Inspection System

Abstract

Inspection step S04 includes: multiple location irradiation steps S12, irradiating predetermined irradiation locations corresponding to the inspection pattern with pulsed charged particle beams generated by pulsed charged particle beams; and one or more irradiation position deviation correction steps S11, correcting the deviation vector of the pulsed charged particle beams predetermined for each irradiation location, so that the pulsed charged particle beams irradiate the inspection pattern during the location irradiation steps. In the irradiation position deviation correction step, the correction amount of the deviation vector of the pulsed charged particle beams is determined based on the profile of the detection signal obtained by irradiating the inspection pattern in a manner that crosses the boundary of the inspection pattern corresponding to the irradiation location in one or more directions.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection system for inspecting the electrical characteristics of an inspection pattern formed on a sample using a charged particle beam. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method or apparatus relating to a beam scanning inspection device that performs inspection by scanning a charged particle beam. Based on image data obtained from the actual scanning of the charged particle beam, it measures positional deviation, thereby accurately measuring and correcting beam deviation during inspection or positional deviation of the detected pixel position in a short time. (Prior Art Documents, Patent Documents)

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4186464 [Summary of the Invention]

[0004] The problem to be solved by the invention is as a sample analysis method using a charged particle wire device. It is known that an electron beam is irradiated onto a test pattern formed on the sample, and the electrical characteristics of the test pattern are examined by the transient response of the surface potential of the test pattern (Pump-Probe method).

[0005] The excitation-detection method includes a check step, which involves irradiating multiple irradiation points corresponding to multiple check patterns contained in the field of view of the charged particle beam device with excitation pulses and detection pulses. Therefore, although the time depends on the number of check patterns, the check step can take a long time. During this check step, the localized charging and decharging caused by the charged particle beam will be repeated, and the charge state on the sample will change at any time. In addition, the sample is placed on a sample platform, but drift of the sample platform may occur during the long check period.

[0006] Therefore, even if the charged particle beam is deflected by the deflection vector of the charged particle beam at each irradiation point determined at the beginning of the inspection step, it may still result in irradiation at a position that deviates from the intended inspection pattern.

[0007] This invention was created in view of this fact, and one of its objectives is to provide an inspection system that can suppress the deviation of the irradiation position of the charged particle beam caused by electrical charge or other factors during the inspection of multiple inspection patterns. Technical means to solve the problem

[0008] An inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a charged particle beam device and a computer system. In this inspection system, a plurality of inspection patterns designated as inspection targets are formed on a sample. The computer system is configured to control an inspection sequence, which includes an inspection step. The inspection step inspects the electrical characteristics of the plurality of aforementioned inspection patterns within the field of view of the charged particle beam device. The charged particle beam device includes: a charged particle optical system that irradiates the sample with a charged particle beam; a detection system that detects signal electrons emitted by the charged particle beam irradiating the sample and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the detected signal electron quantity; and a control system that controls the charged particle optical system according to the control of the computer system and outputs the detection signal to the computer system. The inspection step includes: a plurality of spot irradiations. The invention includes an irradiation step, in which a pulsed charged particle beam, formed by pulsed charged particle beams, is irradiated at an irradiation location corresponding to the inspection pattern; and an irradiation position deviation correction step, which corrects the deviation vector of the pulsed charged particle beam set for each irradiation location, ensuring that the pulsed charged particle beam irradiates the inspection pattern during the location irradiation step; a computer system, based on the detection signal obtained by irradiating the irradiation location with excitation and detection pulses during the location irradiation step, calculates the electrical characteristics of the inspection pattern corresponding to that irradiation location; and in the irradiation position deviation correction step, the correction amount of the pulsed charged particle beam deviation vector is determined based on the profile of the detection signal obtained by irradiating the inspection pattern corresponding to the irradiation location in one or more directions. Effects of the Invention

[0009] An inspection system is provided that suppresses deviation of the irradiation position of the charged particle beam caused by electrification or other factors during the inspection of multiple inspection patterns, thereby enabling appropriate inspection of the electrical characteristics of the inspection patterns. Other unsolved problems and novel features will become apparent from the description in this specification and the accompanying drawings.

Implementation Method

[0011] Figure 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of the inspection system. The imaging unit (electron microscope body) 100, as its main component, in addition to the elements constituting a general electron microscope such as the electron optical system, platform mechanism system, control system, and detection system, ideally has a light irradiation system for irradiating the sample with light.

[0012] The electron-optical system includes an electron gun 111, a shield 112, an aperture 113, an image shift deflector 104, and an object lens 115. An electron beam emitted from the electron gun 111, controlled by an electron gun controller 121, is pulsed by the shield 112 and aperture 113, controlled by a shield controller 122. The pulsed electron beam 101 is focused onto the sample 104 by the object lens 115, controlled by an object lens controller 125. The image shift deflector 114, controlled by a deflector controller 124, can control the irradiation position of the pulsed electron beam 101 onto the sample 104. Additionally, although not shown here, a scanning deflector and its controller for scanning the electron beam two-dimensionally on the sample 104 are also included.

[0013] Signal electrons emitted from the sample 104 by irradiation with pulsed electron beam 101 are detected by detector 117, and signal processing unit 127 outputs a detection signal of the amount of signal electrons.

[0014] The platform mechanism system has a sample platform 116 movable along the XYZ axes, on which the sample 104 is placed. Although not shown, a retarding power supply for applying voltage to the sample 104 may also be connected. The sample platform 116 is commanded to move by a platform controller 126.

[0015] The light irradiation system 118, controlled by the light irradiation system control unit 128, irradiates the sample 104 with light 103 through the window 119 provided in the lens tube. The light irradiation system 118 includes a light source, a gate, and an optical path (not shown). Continuous light or pulsed light emitted from the light source is controlled by the gate, thereby controlling the irradiation of the sample 104. The light from the light source is focused onto the sample 104 through the optical path. The optical path may also include general optical elements such as mirrors, lenses, and beam splitters, or optical fibers. The wavelength of the light 103 is set, for example, in the range of ultraviolet to infrared light (350 to 1000 nm).

[0016] The controllers and other components controlling the imaging unit 100 are collectively referred to as the control system 120. The control device 150 sends control signals to the control system 120 to instruct the imaging unit 100 to perform processing. Control of the imaging unit 100 includes, for example, control of the electron beam's accelerating voltage, irradiation current, irradiation position, and the wavelength, intensity, and convergence position of the light. Furthermore, it includes control of synchronizing the pulsed timing of the electron beam, the ON / OFF timing of the light, and the sampling timing of the signal electrons. The control device 150 is connected to an input / output device 151, through which the user inputs inspection conditions. The input / output device 151 is provided via a display, keyboard, mouse, or a switch on the control panel.

[0017] Furthermore, the control device 150 performs electrical characteristic measurements based on the amount of electronic signals obtained by the detector 117, and outputs the results to the input / output device 151. The control device 150 can be a standalone computer, or it can be connected to other computers or data storage devices via a network to distribute the computational load. Here, a standalone computer and multiple computers that can distribute the computational load are collectively referred to as a computer system. The control device 150 is the function of the computer system constituting the inspection system of this embodiment.

[0018] The inspection performed by the inspection system of this embodiment will be explained using Figures 2A and 2B. Figure 2A is a cross-sectional view of an example of the sample 104. A MOS structure having a drain 202, a source 203, a gate insulating film 204, and a gate electrode 205 is formed on the substrate 201. The inspection pattern, i.e., the plug 206, is connected to the drain 202. Furthermore, the MOS structure is covered by an insulating film 207, and the top of the plug 206 is exposed through the insulating film 207. At this time, there is an equivalent resistance R and an equivalent capacitance C between the plug 206 and the source 203 as shown in the figure.

[0019] The change in the surface potential of the plug 206 when it is irradiated with the pulsed electron beam 210 is shown in Figure 2B. When the incident electrons generate a positive charge, the surface potential of the plug 206 will increase during the irradiation period of the pulsed electron beam. On the other hand, during the interruption period of the pulsed electron beam, the current will flow according to the discharge time constant determined by the equivalent resistance R and the equivalent capacitance C mentioned above, thereby reducing the surface potential of the plug 206.

[0020] On the other hand, if the surface potential of the plug 206 increases, the electric field directly above it will change, creating a potential barrier. Consequently, the lower-energy signal electrons among the temporarily released signal electrons will be sent back to the plug 206. Therefore, the higher the surface potential, the lower the amount of signal electron signal detected by the detector 117; conversely, the lower the surface potential, the higher the amount of signal electron signal detected by the detector 117. Thus, by controlling the change in charge of the plug 206 based on the amount of signal electron signal detected by the detector 117, information such as the discharge time constant of the plug 206 can be obtained.

[0021] Figure 2B illustrates the pulsed electron beam irradiation sequence according to the excitation-probe method. Initially, the plug 206 is irradiated with an excitation pulse 221. The duration of the excitation pulse 221 is set to saturate the surface potential of the plug 206. Subsequently, the plug 206 is irradiated with a probe pulse 222. The probe pulse 222 is applied multiple times at predetermined time intervals. The electrical characteristics of the plug 206 can be examined by observing the changes in the amount of signal electrons, i.e., the changes in surface potential, when the plug 206 is irradiated with the probe pulse 222.

[0022] As explained above, the electrical characteristics are determined by measuring the surface potential of the inspection pattern (plug 206) in the excitation detection method. Therefore, the charge state of the sample surface will affect the inspection accuracy. Therefore, the inspection system ideally has a light irradiation system to control the charge state of the sample surface. For example, it can remove the charge from the sample surface by irradiating it with ultraviolet light, or control the surface potential of the sample surface to a desired state by irradiating it with light of a longer wavelength.

[0023] Figure 3 is a plan view of the sample 104, showing the inspection pattern, i.e., the plugs 206, on the surface of the sample. The inspection system of this embodiment measures the electrical characteristics by irradiating each plug 206 designated as the inspection object within a field of view with a pulsed electron beam. In Figure 3, the irradiation locations of the pulsed electron beam are indicated by X marks, and the irradiation sequence is indicated by arrows. The irradiation location can, for example, be set to the center position of the plug 206 designated as the inspection object. The irradiation sequence is not limited to the sequence shown in the figure, as long as it allows for efficient irradiation of the plurality of irradiation locations within the field of view.

[0024] Figure 4 shows the inspection sequence used by the inspection system to inspect the electrical characteristics of the plug 206 shown in Figure 3. First, the control device 150 moves the sample platform 116 according to the position information of the plug 206 to be inspected by the platform controller 126 (S01) to obtain an SEM image containing the plug 206 to be inspected (S02). The SEM image is an image obtained by scanning the sample surface in two dimensions without pulsed electron beam, such as the image shown in Figure 3. Then, the position information of the plug 206 to be inspected is converted into the deflection vector of the image shift deflector 114 (S03). The center of the SEM image obtained in step S02 is the point where the sample 104 intersects the optical axis of the electron optical system. Therefore, based on the direction and distance of the plug 206 to be inspected relative to the center position of the SEM image, the deflection vector of the image shift deflector 114 irradiated by the pulsed electron beam can be calculated. The SEM image obtained in step S02 is called the center-corrected image, and the processing in step S03 is called coordinate correction. Subsequently, each of the inspection objects, namely the plugs 206 (the plugs marked with the X symbol indicating the irradiation location in Figure 3), is irradiated with a pulsed electron beam according to the irradiation sequence shown in Figure 2B to perform an electrical characteristic inspection (S04). Example 1

[0025] In the inspection step (S04), the plugs 206 designated for inspection, i.e., the irradiation locations, must be correctly irradiated with pulsed electron beams. However, the charge state of the sample 104 may change during the inspection, which may cause the pulsed electron beam to actually irradiate a position deviating from the designated inspection pattern even if the offset vector determined in the coordinate correction step (S03) is used. For example, factors such as the charge accompanying the acquisition of the center correction image, the charge caused by the pulsed electron beam irradiating a nearby irradiation location, the de-energization or charge caused by the light irradiation from the light irradiation system 118, and the drift of the sample platform 116 during the inspection may cause the irradiation position of the pulsed electron beam to deviate from the irradiation location.

[0026] Therefore, in Embodiment 1, as shown in FIG5, in the inspection step (S04), in addition to the irradiation of the irradiation location by the pulsed electron beam (referred to as location irradiation step S12-i (1≦i≦N), where N is the number of irradiation locations contained in 1 field of view (center-corrected image), the coordinate correction step (S03) also implements an irradiation position deviation correction step S11 to correct the determined bias vector. The frequency or the time point at which the irradiation position deviation correction is implemented more than once in the inspection step (S04) is arbitrarily determined and set as one inspection condition.

[0027] Figure 6A illustrates an example of electron beam irradiation used to correct irradiation position deviation. The example of electron beam irradiation for irradiation position deviation correction is overlaid with an SEM image 300 of the inspection pattern. The SEM image 300 includes a plug image 301 (corresponding to plug 206) and an insulating film image 302 (corresponding to insulating film 207). At the boundary between the two, a bright area called a white band 303 appears. In the irradiation position deviation correction, the inspection pattern position of the sample 104 is measured by irradiating with an electron beam, and compared with the position information of plug 206 used in the coordinate correction step (S03), thereby correcting the irradiation position deviation. In this example, the position of the white band 303, whose brightness differs significantly from the surrounding area, is used as an indicator to correct the irradiation position deviation.

[0028] Example 1 of position deviation correction illumination is an example of spot illumination performed while shifting the illumination position across the boundary of the inspection pattern along two dissimilar directions. Here, the example is a spot illumination column 311 along the X direction and a spot illumination column 312 along the Y direction. Figure 7 illustrates, for example, the amount of signal electronic signal detected by detector 117 through illumination by spot illumination column 311, with the horizontal axis representing the deflection vector of the deflector and the vertical axis representing the brightness. Profile 321 is obtained by fitting a curve of brightness obtained discretely through spot illumination. On the other hand, profile 322 is a profile of the brightness of the image corrected along the center of the line in the spot illumination column 311. The deviation between profile 321 and profile 322 indicates the magnitude of position deviation caused by reasons such as charging. In the example of Figure 7, the magnitude of the deflection vector determined based on profile 322 is corrected based on difference 323. This correction is applied to the profiles of the detection signals obtained along multiple directions, thereby correcting for deviations in the illumination position.

[0029] Alternatively, the control device 150 can be designed to pre-memorize a plurality of correction quantity candidates and select one of the plurality of correction quantity candidates. Factors causing position deviation include factors other than generalized charging or decharging of the entire field of view, localized charging, or drift of the sample platform 116. Therefore, based on the irradiation of charged particle beams and / or light in at least one location irradiation step (S12) performed before the position deviation correction step (S11), the position deviation factors that must be corrected are estimated, and a correction quantity candidate is selected based on the estimated position deviation factors.

[0030] Irradiation Example 1 for position deviation correction under point irradiation is one example. For example, by using Irradiation Example 2 for position deviation correction, that is, by scanning the electron beam linearly across the boundary of the inspection pattern in two opposite directions, the irradiation position deviation can also be corrected in the same way. Figure 6A shows examples of linear scanning 313 along the X direction and linear scanning 314 along the Y direction. Furthermore, by using Irradiation Example 3 for position deviation correction, that is, by scanning a two-dimensional region 315 containing part or all of the inspection pattern, the irradiation position deviation can also be corrected. The two-dimensional region 315 is ideally designed to be a relatively narrow region to avoid increasing the impact on the charged state of the sample 104.

[0031] In Figure 6A, the inspection pattern is circular, so positional deviation correction is performed along direction 2. However, depending on the inspection pattern, positional deviation correction can be performed along direction 1. Figure 6B illustrates an example where the inspection pattern is a line pattern. Irradiation example 4 for positional deviation correction is an example of performing point irradiation while shifting the irradiation position across the boundary of the line pattern. The line pattern extends in the Y direction, so it is designated as a point irradiation line along the X direction. Similarly, irradiation example 5 for positional deviation correction is an example of scanning the electron beam linearly across the boundary of the line pattern.

[0032] Furthermore, the line profile 322 in Figure 7, which is used as the comparison object, illustrates the line profile of the brightness of the center-corrected image. However, when the position information of the plug 206 used in the coordinate correction step (S03) is design data (e.g., CAD data illustrating the chip pattern), it can be compared with the design data. Example 2

[0033] In the excitation detection method, as shown in Figure 2B, a pulsed electron beam is irradiated multiple times at one irradiation location. Therefore, if the pulsed electron beam drifts due to reasons such as being charged during the irradiation sequence at one irradiation location, it may result in the plug 206 of the inspection object not being irradiated during the irradiation sequence. In view of this, as shown in Figure 8, different irradiation positions 401 are set for one irradiation location (inspection pattern). Figure 8 shows an example of setting irradiation positions 401-1 to 4 at one irradiation location, and setting irradiation positions 401-1 to 4 to positions deviating from the center of the inspection pattern (plug) in the Y+ direction, X+ direction, Y- direction, and X- direction, respectively.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 9 in Embodiment 2, in the inspection step (S04), location irradiation i (1≦i≦N) is performed as a drift determination location irradiation S13. In the drift determination location irradiation S13, an electron beam is irradiated at one irradiation location while changing the irradiation position 401. Furthermore, in the flowchart of FIG. 9, the main focus is on correcting the position deviation caused by the charge accompanying the acquisition of the center correction image; therefore, the irradiation position deviation correction step S11 described in Embodiment 1 is initially performed. This step can also be omitted.

[0035] The irradiation sequence in the irradiation of the drift determination location S13 is explained using Figures 10A and 10B. Figure 10A shows the irradiation current waveform of the excitation pulse 501 and the detection signal waveform 502 of the detector 117. The excitation pulse 501 is a pulse with a relatively long time width, thus constituting a set of short pulses that irradiate continuously, causing the irradiation positions of the short pulses to cycle sequentially through irradiation positions 401-1 to 4. Figure 10B shows the irradiation current waveform of the detection pulse 511 and the detection signal waveform 512 of the detector 117. The detection pulse 511 is a pulse with a relatively short time width, thus causing the irradiation positions of the detection pulse 511 to cycle sequentially through irradiation positions 401-1 to 4.

[0036] The detection signal waveforms shown in Figures 10A and 10B are examples of the pulsed electron beam irradiation position drifting in the X-direction as shown in Schematic Diagram 8. In the example of Figure 10A, when a short pulse is irradiated at irradiation position 401-4, if the detection signal waveform 502 shows an outlier relative to the fitted waveform 503 (shown by the dashed line), it can be inferred that the irradiation position 401-4 deviates from the inspection pattern. Similarly, in the example of Figure 10B, when a probe pulse is irradiated at irradiation position 401-4, if the detection signal waveform 512 shows an outlier relative to the fitted waveform 513 (shown by the dashed line), it can be inferred that the irradiation position 401-4 deviates from the inspection pattern. Alternatively, outlier detection can also be performed without using the fitted waveform, but rather using normal detection signal waveforms obtained from other irradiation locations.

[0037] When an outlier is detected in the detection signal waveform, the control device 150 can perform the following processing.

[0038] (1) Correction of pulsed electron beam irradiation position deviation. For example, in the example of FIG10A, it can be known from the outlier 504 that the irradiation position of the pulsed electron beam has drifted in the X- direction. Therefore, the irradiation position of the pulsed electron beam is fed back 509 by shifting it by a predetermined amount in the X+ direction. In this way, the occurrence of outliers in the detection signal waveform can be suppressed. The position deviation correction is determined according to the irradiation position where the outlier occurs. FIG10A is an example of an outlier occurring at irradiation position 401-4. If an outlier occurs at irradiation positions 401-3 and 401-4, it can be known that the irradiation position of the pulsed electron beam has drifted in the X- and Y- directions. Therefore, the irradiation position of the pulsed electron beam is fed back 509 by shifting it by a predetermined amount in the X+ and Y+ directions. The feedback control amount can be set to a fixed amount, or it can be determined according to the outlier amount of the outlier, as described later.

[0039] (2) Calculate electrical characteristics by correcting the effect of outliers Due to the occurrence of outliers, the amount of current irradiated to the check pattern will decrease accordingly. The amount of outlier value is calculated from the difference between the detected signal waveform and the fitted waveform, and the amount of current irradiated by correcting the check pattern can improve the accuracy of the calculation of the electrical characteristics of the check pattern.

[0040] (3) Calculation of the feedback control quantity The feedback control quantity can also be obtained from the change in the outlier value of the outlier value. For example, the amount of drift that would occur at the time point doing feedback control is presumed from the change of the outlier ε1 in the outlier value 504 and the outlier value ε2 in the outlier value 505 (refer to Fig. 10A ), and the correction amount is calculated in such a way that it offsets its magnitude. In addition, at the presumption of the drift amount, the size of the outlier will be affected by the transient response, so the influence of the transient response must be considered.

[0041] Also, it can also be designed to learn the relationship between the change in the outlier value and the feedback control amount. It is expected that the drift of the pulsed electron beam will also vary in different ways depending on its factors. By learning the relationship between the change in the outlier value and the feedback control quantity, it is expected to achieve high precision in the calculation of the correction quantity.

[0042] Using Figs. The examples in Figure 8 are examples of spot irradiation of an electron beam while changing the irradiation position on one side within the inspection pattern, and Figures 11A–B are examples of its deformation. Figure 11A shows an example of setting the irradiation position (shown by the + notation in the figure) as 3 for the irradiation of the proceeding point in the inspection pattern. As long as there are at least 3 places, the irradiation position deviation can be corrected for the two-dimensional pattern also immediately checking the pattern. On the other hand, as in Figure 11B when the inspection pattern is substantially regarded as a one-dimensional pattern such as a line pattern, the irradiation position of the conducting point irradiation in the inspection pattern (schematically illustrated by + notation) can also be set as 2.

[0043] FIG. Even with such an irradiation method, outliers will occur in the detection signal waveform when part of the trajectory 601 spills out of the check pattern, thus making corrections for the deviation of the irradiation position of the pulsed electron beam. 11D is an irradiation example such that it scans a two-dimensional region 602 contained in the inspection pattern. For example, the two-dimensional region 602 is distinguished into four quadrants, and the direction, amount of deviation of the irradiation position of the pulsed electron beam is presumed based on the balance of the magnitude of the detection signal quantity in the distinguished region, and can be corrected.

[0044] The above-described embodiments and modifications are provided for the purpose of clearly illustrating the present invention and are not intended to limit the implementation to all the described configurations. Furthermore, a portion of the configuration of one embodiment or modification may be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment or modification, and the configuration of another embodiment or modification may be added to the configuration of one embodiment or modification. Moreover, for a portion of the configuration of each embodiment or modification, other configurations may be added, deleted, or replaced. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0010] [Fig. 1] A diagram illustrating one configuration example of the inspection system. [Fig. 2A] A cross-sectional view of an example sample. [Fig. 2B] A diagram illustrating the pulsed electron beam irradiation sequence according to the excitation-probe method. [Fig. 3] A plan view of an example sample. [Fig. 4] The inspection sequence performed by the inspection system. [Fig. 5] A flowchart of the inspection steps in Example 1. [Fig. 6A] An example of electron beam irradiation used to correct irradiation position deviation. [Fig. 6B] An example of electron beam irradiation used to correct irradiation position deviation. [Fig. 7] A diagram illustrating the correction of irradiation position deviation. [Fig. 8] An example of the irradiation position set at the irradiation location in Example 2. [Fig. 9] A flowchart of the inspection steps in Example 1. [Fig. 10A] An example of the irradiation current waveform of the excitation pulse and its detection signal waveform. [Fig. 10B] An example of the irradiation current waveform of the probe pulse and its detection signal waveform. [Fig. 11A] An example of electron beam irradiation by excitation pulse or probe pulse. [Fig. 11B] An example of electron beam irradiation by excitation pulse or probe pulse. [Fig. 11C] Example of electron beam irradiation with excitation pulse or probe pulse. [Fig. 11D] Example of electron beam irradiation with excitation pulse or probe pulse.

Claims

1. An inspection system comprising a charged particle beam device and a computer system, wherein, In a sample forming a plurality of inspection patterns designated as inspection objects, the aforementioned computer system is configured to control an inspection sequence, the inspection sequence including an inspection step, the inspection step inspecting the electrical characteristics of the plurality of inspection patterns contained in the field of view of the aforementioned charged particle beam device, the aforementioned charged particle beam device comprising: a charged particle optical system for irradiating the aforementioned sample with a charged particle beam; a detection system for detecting signal electrons emitted by the aforementioned sample irradiated by the aforementioned charged particle beam, and outputting a detection signal corresponding to the detected signal electron quantity; and a control system for controlling the aforementioned charged particle optical system in accordance with the control of the aforementioned computer system, and outputting the aforementioned detection signal to the aforementioned computer system; the aforementioned inspection step includes: a plurality of location irradiation steps, irradiating a pulsed charged particle beam formed by pulsed charging particle beams at irradiation locations set corresponding to the aforementioned inspection patterns; and one or more irradiation position deviation correction steps, correcting the deviation vector of the aforementioned pulsed charged particle beam set for each aforementioned irradiation location, such that the aforementioned pulsed charged particle beam irradiates the aforementioned inspection pattern during the aforementioned location irradiation steps. The aforementioned computer system calculates the electrical characteristics of the inspection pattern corresponding to the irradiation location based on the detection signal obtained by irradiating the aforementioned irradiation location with an excitation pulse and a probe pulse in the aforementioned location irradiation step. In the aforementioned irradiation position deviation correction step, the correction amount of the deflection vector of the aforementioned pulsed charged particle beam is determined based on the profile of the aforementioned detection signal obtained by irradiating the aforementioned inspection pattern corresponding to the aforementioned irradiation location in a manner that crosses the boundary in one or more directions.

2. The inspection system as described in claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned inspection sequence includes a center correction image acquisition step and a coordinate correction step. In the aforementioned center correction image acquisition step, the aforementioned charged particle beam device scans the aforementioned charged particle beam on the aforementioned sample to obtain a center correction image containing a plurality of the aforementioned inspection patterns. In the aforementioned coordinate correction step, the aforementioned computer system calculates the deflection vector of the aforementioned pulsed charged particle beam at each of the aforementioned irradiation locations from the aforementioned center correction image.

3. The inspection system as described in claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned charged particle wire device includes a light irradiation system for irradiating the aforementioned sample, and the aforementioned control system controls the aforementioned light irradiation system in accordance with the control of the aforementioned computer system.

4. The inspection system as described in claim 3, wherein, The aforementioned computer system has a plurality of candidate correction values ​​pre-memorized regarding the deflection vector of the aforementioned pulsed charged particle beam, and selects one of the aforementioned candidate correction values ​​in each deviation correction step at the aforementioned irradiation position.

5. The inspection system as described in claim 4, wherein, The aforementioned computer system selects one of the aforementioned plurality of correction amount candidates in the aforementioned irradiation position deviation correction step based on the irradiation of the aforementioned charged particle beam and / or the aforementioned light in one or more of the aforementioned location irradiation steps performed before the aforementioned irradiation position deviation correction step.

6. The inspection system as described in claim 1, wherein, In the aforementioned irradiation position deviation correction step, the aforementioned charged particle beam device obtains the line profile of the aforementioned detection signal by performing one of the first irradiation, second irradiation, and third irradiation. The first irradiation involves moving the irradiation position while performing point irradiation of the aforementioned charged particle beam across the boundary of the aforementioned inspection pattern. The second irradiation involves scanning the aforementioned charged particle beam linearly across the boundary of the aforementioned inspection pattern. The third irradiation involves scanning the aforementioned charged particle beam two-dimensionally, including all or part of the aforementioned inspection pattern.

7. An inspection system comprising a charged particle beam device and a computer system, wherein, In a sample forming a plurality of inspection patterns designated as inspection targets, the aforementioned computer system is configured to control an inspection sequence, which includes inspection steps. These inspection steps inspect the electrical characteristics of the plurality of inspection patterns within the field of view of the aforementioned charged particle beam device. The aforementioned charged particle beam device includes: a charged particle optical system that irradiates the aforementioned sample with a charged particle beam; a detection system that detects signal electrons emitted by the charged particle beam irradiating the aforementioned sample and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the detected signal electron quantity; and a control system that controls the aforementioned charged particle optical system according to the control of the aforementioned computer system and outputs the detection signal to the aforementioned computer system. The aforementioned inspection steps include: a plurality of location irradiation steps, irradiating pulsed charged particle beams (pulsed from the charged particle beam) at predetermined irradiation locations corresponding to each of the plurality of aforementioned inspection patterns. The aforementioned computer system calculates the electrical characteristics of the aforementioned inspection pattern corresponding to the irradiation location based on the detection signal obtained from the excitation pulse and detection pulse irradiated at the irradiation location during the location irradiation steps. The aforementioned excitation pulse or the aforementioned detection pulse at the aforementioned irradiation location is set to irradiate while moving at a plurality of irradiation positions within each of the aforementioned inspection patterns corresponding to the aforementioned irradiation location.

8. The inspection system as described in claim 7, wherein, The aforementioned computer system determines the drift direction of the aforementioned charged particle beam based on the irradiation position of the aforementioned inspection pattern when an outlier occurs in the waveform of the aforementioned detection signal obtained by irradiating the aforementioned excitation pulse or the aforementioned detection pulse.

9. The inspection system as described in claim 8, wherein, The aforementioned computer system determines the correction amount of the deflection vector of the aforementioned pulsed charged particle beam set for each of the aforementioned irradiation locations in order to counteract the drift of the aforementioned charged particle beam.

10. The inspection system as described in claim 8, wherein, The aforementioned computer system corrects for the effects of the outliers and calculates the electrical characteristics of the aforementioned inspection pattern corresponding to the irradiation location.

11. The inspection system as described in claim 7, wherein, In the aforementioned location irradiation step, the aforementioned charged particle beam device irradiates the aforementioned excitation pulse or the aforementioned detection pulse by performing one of the first irradiation, the second irradiation, and the third irradiation. The first irradiation is to perform point irradiation of the aforementioned charged particle beam while changing the irradiation position within the aforementioned inspection pattern. The second irradiation is to scan the aforementioned charged particle beam within the aforementioned inspection pattern in a manner that draws a predetermined trajectory. The third irradiation is to scan the aforementioned charged particle beam in a two-dimensional manner so that it is included within the aforementioned inspection pattern.

12. The inspection system as described in claim 7, wherein, The aforementioned inspection steps include: one or more irradiation position deviation correction steps, correcting the deviation vector of the aforementioned pulse charged particle beam set for each of the aforementioned irradiation locations, so that the aforementioned pulse charged particle beam will irradiate the aforementioned inspection pattern during the aforementioned location irradiation steps; the aforementioned computer system, in the aforementioned irradiation position deviation correction steps, determines the correction amount of the deviation vector of the aforementioned pulse charged particle beam based on the profile of the aforementioned detection signal obtained by irradiating the aforementioned inspection pattern corresponding to the aforementioned irradiation location in one or more directions.

13. The inspection system as described in claim 12, wherein, The aforementioned inspection sequence includes a center correction image acquisition step and a coordinate correction step. In the aforementioned center correction image acquisition step, the aforementioned charged particle beam device scans the aforementioned charged particle beam on the aforementioned sample to obtain a center correction image containing a plurality of the aforementioned inspection patterns. In the aforementioned coordinate correction step, the aforementioned computer system calculates the deflection vector of the aforementioned pulsed charged particle beam at each of the aforementioned irradiation locations from the aforementioned center correction image.

14. The inspection system as described in claim 12, wherein, In the aforementioned irradiation position deviation correction step, the aforementioned charged particle beam device obtains the line profile of the aforementioned detection signal by performing one of the fourth, fifth, and sixth irradiations. The fourth irradiation involves moving the irradiation position while performing point irradiation of the aforementioned charged particle beam across the boundary of the aforementioned inspection pattern. The fifth irradiation involves scanning the aforementioned charged particle beam linearly across the boundary of the aforementioned inspection pattern. The sixth irradiation involves scanning the aforementioned charged particle beam two-dimensionally, including all or part of the aforementioned inspection pattern.

15. The inspection system as described in claim 7, wherein, The aforementioned charged particle wire device includes a light irradiation system for irradiating the aforementioned sample, and the aforementioned control system controls the aforementioned light irradiation system in accordance with the control of the aforementioned computer system.

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