Patent ID: 8076654

Claim:
A mechanism for inspecting a surface of a sample, comprising: an imaging projection type optical system comprising an electromagnetic source for irradiating the sample surface with electromagnetic waves, a primary optical system for guiding the electromagnetic waves generated from the electromagnetic source onto the sample surface, and an imaging optical system as a secondary optical system for inducing photoelectrons emitted from the irradiated sample surface, wherein the imaging optical system comprises a lens system to magnify an image; a detector for detecting the photoelectrons induced by the imaging optical system to output an electric or optical signal; and a processing unit for processing the electric or optical signal from the detector for evaluation of the sample surface, wherein the primary optical system guides the electromagnetic waves onto the sample surface in a direction other than a direction perpendicular to the sample surface, wherein the imaging projection type optical system comprises first, second, and third lenses, and an aperture located between the second and third lenses to induce the photoelectrons from the sample surface in a direction perpendicular to the sample surface, whereby the mechanism comprises no E×B beam separator, and wherein a diameter of the electromagnetic waves irradiated on the sample surface is in a range of 10 μm-10 mm.