Patent ID: 7928377

Claim:
A sample manufacturing method for low energy Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (“STEM”) utilizing a charged particle beam apparatus comprising: a low energy electron beam irradiation system for irradiating an electron beam onto a sample while scanning; a transmitting electron detector for detecting electrons in an electron beam which has passed through the sample and has scattered at a low scattering angle; a scattered electron detector for detecting electrons in an electron beam transmitted and scattered at a large angle by the sample; a focused ion beam irradiation system for irradiating a focused ion beam onto the sample while scanning so as to cross-section the sample; a secondary electron detector arranged on the same side of the sample as the focused ion beam irradiation system with respect to the sample, the secondary electron detector for detecting secondary electrons emitted from the sample by the beam irradiation of the electron beam or the focused ion beam; and a sample holder for holding the sample; wherein the irradiation axis of the focused ion beam intersects the irradiation axis of the electron beam almost at a right and fixed angle and the sample holder is arranged on the intersection point of the irradiation axes, the method comprising steps of: displaying a sample scan image while carrying out focused ion beam cross-sectioning obtained by detecting transmitting and scattering electrons and the secondary electron on an image display means; calculating the contrast of the sample scan image obtained by the transmitting and scattering electrons; detecting an end point of processing when the contrast becomes saturated and decreases to a preset threshold; and stopping the focused ion beam machining when the calculated contrast has reached the preset threshold.