Abstract: To improve in the throughput of an exposure system, the setting time during a step change in the output of an amplifier is reduced by switching resistance between the amplifier and a deflector, a glitch waveform generated during a step change in the output or a D/A converter at the preceding stage of the amplifier, is anticipated and is canceled out with a correction waveform, after the output of the D/A converter has settled, this output is sample held and the step change is interpolated at a smoothing circuit, the deflection area is increased by positioning a electrostatic deflector offset around the optical axis relative to another electrostatic deflector, the response speed of the main deflection is improved by adding auxiliary deflection coils of one or two turn, and the alignment time is reduced by combining the coordinate conversion in the wafer area and in the chip area.

Abstract: A charged particle beam exposure method includes the steps of creating dot pattern data indicative of a pattern to be exposed, storing the dot pattern data in a first storage device having a first access speed, transferring the dot pattern data from the first storage device to a second storage having a second, higher access speed, reading the dot pattern data out from the second storage device, and producing a plurality of charged particle beams in response to the dot pattern data read out from the second storage device by means of a blanking aperture array, wherein the blanking aperture array includes a plurality of apertures each causing turning-on and turning-off of a changed particle beam pertinent to the aperture in response to the dot pattern data.

Abstract: An electron beam exposure system includes an electron beam shaping mask having a plurality of apertures for shaping an electron beam, a blanking plate disposed between the electron beam shaping mask and an object for inhibiting the passage of the electron beam deviated from a predetermined optical axis, a current adding circuit supplied with a first current induced in the electron beam shaping mask as a result of capturing of the electron beam and a second current induced in the blanking plate as a result of capturing of the electron beam for generating a third current as a sum of the first and second currents, a current/voltage converter for generating a first pulse signal in response to the third current, a first counter supplied with the first pulse signals for counting the first pulse signals and outputting a first count value, a second counting circuit supplied with a second pulse signal corresponding to the driving signal, for counting the second pulse signals and generating a second count value represe

Abstract: An electron-beam exposure system includes an astigmatic compensation circuit that increases a voltage applied across a pair of electrodes forming an electrostatic sub-deflector and simultaneously decreases a voltage applied across another pair of electrodes forming the same electrostatic sub-deflector with a same magnitude as in the case of increasing the voltage, wherein the magnitude of the voltage change is changed in response to the deflection of the electron-beam caused by a main deflector.

Abstract: A transparent mask plate used in a charged particle beam exposure apparatus includes a base plate, an exposure pattern area, and a calibration area. The exposure pattern area is formed in the base plate and has a plurality of transparent patterns for shaping a cross section of a charged particle beam into a block pattern. The calibration area is formed in the base plate, and has a plurality of transparent patterns used for obtaining a condition for deflecting the charged particle beam. The plurality of transparent patterns formed in the calibration area are arranged at the same pitch as the plurality of transparent patterns formed in the exposure pattern area. Each of the plurality of transparent patterns formed in the calibration area corresponds to one of the plurality of transparent patterns formed in the exposure pattern area.

Abstract: A charged particle beam-exposure method in which a subject is exposed to a pattern via a charged particle beam having an on/off exposure characteristic. A blanking aperture array has n open/close devices which individually/correspond to respective scan positions of the charged particle beam and operate to control the on/off exposure characteristic of the charged particle beam.

Abstract: A barrier electrode is formed above an article to be exposed so as to be opposite the surface of the article to be exposed. A voltage is applied to the barrier electrode so as to form a barrier electric field surrounding the optical axis of a charged particle beam and surrounding the article to be exposed.

Abstract: A charged particle beam exposure apparatus employs a main deflector made of electromagnetic coils and a subdeflector made of electrostatic deflection electrodes. An exposure method used for this apparatus is capable of shortening a wait time of the main deflector. The main deflector deflects a charged particle beam in a direction X, while the subdeflector deflects the beam around the deflecting position of the main deflector to expose an object to the beam. An area to be exposed on the object is divided into thin subfields such that the width, in an X-axis direction of each subfield, is approximately 1/3 the length in a Y-axis direction of the same.

Abstract: In a charged particle beam exposure apparatus in which a charged particle beam is projected onto a member to be exposed to thereby form a pattern thereon, there are provided a plurality of electrodes disposed around an optical axis of the charged particle beam, a first unit for introducing a gas containing oxygen as a main component into an inside of the charged particle beam exposure apparatus including the plurality of electrodes and for holding the inside of the apparatus at a degree of vacuum between 0.1 Torr and 4 Torr, and a second unit for selectively applying either a high-frequency signal having a frequency between 100 kHz and 800 kHz or a reference signal to each of the plurality of electrodes. A plasma radical state of the gas is generated in the inside of the apparatus so that a deposition present in the apparatus can be eliminated.

Abstract: A charged-particle beam exposure method is used for a charged-particle beam exposure apparatus equipped with a blanking aperture array plate in which columns are arranged side by side in a first direction, and each of the columns includes a plurality of blanking apertures arranged in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, a charged-particle beam being moved on a wafer in the first direction. The method includes the steps of (a) determining one of first and second axes of a pattern to be exposed to be a priority axis; (b) projecting an image of the blanking aperture array plate onto the wafer so that the priority axis is perpendicular to the second direction; and (c) deflecting the charged-particle beam so that the wafer is scanned in the direction of the priority axis.

Abstract: A method of exposing a pattern on a substrate by a charged particle beam includes the steps of energizing first and second mask deflectors provided at an upstream side of a stencil mask simultaneously to obtain a first relativistic relationship of energization between the first and second mask deflectors, energizing the first mask deflector and simultaneously the second mask deflector according to the first relativistic relationship so as to hit a selected aperture on the stencil mask, to obtain an absolute deflection of the charged particle beam as a function of the energization of the first mask deflector, energizing third and fourth mask deflectors provided at a downstream side of the stencil mask simultaneously to obtain a second relativistic relationship of energization between the third and fourth mask deflectors, and energizing the first through fourth mask deflectors according to the first and second relativistic relationship and further to the absolute relationship, such that the charged particle bea

Abstract: A charged particle beam exposure method for deflecting a charged particle beam in a deflection system which includes electromagnetic deflection coils, includes the steps of (a) controlling the deflection system based on deflection data, and (b) generating heat at least a vicinity of the electromagnetic deflection coils so as to compensate for a change in heat generated from the electromagnetic deflection coils.

Abstract: A stencil mask is used for exposing a pattern on a wafer using a charged particle beam which is transmitted through the stencil mask. The stencil mask is made up of a plate, and at least a block pattern region formed on the plate. The block pattern region includes apertures of arbitrary shapes for transmitting the charged particle beam which irradiates the apertures within the block pattern region in one shot of the charged particle beam. The block pattern region forms a block mask in which a pair of confronting blanking electrodes is provided with respect to at least predetermined ones of the apertures.

Abstract: An electron beam exposure process includes a step of producing a plurality of electron beam elements from a single electron beam by shaping and radiating the plurality of electron beam elements on a substrate. The exposure is achieved in a plurality of times with respective electron beam patterns by means of different sets of electron beam elements, wherein the electron beam elements of different sets are produced simultaneously and deflected simultaneously so as to scan the substrate consecutively. The electron beam elements in one set are offset from corresponding electron beam elements of the other set by a pitch of M/N wherein N represents the number of the electron beam sets and M is an integer smaller than N.

Abstract: A method is provided for exposing a semiconductor device pattern onto a semiconductor substrate by repeatedly exposing an adjoining arrangement of a plurality of unit patterns. The device pattern is first divided into a plurality of unit patterns. Then, a stencil mask is provided with transmitting openings having shapes conforming to the respective unit patterns. Pattern lines on the stencil mask of the unit patterns which are to be connected with each other have at least one connecting end provided with at least one protrusion having a width less than that of the corresponding pattern lines. The protrusion on the connecting end reduces errors such as interruptions or excessive broadening in an exposed pattern line due to misalignment. Also disclosed is a stencil mask for carrying out the present inventive method.

Abstract: An electron beam exposure apparatus is provided with an electron gun emitting an electron beam, a blanking aperture array including a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged blanking apertures for selectively deflecting the electron beam passing through the blanking apertures in a predetermined direction so as to shape the electron beam into a plurality of electron beams, a deflection device for regularly deflecting the electron beams passed through the blanking aperture array, and an electron beam controller for controlling the electron beams passed through the blanking aperture array so as to irradiate and expose an object surface. The electron gun has a needle shaped chip which comprises a pair of sloping surfaces which are <100> faces, and a vertex portion connecting the sloping surfaces and forming an inverted V-shape at a tip end of the needle shaped chip when viewed in a direction in which the vertex portion extends.

Abstract: A charged particle beam exposure method deflects a charged particle beam in a deflection system which includes electromagnetic deflection coils and an electromagnetic lens. The charged particle beam exposure method includes controlling the deflection system based on deflection data, and blocking heat radiation from at least the electromagnetic deflection coils by a partition so as to prevent the heat radiation from reaching the electromagnetic lens and to prevent heat conduction to the electromagnetic lens by the partition.

Abstract: A lithography system and a method of using the same, wherein a charged-particle beam is deflected to pass through a selected block of stencil pattern on a stencil mask and thereafter the beam forms an image of the stencil pattern on an objective, the lithography system comprising astigmatism and focus compensation coils disposed on both the upstream and downstream sides of the stencil mask, thereby aberration of the incident beam onto the stencil mask being corrected by the astigmatism and focus compensation coils disposed on the upstream side forming a sharp image on the mask, and further aberration of the mask-penetrated beam on the downstream side being corrected by the astigmatism and focus compensation coils disposed on the downstream side forming a sharp image of the stencil pattern on the objective.

Abstract: A stencil mask is used for exposing a pattern on a wafer using a charged particle beam which is transmitted through the stencil mask. The stencil mask is made up of a plate, and at least a block pattern region formed on the plate. The block pattern region includes apertures of arbitrary shapes for transmitting the charged particle beam which irradiates the apertures within the block pattern region in one shot of the charged particle beam. The block pattern region forms a block mask in which a pair of confronting blanking electrodes is provided with respect to at least predetermined ones of the apertures.

Abstract: An electron beam exposure system having an electromagnetic lens for forming an electron beam into an arbitrary image and for condensing and projecting the image on a sample, and a plurality of saddle type electromagnetic deflectors for deflecting and scanning the electron beam on the sample, wherein at least one of the plurality of saddle type electromagnetic deflectors has a half angle of arc of more than 60 degrees and positions in a vicinity of a smooth connecting line which links four points plotted on a graph having coordinates of the half angle of arc of 60 degrees to no less than a radius of curvature of 30 millimeters, approximately 61.5 degrees to 14 millimeters, approximately 64 degrees to 9 millimeters, and approximately 66 degrees to 7 millimeters. Thus, the electron beam exposure system having the saddle type electromagnetic deflector and which is small and has low aberration is realized.