Patent ID: 7164126

Claim:
A method of measuring a dimension of sample by irradiating a charged particle beam on a sample, and measuring a dimension of a measured object formed on said sample based on secondary signals emitted from said sample, the method comprising the steps of: wherein said measured object shrinks when irradiated plural times with said charged particle beam, the shrinkage of said measured object increasing as the number of irradiation times increase; measuring, a dimension of another object having a condition essentially equivalent to the measured object by irradiating the charged particle beam instead of the measured object, wherein said condition is that said another object shrinking the same as said measured object shrinks by irradiating the charged particle beam; and calculating a relation between an increment in the number of irradiation times and decrements in dimension of said another object, measured plural times after shrinkage; and estimating the dimension of said measured object before shrinkage, based on the dimension of said another object before shrinkage, estimated from the calculated relation of said another object.