Patent ID: 7271385

Claim:
An inspection method using an electron beam comprising the steps of: irradiating, based on previously prepared information concerning a defect position on the surface of a sample, the defect and its vicinity with an electron beam a plurality of times at predetermined intervals; detecting an electron signal secondarily generated from the sample surface by the electron beam; imaging the electron signal detected by the pre-specified n-th or later electron beam irradiation; and measuring the resistance or a leakage amount of a defective portion of the sample surface in accordance with the degree of charge relaxation by monitoring a charge relaxation state of the sample surface based on the electron beam image information; wherein the previously prepared defect position information is generated based on defect inspection by continuously moving a sample stage having the sample placed thereon, and the electron beam irradiation step, electron signal detection step, and resistance/leakage amount measurement step are repeated in a state where the sample stage is moved sequentially and stopped at each defect position based on the defect position information whereby a plurality of small fields of patterns are captured in a large second field.