Charged particle beam device and method for preparing and oberving sample piece

Abstract

Provided is a charged particle beam device that controls the orientation of a holder 6 capable of holding a plurality of carriers, and that is capable of transporting the holder independently of a wafer stage 21. The charged particle beam device comprises: a wafer stage 21 on which a wafer is placed and moved; a needle which holds a sample piece separated and removed from the wafer, and transports the sample piece to a plurality of carriers attached to the holder; and a sub-stage 22 which holds the holder, and moves independently of the wafer stage 21.

Description

Charged particle beam device and sample piece preparation and observation method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a charged particle beam device for processing and observing a sample, and a method for producing and observing a sample piece.

[0002] As semiconductor devices become finer in structure, circuit patterns become denser, and wiring becomes more multi-layered, cross-sectional analysis of wafers using, for example, a transmission electron microscope (TEM) or a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) is becoming increasingly important in order to improve reliability.

[0003] In the imaging, observation, measurement, analysis, evaluation, and inspection of samples in semiconductor manufacturing processes, for example, a focused ion beam (FIB) device is used to thin a specified portion of a wafer. This thinning process produces a sample piece (also called a lamella or thin film sample) that exposes the cross-sectional structure of the device. The sample piece is then transferred to a carrier, and the cross-sectional structure of the sample piece is observed using, for example, a TEM device.

[0004] A known method for transferring a sample piece to a carrier is the microsampling method. In the microsampling method, a sample piece is extracted from a sample using a microprobe in a charged particle beam device and transferred to a carrier (TEM mesh). After the sample piece has been transferred to the carrier, the carrier must be unloaded in order to change the carrier's orientation.

[0005] Patent Document 1 describes a charged particle beam device capable of performing FIB processing and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) observation. This charged particle beam device includes a sample holder for holding and securing a thin sample and a sample stage on which the sample holder is placed. The sample stage is capable of movement in three axes (X, Y, and Z), tilting around a tilt axis perpendicular to the FIB irradiation axis, and rotation. The sample holder includes a rotating table that rotates around a holder shaft on a base mounted on the sample stage, and a worm wheel that is housed in a recess formed in the rotating table and rotates around a roller axis independently of the rotating table. A carrier is provided on the top of the worm wheel to which the thin sample can be directly attached. This structure allows the charged particle beam device of Patent Document 1 to change the carrier's orientation without unloading the carrier.

[0006] JP 2016-72089 A

[0007] However, the sample holder of Patent Document 1 can only hold one carrier, which limits the number of sample pieces that can be transferred to the carrier, resulting in low efficiency in observing the sample pieces. Furthermore, in the charged particle beam device of Patent Document 1, the sample stage on which the wafer is placed and the sample holder are transported as an integrated structure. Therefore, there are problems in that a larger sample stage makes transportation difficult, and a smaller sample stage limits the size of the wafer that can be placed on the sample stage.

[0008] A brief summary of a representative embodiment of the present invention will be given below.

[0009] In one embodiment, the charged particle beam device is a charged particle beam device that creates sample pieces from a wafer using a charged particle beam, and includes a charged particle beam column that irradiates the charged particle beam, a wafer stage that places the wafer on it and moves it, a sample piece transfer mechanism that holds the sample pieces separated and extracted from the wafer and transports them to a plurality of carriers attached to a sample piece holder, and a sample piece holder stage to which the sample piece holder is detachably attached and that moves independently of the wafer stage.

[0010] In one embodiment, a method for preparing and observing a sample piece includes irradiating a wafer with an ion beam, processing the sample piece such that the plane or cross section of the wafer is the observation surface, attaching a sample piece transfer mechanism to the processed sample piece to extract and separate it from the wafer, attaching the sample piece to a carrier on a sample piece holder mounted on a tiltable and rotatable sample piece holder stage so that the observation surface is parallel to the surface of the carrier, rotating the sample piece holder stage so that the observation surface of the sample piece can be observed with an electron beam, and rotating the sample piece holder stage so that the back side of the observation surface of the sample piece can be observed with the electron beam.

[0011] In one embodiment, a method for producing and observing a specimen includes irradiating a wafer with an ion beam, processing the specimen with a plane or cross section of the wafer as an observation surface, attaching a specimen transfer mechanism to the processed specimen to extract and separate it from the wafer, attaching the specimen to a carrier on a specimen holder mounted on a specimen holder stage that can be tilted and rotated so that the observation surface is parallel to the surface of the carrier, tilting the specimen holder stage so that the observation surface is parallel to the optical axis of the ion beam, and The stage for the sample piece holder is rotated so that the back surface of the observation surface can be observed with an electron beam, the observation surface or the back surface of the sample piece is processed by irradiating it with the ion beam to thin the sample piece, the inclination of the stage for the sample piece holder is changed to adjust the angle of incidence of the ion beam on the observation surface or the back surface so that the observation surface and the back surface are processed in parallel, and the electron beam is irradiated onto the observation surface or the back surface that has been processed by the ion beam to observe the processed state of the observation surface or the back surface.

[0012] In one embodiment, a method for preparing and observing a specimen includes irradiating a wafer with an ion beam to process the specimen, with the plane or cross section of the wafer being the observation surface, attaching a specimen transfer mechanism to the processed specimen to extract and separate it from the wafer, attaching the specimen to a carrier on a specimen holder mounted on a tiltable and rotatable specimen holder stage so that the observation surface is parallel to the surface of the carrier, tilting the specimen holder stage so that the observation surface is parallel to the optical axis of the ion beam, and tilting the specimen holder so that the tilt axis of the stage on which the specimen holder stage is mounted intersects with the observation surface. a stage for a specimen holder, which is rotated and tilted about the tilt axis so as to change the angle of incidence of the ion beam with respect to the observation surface; the observation surface of the specimen or the back surface of the observation surface is processed by irradiating the ion beam to thin the specimen; the inclination of the specimen holder stage is changed to adjust the angle of incidence of the ion beam with respect to the observation surface or the back surface so that the observation surface and the back surface are processed in parallel; the specimen holder stage is rotated so that the observation surface or the back surface processed by the ion beam can be observed by irradiating it with an electron beam; and the processed state of the observation surface or the back surface is observed.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the posture of a specimen holder that can carry multiple carriers can be controlled relative to the wafer stage using a specimen holder stage with multiple drive axes, and the specimen holder can be transported independently of the wafer stage.

[0014] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system of an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an outline of an inspection process in the inspection system. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a charged particle beam device. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the appearance of a wafer stage and a substage. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the appearance of a holder. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a carrier. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic view of the structure of a formed specimen. FIG. 8 is a diagram explaining a process of transferring a specimen to a carrier. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a process when a charged particle beam device performs a first operation. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the appearance of a substage, a holder and a carrier during automatic cross-section sampling. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a transfer process during automatic cross-section sampling. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the appearance of a substage, a holder and a carrier during automatic planar sampling. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a transfer process during automatic planar sampling. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a process of a second operation when a first method is performed in a finishing process. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a process of a second operation when a second method is performed in a finishing process. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a schematic view of the relationship between an ion beam and a specimen during a first process of a finishing process. FIG. 16 is a flowchart explaining a first process of a finishing process. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a schematic view of the appearance of an observation surface of a specimen. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the appearance of a substage, a holder, and a carrier attached to the holder when a second process of a finishing process is performed. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the relationship between an ion beam and a sample piece during a second process of a finishing process. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship between a sample piece and a needle during attitude control automatic sampling. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the appearance of a substage, a holder, and a carrier during attitude control automatic sampling. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a relocation process during attitude control automatic sampling.

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same parts are generally designated by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations will be omitted. In the drawings, the representation of components may not represent their actual positions, sizes, shapes, ranges, etc., in order to facilitate understanding of the invention.

[0016] For the purpose of explanation, when describing processing by a program, the program, functions, processing units, etc. may be described as the main components, but the main hardware components of these are the processor, or a controller, device, computer, system, etc. that is configured with the processor, etc. A computer executes processing according to a program read into memory using resources such as memory and communication interfaces as appropriate through the processor. This realizes predetermined functions, processing units, etc. A processor is configured with, for example, semiconductor devices such as a CPU or GPU. A processor is configured with devices or circuits that are capable of performing predetermined calculations. Processing is not limited to software program processing, and can also be implemented using dedicated circuits. Dedicated circuits such as FPGAs, ASICs, and CPLDs can be used.

[0017] The program may be pre-installed as data on the target computer, or may be distributed as data from a program source to the target computer. The program source may be a program distribution server on a communication network, or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a memory card). The program may be composed of multiple modules. The computer system may be composed of multiple devices. The computer system may be composed of a cloud computing system, an IoT system, or the like. The various data and information may be composed of structures such as tables and lists, but are not limited to these.

[0018] <Embodiments> [Overall System Configuration] A charged particle beam device and an inspection system including the charged particle beam device according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a general configuration of an inspection system 1 according to an embodiment.

[0019] The inspection system 1 includes a specimen preparation mechanism 1a, a specimen observation mechanism 1c, and a host controller 101 as a control mechanism. As shown in FIG. 1, the specimen preparation mechanism 1a is a charged particle beam device 10. The charged particle beam device 10 as the specimen preparation mechanism 1a is, for example, an FIB-SEM device. The specimen observation mechanism 1c is, for example, a specimen observation device 30 such as a TEM device.

[0020] The upper control unit 101 as a control mechanism controls, for example, each controller, which is a control unit provided for each device. The controller of each device manages information about the device and controls the processing operation of the device. These controllers may be built into each device or may be externally connected. The controllers of each device may communicate with each other as appropriate. A configuration may be adopted in which the controllers of each device communicate with each other and control their corresponding devices.

[0021] The inspection system 1 receives inspection instructions and information about locations to be inspected from a manufacturing management system 150 in a semiconductor manufacturing factory. The inspection system 1 receives a wafer 3, which is a sample to be inspected, from a semiconductor manufacturing line 1d in the semiconductor manufacturing factory by transportation. The transported wafer 3 is set in the charged particle beam device 10. The wafer 3 is transported between the semiconductor manufacturing line 1d and the charged particle beam device 10 of the inspection system 1 by a predetermined transport mechanism. For example, a FOUP, which is a container storing the wafer 3, is transported by an automatic transport system or manually by an operator.

[0022] The FIB-SEM device, which is a charged particle beam device 10, thins a specified location (site) of the transported wafer 3 to form and fabricate a sample piece 4. The charged particle beam device 10 removes the formed and fabricated sample piece 4 from the wafer 3 and transfers it to a carrier (LC: Lamella Carrier) 5. The TEM device, which is a sample piece observation device 30, observes and analyzes a cross section or plane of the sample piece 4 on the carrier 5, and generates and outputs the resulting data 9, etc.

[0023] Various types of data and information are appropriately communicated between the devices of the inspection system 1 via the host control unit 101. The various types of data and information include, for example, data indicating the position of the inspection target on the surface of the wafer 3, data indicating the position where the sample piece 4 was successfully created, and data indicating the position of the sample piece 4 mounted on the carrier 5. In addition, the inspection result data 9 includes detection signals related to secondary electrons and the like generated from the sample piece 4 irradiated with the beam, images obtained from the detection signals, data obtained as a result of processing the images, data related to X-rays generated from the sample piece 4, and the like.

[0024] The inspection system 1 performs processing operations, such as preparing a sample piece 4 at a specified position on a specified wafer 3 and transferring the sample piece 4 to a specified position on a specified carrier 5, by dividing the processing operations among the devices, and keeps track of information on the processing operations, status, position, etc. for control purposes. The inspection system 1 then outputs the inspection results of the sample piece 4 as data 9.

[0025] The sample piece 4 is transported between the charged particle beam device 10 and the sample piece observation device 30 by a transport mechanism 90. For example, the carrier 5 to which the sample piece 4 has been transferred is transported by an automatic transport system. It is also possible to transport the wafer 3 back from the charged particle beam device 10 to the semiconductor production line 1d by a transport mechanism (not shown). For various transports, a FOUP, carrier 5, or the like is used. A FOUP is a container filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen, and wafers 3, etc. can be put in and taken out of the container for storage.

[0026] The wafer 3 used in the embodiment is composed of a semiconductor substrate in which a p-type or n-type impurity region is formed, semiconductor elements such as transistors formed on the semiconductor substrate, and wiring layers formed on the semiconductor elements. The sample piece 4 is a portion formed on the wafer 3 and extracted. Therefore, the sample piece 4 similarly includes the structures of the semiconductor substrate, semiconductor elements, wiring layers, etc. of the wafer 3. Furthermore, the embodiment is mainly directed to the inspection of the sample piece 4 of the wafer 3 used in a semiconductor manufacturing line, but is not limited thereto, and the sample may also be a structure used in fields other than semiconductor technology.

[0027] [Processing Flow of Inspection System] Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of the inspection system 1. Each process shown in the flowchart of Fig. 2 is preferably automatically executed and controlled by the upper control unit 101, but some of the processes can also be partially controlled manually. For example, in each step shown below, an operator may press a start button when starting processing by the apparatus.

[0028] In step S101, a FOUP containing an inspection target, i.e., a wafer 3 to be subjected to cross-sectional or surface analysis, is transported from the semiconductor production line 1d via a transport mechanism to the charged particle beam system 10. The charged particle beam system 10 receives the FOUP and places the wafer 3 on a stage. At this time, the upper level control unit 101 of the charged particle beam system 10 acquires data and information, such as information on the inspection target location of the wafer 3 and inspection instructions, from the production management system 150.

[0029] In step S102, the upper control unit 101 causes the FIB-SEM device included in the charged particle beam device 10 to perform a thinning process operation to form and produce one or more specimen pieces 4 on the wafer 3. Based on information received from the manufacturing management system 150, the charged particle beam device 10 moves the stage to position its field of view at an inspection target position (site) on the wafer 3. Then, the charged particle beam device 10 forms the specimen piece 4 by irradiating the inspection target position with a beam that is an FIB.

[0030] In step S103, the upper control unit 101 causes the charged particle beam device 10 to perform a transfer process to transfer the specimen 4 formed on the wafer 3 onto the carrier 5. In step S104, the upper control unit 101 causes the transport mechanism 90 to perform a transport process to transport the carrier 5 on which the specimen 4 is mounted from the charged particle beam device 10 to the specimen observation device 30. In step S105, the upper control unit 101 causes the TEM device provided in the specimen observation device 30 to perform cross-sectional observation or planar observation using TEM images. The results of the analysis and inspection performed by the cross-sectional observation or planar observation are stored and output as data 9.

[0031] 3 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the charged particle beam device 10. The charged particle beam device 10 includes a sample chamber 20, an ion beam column 11, an ion beam column controller 131, an electron beam column 12, an electron beam column controller 132, a wafer stage 21, a wafer stage controller 133, a substage 22, a substage controller 134, a needle 112, a needle controller 142, etc. The charged particle beam device 10 also includes a charged particle detector 109, a detector controller 136, a sample chamber controller 137, an integrated control unit 130, a computer system 100, etc.

[0032] The charged particle beam device 10 is equipped with a wafer load mechanism (not shown) and the like. The wafer load mechanism is a mechanism for loading the wafer 3 in the FOUP into the sample chamber 20 and unloading the wafer 3 in the sample chamber 20 into the FOUP.

[0033] The sample chamber 20 is equipped with an ion beam column 11, an electron beam column 12, a wafer stage 21, a substage 22, a needle 112, and the like.

[0034] The ion beam column 11 is disposed such that its optical axis OA1 (shown by a dashed-dotted line) is aligned vertically. The electron beam column 12 is disposed such that its optical axis OA2 (shown by a dashed-dotted line) is tilted relative to the optical axis OA1 of the ion beam column 11. The ion beam column 11 irradiates an ion beam b11, which is an FIB, toward a cross point CP1, and the electron beam column 12 irradiates an electron beam b12 toward the cross point CP1. The ion beam b11 emitted from the ion beam column 11 and the electron beam b12 emitted from the electron beam column 12 are focused at the cross point CP1, which is the intersection of their respective optical axes. In this example, the optical axis of the electron beam column 12 is tilted relative to the optical axis of the ion beam column 11, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

[0035] The ion beam column 11 includes components necessary for an FIB device, such as an ion source 11a that generates an ion beam b11, lenses 11b and 11c that focus the ion beam b11, an objective lens 11d, and a deflector 11e that scans the ion beam b11. In other words, the ion beam column 11 is a charged particle beam column that irradiates a charged particle beam.

[0036] The electron beam column 12 includes components necessary for an SEM apparatus, such as an electron source 12a that generates an electron beam b12, lenses 12b and 12c that focus the electron beam b12, an objective lens 12d, and a deflector 12e that scans the electron beam b12. In other words, the electron beam column 12 is a charged particle beam column that irradiates a charged particle beam.

[0037] The wafer stage 21 is a movable stage on which a wafer 3, which is a sample, can be placed. The substage 22 is a movable stage on which a sample piece 4 or a carrier 5 can be placed. Details of the wafer stage 21 and the substage 22 will be described later. The wafer stage 21, substage 22, etc. can move in a plane and in a rotational direction. The integrated control unit 130 controls the movement of the wafer stage 21 via a wafer stage controller 133, thereby positioning the target area on the surface of the wafer 3 (for example, the area where the sample piece 4 is to be formed) so that the beam can be irradiated. The integrated control unit 130 controls the movement of the substage 22 via a substage controller 134, thereby controlling the attitude of the carrier 5 mounted on the substage 22.

[0038] The charged particle detector 109 detects, as detection signals, charged particles generated when the ion beam b11 is irradiated onto the sample and charged particles generated when the electron beam b12 is irradiated onto the sample. The detector controller 136 performs arithmetic processing on the detection signals of the charged particle detector 109 to generate an image. The detector controller 136 includes an arithmetic processing unit realized by circuit or program processing.

[0039] The sample chamber 20 may also be equipped with other types of detectors, such as an X-ray detector and a backscattered electron detector, which detect backscattered electrons generated from the sample.

[0040] The needle 112 is provided inside the sample chamber 20 so as to be able to reach the cross point CP1. The needle 112 is controlled and driven by the needle controller 142 to hold the sample piece 4 that has been separated and extracted (lifted out) from the wafer 3, and functions as a sample piece transfer mechanism that transports and transfers the sample piece 4 to the carrier 5. Furthermore, the needle 112 can move in a plane, vertically, and rotationally, so that when the needle 112 is holding the sample piece 4, the attitude of the sample piece 4 can be freely changed.

[0041] The sample chamber 20 also includes other components, such as a gas supply unit (not shown), which supplies gases used for etching and deposition processes. The degree of vacuum in the sample chamber 20 is controlled by a sample chamber controller 137. The sample chamber 20 may be placed on a vibration isolation table 201 to prevent vibration. In addition to the above components, the sample chamber 20 may also be provided with a pressure reduction device for evacuating the chamber, a cold trap, an optical microscope, or the like.

[0042] The charged particle beam device 10 is not limited to the FIB-SEM device described above, but may be an FIB device without an SEM mechanism, or an FIB device equipped with an optical microscope instead of an SEM mechanism.

[0043] The integrated control unit 130 controls the entire charged particle beam device 10 and each of its components. The integrated control unit 130 is electrically connected to the controllers of each component, such as the wafer stage controller 133 and the substage controller 134, and can communicate with each other. The integrated control unit 130 controls the controllers of each component using control signals. Multiple controllers may be integrated into a single controller. Each controller may be implemented by a computer system, a dedicated circuit, or the like. The integrated control unit 130 is connected to the computer system 100. The integrated control unit 130 controls the operation of the entire charged particle beam device 10 and each of its components in accordance with instructions from the computer system 100, etc.

[0044] The computer system 100 provides a user interface including a GUI to a user who uses the charged particle beam device 10, and accepts input of various instructions, settings, etc. from the user. The computer system 100 has an input device 162, an output device 161, a storage device, etc. built in or externally connected. Examples of the input device 162 include a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a microphone, etc. Examples of the output device 161 include a display, a printer, a speaker, a lamp, etc. The display displays a screen with a GUI, etc. The screen displays images captured by the charged particle beam device 10, setting information, user instruction information, etc.

[0045] A user such as an operator can check various information, images, etc. on the screen displayed on the display. The user inputs various instructions, settings, etc. to the screen using a keyboard, etc. The computer system 100 transmits instructions, etc. to the integrated control unit 130 based on the input instructions, settings, etc. Note that the integrated control unit 130 and the computer system 100 may be configured as an integrated unit.

[0046] [Wafer Stage 21 and Substage 22] Figures 4(A) and 4(B) are external perspective views of the wafer stage 21 and substage 22 provided in the sample chamber 20. Figure 4(A) shows the case where the rotation angle about the T axis, which will be described later, is 0°, and Figure 4(B) shows the case where the rotation angle about the T axis is 20°.

[0047] The following description will be given using a Cartesian coordinate system consisting of x, y, and z axes, as shown in FIG. 4 . The z axis is set along the vertical direction, with the sample chamber 20, i.e., the charged particle beam device 10, located above the z axis (+). The x axis is set perpendicular to the z axis, and the y axis is set perpendicular to the x and z axes. By setting the Cartesian coordinate system, the ion beam column 11 described above can be said to irradiate the ion beam b11 from the z axis (+) side toward the z axis (-) side. In other words, the optical axis OA1 of the ion beam column 11 is parallel to the z axis. Furthermore, the electron beam column 12 irradiates the electron beam b12 from the z axis (+) side and the y axis (+) side toward the z axis (-) side and the y axis (-). In other words, the optical axis OA2 of the electron beam column 12 is inclined with respect to the xy plane. The attitudes of the wafer stage 21 and substage 22 are controlled by a wafer stage controller 133 or a substage controller 134 so that processing and observation can be performed using the ion beam b11 and electron beam b12 irradiated in the above directions.

[0048] [Wafer Stage 21] The wafer stage 21 is configured to be movable with the wafer 3 placed thereon. Specifically, the wafer stage 21 has an x-base 210, a y-base 211, a z-base 212, a rotation base 213, and a support mechanism 214. As shown in FIG. 4A , when the rotation angle of the T-axis (described later) is 0°, the x-base 210, the y-base 211, the z-base 212, and the rotation base 213 are arranged in the sample chamber 20 in the above order from the lower side, i.e., the −z-axis side.

[0049] The x-base 210 is a plate-shaped member having a long side extending in the y-axis direction. An x-axis drive mechanism 215 having, for example, a motor, a ball screw, and a guide member extending along the x-axis is provided below the x-base 210. When the motor of the x-axis drive mechanism 215 is driven, the ball screw rotates, and the x-base 210 moves along the x-axis, which is a first direction. When the x-base 210 moves along the x-axis, the y-base 211, z-base 212, and rotation base 213 provided above the x-base 210 also move along the x-axis, which is the first direction, together with the x-base 210.

[0050] The drive of the x-axis drive mechanism 215 is controlled by the integrated control unit 130 via the wafer stage controller 133. The movement of the x-base 210 by the x-axis drive mechanism 215 is controlled by, for example, encoder control or linear scale control, and the x-base 210 is positioned with high precision. The range over which the x-base 210 can move is 0 to 327 mm, which is large enough to accommodate, for example, a 300 mm wafer 3. In addition, a y-axis drive mechanism 216 for moving the y-base 211 is provided on the upper surface of the x-base 210.

[0051] The y-base 211 is a plate-shaped member and is provided on the upper surface of the x-base 210. More specifically, the y-base 211 is provided on a y-axis drive mechanism 216 provided on the upper surface of the x-base 210. The y-axis drive mechanism 216 includes, for example, a motor, a ball screw, and a guide member extending along a second direction intersecting (perpendicular to) the x-axis. The second direction is the y-axis direction when the rotation angle of the T-axis (described later) is 0° (see FIG. 4A ). When the motor of the y-axis drive mechanism 216 is driven, the ball screw rotates, and the y-base 211 moves along the second direction. When the y-base 211 moves along the second direction, the z-base 212 and the rotation base 213 provided above the y-base 211 also move along the second direction together with the y-base 211. In other words, the y-base 211 is movable in the first and second directions.

[0052] The driving of the y-axis drive mechanism 216 is controlled by the integrated control unit 130 via the wafer stage controller 133. The movement of the y-base 211 by the y-axis drive mechanism 216 is controlled by, for example, encoder control or linear scale control, and the y-base 211 is positioned with high precision. The range over which the y-base 211 can move is 0 to 327 mm, which is large enough to accommodate, for example, a 300 mm wafer 3. In addition, a z-axis drive mechanism 217 that moves the z-base 212 is provided on the upper surface side of the y-base 211.

[0053] The z base 212 is a plate-shaped member and is provided on the upper surface of the y base 211. More specifically, the z base 212 is provided on a z-axis drive mechanism 217 provided on the upper surface of the y base 211. The z-axis drive mechanism 217 includes, for example, a motor, a ball screw, and a wedge-shaped guide member that extends along the x-axis and is inclined relative to the y base 211. When the motor of the z-axis drive mechanism 217 is driven, the ball screw rotates, and the z base 212 moves along the inclined surface of the wedge-shaped guide member. As a result, the z base 212 moves in a direction perpendicular to the y base 211, i.e., a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions. That is, the z base 212 can move in the first, second, and third directions. The third direction is the z-axis direction when the rotation angle of the T-axis (described later) is 0° (see FIG. 4A ). When z base 212 moves along the third direction, rotation base 213 provided above z base 212 also moves along the third direction together with z base 212. That is, as shown in Fig. 4A, when the rotation angle around the T axis is 0°, z base 212 moves along the z axis, and accompanying this movement, rotation base 213 also moves along the z axis.

[0054] The drive of the z-axis drive mechanism 217 is controlled by the integrated control unit 130 via the wafer stage controller 133. The movement of the z-base 212 by the z-axis drive mechanism 217 is controlled by, for example, encoder control or linear scale control, and the z-base 212 is positioned with high precision.

[0055] The rotary base 213 is provided on the z-base 212. The rotary base 213 is a mounting table on which the wafer 3 is placed and is rotatable about the R-axis, which is a first axis intersecting (orthogonal to) the z-base 212. The R-axis, which is the first axis, is parallel to the z-axis when the rotation angle of the T-axis, which will be described later, is 0° (see FIG. 4A ). The rotary base 213 is rotated by a drive mechanism whose drive is controlled by the integrated control unit 130 via the wafer stage controller 133. In this case, the rotary base 213 is rotated by, for example, rotating a ceramic ring using an ultrasonic motor, and the rotary base 213 can be positioned with high precision in the rotation direction. The rotary base 213 has an electrostatic chuck. The wafer 3 is placed on the rotary base 213 by being attracted by the electrostatic force of the electrostatic chuck.

[0056] The support mechanism 214 is rotatably supported via gears or the like on two side walls of the sample chamber 20 that intersect with the x-axis. The support mechanism 214 rotates around the T-axis, a second axis parallel to the x-axis, by synchronously driving gears provided on the two side surfaces of the sample chamber 20. The support mechanism 214 supports the x-axis drive mechanism 215 provided on the underside of the x-base 210, thereby integrally supporting the x-base 210, y-base 211, z-base 212, and rotation base 213 provided above it. Therefore, by rotating the support mechanism 214 around the T-axis, it is possible to tilt the rotation base 213 on which the wafer 3 is placed with respect to the x-y plane, as shown in FIG. 4B , for example. In other words, the T-axis is a tilt axis that tilts the wafer stage 21 on which the wafer 3 is placed with respect to the x-y plane.

[0057] [Substage 22] The substage 22 is a stage for a sample piece holder to which the holder 6 (described later) is detachably attached and which can move independently of the wafer stage 21. Specifically, as shown in Figures 4(A) and 4(B), the substage 22 is provided on the z-base 212 of the wafer stage 21 described above. Therefore, when the wafer stage 21 moves along the first directional axis, the second direction, and the third direction as described above, the substage 22 also moves along the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction together with the wafer stage 21. Furthermore, when the wafer stage 21 rotates around the T-axis and tilts with respect to the xy plane, the substage 22 also rotates around the T-axis together with the wafer stage 21 and tilts with respect to the xy plane.

[0058] FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the substage 22. Note that FIG. 5 shows the substage 22 when the rotation angle of the T-axis described above is 0°. The substage 22 has a mounting section 221 on which the holder 6 carrying the carrier 5 is detachably mounted (loaded), a mounting support section 222 that supports the mounting section 221, and a tilting mechanism 223. The mounting section 221 has a mounting surface (not shown), on which the holder 6 transported by the transport mechanism 90 is placed and mounted. The mounting support section 222 is attached to the z base 212 so as to be rotatable about the θ-axis, which is a third axis intersecting (orthogonal to) the z base 212. The mounting support section 222 is rotated by a drive mechanism controlled by the substage controller 134.

[0059] The tilt mechanism 223 is an arm member fixed to the mounting part 221, and is attached to the mounting support part 222 at one end so as to be rotatable about the F-axis, which is a fourth axis that intersects (is perpendicular to) the θ-axis, and has a gear formed at the other end. Therefore, when the driving force of the driving mechanism controlled by the substage controller 134 is transmitted via the gear, the tilt mechanism 223 rotates about the F-axis. As the tilt mechanism 223 rotates, the mounting part 221 fixed to the tilt mechanism 223 rotates about the F-axis. As a result, the mounting part 221 and the holder 6 are tilted with respect to a plane parallel to the z base 212.

[0060] Furthermore, when the mounting support part 222 rotates about the θ axis due to the driving force of the driving mechanism controlled by the substage controller 134, the tilting mechanism 223 and the mounting part 221 rotate about the θ axis together with the rotation of the mounting support part 222. As a result, the mounting part 221 rotates about an axis perpendicular to the z base 212 in a plane parallel to the z base 212. Note that Fig. 5 illustrates a case where the θ axis and the z axis are parallel, and the F axis and the y axis are parallel.

[0061] Because the substage 22 has the above-described configuration, the substage 22 moves (rotates) about the θ axis and moves (tilts) about the F axis independently of the wafer stage 21. This allows the holder 6 and the carrier 5 mounted on the holder 6 to also rotate about the θ axis and tilt about the F axis independently of the wafer stage 21. The carrier 5 mounted on the holder 6 attached to the mounting portion 221 and the wafer 3 mounted on the rotating base 213 are designed to have the same height, i.e., the same distance from the z base 212 in the third direction.

[0062] [Holder 6] The holder 6 is a specimen holder that mounts multiple carriers 5, and is detachably attached to a substage 22, which is a specimen holder stage. Figure 6 is an external perspective view of the holder 6. The holder 6 has a columnar shape. The following description will be made using a Cartesian coordinate system consisting of u-axis, v-axis, and w-axis, as shown in Figure 6. The u-axis is an axis set along the longitudinal direction of the holder 6. The v-axis is an axis that is perpendicular to the u-axis and set along the lateral direction of the holder 6. The w-axis is an axis that is perpendicular to the u-axis and v-axis and set along the height direction of the holder 6.

[0063] A carrier holding portion 61 for holding the mounted carrier 5 is provided on a surface 60a on the w-axis + side of the holder 6. The carrier holding portion 61 is a plate-shaped member, and a biasing force in the w-axis - direction is applied to the carrier holding portion 61 by a biasing portion 62, such as a coil spring, provided on the w-axis - side. The carrier 5 is mounted on the holder 6 by being sandwiched between the w-axis - side surface of the carrier holding portion 61 and the surface 60a. As shown in FIG. 6 , the mounted carrier 5 held by the carrier holding portion 61 protrudes toward the v-axis + side beyond a surface 60b on the v-axis + side of the holder 6. Note that while FIG. 6 shows a case in which the holder 6 has four carrier holding portions 61, the number of carrier holding portions 61 may be three or less, or may be five or more.

[0064] The holder 6 is attached to the attachment portion 221 of the substage 22. As described above, the attachment portion 221 to which the holder 6 is attached is fixed to the tilting mechanism 223. Therefore, it can be said that the holder 6 is detachably attached to the substage 22 independently of the tilting mechanism 223.

[0065] Note that when the surface 60a of the holder 6 attached to the substage 22 described above is parallel to the z base 212 on the + side of the z axis, the rotation angle of the F axis of the substage 22 is set to 0°. Also, when the + and - directions of the u axis of the holder 6 attached to the substage 22 coincide with the + and - directions of the y axis, respectively, the rotation angle of the θ axis of the substage 22 is set to 0°. Therefore, the above-mentioned Figure 5 shows the case where the rotation angle of the θ axis of the substage 22 is 0° and the rotation angle of the F axis is 90°.

[0066] [Carrier 5] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the carrier 5. This carrier 5 is sometimes called a lamellar grid, a TEM mesh, or the like. This carrier 5 includes a half-moon shaped base 50 and a plurality of pillars 53 protruding from a linear portion 51 within the surface of the base 50. Each pillar 53 is a specimen support portion having a structure capable of mounting and holding a specimen 4.

[0067] Marks 55, each consisting of a hole penetrating the base 50, are provided on both ends of the base 50 where no pillars 53 are provided (circumferential portions in a plan view of the top surface of the carrier 5). The marks 55 are provided as marks of different shapes, and circular and triangular marks 55 are shown as examples here. The marks 55 make it easy to distinguish between the front and rear of the carrier 5. Furthermore, when determining the position of the pillar 53 to which the sample piece 4 should be relocated, the desired pillar 53 can be found using the marks 55 as a reference, making it easy to identify the relocation position.

[0068] [Operation of Charged Particle Beam Apparatus] The operation of the charged particle beam apparatus 10 having the above configuration will be described. The charged particle beam apparatus 10 forms, prepares, and transfers (samples) the sample piece 4 from the wafer 3, and performs one of the following operations: a first operation in which the sampled sample piece 4 is observed, a second operation in which the sampled sample piece 4 is subjected to finish processing, or a third operation in which only sampling of the sample piece 4 is performed. Each of the first operation, second operation, and third operation will be described below.

[0069] [First Operation] In the first operation, the charged particle beam device 10 performs a preparation process, followed by a processing process, a transfer process, and an observation process, which are included in the fabrication and observation method.

[0070] [Preparation Processing] The integrated control unit 130 performs preparation processing as a preliminary preparation for processing to form and fabricate the specimen 4. This preparation processing corresponds to step S101 shown in FIG. 2 described above. Specifically, the wafer 3 is loaded onto the rotation base 213 of the wafer stage 21, and the holder 6 to which the carrier 5 is attached is loaded onto the substage 22. Adjustments are made to the ion beam b11 and electron beam b12 irradiated from the ion beam column 11 and the electron beam column 12, respectively.

[0071] The integrated control unit 130 controls the wafer stage controller 133 to adjust the positions of the x-axis, y-axis, z-axis, T-axis, and R-axis of the wafer stage 21, thereby aligning the position of the wafer 3. Then, the integrated control unit 130 receives, from the host control unit 101, position data indicating the position where the specimen 4 is to be formed / prepared on the wafer 3. Based on the input position data, the integrated control unit 130 controls the wafer stage controller 133 to move the wafer stage 21, and positions the specimen 4 to be formed / prepared at the cross point CP1.

[0072] [Processing] After the above preparation process is completed, the integrated control unit 130 performs processing to process the wafer 3 to form the specimen 4. This processing corresponds to step S102 shown in FIG. 2 described above.

[0073] FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a sample piece 4 formed and prepared by processing. FIG. 8 shows a sample piece 4 formed and prepared when observing the cross-sectional structure of a wafer 3 (cross-sectional observation). In this case, the sample piece 4 is a thin piece whose width in the y-axis direction is thinner than its widths in the x-axis and z-axis directions. In this case, the cross-section of the wafer 3 serves as the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4, which will be described later. Note that when a sample piece 4 is formed and prepared for observing the planar structure of the wafer 3 (planar observation), the sample piece 4 may be a thin piece whose width in the z-axis direction is thinner than its widths in the x-axis and y-axis directions. In this case, the plane of the wafer 3 serves as the observation surface of the sample piece 4, which will be described later.

[0074] A protective film is formed on the wafer 3 based on the shape of the specimen 4. In this case, the ion beam column 11 irradiates the wafer 3 with an ion beam b11, and while observing the position where the specimen 4 will be formed / prepared, a protective film material such as carbon gas is poured in, thereby forming the protective film on the surface of the wafer 3. The ion beam column 11 irradiates the wafer 3 outside the protective film with the ion beam b11, thereby etching a part of the wafer 3. In this way, the specimen 4 is formed / prepared.

[0075] As a result, in the processing, the wafer 3 is irradiated with the ion beam b11, thereby processing the sample piece 4, the observation surface of which is the plane or cross section of the wafer 3. At this point, the sample piece 4 is connected to the wafer 3 by the connection point 4a. In other words, at this point, the connection point 4a of the sample piece 4 and the wafer 3 are integrated, and as will be described later, when the sample piece 4 is transferred to the carrier 5 by the needle 112, the sample piece 4 is separated from the connection point 4a.

[0076] [Transfer Processing] In the transfer processing, a needle 112, which is a sample piece transfer mechanism, is attached to the sample piece 4 processed in the processing processing, thereby extracting and separating (lifting out) the sample piece 4 from the wafer 3. The lifted-out sample piece 4 is then attached to the carrier 5 on the holder 6 attached to the substage 22 so that the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4 is parallel to the surface of the carrier 5. This processing corresponds to step S103 shown in Fig. 2 and is performed by the automatic micro-sampling method.

[0077] 9A and 9B are explanatory diagrams illustrating the transfer process. First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the needle 112 is controlled by the needle controller 142 to approach the sample piece 4. A deposition process is performed in the sample chamber 20, and the needle 112 is bonded to a part of the sample piece 4. As shown in the figure, the needle 112 is bonded to the side surface 4b of the sample piece 4 opposite the connection point 4a. The ion beam column 11 irradiates the connection point 4a connecting the sample piece 4 and the wafer 3 with an ion beam b11 to perform etching. As a result, the sample piece 4 is cut, extracted, and separated from the wafer 3.

[0078] Next, as shown in FIG. 9B , the sample piece 4 held by the needle 112 is moved to the position of the pillar 53 on the carrier 5 by the movement of the needle 112 controlled by the needle controller 142. As described above, the carrier 5 is mounted on the holder 6 attached to the substage 22, and therefore the carrier 5 is placed at a different position from the wafer 3. When performing cross-sectional observation, the substage 22 is driven to a position where the rotation angles of the F-axis and the θ-axis are both 90°. When performing planar observation, the substage 22 is driven to a position where the angles of the F-axis and the θ-axis are 0° and 90°, respectively. Then, the movement of the needle 112 is controlled by the needle controller 142, and the sample piece 4 approaches the position of the pillar 53. The operation of each part when transferring the sample piece 4 to the carrier 5 will be described in detail later.

[0079] 9(C), the side surface 4c of the sample piece 4 opposite to the side surface 4b where the sample piece 4 is connected to the needle 112 is close to the pillar 53. Deposition processing is performed near this side surface 4c, thereby bonding the pillar 53 and the sample piece 4. At this time, the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4, which is a cross section or plane of the wafer 3, is attached so as to be parallel to the surface of the carrier 5. Then, the ion beam column 11 irradiates the ion beam b11 onto the portion of the side surface 4b where the sample piece 4 and the needle 112 are connected, thereby etching the portion. As a result, the sample piece 4 is cut off from the needle 112.

[0080] 9 shows a case where one sample piece 4 is supported by one pillar 53. However, by making the pillar 53 taller, a plurality of sample pieces 4 may be supported by one pillar 53.

[0081] [Observation Process] In the observation process, the substage 22 is rotated around the θ-axis so that the observation surface 40 of the specimen 4 can be irradiated with the electron beam b12 and observed. After the observation of the observation surface 40 of the specimen 4 is performed, the substage 22 is rotated around the θ-axis so that the back side of the observation surface 40 of the specimen 4 can be irradiated with the electron beam b12 and observed. Specifically, when the specimen 4 is transferred to be supported by the pillars 53 of the carrier 5 through the transfer process, the electron beam column 12 irradiates the electron beam b12 onto the observation surface 40 of the specimen 4 supported by the pillars 53. For example, when performing cross-section observation, the substage 22 is controlled by the substage controller 134 to be driven to a position with a rotation angle of 90° around the θ-axis. That is, the observation surface 40 of the specimen 4 transferred to the carrier 5 faces the electron beam column 12.

[0082] The charged particle detector 109 detects charged particles generated from the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4, and the detector controller 136 performs arithmetic processing on the detection signals contained in the detected charged particles to generate an image. From this image, it is possible to analyze the structure of the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4. Furthermore, if the charged particle beam device 10 has an X-ray detector, the X-ray detector can detect X-rays generated from the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4, and the materials constituting the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4 can also be analyzed.

[0083] When observing the back surface of the specimen 4, which is opposite to the observation surface 40 observed as described above, the substage 22 is controlled by the substage controller 134 and driven to a position rotated 180° about the θ axis, where the rotation angle of the θ axis is −90°. That is, the back surface of the specimen 4 faces the electron beam column 12. Then, in the same manner as when observing the observation surface 40 of the specimen 4, the electron beam b12 is irradiated onto the back surface of the specimen 4, and observation processing is performed. Note that driving the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angle of the θ axis is 90° or −90° as described above is just an example. The rotation angle of the θ axis can be any value depending on the observation location.

[0084] After the above processing operation is performed by the charged particle beam device 10 on the specified number of sample pieces 4, the wafer 3 is removed (unloaded) from the rotating base 213 of the wafer stage 21, and the holder 6 with the carrier 5 attached is removed (unloaded) from the substage 22.

[0085] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation flow of the charged particle beam system 10. Each process shown in FIG.

[0086] In step S201, the integrated control unit 130 loads the wafer 3 onto the rotation base 213 of the wafer stage 21, and loads the holder 6 with the carrier 5 mounted on it onto the substage 22. In step S202, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column controller 131 and the electron beam column controller 132 to adjust the ion beam b11 and the electron beam b12 irradiated from the ion beam column 11 and the electron beam column 12, respectively.

[0087] In step S203, the integrated control unit 130 controls the wafer stage controller 133 to drive the wafer stage 21 and align the position of the wafer 3. In step S204, the integrated control unit 130 controls the wafer stage controller 133 to move the wafer stage 21 based on the position data input from the upper control unit 101, and positions the specimen piece 4 to be formed at the cross point CP1. The processes from step S201 to S204 above are the preparation process.

[0088] In step S205, as a processing process, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column controller 131 to cause the ion beam column 11 to irradiate the wafer 3 with the ion beam b11. As described above, the ion beam column 11 irradiates the wafer 3 on the outer side of the protective film formed on the wafer 3 with the ion beam b11, and a part of the wafer 3 is etched to form and produce the sample piece 4.

[0089] In step S206, the integrated control unit 130 controls the needle controller 142 to move the needle 112 closer to the sample piece 4. The integrated control unit 130 adheres the needle 112 to a part of the sample piece 4 by deposition processing. In step S207, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column controller 131 to cause the ion beam column 11 to irradiate the connection point 4a with the ion beam b11 to perform etching processing. This causes the sample piece 4 to be cut from the wafer 3. In step S208, the integrated control unit 130 controls the needle controller 142 to move the needle 112 and lift the sample piece 4 off the wafer 3.

[0090] In step S209, the integrated control unit 130 controls the needle controller 142 to move the needle 112 to the position of the pillar 53 on the carrier 5. The integrated control unit 130 then performs deposition processing near the side surface 4c of the sample piece 4 to bond the pillar 53 and the sample piece 4 together. The integrated control unit 130 then controls the ion beam column controller 131 to cause the ion beam column 11 to irradiate the ion beam b11 onto the connection point 4d between the sample piece 4 and the needle 112, thereby performing etching. As a result, the sample piece 4 is cut from the needle 112, and the sample piece 4 is transferred to the pillar 53, i.e., the carrier 5. The processing of steps S206 to S209 described above constitutes the transfer processing.

[0091] In step S210, the integrated control unit 130 controls the electron beam column controller 132 to cause the electron beam column 12 to irradiate the electron beam b12 onto the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4 supported by the pillars 53. Then, the integrated control unit 130 causes the charged particle detector 109 to detect charged particles generated from the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4, and performs an observation process in which the detection signals contained in the charged particles are processed and imaged.

[0092] In step S211, it is determined whether the designated number of sample pieces 4 have been formed and prepared, transferred to the carrier 5, and subjected to the observation process. If the designated number of sample pieces 4 have been subjected to the respective processes, the integrated control unit 130 makes a positive determination, and the process proceeds to step S212. If the number of sample pieces 4 that have been subjected to the above respective processes does not reach the designated number, the integrated control unit 130 makes a negative determination, and the process returns to step S204.

[0093] In step S212, the integrated control unit 130 unloads the wafer 3 from the rotary base 213 of the wafer stage 21, and unloads the holder 6 with the carrier 5 attached thereto from the substage 22, thereby completing the process.

[0094] [Details of Transfer Processing] Details of step S209 in the transfer processing described above will be explained. The transfer processing for performing cross-section observation (automatic cross-section micro-sampling) and the transfer processing for performing planar observation (automatic planar sampling) differ in the rotation angles of the F axis and the θ axis of the substage 22. Below, the cases where automatic cross-section sampling is performed on the specimen piece 4 and automatic planar sampling will be explained separately.

[0095] [Transfer Processing for Cross-Section Observation of a Sample Piece (Automatic Cross-Section Sampling)] Figure 11 is a diagram showing a schematic view of the appearance of the substage 22, the holder 6 attached to the substage 22, and the carrier 5 attached to the holder 6. Figure 11(A) shows the appearance of the substage 22, the holder 6, and the carrier 5 as seen from the + side of the z-axis, and Figure 11(B) shows the appearance of the substage 22, the holder 6, and the carrier 5 as seen from the + side of the y-axis.

[0096] As described above, when performing cross-sectional observation, the substage 22 is driven to a position where the rotation angles about both the F axis and the θ axis are 90°. Therefore, as shown in Figures 11(A) and 11(B), the surface of the base 50 of the carrier 5 is parallel to the zx plane and faces the +y axis, and the pillars 53 protrude toward the +z axis. In other words, the surface of the base 50 of the carrier 5 faces the electron beam column 12.

[0097] In this state, the ion beam column 11 and the electron beam column 12 irradiate the carrier 5 with the ion beam b11 and the electron beam b12, respectively. Note that while the ion beam b11 and the electron beam b12 are being irradiated, the needle 112 is moved to a position where it is not irradiated with the ion beam b11 and the electron beam b12, for example, a retracted position on the + side of the z axis.

[0098] Charged particles generated by irradiation with the ion beam b11 are detected as a detection signal by the charged particle detector 109, and the detection signal is converted into an image by the detector controller 136. As shown in FIG. 11B, the carrier 5 is irradiated with the ion beam b11 from the + side of the z axis. Therefore, the detector controller 136 generates an image (LC image) of the carrier 5 as viewed from the + side of the z axis. The integrated control unit 130 uses this image to detect whether or not there is any positional deviation of the carrier 5 in the x and y directions. If there is a positional deviation, the wafer stage controller 133 moves the z base 212 in the x and y axes to adjust the positional deviation of the substage 22.

[0099] Charged particles generated by irradiation with the electron beam b12 are detected as a detection signal by the charged particle detector 109, and the detection signal is converted into an image by the detector controller 136. As shown in FIG. 11B, the carrier 5 is irradiated with the electron beam b12 from the + side of the y axis. Therefore, the detector controller 136 generates an image (LC image) of the carrier 5 as viewed from the + side of the y axis. The integrated control unit 130 uses this image to detect whether or not there is any positional deviation of the carrier 5 in the zx directions. If there is a positional deviation, the wafer stage controller 133 moves the z base 212 in the x and z axes to adjust the positional deviation of the substage 22.

[0100] Furthermore, the integrated control unit 130 determines the position of the pillar 53 to which the sample piece 4 is to be transferred, based on the LC image viewed from the +z-axis side and the LC image viewed from the +y-axis side. The needle controller 142 moves the needle 112 to the vicinity of the pillar 53 determined based on the LC image. At this time, the integrated control unit 130 calculates the movement amount of the needle 112 based on the coordinates of the retracted position of the needle 112 and the coordinates of the position of the pillar 53 determined on the LC image. The needle controller 142 moves the needle 112 by the calculated movement amount.

[0101] In this state, the ion beam column 11 and the electron beam column 12 irradiate the sample piece 4 adhered to the needle 112 with an ion beam b11 and an electron beam b12, respectively. Charged particles generated by irradiation with the ion beam b11 are detected as detection signals by the charged particle detector 109, and the detection signals are converted into images by the detector controller 136. That is, an image (needle image) of the sample piece 4 and the needle 112 as viewed from the + side of the z axis is generated. The integrated control unit 130 uses this image to identify the position of the sample piece 4 in the x and y directions.

[0102] Charged particles generated by irradiation with the electron beam b12 are detected as detection signals by the charged particle detector 109, and the detection signals are converted into images by the detector controller 136. That is, an image (needle image) of the sample piece 4 and the needle 112 as viewed from the +y-axis side is generated. The integrated control unit 130 uses this image to identify the position of the sample piece 4 in the zx direction.

[0103] The integrated control unit 130 calculates the distance between the sample piece 4 and the pillar 53, i.e., the movement amount of the sample piece 4, based on the position of the sample piece 4 identified based on the needle image and the position of the pillar 53 determined based on the LC image. The needle controller 142 moves the needle 112 by the calculated movement amount. As a result, the sample piece 4 is moved to a position where it can be attached to the pillar 53 of the carrier 5. Thereafter, the above-mentioned deposition processing and cutting of the needle 112 from the sample piece 4 are performed.

[0104] 12 is a flowchart illustrating the operation flow of the transfer process performed by the charged particle beam device 10 when automatically sampling the cross section of the sample piece 4. Each process shown in FIG. 12 is automatically executed and controlled by the integrated control unit 130. Each process described below is a detailed description of the process of step S209 executed in the flowchart of FIG. 10 described above.

[0105] In step S300, the integrated control unit 130 controls the wafer stage controller 133 to move the x base 210, the y base 211, and the z base 212 within the xy plane, thereby moving the substage 22 below the ion beam column 11 and the electron beam column 12 (toward the negative z-axis). In step S301, the integrated control unit 130 controls the substage controller 134 to move the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angles about the F axis and the θ axis are both 90°. In step S302, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column controller 131 to irradiate the carrier 5 with the ion beam b11 from the ion beam column 11. Similarly, the integrated control unit 130 controls the electron beam column controller 132 to irradiate the carrier 5 with the electron beam b12 from the electron beam column 12. The integrated control unit 130 calculates the amount of movement from the needle 112 at the retracted position to the pillar 53 using an LC image generated by the detector controller 136 based on the detection signals detected by the charged particle detectors 109 and 110.

[0106] In step S303, the integrated control unit 130 controls the needle controller 142 to move the needle 112 by the movement amount calculated in step S302. In step S304, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column controller 131 to cause the ion beam column 11 to irradiate the sample piece 4 adhered to the needle 112 with the ion beam b11. Similarly, the integrated control unit 130 controls the electron beam column controller 132 to cause the electron beam column 12 to irradiate the sample piece 4 adhered to the needle 112 with the electron beam b12. The integrated control unit 130 uses a needle image generated by the detector controller 136 based on a detection signal detected by the charged particle detector 109 to calculate the movement amount of the needle 112 to a position where the needle 112 can be adhered to the pillar 53.

[0107] In step S305, the integrated control unit 130 controls the needle controller 142 to move the needle 112 by the movement amount calculated in step S304. In step S306, the integrated control unit 130 adheres the needle 112 to a part of the sample piece 4 by deposition processing, as described above. In step S307, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column controller 131 to cause the ion beam column 11 to irradiate the ion beam b11 to the connection point 4d between the sample piece 4 and the needle 112, thereby cutting the needle 112 from the sample piece 4 and completing the relocation process.

[0108] [Transfer Processing for Planar Observation of Specimen (Automatic Planar Sampling)] Figure 13 is a diagram showing a schematic view of the appearance of the substage 22, the holder 6 attached to the substage 22, and the carrier 5 attached to the holder 6. Figure 13(A) shows the appearance of the substage 22, the holder 6, and the carrier 5 as seen from the +z-axis side, and Figure 13(B) shows an enlarged view of the carrier 5 shown in Figure 13(A). The following explanation will mainly focus on the differences from the case of automatic cross-sectional sampling of the specimen 4. Points that are not particularly explained are the same as those in the case of automatic cross-sectional sampling of the specimen 4 described above.

[0109] As described above, when performing automatic planar sampling of the sample piece 4, the substage 22 is driven to a position where the rotation angle of the F axis is 0° and the rotation angle of the θ axis is 90°. Therefore, as shown in Figures 13(A) and 13(B), the surface of the base body 50 of the carrier 5 is parallel to the xy plane and faces the +z axis, and the pillars 53 protrude toward the +y axis. In other words, the surface of the base body 50 of the carrier 5, i.e., the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4, faces the ion beam column 11. In this state, the ion beam column 11 and the electron beam column 12 irradiate the carrier 5 with an ion beam b11 and an electron beam b12, respectively. The following process is performed in the same manner as when performing cross-sectional moving sampling of the sample piece 4.

[0110] 14 is a flowchart illustrating the operation flow of the transfer process performed by the charged particle beam device 10 when performing automatic planar sampling of the sample piece 4. Each process shown in FIG. 14 is automatically executed and controlled by the integrated control unit 130. Each process described below is a detailed description of the process of step S209 executed in the flowchart of FIG. 10 described above.

[0111] The processing in step S400 is the same as the processing in step S300 in Fig. 12. In step S401, the integrated control unit 130 controls the substage controller 134 to drive the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angle of the F axis is 0° and the rotation angle of the θ axis is 90°. The processing in the following steps S402 to S407 is the same as the processing in steps S302 to S307 in Fig. 12.

[0112] [Second Operation] The charged particle beam device 10 performs a second operation as a fabrication and observation method, which includes a preparation process, a processing process, a transfer process, and a finishing process. In the second operation, the preparation process, the processing process, and the transfer process are the same as those in the first operation described above. Note that, during the transfer process, attitude-controlled automatic microsampling may be performed to automatically control the attitude of the sample piece 4. The attitude-controlled automatic microsampling will be described in detail later.

[0113] In the finishing process, either a first method or a second method is performed. In the first method, finishing is performed on one sampled specimen 4 before another specimen 4 is sampled from the wafer 3. In the second method, after a specified number of specimens 4 have all been sampled from the wafer 3, finishing is performed on each specimen 4. The process of the charged particle beam device 10 performing the second operation will be described below.

[0114] Fig. 15 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the charged particle beam device 10 when the first method is performed in the finishing processing. Each processing shown in Fig. 15 is automatically executed and controlled by the integrated control unit 130. Each processing from step S501 to step S509 is the same as each processing from step S201 to step S209 shown in Fig. 10 described above.

[0115] In step S510, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column 11, the electron beam column 12, and the substage 22 to process the sample piece 4 attached to the pillar 53 into a thin film having a thickness of, for example, 100 nm or less for TEM observation. Details of the finishing process will be described later.

[0116] In step S511, it is determined whether the specified number of sample pieces 4 have been formed and prepared, transferred to the carrier 5, and subjected to finishing processing. If the specified number of sample pieces 4 have been subjected to the respective processes, the integrated control unit 130 makes a positive determination, and the process proceeds to step S512. If the number of sample pieces 4 that have been subjected to the above respective processes does not reach the specified number, the integrated control unit 130 makes a negative determination, and the process returns to step S504. In step S512, the integrated control unit 130 performs the same process as step S212 shown in FIG. 10, and ends the respective processes of the second operation.

[0117] Fig. 16 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the charged particle beam device 10 when the second method is performed in the finishing process. Each process shown in Fig. 16 is automatically executed and controlled by the integrated control unit 130. Each process from step S601 to step S609 is the same as the process from step S201 to step S209 shown in Fig. 10.

[0118] In step S610, it is determined whether the designated number of sample pieces 4 have been formed and prepared and transferred to the carrier 5. If the designated number of sample pieces 4 have been subjected to the respective processes, the integrated control unit 130 makes a positive determination, and the process proceeds to step S611. If the number of sample pieces 4 that have been subjected to the above-described respective processes does not reach the designated number, the integrated control unit 130 makes a negative determination, and the process returns to step S604.

[0119] In step S611, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column 11, the electron beam column 12, and the substage 22 to process each sample piece 4 attached to the pillar 53 to a thickness of, for example, 100 nm or less for TEM observation. Details of the finishing process will be described later. In step S612, the integrated control unit 130 performs a process similar to step S212 shown in FIG. 10, and ends each process of the second operation.

[0120] [Finishing Process] Next, details of the finishing process will be described. Note that, whether the first method or the second method is used, the following processes are commonly performed during the finishing process. In the finishing process, the ion beam column 11 irradiates the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4 or the back surface of the observation surface 40 with an ion beam b11, thereby processing the sample piece 4 into a thin film piece having a desired thickness (e.g., 100 nm or less). The charged particle beam device 10 has a first process and a second process as finishing processes, and executes either the first process or the second process. In the first process, processing is performed while controlling the rotation angle of the F-axis of the substage 22, thereby changing the incident angle of the ion beam b11 irradiating the sample piece 4 onto the sample piece 4. In the second process, processing is performed while controlling the rotation angle of the T-axis of the wafer stage 21, thereby reducing the occurrence of a curtaining effect on the sample piece 4. Below, the first and second processes will be described in detail.

[0121] [First Process] In the first process of the finishing process, the substage controller 134 drives the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angles about both the F-axis and the θ-axis are 90°, as in the case of the transfer process of the sample piece 4 during the automatic cross-section sampling described above. That is, as shown in Figures 11(A) and 11(B), the surface of the base body 50 of the carrier 5 is parallel to the zx plane and faces the +y-axis side, and the pillars 53 protrude toward the +z-axis side. The sample piece 4 is bonded to the pillars 53 protruding toward the +z-axis side, and the ion beam b11 is irradiated from the +z-axis side by the ion beam column 11, thereby subjecting the sample piece 4 to finishing processing.

[0122] The surface of the sample piece 4 to be finished (observation surface 40) can be observed by the electron beam b12 because the substage 22 is driven (rotated) to a position where the rotation angle about the θ axis is 90°. That is, the processed state of the surface of the sample piece 4 to be finished is observed by imaging based on the electron beam b12 irradiated by the electron beam column 12. Prior to the finish processing, a processing frame is set on the sample piece 4 to identify the area where the finish processing will be performed. The sample piece 4 is cut by irradiating this processing frame with the ion beam b11 from the ion beam column 11.

[0123] 17A and 17B are diagrams schematically illustrating the relationship between the ion beam b11 irradiated from the ion beam column 11 and the shape of the sample piece 4 in the yz plane. FIG. 17A shows a case where the substage 22 is driven to a position where the rotation angle of the F axis is 90°. At this time, the ion beam b11 is incident on the sample piece 4 perpendicular to the surface of the sample piece 4 on the +z axis side. That is, the substage 22 is rotated and tilted around the F axis so that the optical axis OA1 of the ion beam b11 is parallel to the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4. The observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4 is roughly thinned by irradiation with the ion beam b11 (hereinafter referred to as the first finishing process).

[0124] 17(B) shows a schematic diagram of the shape of the sample piece 4 after the first finish processing. During the first finish processing, due to the energy distribution of the irradiated ion beam b11, the processed cross section 41 formed by processing the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4 is not parallel to the z-axis, but is tilted. For example, the negative z-axis side of the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4 has a shape that protrudes more toward the positive y-axis side than the positive z-axis side.

[0125] By cutting the protruding portion of the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4, processing is performed to make the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4 a vertical cross section (hereinafter referred to as second finishing processing). When performing the second finishing processing, the substage controller 134 drives the substage 22 so that the rotation angle of the F axis is changed to (90-α)° without changing the rotation angle of the θ axis to 90°. Note that α is an angle in the range of, for example, approximately 1° to 1.5°, and is set appropriately depending on the size of the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4 and beam conditions such as the beam intensity of the ion beam b11.

[0126] FIG. 17C schematically shows the case where the rotation angle of the F-axis is (90-α) degrees. As shown in the figure, the ion beam b11 is incident non-perpendicularly on the sample piece 4. That is, by changing the tilt of the substage 22, the incident angle of the ion beam b11 with respect to the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4 is adjusted. Therefore, the protruding portion of the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4 on the negative z-axis side is removed by irradiation with the ion beam b11, and the sample piece 4 is processed into a finished cross section 41a shown by the dashed line in FIG. 17C. As a result, a finished cross section 41a in which tilting is suppressed is formed on the sample piece 4.

[0127] During the second finishing process, the ion beam column controller 131 outputs the ion beam b11 from the ion beam column 11 at a lower current than during the first finishing process. Therefore, the beam intensity of the ion beam b11 is lower than during the first finishing process, and damage to the sample piece 4 can be reduced.

[0128] The electron beam b12 is irradiated onto the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4 from the electron beam column 12, thereby imaging the processed cross section 41 and observing the processed state of the observation surface 40. As a result of the observation, the integrated control unit 130 stops the second finishing process when the processed cross section 41 has become a finished cross section 41a having the desired shape. The observation may be performed by the user checking the generated image, or by the integrated control unit 130 comparing the image of the processed cross section 41 with a template image in which the finished cross section 41a having the desired shape is imaged.

[0129] Next, the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 is subjected to a finishing process (hereinafter referred to as the third finishing process). When performing the third finishing process, the substage controller 134 rotates the substage 22 180° about the θ axis from the state during the second finishing process, and drives it to a position where the rotation angle of the θ axis is −90°. The surface of the sample piece 4 to be finished (the back surface 42 of the observation surface 40) can be observed by the electron beam b12 because the substage 22 has been driven (rotated) to a position where the rotation angle of the θ axis is −90°. In other words, the processed state of the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 is observed by imaging based on the electron beam b12 irradiated by the electron beam column 12.

[0130] The substage controller 134 also drives the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angle of the F axis is (90 + α)°. The value of α is the same as that during the second finishing process. In this state, the ion beam column 11 irradiates the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 with the ion beam b11. As a result, the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 is also machined into a vertical cross-sectional shape without any inclination. That is, by changing the inclination of the substage 22, the incident angle of the ion beam b11 with respect to the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 is adjusted, and the finished cross-section 41a of the sample piece 4 and the back surface 42 are machined parallel to each other. In the third finishing process, the electron beam column 12 also irradiates the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 with the electron beam b12, thereby imaging and observing the back surface 42. As a result of the observation, the integrated control unit 130 stops the third finishing process when the back surface 42 has the desired shape. In this case as well, the observation may be performed by the user checking the image, or by the integrated control unit 130 comparing the generated image with a template image.

[0131] The second and third finishing processes described above are used to thin the sample piece 4. After the second and third finishing processes have been performed, the sample piece 4 may be cleaned using a low-acceleration ion beam.

[0132] 18 is a flowchart illustrating the operation flow of the first step of the finishing process performed by the charged particle beam device 10. Each step shown in FIG. 18 is automatically executed and controlled by the integrated control unit 130. Each step described below is a detailed description of the step S510 in FIG. 15 or the step S611 in FIG. 16. That is, the steps described below are steps performed after the sample piece 4 is transferred to the pillars 53 of the carrier 5.

[0133] In step S701, the integrated control unit 130 controls the wafer stage controller 133 to move the x base 210, the y base 211, and the z base 212 within the xy plane, and to move the substage 22 below (to the negative z-axis side) the ion beam column 11 and the electron beam column 12. Note that when the finishing process is performed using the first method, that is, when the process shown in FIG. 15 is performed, the process of step S701 is not performed.

[0134] In step S702, the integrated control unit 130 controls the substage controller 134 to drive the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angles around both the F axis and the θ axis are 90°. In step S703, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column controller 131 to cause the ion beam column 11 to irradiate the sample piece 4 with the ion beam b11. Similarly, the integrated control unit 130 controls the electron beam column controller 132 to cause the electron beam column 12 to irradiate the sample piece 4 with the electron beam b12. The integrated control unit 130 recognizes the position of the sample piece 4 using an image (sample piece position image) generated by the detector controller 136 based on the detection signal detected by the charged particle detector 109, and identifies the position of the sample piece 4 to be finish-machined.

[0135] In step S704, the integrated control unit 130 sets a processing frame on the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4 based on the position identified using the sample piece position image. In step S705, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column controller 131 to irradiate the ion beam b11 from the ion beam column 11 onto the processing frame set on the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4. This performs the first finishing process.

[0136] In step S706, the integrated control unit 130 controls the substage controller 134 to drive the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angle of the F-axis is (90-α) degrees. In step S707, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column controller 131 to cause the ion beam column 11 to irradiate the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4 with the ion beam b11. This performs the second finish machining. At this time, the integrated control unit 130 controls the electron beam column controller 132 to cause the electron beam column 12 to irradiate the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4 with the electron beam b12. The integrated control unit 130 creates an image of the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4 using an image generated by the detector controller 136 based on the detection signal detected by the charged particle detector 109.

[0137] The integrated control unit 130 determines whether the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4 has been processed into the desired shape, i.e., the shape of the finished cross section 41a, by, for example, comparing the generated image with a template image, etc. When the integrated control unit 130 determines that the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4 has been processed into the shape of the finished cross section 41a, it controls the ion beam column controller 131 and the electron beam column controller 132 to stop the irradiation of the ion beam b11 from the ion beam column 11 and the irradiation of the electron beam b12 from the electron beam column 12.

[0138] In step S708, the integrated control unit 130 controls the substage controller 134 to drive the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angle around the θ axis is −90° and the rotation angle around the F axis is (90+α)°. In step S709, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column controller 131 to irradiate the ion beam b11 from the ion beam column 11 onto the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4. This performs the third finishing process.

[0139] In this case, too, the integrated control unit 130 controls the electron beam column controller 132 to irradiate the electron beam b12 from the electron beam column 12 onto the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4. The integrated control unit 130 creates an image of the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 using an image generated by the detector controller 136 based on a detection signal detected by the charged particle detector 109. When the integrated control unit 130 determines, based on the generated image, that the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 has been machined into a desired shape, as in step S707, the integrated control unit 130 ends the third finishing process. That is, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column controller 131 and the electron beam column controller 132 to stop the irradiation of the ion beam b11 from the ion beam column 11 and the irradiation of the electron beam b12 from the electron beam column 12, thereby ending the finishing process.

[0140] [Second Process] In the second process of the finishing process, as described above, processing is performed so as to reduce the occurrence of the curtaining effect on the sample piece 4. The curtaining effect is the occurrence of unevenness in the degree of abrasion of the sample piece 4 irradiated with the ion beam b11 by the ion beam column 11.

[0141] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing the appearance of the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4. FIG. 19(A) shows a state in which the curtaining effect does not occur, and FIG. 19(B) shows a state in which the curtaining effect occurs. The curtaining effect occurs due to the material and shape of the outermost surface 49 of the sample piece 4 to be processed, i.e., the +z-axis side of the sample piece 4 transferred to the carrier 5 attached to the substage 22. For example, if a structure made of a hard material exists on the outermost surface 49 of the sample piece 4, processing (cutting) by the ion beam b11 irradiated from the ion beam column 11 will be difficult to progress on the bottom surface 47 side (the -z-axis side) of the structure 400. Furthermore, if a structure 401 made of an easily machinable material exists on the outermost surface 49 of the sample piece 4, processing (cutting) by the ion beam b11 will progress more easily. This results in streaky processing irregularities 44 and 45 on the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4. This unevenness in processing results in unevenness in the thickness of the sample piece 4, which interferes with the subsequent TEM observation.

[0142] In the second process, in order to suppress the curtaining effect, the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4 is processed while the sample piece 4 is rotated in the in-plane direction of the processed cross section 41. A detailed explanation will be given below. In the second process, the processes up to the first finishing process are the same as those performed in the first process described above.

[0143] Figure 20 shows a schematic diagram of the holder 6, carrier 5, and sample piece 4 during the second finishing process. Figure 20(A) shows a schematic diagram of the holder 6, carrier 5, and sample piece 4 as viewed from the + side of the z-axis. Figure 20(B) shows an enlarged schematic diagram of the appearance of the pillar 53 of the carrier 5 mounted on the holder 6 and the sample piece 4 as viewed from the - side of the x-axis.

[0144] During the second finishing process, the substage controller 134 drives the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angle of the θ axis is 0°. That is, the substage 22 rotates so that the processed cross section 41 formed by processing the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4 intersects with the T axis, which is the tilt axis of the wafer stage 21 set parallel to the x axis. As a result, the side surfaces of the pillars 53 of the carrier 5 become parallel to the zx plane and face the electron beam column 12. Furthermore, the substage controller 134 drives the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angle of the F axis is (90 + α)°, as in the first process.

[0145] Furthermore, the wafer stage controller 133 drives the wafer stage 21 to a position where the rotation angle of the T-axis of the wafer stage 21 is 10°. As a result, the substage 22 mounted on the z-base 212 is tilted by 10° with respect to the xy plane. Note that the rotation angle of the T-axis is not limited to 10°, and can be set automatically or manually to an appropriate value depending on the shape, size, etc. of the structures 400, 401 of the sample piece 4.

[0146] In this state, the ion beam column 11 irradiates the sample piece 4 with the ion beam b11. Because the rotation angle of the F-axis of the substage 22 is (90+α)°, the ion beam b11 is incident non-perpendicularly on the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4, as in the first process. Therefore, the protruding portion on the negative z-axis side of the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4 is removed by irradiation with the ion beam b11, and a perpendicular finished cross section 41a is formed.

[0147] Furthermore, the rotation angle of the T-axis is 10°. That is, as shown in FIG. 20B , the wafer stage 21 rotates around the T-axis parallel to the x-axis and tilts with respect to the xy plane, changing the angle of incidence of the ion beam b11 from the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4 to the processed cross section 41 processed. The ion beam b11 with the changed angle of incidence avoids the structures 400, 401 on the outermost surface 49 side of the sample piece 4 and irradiates the bottom surface 47 side of the structures 400, 401. As a result, the generation of processing irregularities 44, 45 due to the structures 400, 401 on the outermost surface 49 side of the sample piece 4 is suppressed. During the second finishing process, the ion beam column controller 131 outputs the ion beam b11 from the ion beam column 11 at a lower current than during the first finishing process.

[0148] Thereafter, the substage controller 134 drives the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angles of both the F-axis and the θ-axis are 90°. The wafer stage controller 133 drives the wafer stage 21 to a position where the rotation angle of the T-axis is 0°, thereby setting the inclination of the substage 22 mounted on the z-base 212 with respect to the xy plane to 0°. That is, the substage 22 assumes the posture shown in FIGS. 11(A) and 11(B). As a result, the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4 bonded to the pillar 53 faces the electron beam column 12. In this state, the electron beam b12 is irradiated from the electron beam column 12 onto the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4, thereby imaging the processed cross section 41 and observing the processed state. As a result of the observation, the integrated control unit 130 stops the second finishing process when the processed cross section 41 has the desired shape of the finished cross section 41a.

[0149] Next, a third finishing process is performed on the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4. During the third finishing process, as in the first process, the substage controller 134 drives the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angle of the F axis is (90-α)°. As in the second finishing process, the substage controller 134 drives the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angle of the θ axis is 0°, so that the side surfaces of the pillars 53 of the carrier 5 are parallel to the zx plane and face the electron beam column 12. Furthermore, the wafer stage controller 133 drives the wafer stage 21 to a position where the rotation angle of the T axis is 10°, so that the substage 22 mounted on the z base 212 is tilted by 10° with respect to the xy plane.

[0150] The ion beam column 11 irradiates the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 with the ion beam b11. Because the rotation angle of the F-axis of the substage 22 is (90-α)° and the rotation angle of the T-axis is 10°, the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 is also machined into a vertical cross section while suppressing the occurrence of the curtaining effect. That is, by changing the tilt of the substage 22, the incident angle of the ion beam b11 with respect to the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 is adjusted, and the finished cross section 41a of the sample piece 4 and the back surface 42 are machined parallel to each other.

[0151] Thereafter, the substage controller 134 drives the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angles around the F-axis and the θ-axis are 90° and −90°, respectively. The wafer stage controller 133 drives the wafer stage 21 to a position where the rotation angle around the T-axis is 0°, thereby changing the tilt of the substage 22 mounted on the z-base 212 with respect to the xy plane to 0°.

[0152] As a result of the movement of the substage 22, the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 adhered to the pillar 53 faces the electron beam column 12. In this state, the electron beam b12 is irradiated from the electron beam column 12 onto the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4, the back surface 42 is imaged, and the processed state is observed. As a result of the observation, the integrated control unit 130 stops the third finishing process when the back surface 42 has achieved the desired shape. By the second process described above, a thin film piece is formed in which the observation surface 40 and the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 are parallel to each other, with the curtaining effect suppressed.

[0153] 21 is a flowchart illustrating the operation flow of the second step of the finishing process performed by the charged particle beam device 10. Each step shown in FIG. 21 is automatically executed and controlled by the integrated control unit 130. Each step described below is a detailed description of step S510 in FIG. 15 or step S611 in FIG. 16. That is, the steps described below are steps performed after the sample piece 4 is transferred to the pillars 53 of the carrier 5.

[0154] The processes from step S801 to step S805 are the same as the processes from step S701 to step S705 in Fig. 18. In step S806, the integrated control unit 130 controls the substage controller 134 to drive the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angle of the F-axis is (90 + α)° and the angle of the θ-axis is 0°. The integrated control unit 130 controls the wafer stage controller 133 to drive the wafer stage 21 to a position where the rotation angle of the T-axis is 10°, thereby changing the inclination of the substage 22, which is mounted on the z-base 212, with respect to the xy plane to 10°.

[0155] In step S807, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column controller 131 to irradiate the ion beam b11 from the ion beam column 11 onto the processed cross section 41 of the sample piece 4. This performs the second finishing process. In step S808, the integrated control unit 130 controls the substage controller 134 to drive the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angles of the F-axis and the θ-axis are both 90°. The integrated control unit 130 controls the wafer stage controller 133 to drive the wafer stage 21 to a position where the rotation angle of the T-axis is 0°, thereby changing the tilt of the substage 22 with respect to the xy plane to 0°.

[0156] In step S809, the integrated control unit 130 controls the electron beam column controller 132 to irradiate the electron beam b12 from the electron beam column 12 onto the machined cross-section 41 of the sample piece 4. The integrated control unit 130 creates an image of the machined cross-section 41 of the sample piece 4 using an image generated by the detector controller 136 based on a detection signal detected by the charged particle detector 109. The integrated control unit 130 determines whether the machined cross-section 41 (i.e., the observation surface 40) of the sample piece 4 has been machined into the shape of the finished cross-section 41a, for example, by comparing the generated image with a template image or the like. When the integrated control unit 130 determines that the sample piece 4 has been machined into the shape of the finished cross-section 41a, it controls the electron beam column controller 132 to stop the irradiation of the electron beam b12 from the electron beam column 12.

[0157] In step S810, the integrated control unit 130 controls the substage controller 134 to drive the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angle of the F axis is (90-α)° and the rotation angle of the θ axis is 0°. The integrated control unit 130 controls the wafer stage controller 133 to drive the wafer stage 21 to a position where the rotation angle of the T axis is 10°, thereby changing the inclination of the substage 22 with respect to the xy plane to 10°.

[0158] In step S811, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column controller 131 to irradiate the ion beam b11 from the ion beam column 11 onto the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4. This performs the third finishing process. In step S812, the integrated control unit 130 controls the substage controller 134 to drive the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angle of the F axis of the substage 22 is 90° and the rotation angle of the θ axis is −90°. The integrated control unit 130 controls the wafer stage controller 133 to drive the wafer stage 21 to a position where the rotation angle of the T axis is 0°, thereby changing the tilt of the substage 22 with respect to the xy plane to 0°.

[0159] In step S813, the integrated control unit 130 controls the electron beam column controller 132 to cause the electron beam column 12 to irradiate the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 with the electron beam b12. The integrated control unit 130 creates an image of the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 using an image generated by the detector controller 136 based on a detection signal detected by the charged particle detector 109. When the integrated control unit 130 determines, based on the generated image, that the desired shape has been machined on the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4, as in step S809, the integrated control unit 130 ends the finishing process. That is, the integrated control unit 130 controls the electron beam column controller 132 to stop the irradiation of the electron beam b12 from the electron beam column 12.

[0160] [Attitude-controlled automatic microsampling] Next, a transfer process when the attitude of the sample piece 4 is automatically controlled (attitude-controlled automatic microsampling) will be described. Attitude-controlled automatic microsampling is a technique for performing microsampling by changing the attitude of the sample piece 4 by controlling the rotation direction (i.e., the angle of the R axis) of the wafer stage 21 when sampling the sample piece 4 from the wafer 3 and the rotation angle of the needle 112 after sampling. The attitude of the carrier 5 to which the sample piece 4 sampled by attitude-controlled automatic microsampling is transferred is changed in accordance with the change in the attitude of the sample piece 4. As a result, the attitude of the sample piece 4 transferred to the pillar 53 changes from the attitude at the time of extraction from the wafer 3.

[0161] In the following description, an example will be given in which the sample piece 4 sampled from the wafer 3 is transferred upside down to the pillar 53. That is, the sample piece 4 is transferred so that its outermost surface 49 faces the linear portion 51 of the base 50 of the carrier 5.

[0162] 22A and 22B are diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship between the sample piece 4 and the needle 112 when the sample piece 4 is sampled from the wafer 3. FIG. 22A is a diagram of the sample piece 4 and the needle 112 as viewed from the +z axis side, and FIG. 22B is a diagram of the sample piece 4 and the needle 112 as viewed from the observation surface 40 side of the sample piece 4. When the needle 112 approaches the sample piece 4, the wafer stage controller 133 rotates the rotation base 213 by approximately 35° around the R axis. Furthermore, when the sample piece 4 is sampled from the wafer 3, the angle (approach angle) β that the needle 112 makes with respect to the surface of the wafer 3, i.e., the xy plane, is assumed to be 30°.

[0163] The substage controller 134 also drives the substage 22 to a position where the rotation angle of the F axis is 0° and the rotation angle of the θ axis is 54.7°, so that the surface of the base 50 of the carrier 5 mounted on the holder 6 attached to the substage 22 is parallel to the xy plane and faces the positive side of the z axis.

[0164] Figure 23(A) is a view of the substage 22, holder 6, and carrier 5 when the substage 22 has been moved as described above, as viewed from the +z-axis side. Figure 23(B) is a view of the pillars 53 of the carrier 5 in Figure 23(A) and the sample piece 4 approaching the pillars 53, as viewed from the +z-axis side. Because the rotation angle of the θ-axis of the substage 22 is 54.7°, the pillars 53 of the carrier 5 extend at an angle of 54.7° with respect to the x-axis. The side surface 48 of the sample piece 4 is adhered to the pillars 53, with the outermost surface 49 of the sample piece 4 facing the base 50 of the carrier 5.

[0165] Specifically, after the sample piece 4 is lifted out from the wafer 3, the needle controller 142 rotates the needle 112 attached to the sample piece 4 by approximately 110°. As a result, as shown in Fig. 23(B) , the side surface 48 of the sample piece 4 on the side where the needle 112 is not attached faces the pillar 53, and the outermost surface 49 of the sample piece 4 faces the base 50 of the carrier 5.

[0166] 23(B), the needle controller 142 moves the needle 112 to a position where the sample piece 4 can be attached to the pillar 53. Thereafter, a process similar to the above-described transfer process is performed, and the sample piece 4 is attached to the pillar 53 and the needle 112 is cut off from the sample piece 4.

[0167] The F-axis and θ-axis rotation angles of the substage 22 are set for the sample piece 4 transferred as described above, and the ion beam b11 is irradiated from the ion beam column 11, as in the case of the above-described finishing process. That is, finishing is performed with the bottom surface 47 of the sample piece 4 transferred to the pillar 53 positioned on the +z-axis side. Generally, when finishing is performed using an FIB, the surface of the sample piece 4 irradiated with the ion beam b11, i.e., the surface of the sample piece 4 positioned on the +z-axis side, is most likely to be scraped off during finishing. Therefore, the surface of the sample piece 4 positioned on the +z-axis side may become extremely thin or disappear. If a structure to be observed exists near the outermost surface 49 of the sample piece 4, finishing with the outermost surface 49 of the sample piece 4 facing the -z-axis side using the above-described attitude-controlled automatic microsampling prevents the structure to be observed near the outermost surface 49 from being lost during finishing.

[0168] Fig. 24 is a flowchart illustrating the operation flow of the transfer process performed by the charged particle beam device 10 when performing attitude-controlled automatic micro-sampling of the sample piece 4. Each process shown in Fig. 24 is automatically executed and controlled by the integrated control unit 130. Each process described below is a detailed description of the process from step S506 to step S509 in Fig. 15 or step S606 to step S609 in Fig. 17 described above.

[0169] In step S901, the integrated control unit 130 controls the wafer stage controller 133 to rotate the rotation base 213 about the R axis by approximately 35°. In step S902, the integrated control unit 130 controls the needle controller 142 to set the approach angle β of the needle 112 to 30°. Then, the integrated control unit 130 controls the needle controller 142 to move the needle 112 to approach the sample piece 4. The integrated control unit 130 performs a deposition process to bond the sample piece 4 to the tip of the needle 112.

[0170] In step S903, the integrated control unit 130 controls the ion beam column controller 131 to irradiate the ion beam b11 from the ion beam column 11 to the connection point 4a (see FIG. 8 ) where the sample piece 4 and the wafer 3 are connected, thereby separating the sample piece 4 from the wafer 3. In step S904, the integrated control unit 130 controls the needle controller 142 to lift out the sample piece 4 separated from the wafer 3 and rotate the needle 112 by approximately 110°. In step S905, the integrated control unit 130 controls the wafer stage controller 133 to move the x base 210, the y base 211, and the z base 212 within the xy plane, thereby moving the substage 22 below the ion beam column 11 and the electron beam column 12 (toward the negative z-axis side).

[0171] In step S906, the integrated control unit 130 controls the substage controller 134 to drive the substage 22 to a position where the F-axis rotation angle is 0° and the θ-axis rotation angle is 54.7°. The processes from step S907 to step S912 are the same as the processes from step S302 to step S307 in FIG. 12 .

[0172] The approach angle β is not limited to 30°, and can be set to a suitable value depending on the shape, size, etc. of the sample piece 4. Furthermore, depending on the value of the approach angle β, the rotation angle of the R axis of the rotating base 213, the rotation angle of the needle 112, and the rotation angle of the θ axis of the substage 22 will be values ​​different from the above values.

[0173] [Third Operation] The charged particle beam device 10 performs the above-described preparation process, processing process, and transfer process as the third operation. That is, in the third operation, the observation process in the first operation and the finishing process in the second operation are not performed, and only sampling of the sample piece 4 is performed.

[0174] In this case, the integrated control unit 130 executes the processes of steps S201 to S209, S211, and S212 shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0175] The holder 6, to which the carrier 5 to which the specimen 4 has been transferred by the first, second or third operation is attached, is transported by the transport mechanism 90 to the specimen observation device 30. Then, the TEM device provided in the specimen observation device 30 performs cross-sectional observation or planar observation using TEM images. According to the embodiment described above, at least one of the following effects can be obtained.

[0176] (1) The charged particle beam device 10 includes a wafer stage 21 that moves while holding a wafer 3, a needle 112 that holds sample pieces 4 separated and extracted from the wafer 3 and transports them to multiple carriers 5 attached to a holder 6, and a substage 22 to which the holder 6 is detachably attached and that moves independently of the wafer stage 21. This allows the attitudes of the multiple carriers 5 mounted on the holder 6 to be controlled independently of the wafer stage 21 so as to differ from the attitude of the wafer 3, thereby increasing the number of sample pieces 4 that can be transferred to the carrier 5 and improving the efficiency of transferring the sample pieces 4.

[0177] Furthermore, because the holder 6 is detachably attached to the substage 22, only the holder 6 removed from the substage 22 is transported, which eliminates the need for a large transport mechanism and facilitates transport of the sample piece 4 compared to conventional techniques in which the wafer stage and holder are transported as a single unit. Furthermore, when the wafer stage and holder are transported as a single unit, as in conventional techniques, miniaturizing the wafer stage to reduce the difficulty of transporting results in limitations on the size of the wafer that can be placed on the wafer stage. In contrast, in the present embodiment, because only the holder 6 is transported, there is no need to miniaturize the wafer stage 21, and limitations on the size of the wafer 3 that can be placed on the wafer stage 21 can be suppressed.

[0178] (2) The substage 22 is mounted on the z-base 212 and tilts about the θ-axis, which extends in a direction intersecting the z-base 212, and the F-axis, which extends in a direction intersecting the θ-axis. This makes it possible to control the attitude of the substage 22 along two axes independently of the wafer stage 21.

[0179] (3) The substage 22 has a tilting mechanism 223 that tilts the holder 6. The holder 6 carries multiple carriers 5 and is detachable from the substage 22 independently of the tilting mechanism 223. This makes it possible to control the attitude of the holder 6 detachably mounted on the substage 22. Furthermore, it becomes possible to transport only the holder 6 by the transport mechanism 90.

[0180] (4) The charged particle beam device 10 performs a first operation including a processing process, a transfer process, and an observation process as a method for preparing and observing a sample piece 4. In the processing process, an ion beam b11 is irradiated onto the wafer 3 to process the sample piece 4, with the plane or cross section of the wafer 3 serving as the observation surface 40. In the transfer process, a needle 112 is attached to the processed sample piece 4, and the sample piece 4 is extracted and separated from the wafer 3. The sample piece 4 is attached to a carrier 5 on a holder 6 mounted on a tiltable and rotatable substage 22 so that the observation surface 40 is parallel to the surface of the carrier 5. In the observation process, the substage 22 is rotated so that the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4 and the back surface 42 of the observation surface 40 can be observed with the electron beam b12. This allows the attitude of the substage 22 to be controlled independently of the wafer stage 21, making it easier to control the attitude when transferring the lifted-out sample piece 4 to the carrier 5 and when observing the sample piece 4 transferred to the carrier 5, thereby improving the efficiency of the transfer process and the observation process.

[0181] (5) The charged particle beam device 10 performs a second operation, including a processing process, a transfer process, and a first type of finishing process, as a method for preparing and observing the sample piece 4. In the first type of finishing process, the observation surface 40 or the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4 is processed by irradiating it with an ion beam b11, thereby thinning the sample piece 4. The substage 22 is rotated around the F axis to change the inclination of the substage 22 and adjust the angle of incidence of the ion beam b11 on the observation surface 40 or the back surface 42 so that the observation surface 40 and the back surface 42 are processed parallel to each other. The electron beam b12 is irradiated onto the observation surface 40 or the back surface 42 being processed by the ion beam b11, and the processed state of the observation surface 40 or the back surface 42 is observed. This allows the attitude of the substage 22 to be controlled independently of the wafer stage 21, facilitating attitude control of the sample piece 4 during the finishing process and improving the efficiency of the finishing process.

[0182] (6) The charged particle beam device 10 performs a second operation, including a processing process, a transfer process, and a second finishing process, as a method for preparing and observing the sample piece 4. In the second finishing process, the substage 22 is tilted around the F-axis so that the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4 is parallel to the optical axis OA1 of the ion beam b11. The substage 22 is rotated around the θ-axis so that the T-axis, which is the tilt axis of the wafer stage 21, intersects with the observation surface 40. The wafer stage 21 is tilted around the T-axis so that the angle of incidence of the ion beam b11 with respect to the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4 changes. The ion beam b11 is irradiated to process the observation surface 40 or the back surface 42 of the sample piece 4, thereby thinning the sample piece 4. The substage 22 is rotated around the F-axis so that the observation surface 40 and the back surface 42 are processed parallel to each other, thereby changing the tilt of the substage 22 and adjusting the angle of incidence of the ion beam b11 with respect to the observation surface 40 or the back surface 42. The substage 22 is rotated about the θ axis so that the observation surface 40 or the back surface 42 processed by the ion beam b11 can be observed by irradiating it with the electron beam b12, and the processed state of the observation surface 40 or the back surface 42 is observed. In this way, by tilting the substage 22 about the T axis, the angle of incidence of the ion beam b11 with respect to the observation surface 40 of the sample piece 4 changes within the plane of the observation surface 40, and therefore finishing processing can be performed with the curtaining effect suppressed.

[0183] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been specifically described above, they are not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Except for essential components, components can be added, deleted, or replaced in each embodiment. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural. A combination of each embodiment is also possible.

[0184] 1 Inspection system, 3 Wafer, 4 Sample piece, 5 Carrier, 6 Holder, 10 Charged particle beam device, 11 Ion beam column, 12 Electron beam column, 21 Wafer stage, 22 Substage, 40 Observation surface, 41 Processing cross section, 42 Back surface, 112 Needle, 130 Integrated control unit, 210 x base, 211 y base, 212 z base 213 Rotation base, 214 Support mechanism, 221 Mounting unit, 222 Mounting support unit, 223 Tilt mechanism

Claims

1. A charged particle beam device for creating a sample piece from a wafer using a charged particle beam, comprising: a charged particle beam column that irradiates the charged particle beam; a wafer stage on which the wafer is placed and which moves; a sample piece transfer mechanism that holds the sample piece separated and extracted from the wafer and transports it to a plurality of carriers attached to a sample piece holder; a stage for the specimen holder, to which the specimen holder is detachably attached, which is disposed on the wafer stage and moves independently of the wafer stage.

2. 2. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1, The wafer stage is an X base that moves in a first direction; a Y base provided on the X base, movable together with the X base in the first direction, and movable in a second direction intersecting the first direction; a Z base provided on the Y base, movable in the first direction together with the X base and the Y base, movable in the second direction together with the Y base, and movable in a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction; a rotation base provided on the Z base, on which the wafer is placed, and which rotates about a first axis extending in a direction intersecting the Z base; a support mechanism that supports the X base, the Y base, the Z base, and the rotary base rotatably about a second axis that extends in a direction intersecting with the first axis, A charged particle beam device, wherein the sample piece holder stage is mounted on the Z base and tilts around a third axis extending in a direction intersecting the Z base and a fourth axis extending in a direction intersecting the third axis.

3. 2. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1, the sample piece holder stage has a tilting mechanism for tilting the sample piece holder, The specimen holder is configured to mount a plurality of the carriers and is detachable from the specimen holder stage independently of the tilt mechanism.

4. A method for preparing and observing a specimen, comprising the steps of: Irradiating an ion beam onto a wafer placed on a wafer stage, and processing the sample piece with a plane or cross section of the wafer as an observation surface; a sample piece transfer mechanism is attached to the processed sample piece, and the sample piece is picked up and separated from the wafer; the sample piece is attached to a carrier on a sample piece holder, the carrier being detachably attached to a sample piece holder stage that is provided on the wafer stage and can be tilted and rotated with respect to the wafer stage, so that the observation surface is parallel to a surface of the carrier; rotating a stage for a specimen holder so that the observation surface of the specimen can be observed with an electron beam; The method for preparing and observing a specimen includes rotating a specimen holder stage so that the surface opposite to the observation surface of the specimen can be observed with the electron beam.

5. A method for preparing and observing a specimen, comprising the steps of: Irradiating an ion beam onto a wafer placed on a wafer stage, and processing the sample piece with a plane or cross section of the wafer as an observation surface; a sample piece transfer mechanism is attached to the processed sample piece, and the sample piece is picked up and separated from the wafer; the sample piece is attached to a carrier on a sample piece holder, the carrier being detachably attached to a sample piece holder stage that is provided on the wafer stage and can be tilted and rotated with respect to the wafer stage, so that the observation surface is parallel to a surface of the carrier; tilting the specimen holder stage so that the observation surface is parallel to the optical axis of the ion beam; rotating the stage for the specimen holder so that the observation surface or the back surface of the observation surface can be observed with an electron beam; processing the observation surface or the back surface of the sample piece by irradiating the ion beam to thin the sample piece; adjusting an incident angle of the ion beam onto the observation surface or the back surface by changing an inclination of the stage for the sample piece holder so that the observation surface and the back surface are processed in parallel; A method for preparing and observing a sample piece, comprising irradiating the observation surface or the back surface, which has been processed by the ion beam, with the electron beam, and observing the processed state of the observation surface or the back surface.

6. A method for preparing and observing a specimen, comprising the steps of: Irradiating an ion beam onto a wafer placed on a wafer stage, and processing the sample piece with a plane or cross section of the wafer as an observation surface; a sample piece transfer mechanism is attached to the processed sample piece to pick it out and separate it from the wafer; the sample piece is attached to a carrier on a sample piece holder, the carrier being detachably attached to a sample piece holder stage that is provided on the wafer stage and can be tilted and rotated with respect to the wafer stage, so that the observation surface is parallel to a surface of the carrier; tilting the specimen holder stage so that the observation surface is parallel to the optical axis of the ion beam; rotating the stage for the specimen holder so that the tilt axis of the stage on which the specimen holder stage is mounted intersects with the observation surface; tilting the stage about the tilt axis so that the angle of incidence of the ion beam with respect to the observation plane is changed; the observation surface or the rear surface of the sample piece is processed by irradiating the ion beam to thin the sample piece; adjusting an incident angle of the ion beam onto the observation surface or the back surface by changing an inclination of the stage for the sample piece holder so that the observation surface and the back surface are processed in parallel; A method for preparing and observing a sample piece, which comprises rotating the stage for the sample piece holder so that the observation surface or the back surface, which has been processed by the ion beam, can be observed by irradiating it with an electron beam, and observing the processed state of the observation surface or the back surface.

7. 2. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1, A charged particle beam device comprising a transport mechanism for transporting the sample holders to which the carriers are attached.