Charged particle beam device for inspecting or structuring a specimen

摘要

The invention provides a charged particle beam device (1) to inspect or structure a specimen (3) comprising a charged particle beam source (5) to generate a charged particle beam (7), a beam optical system (16) to direct the charged particle beam (7) onto said specimen (3) and a gas supply system (10) providing a gas (12) for the charged particle beam device (1), whereby the gas supply system (10) comprises a plurality of at least ten tubes (14; 15; 22) to direct said gas (12) to a desired region (68) for interaction with the specimen (3). The gas support system enables the charged particle beam device to provide sufficient gas for decharging the specimen with a total gas flow which is significantly lower than the total gas flow of charged particle beam devices using previously known gas supply systems. A lower total gas flow helps to improve the vacuum in the charged particle beam region.