The scanning electron microscope(SEM) is one of the most popular instruments available for the measurement and analysis of the micro/nano structures. It is equipped with an electron optical system that consists of an electron beam source, magnetic lenses, apertures, deflection coils, and a detector. The magnetic lenses playa role in refracting electron beams to obtain a focused spot using the magnetic field driven by an electric current from a coil. A SEM column usually contains two condenser lenses and an objective lens. The condenser lenses generate a magnetic field that forces the electron beams to form crossovers at desired locations. The objective lens then focuses the electron beams on the specimen. The present work concerns finite element analysis for the electron magnetic lenses so as to analyze their magnetic characteristics. To improve the performance of the magnetic lenses, the effect of the excitation current and pole-piece design on the amount of resulting magnetic fields and their peak locations are analyzed through the finite element analysis.
