates a Crewe-style hexapole Cs-compensator. As discussed above, in some embodiments, the rigid multipole is thickness d It can correspond to a split multipole (402) composed of two wafer hexapoles (404) separated by a distance (e.g., less than 20 mm). According to the present invention, optical components (lenses, multipoles, etc.) are not located between the component wafer multipoles (404) for the split multipole. The split multipole (402) LIn the case where it has a length, separation is It can be recorded as. A wafer multipole consists of two or more electrodes with a thickness of 10 mm, 5 mm, 3 mm, or less than 1 mm.

[0031] FIG. 4 illustrates a Crewe corrector (400) further comprising a first transfer lens (406) and a second transfer lens (408), wherein the first transfer lens (406) applies a focusing effect to a charged particle beam (410) passing through the corrector (400) that causes a crossover of the charged particle beam between two component wafer multipoles (404) of the split multipoles (402). FIG. 4 illustrates a crossover that is equidistant with respect to each component wafer multipole, but in other embodiments (such as the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5), the first transfer lens (406) may be configured to apply a focusing effect that causes the crossover of the charged particle beam (410) to be equidistant with respect to each component wafer multipole (404).

[0032] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary compensator (500) as described in relation to FIGS. 1 to 3, wherein a rigid hexapole (502) corresponds to a split hexapole (504) composed of two wafer hexapoles (506). FIG. 5 illustrates a compensator (500) as comprising three transmission lenses (508) and a weak hexapole (510). As discussed above, the initial transmission lens (512) applies a focusing effect to the charged particle beam (514) passing through the compensator (500), causing a non-equidistant crossover between the two wafer hexapoles (506) of the split hexapole (504). As discussed above, the weak hexapol (510) can be positioned, excited, and / or otherwise configured so that the weak hexapol field it generates in the charged particle beam (514) contributes to one or more of the A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations in the charged particle beam (514), combined with the contribution of the strong hexapol field to one or more of the A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations in the charged particle beam (514). In this way, by adjusting the positioning and excitation of the weak hexapol (510), the contribution of the weak hexapol field to one or more of the A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations can be combined with the contribution of the strong hexapol field to cause the charged particle beam (514) to have the desired A2, C3, and / or D4 aberrations at or near the sample plane.

[0033] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a Crewe-type corrector (600) and a Crewe-type corrector (700) according to the present disclosure, wherein one or more of the hexapoles are split hexapoles. Specifically, FIG. 6 illustrates a corrector comprising two rigid hexapoles (602) having a single transfer lens (604) positioned at an axial crossover of a charged particle beam (606) that is equidistant from the two hexapoles (602). However, as illustrated in FIG. 7, according to the present invention, such Crewe-type correctors may also be manufactured with one or more split hexapoles. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates a Crewe-type corrector (700) according to the present invention in which both rigid hexapoles (702) are split hexapoles (704). However, those skilled in the art will understand that in some embodiments, only one of the rigid hexapoles (702) may be a split hexapol (704). FIG. 7 also illustrates a corrector (700) comprising a single transfer lens (706) positioned at the axial crossover of a charged particle beam (708) that is equidistant from two split hexapoles (704).

[0034] FIG. 8 illustrates a rose-type compensator (800) comprising at least one split hexapole. Specifically, FIG. 8 illustrates a rose-type compensator in which one of two rigid hexapoles (802) corresponds to a split hexapole (804) composed of two wafer multipoles (806). However, those skilled in the art will understand how the compensator (800) can be configured with both rigid hexapoles (802) corresponding to the split hexapole (804). The compensator (800) is illustrated as having two transmission lenses (808) positioned between the split hexapoles (804).

[0035] FIG. 9 is a diagram (900) illustrating the optical behavior of a rose-type corrector (000) comprising two divided hexapoles according to the present disclosure. Specifically, the diagram (900) illustrates the optical behavior for taking into account aberrations present in a rose-type corrector (800) comprising two divided dipoles. FIG. 9 illustrates the behavior of an axial ray (902) passing through an exemplary rose-type corrector (800) in which the two hexapoles are electrostatic divided hexapoles (904) according to the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 9 illustrates the behavior of the divided hexapoles (904) having a length L It is depicted as having, and the thickness d It is illustrated as being composed of two wafer hexapoles, wherein the same charge is applied to each wafer hexapol. For example, if the thickness of the wafer hexapol is 2 mm, the length of the split hexapol may be 12 mm, and the voltage applied to each wafer hexapol may be ±170 V. In various embodiments, the split hexapol (904) may be configured to generate small dipole and / or quadrupole fields in addition to the hexapol fields. Although not limiting the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will understand that the compensator strength of the rose-type compensator (800) corresponds to the following.

[0036] , and . (6)

[0037] FIG. 9 further illustrates a condenser lens (906) located upstream of a rose-type corrector (800), and an objective lens (908) configured to focus a charged particle beam onto a sample (910). An axial ray (902) is parallel to the optical axis (912), departs from the rose-type corrector (800), and is at a distance from the optical axis (912). x exit It is described as being located in.

[0038] FIGS. 4 through 9 illustrate split multipoles included in a number of exemplary compensator systems, but those skilled in the art will understand that the split multipoles described herein may be included in other compensator systems as a substitute for any general multipoles where the generated secondary effect of the hexapole field is important.

[0039] Examples of the subject matter of the present invention according to the present disclosure are described in the following paragraphs.

[0040] A1. A compact compensator module for a charged particle microscope system, comprising a rigid multipole configured to generate a rigid multipole field when a first voltage is applied—the rigid multipole is positioned such that the crossover of the charged particle beam of the charged particle system does not pass through the center of the rigid multipole, thereby causing the rigid multipole field to apply at least A2 aberrations and D4 aberrations to the charged particle beam of the charged particle microscope system—;

[0041] A compact compensator module comprising: a weak multipole positioned between a strong multipole and a sample when the compensator module is used in a charged particle microscope system; wherein the weak multipole generates a weak multipole field that applies at least combined A2 aberrations and combined D4 aberrations to the charged particle beam of the charged particle microscope system when a second voltage is applied to the charged particle microscope system.

[0042] A1.1. In paragraph A1, the combined application of A2 aberration and A2 aberration to a charged particle beam causes the A2 aberration of the charged particle beam to be zero or close to zero at or near the sample plane, a compact corrector module.

[0043] A1.2. A compact corrector module in any one of paragraphs A1 to A1.1, wherein the combined application of the D4 aberration and the combined D4 aberration to the charged particle beam causes the D4 aberration of the charged particle beam to be zero or close to zero at or near the sample plane.

[0044] A1.3. A compact corrector module, wherein in any one of paragraphs A1 to A1.2, a strong hexapole field additionally applies C3 aberration to the charged particle beam of a charged particle microscope system, and a weak hexapole field additionally applies combined C3 aberration to the charged particle beam of a charged particle microscope system.

[0045] A1.3.1. In paragraph A1.3, a compact corrector module in which the combined application of C3 aberration and combined C3 aberration to a charged particle beam causes the C3 aberration of the charged particle beam to be zero or close to zero at or near the sample plane.

[0046] A2. A compact compensator module, wherein in any one of paragraphs A1 to A1.3.1, the second voltage is determined by selecting based on the distance between the crossover of the charged particle beam and the center of the rigid hexapole.

[0047] A2.1. A compact corrector module in paragraph A2, wherein the second voltage is selected based on the distance between the crossover of the charged particle beam and the center of the rigid hexapole, and is determined such that one or more of the A2, C3, and D4 aberrations caused by the weak multipole field are combined with the A2, C3, and D4 aberrations caused by the rigid multipole field.

[0048] A3. A compact corrector in any one of paragraphs A1 to A2.1, wherein the weak hexapol is at least 50 or 100 times weaker than the strong hexapol.

[0049] A4. In any one of paragraphs A1 to A3, the weak hexapol is a compact corrector located within the objective lens when used in a charged particle system.

[0050] A5. In any one of paragraphs A1 to A4, the weak hexapol is a compact corrector located within the field of the objective lens.

[0051] A6. In any one of paragraphs A1 to A5, the charged particle microscope is a compact corrector, which is one of a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), and a transmission electron microscope (TEM).

[0052] A7. A compact corrector in any one of paragraphs A1 to A6, wherein the rigid hexapole is an electrostatic hexapole or an electromagnetic hexapole.

[0053] A7.1. In paragraph A7, the rigid hexapole is a compact corrector having a (effective) length of at least 5 mm.

[0054] A8. In any one of paragraphs A1 to A7.1, the corrector module is a probe corrector, a compact corrector.

[0055] A9. A compact corrector, wherein in any one of paragraphs A1 to A8, a transmission lens further comprising a rigid hexapol and a weak hexapol.

[0056] A9.1. A compact corrector according to paragraph A9, further comprising an additional transfer lens located downstream of the weak hexapol.

[0057] A10. A compact compensator in which, in any one of short circuits A1 to A9, the first voltage applied to the rigid hexapole is 50 to 300 kV.

[0058] A11. A compact compensator in any one of paragraphs A1 to A10, wherein the compact compensator module is configured to allow the opening angle of the charged particle beam of the charged particle microscope to be greater than 20 mrad.

[0059] A12. A compact corrector, wherein in any one of paragraphs A1 to A11, a condenser lens located upstream of a rigid hexapole when used in a charged particle system.

[0060] A13. In any one of paragraphs A1 to A12, the compact compensator comprises only one rigid hexapole.

[0061] B1. A charged particle system comprising: a sample holder configured to fix a sample; a charged particle source configured to emit a charged particle beam toward the sample; an optical column configured to orient the charged particle beam so that the charged particle beam is incident on the sample, wherein the optical column comprises a compact compensator module (a rigid multipole configured to generate a rigid multipole field when a first voltage is applied—the rigid multipole is positioned so that the crossover of the charged particle beam does not pass through the center of the rigid multipole, thereby causing the rigid multipole field to apply at least A2 aberrations and D4 aberrations to the charged particle beam—; and a weak multipole positioned between the rigid multipole and the sample—which generates a weak multipole field that applies at least a combination of A2 aberrations and a combination of D4 aberrations to the charged particle beam when a second voltage is applied to the weak multipole—; and a detector system configured to detect emissions generated from a sample irradiated by the charged particle beam.

[0062] B1.1. In paragraph B1, the combined application of A2 aberration and combined A2 aberration to a charged particle beam causes the A2 aberration of the charged particle beam to be zero or close to zero at or near the sample plane, a compact corrector module.

[0063] B1.2. A compact corrector module in which, in any one of paragraphs B1 to B1.1, the combined application of the D4 aberration and the combined D4 aberration to the charged particle beam causes the D4 aberration of the charged particle beam to be zero or close to zero at or near the sample plane.

[0064] B1.3. A compact corrector module in any one of paragraphs B1 to B1.2, wherein a strong hexapole field additionally applies C3 aberration to the charged particle beam of a charged particle microscope system, and a weak hexapole field additionally applies combined C3 aberration to the charged particle beam of a charged particle microscope system.

[0065] B1.3.1. In paragraph B1.3, a compact corrector module in which the combined application of C3 aberration and combined C3 aberration to a charged particle beam causes the C3 aberration of the charged particle beam to be zero or close to zero at or near the sample plane.

[0066] B2. A compact compensator module, wherein in any one of paragraphs B1 to B1.3.1, the second voltage is determined by selecting based on the distance between the crossover of the charged particle beam and the center of the rigid hexapole.

[0067] B2.1. A compact corrector module in paragraph B2, wherein the second voltage is selected based on the distance between the crossover of the charged particle beam and the center of the rigid hexapole, and is determined such that one or more of the A2, C3, and D4 aberrations caused by the weak multipole field are combined with the A2, C3, and D4 aberrations caused by the rigid multipole field.

[0068] B3. A compact corrector in any one of paragraphs B1 to B2.1, wherein the weak hexapol is at least 50 or 100 times weaker than the strong hexapol.

[0069] B4. In any one of paragraphs B1 to B3, the weak hexapol is a compact corrector located within the objective lens when used in a charged particle system.

[0070] B5. In any one of paragraphs B1 to B4, the weak hexapol is a compact corrector located within the field of the objective lens.

[0071] B6. In any one of paragraphs B1 to B5, the charged particle microscope is a compact corrector, which is one of a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), and a transmission electron microscope (TEM).

[0072] B7. A compact corrector in any one of paragraphs B1 to B6, wherein the rigid hexapole is an electrostatic hexapole or an electromagnetic hexapole.

[0073] B7.1. In paragraph B7, the rigid hexapole is a compact corrector having a length of at least 5 mm.

[0074] B8. In any one of paragraphs B1 to B7.1, the corrector module is a probe corrector, a compact corrector.

[0075] B9. A compact corrector, wherein in any one of paragraphs B1 to B8, a transmission lens further comprising a rigid hexapol and a weak hexapol.

[0076] B9.1. A compact corrector according to paragraph B9, further comprising an additional transfer lens located downstream of the weak hexapol.

[0077] B10. A compact compensator in which, in any one of short circuits B1 to B9, the first voltage applied to the rigid hexapole is 50 to 300 kV.

[0078] B11. A compact compensator in any one of paragraphs B1 to B10, wherein the compact compensator module is configured to allow the opening angle of the charged particle beam of the charged particle microscope to be greater than 20 mrad.

[0079] B12. A compact corrector, wherein in any one of paragraphs B1 to B11, a condenser lens located upstream of a rigid hexapole when used in a charged particle system.

[0080] B13. In any one of paragraphs B1 to B12, the compact compensator comprises only one rigid hexapole.

[0081] C1. An optical corrector module for a charged particle column, wherein the optical corrector module comprises a split multipole composed of two wafer multipoles separated by a distance of less than 100 mm, each wafer multipole comprises at least two electrodes positioned to partially define a beam path passing through the wafer multipole, wherein each electrode comprises a first surface facing upstream of the charged particle beam when used in the charged particle column and a second surface facing downstream of the charged particle beam when used in the charged particle column, and the thickness between the first surface and the second surface for each of the electrodes is less than 3 mm.

[0082] C1.1. An optical corrector module in paragraph C1, wherein the split multipole is configured to generate a rigid multipole field when a first voltage is applied to each of the wafer multipoles.

[0083] C1.1.1 Paragraph C1.1, an optical compensator module in which a plurality of divided 2-wafer multipoles are separated by any one of a distance of 10 mm, 1 mm, 100 μm, and 10 μm.

[0084] C1.2. An optical corrector module, wherein in any one of short circuits C1 to C1.1.1, the thickness between the first surface and the second surface for each electrode is less than 100 μm.

[0085] C1.2.1. An optical corrector module according to paragraph C1.2, wherein the thickness between the first surface and the second surface for each electrode is 1 to 100 μm.

[0086] C1.2.2. An optical corrector module, wherein in either short circuit C1.2 or C1.2.1, the thickness between the first surface and the second surface for each electrode is smaller than any of 10 mm, 1 mm, 100 μm, and 10 μm.

[0087] C1.3. An optical corrector module in any one of paragraphs C1 to C1.2.2, wherein the distance between wafer multipoles within the divided multipoles is less than 20 mm.

[0088] C1.4. An optical corrector module in any one of paragraphs C1 to C1.3, wherein the third surface of each electrode facing the charged particle beam when the charged particle beam passes through the wafer multipole has a maximum surface roughness of Ra 0.05 μm.

[0089] C1.5. An optical corrector module, wherein, in any one of paragraphs C1 to C1.4, individual wafer multipoles are configured to be used with a charged particle beam energy exceeding 10 KeV.

[0090] C1.6. An optical corrector module in which, in any one of short circuits C1 to C1.4, the voltages applied to the wafer hexapole are 100 V to 300 kV.

[0091] C1.7. An optical corrector module in which, in any one of paragraphs C1 to C1.6, the voltages applied to each of the wafer hexapoles are the same.

[0092] C1.8. An optical corrector module in any one of paragraphs C1 to C1.7, wherein the optical component is not located between two wafer multipoles along the charged particle beam path.

[0093] C1.9. An optical corrector module, wherein in any one of paragraphs C1 to C1.8, the divided multipole is a divided hexapole configured to generate a rigid hexapole field when a first voltage is applied to each of the wafer multipoles.

[0094] C1.9.1. An optical corrector module according to paragraph C1.9, wherein each of the wafer multipoles is a wafer hexapole configured to generate a hexapole field when a voltage is applied to each of the wafer hexapoles.

[0095] C1.10. An optical corrector module comprising, in any one of paragraphs C1 to C1.9.1, a first transfer lens and a second transmission lens, wherein the first transfer lens is an optical element immediately upstream of the splitting multipole and the second transmission lens is an optical element immediately downstream of the splitting multipole.

[0096] C1.10.1. An optical corrector module according to paragraph C1.10, wherein the first axial beam applies a focusing effect that causes a crossover of a charged particle beam between two wafer multipoles of a component of a split multipole.

[0097] C1.10.1.1. An optical compensator module in which, in paragraph C1.10.1, the crossover of the charged particle beam is equidistant from each component wafer multipole.

[0098] C1.10.1.2. In paragraph C1.10.1, the crossover of the charged particle beam is not equidistant from each component wafer multipole, in the optical corrector module.

[0099] C2. An optical corrector module, wherein in any one of paragraphs C1 to C1.10, the split multipole is a rigid hexapole.

[0100] C2.0.1. In paragraph C2, the optical corrector module is an optical corrector module that is a Crewe-style hexapole Cs-corrector.

[0101] C2.0.2. An optical corrector module, wherein in any one of paragraphs C2 to C2.0.1, the corrector further comprises a weak hexapole positioned between the strong hexapole and the sample when used in a charged particle column.

[0102] C2.1. An optical corrector module in paragraph C2, wherein the split hexapole is positioned so that the crossover of the charged particle beam does not pass through the center of the split hexapole, thereby applying at least A2 aberration and D4 aberration to the charged particle beam when the split hexapole field is used in the charged particle column.

[0103] C2.1.1. An optical corrector module according to paragraph C2.1, wherein when a second voltage is applied to a weak hexapol, it generates a weak hexapol field that applies at least a combination of A2 aberrations and a combination of D4 aberrations to a charged particle beam.

[0104] C2.1.1.1. Paragraph C2.1.1, an optical corrector module in which the combined application of the A2 aberration and the combined A2 aberration to the charged particle beam causes the A2 aberration of the charged particle beam to be zero or close to zero at or near the sample plane.

[0105] C2.1.1.2. An optical corrector module in any one of paragraphs C2.1.1 to C2.1.1.1, wherein the combined application of D4 aberration and combined D4 aberration to a charged particle beam causes the D4 aberration of the charged particle beam to be zero or close to zero at or near the sample plane.

[0106] C2.1.3. An optical corrector module, wherein in any one of paragraphs C2 to C2.1.1.2, a strong hexapole field additionally applies C3 aberrations to the charged particle beam of a charged particle microscope system, and a weak hexapole field additionally applies combined C3 aberrations to the charged particle beam of a charged particle microscope system.

[0107] C2.1.3.1. In paragraph C2.1.3, the combined application of the C3 aberration and the combined C3 aberration to the charged particle beam causes the C3 aberration of the charged particle beam to be zero or close to zero at or near the sample plane, an optical corrector module.

[0108] C2.2. An optical corrector module, wherein in any one of paragraphs CA2.1.1 to C2.1.3.1, the second voltage is determined by selecting based on the distance between the crossover of the charged particle beam and the center of the split hexapole.

[0109] C2.2.1. An optical corrector module in paragraph C2.2, wherein the second voltage is selected based on the distance between the crossover of the charged particle beam and the center of the rigid hexapole, and is determined such that one or more of the A2, C3, and D4 aberrations caused by the weak multipolar field are combined with the A2, C3, and D4 aberrations caused by the rigid multipolar field.

[0110] C2.2.2. An optical compensator module, wherein in any one of paragraphs C2.2 to C2.2.1, the weak hexapol is at least 50 or 100 times weaker than the strong hexapol.

[0111] C2.3. An optical corrector module, wherein in any one of paragraphs C2 to C2.2.2, the weak hexapol is positioned within the objective lens when used in a charged particle system.

[0112] C2.4. In any one of paragraphs C2 to C2.3, the weak hexapol is an optical corrector module located within the field of the objective lens.

[0113] C2.5. An optical corrector module in any one of paragraphs C2 to C2.4, wherein the rigid hexapole is an electrostatic hexapole.

[0114] C2.6. In paragraph C2.5, the rigid hexapole is an optical corrector module having a (effective) length of at least 5 mm.

[0115] C2.8. An optical corrector module, wherein, in any one of paragraphs C2 to C2.7, a transmission lens positioned between a rigid hexapole and a weak hexapole.

[0116] C2.8.1. An optical corrector module according to paragraph C2.8, further comprising an additional transfer lens located downstream of a weak hexapol.

[0117] C2.9. An optical corrector module in which, in any one of short circuits C2 to C9, the first voltage applied to the rigid hexapole is 50 to 300 kV.

[0118] C2.10. An optical compensator module configured to allow the opening angle of the charged particle beam of the charged particle microscope to be greater than 20 mrad in any one of paragraphs C2 to C2.9.

[0119] C2.11. An optical corrector module, wherein, in any one of paragraphs C2 to C2.10, it further comprises a condenser lens positioned upstream of a rigid hexapole when used in a charged particle system.

[0120] C3. An optical corrector module in any one of paragraphs C1 to C2.11, wherein the corrector further comprises additional multipoles.

[0121] C3.1. In paragraph C3, the additional multipole is a split multipole, an optical corrector module.

[0122] C3.1.1. In paragraph C3.1, the additional multipole is composed of two additional wafer multipoles separated by a distance of less than 10 mm, and each additional wafer multipole is,

[0123] It includes at least two electrodes positioned to partially define a beam path passing through an additional wafer multipole, and each electrode

[0124] A first surface facing upstream of the charged particle beam when used in a charged particle column and

[0125] An optical corrector module comprising a second surface facing downstream of a charged particle beam when used in a charged particle column.

[0126] C3.1.2. An optical corrector module, wherein in any one of paragraphs C3.1 to C3.1.1, the thickness between the first surface and the second surface for each of the additional electrodes is less than 3 mm.

[0127] C3.1.3. An optical corrector module, wherein in any one of paragraphs C3.1 to C3.1.1, the thickness between the first surface and the second surface for each of the additional electrodes is less than 100 μm.

[0128] C3.2. An optical corrector module, wherein, in any one of paragraphs C3 to C3.1.3, the additional multipole is located downstream of the split multipole when used in a charged particle system.

[0129] C3.3. An optical corrector module, wherein, in any one of paragraphs C3 to C3.1, the additional multipole is located upstream of the split multipole when used in a charged particle system.

[0130] C3.4. An optical corrector module, wherein, in any one of paragraphs C3 to C3.3, the additional multipole is located downstream of the split multipole when used in a charged particle system.

[0131] C3.5. An optical corrector module in any one of paragraphs C3 to C3.4, wherein there is no multipole located between the split multipole and the additional multipole.

[0132] C3.6. An optical corrector module comprising a transmission lens positioned between a split multipole and an additional multipole in any one of paragraphs C3 to C3.5.

[0133] C3.6.1. In paragraph C3.6, the transmission lens is an optical corrector module positioned at the axial crossover of the charged particle beam.

[0134] C3.6.2. An optical corrector module in any one of paragraphs C3.6 to C3.6.1, wherein the axial crossover of the charged particle beam is equidistant from each of the split multipole and the additional multipole.

[0135] C3.6.3. In any one of paragraphs C3.6 to C3.6.2, the charged particle beam is not a parallel beam when passing through a split multipole when the optical compensator module is used in a charged particle system.

[0136] C3.7. An optical corrector module comprising a first transfer lens and a second transfer lens positioned between a split multipole and an additional multipole in any one of paragraphs C3 to C3.5.

[0137] C3.7.1. An optical corrector module according to paragraph C3.7, wherein the first transmission lens is positioned upstream of the axial crossover of the charged particle beam and the second transmission lens is positioned downstream of the axial crossover of the charged particle beam.

[0138] C3.7.2. An optical corrector module in any one of paragraphs C3.7 to C3.7.1, wherein the axial crossover of the charged particle beam is equidistant from each of the split multipole and the additional multipole.

[0139] C3.7.3. An optical corrector module in any one of paragraphs C3.7 to C3.7.2, wherein the axial crossover of the charged particle beam is equidistant from each of the first transfer lens and the second transfer lens.

[0140] C3.7.4. An optical compensator module, wherein in any one of paragraphs C3.7 to C3.7.3, the charged particle beam is a parallel beam when passing through a split multipole when the optical compensator module is used in a charged particle system.

[0141] C3.7.5. An optical compensator module, wherein in any one of paragraphs C3.7 to C3.7.3, the charged particle beam is substantially a parallel beam when passing through a split multipole when the optical compensator module is used in a charged particle system.

[0142] C3.8. An optical corrector module in any one of paragraphs C3 to C3.7.5, wherein the split multipole and the additional multipole are both electrostatic multipoles.

[0143] C3.9. An optical corrector module in any one of paragraphs C3 to C3.8, wherein the split multipole and the additional multipole are both hexapoles.

[0144] C4. In any one of paragraphs C2 to C2.6, the optical corrector module is an optical corrector module that is a probe corrector.

[0145] C5. In any one of paragraphs C1 to C4, the corrector strength for the optical corrector module corresponds to the following relationship, the optical corrector module:

[0146] , and .

[0147] D1. A charged particle system comprising: a sample holder configured to hold a sample; a charged particle source configured to emit a charged particle beam toward a sample; an optical column configured to orient the charged particle beam toward an incident sample—the optical column comprises an optical corrector module of any one of paragraphs C1 to C5—; and a detector system configured to detect emissions generated from a sample irradiated by the charged particle beam.

[0148] E1. Use of any one of the correction module in paragraphs A1 to A13 and C1 to C5.

[0149] F1. Use of any one of the charged particle systems in paragraphs B1 to B13 and D1.

Claims

Claim 1 As a charged particle microscope system, the optical column comprises: a sample holder configured to fix a sample; a charged particle source configured to emit a charged particle beam toward the sample; and an optical column configured to orient the charged particle beam so that the charged particle beam is incident on the sample and includes a compact compensator module, wherein the compact compensator module comprises: a rigid multipole configured to generate a rigid multipole field when a first voltage is applied - the rigid multipole is positioned such that the crossover of the charged particle beam does not pass through the center of the rigid multipole, thereby causing the rigid multipole field to apply at least A2 aberrations and D4 aberrations to the charged particle beam -; a weak multipole positioned between the rigid multipole and the sample plane - the weak multipole is configured to generate a weak multipole field that applies at least combined A2 aberrations and combined D4 aberrations to the charged particle beam when a second voltage is applied to the weak multipole -; A charged particle microscope system comprising a detector system configured to detect emissions generated from a sample irradiated by the charged particle beam, wherein the number of strong multipoles in the compact compensator module is only one, and the compact compensator module does not include a multipole stronger than the weak multipoles in addition to the strong multipoles, and the combined application of the A2 aberration and the combined A2 aberration to the charged particle beam causes the charged particle beam to have a desired A2 aberration in the sample plane, and the combined application of the D4 aberration and the combined D4 aberration to the charged particle beam causes the charged particle beam to have a desired D4 aberration in the sample plane. Claim 2 In claim 1, the strong multipolar field further applies C3 aberrations to the charged particle beam of the charged particle microscope system; the weak multipolar field further applies combined C3 aberrations to the charged particle beam of the charged particle microscope system; and the combined application of the C3 aberrations and the combined C3 aberrations to the charged particle beam causes the charged particle beam to have a desired C3 aberration in the sample plane, the charged particle microscope system. Claim 3 In paragraph 2, the charged particle microscope system is configured to apply the second voltage, wherein the second voltage is configured such that one or more of the combination A2 aberration, the combination C3 aberration, and the combination D4 aberration caused by the weak multipolar field are combined with the A2, C3, and D4 aberrations caused by the strong multipolar field, based on the distance between the crossover of the charged particle beam and the center of the strong multipolar field. Claim 4 A charged particle microscope system according to claim 1, wherein the charged particle microscope system is configured to apply the first voltage and the second voltage such that the weak multipole is at least 50 times weaker than the strong multipole. Claim 5 A charged particle microscope system according to claim 1, wherein the weak multipole is located within the objective lens of the optical column of the charged particle microscope system. Claim 6 A charged particle microscope system according to claim 1, wherein the weak multipole is located within the field of the objective lens of the optical column of the charged particle microscope system. Claim 7 A charged particle microscope system according to claim 1, further comprising a round lens positioned between the strong multipole and the weak multipole, wherein the round lens is positioned, charged, or otherwise configured such that the lens effect of the round lens is adjusted such that the magnitude of the D4 aberration is combined with the combined D4 aberration to have a desired D4 aberration in the sample plane. Claim 8 A charged particle microscope system according to claim 1, wherein the rigid multipole is an electrostatic multipole. Claim 9 In claim 8, the rigid multipole is a charged particle microscope system having a length of at least 5 mm. Claim 10 A charged particle microscope system according to claim 1, wherein the rigid multipole is a rigid hexapole and the weak multipole is a weak hexapole. Claim 11 A charged particle microscope system according to claim 1, configured to apply the first voltage to the rigid multipole such that the first voltage applied to the rigid multipole is 0.1 to 30 kV. Claim 12 A charged particle microscope system according to claim 1, wherein the compact compensator module is configured to allow the opening angle of the charged particle beam of the charged particle microscope to be greater than 20 mrad. Claim 13 In claim 1, the charged particle microscope system is configured to apply the first voltage to the strong multipole such that the first voltage is 50 to 300 kV, and the weak multipole is at least 50 times or 100 times weaker than the strong multipole. Claim 14 A compact compensator module for a charged particle microscope system, comprising: a rigid multipole configured to generate a rigid multipole field when a first voltage is applied, wherein the rigid multipole is positioned such that the crossover of the charged particle beam of the charged particle microscope system does not pass through the center of the rigid multipole, thereby causing the rigid multipole field to apply at least A2 aberrations and D4 aberrations to the charged particle beam; and a weak multipole positioned between the rigid multipole and the sample plane when the compact compensator module is used in the charged particle microscope system, wherein the weak multipole is configured to generate a weak multipole field that applies at least combined A2 aberrations and combined D4 aberrations to the charged particle beam when a second voltage is applied to the weak multipole; wherein the rigid multipole is the only multipole stronger than the weak multipole of the compact compensator module. Claim 15 A compact corrector module according to claim 14, wherein the combined application of the A2 aberration and the combined A2 aberration to the charged particle beam causes the charged particle beam to have a desired A2 aberration in the sample plane, and the combined application of the D4 aberration and the combined D4 aberration to the charged particle beam causes the charged particle beam to have a desired D4 aberration in the sample plane. Claim 16 In claim 14, the strong multipolar field further applies C3 aberration to the charged particle beam of the charged particle microscope system; the weak multipolar field further applies a combined C3 aberration to the charged particle beam of the charged particle microscope system; and the combined application of the C3 aberration and the combined C3 aberration to the charged particle beam causes the charged particle beam to have a desired C3 aberration in the sample plane, a compact corrector module. Claim 17 In claim 16, the compact corrector module is configured such that one or more of the combined A2 aberration, combined C3 aberration, and combined D4 aberration caused by the weak multipole field operate in combination with the A2, C3, and D4 aberrations caused by the strong multipole field. Claim 18 A compact corrector module according to claim 14, further comprising a round lens positioned between the strong multipole and the weak multipole, wherein the round lens is positioned, charged, or otherwise configured such that the lens effect of the round lens is combined with the magnitude of the D4 aberration to adjust the charged particle beam to have a desired D4 aberration in the sample plane. Claim 19 In claim 14, the above rigid multipole is an electrostatic multipole, a compact corrector module. Claim 20 A compact corrector module according to claim 14, wherein the rigid multipole is a rigid hexapole and the weak multipole is a weak hexapole.

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