Patent ID: 10186398

Abstract:
A sample positioning method that can easily and quickly position a target observation area of a sample, which is disposed on a sample stage in a sample chamber of a charged particle beam apparatus, into a field of view of a first charged particle beam. The method includes displaying an image including the sample on a display screen; designating an attention point on the basis of the image on the display screen while maintaining the relative position of the attention point with respect to the sample stage; aligning the position of the sample stage in the direction of an optical axis so that the attention point is positioned in an on-axis point tracer plane perpendicular to the optical axis through an on-axis target point on the optical axis; moving the attention point to the on-axis target point by performing detection of deviation of the attention point from the on-axis target point and movement in the on-axis point tracer plane; and moving the attention point into a depth of focus of a charged particle beam optics.