Patent ID: 7470918

Claim:
A minute sample processing and observation apparatus comprising: a first sample stage on which a sample is placed; a probe to take out a minute sample from the sample; a second sample stage on which the minute sample is fixed; a second sample stage controller that controls an angle of the second sample stage; a sample chamber in which the first sample stage, the probe and the second sample stage are arranged; a focused ion beam optical system to apply an ion beam to the sample placed on the first sample stage and the minute sample fixed on the second sample stage; an electron beam optical system to apply an electron beam to the minute sample fixed on the second sample stage; wherein the focused ion beam optical system is to apply the ion beam to the sample placed on the first sample stage to extract the minute sample from the sample, and the probe is to support the minute sample; the focused ion beam optical system and the electron beam optical system are arranged within the sample chamber; the minute sample supported by the probe is to be fixed to the second sample stage; the focused ion beam optical system is to apply the ion beam to the minute sample fixed on the second sample stage to create a desired observation section; the second sample stage controller is to control the angle of the second sample stage so as to locate an observation section of the electron beam in view of stopping orientation of the first sample stage; the electron beam optical system is to apply the electron beam to the minute sample to observe the observation section, and observation of an inner section of the sample can be carried out with the sample in the sample chamber, and the sample chamber having a vacuum atmosphere.