Abstract: A laser beam or other parallel light beam divides at a beamsplitter into sample and reference beams. The sample beam reflects from a reflective surface back to the beamsplitter, and the reference beam reflects from a retroreflector back to the beamsplitter. The beams are then directed into a telescope. The angle between sample and reference beams at the telescope is proportional to the angle between the laser beam and the normal to the reflective surface. The telescope collects both sample beam and reference beam and transforms each beam into a sharply defined point image. The lateral separation between the two point images is proportional to the magnification of the telescope and to the angle formed at the telescope between the sample beam and the reference beam. If the reflective surface is accurately aligned relative to the laser beam, then the two point images are substantially superposed on one another.

Abstract: An improved compact tandem photon and electron beam lithography system includes a field lens adjacent the photoemission source which is utilized in combination with an objective lens to minimize field aberrations in the usable emission pattern and minimize the interaction between electrons to improve the throughput of the system. If desired, a demagnifying lens can be utilized between the field lens and the objective lens to increase the demagnification ratio of the system.

Abstract: An interrupted development, multi-cycle development process, in combination with an aqueous photoresist developer composition enables development of electron-beam exposed novolak-resin based photoresists with resolution of less than 0.20 &mgr;m, contrast >5, and dark loss less than 10%. The developer composition of this invention includes a metal alkali, a dialkylalkanolamine adjuvant, a surfactant and a buffer.

Abstract: A method for forming microcolumns in which laser spot welding bonds the multiple layers of an electron beam microcolumn. A silicon microlens is laser spot welded to a glass insulation layer by focusing a laser through the insulation layer onto the silicon microlens. The glass layer is transparent to the laser, allowing all of the energy to be absorbed by the silicon. This causes the silicon to heat, which, in turn, heats the adjacent surface of the glass insulation layer creating a micro-weld between the silicon and glass. The insulation layer includes a portion which protrudes beyond the edge of the first microlens so that when a second microlens is attached to the opposite side of the insulation layer, the second microlens can be laser spot welded to the protruding portion of the insulation layer by focusing a laser through the protruding portion of the insulation layer to heat the second microlens.

Abstract: A method and an accompanied apparatus for aligning an electron emitter with an extractor hole of a microcolumn. Four V-grooves, defined together with the window for forming the membrane and having bottoms situated on two axis are microfabricated on a chip. The axis intersect at a right angle and defines a center point for the extractor hole. The V-grooves are then used as references to align the electron emitter with the extractor hole, one axis at a time. The emitter is precisely aligned to the extractor hole because the extractor hole was formed with reference to the V-grooves. The thickness of the chip is used as the spacing reference between the emitter and the extractor.

Abstract: A charged particle beam column efficiently illuminates a blanking aperture array by splitting a charged particle beam into multiple charged particle beams and focusing each charge particle beam on a separate aperture of the blanking aperture array. Where an electron source with a small effective source size is used, for example an electron field emission source or Schottky source, crossovers of the individual beams may occur within the separate apertures of the blanking aperture array. Consequently, no demagnification of the beams passing through the blanking aperture array is necessary to form a small exposure pixel on the writing plane. Thus, for example, electron-electron interactions are minimized, thereby increasing throughput of the system. Further, undesirable scattering of the charged particle off the edge or sidewall of the apertures of the blanking aperture array is avoided.

Abstract: In a light raster scanning system imaging a medium located on a movable stage and using bidirectional scanning, i.e. scanning during stage movement in two opposing directions, the problem of chevron artifacts (angle errors), due to the different stage movement directions, is overcome by a system of reflective optics including two optical elements dynamically movable relative to one another. One of the optical reflective elements is tilted or rotated relative to the other to compensate for the angle error causing the chevron artifacts. The amount of this tilt is dynamically altered depending on the direction of stage travel and also may be dynamically adjusted to maintain linearity of the scan pattern in spite of any other irregularities in stage velocity. Also an autofocus feature is provided, whereby the two reflective elements are moved relative to one another to dynamically alter the focus of the light beam onto the medium and hence overcome any defocus problems due to irregularities in the medium surface.

Abstract: A laser scanner includes an optical relay which reforms an image from a scan lens at a location that provides additional working distance. The optical relay contains primarily reflective elements which provide achromatic focusing for ultraviolet light. One embodiment of the optical relay has a magnifying power of about 1 and use spherical mirrors in a configuration where image distortion and aberrations cancels. A second optical relay provides a reduction in image size using aspherical mirrors such as parabolic and elliptical mirrors. An additional lens cancels distortion and aberration introduced in the second optical relay. The additional working distance allows insertion optical devices such as beamsplitters and chevron correction and autofocus optics in the optical path of the optical relay.

Abstract: A method and system for cleaning the silicon microlenses in an electron-beam microcolumn in situ. The microlenses individually are heated by passing a current through each microlens. The current is utilized to heat the microlens to at least two hundred degrees Centigrade to prevent contamination and occasionally to a temperature on the order of six to seven hundred degrees Centigrade to remove any builtup or potential contamination.

Abstract: Two axes laser interferometers are well known for determining the XY position of a stage, for instance for photolithography equipment. Each of the X and Y coordinates is measured to great precision by reflecting a laser beam from a long flat mirrored surface lying perpendicular to the axis of interest. Instead of using a single one-piece mirror having two reflective surfaces, three mirrors are provided in the configuration of two independent rigid bodies; there are two extended main mirrors each of which is formed on a separate optical element and a third smaller calibration mirror which is fabricated at a right angle at the end surface of one of the long mirrors or is adhesively bonded or held mechanically thereto. The angular relationship between the calibration mirror and the mirror to which it is attached is rigid and the orthogonality error is calibrated and recorded. This calibration mirror is a reference surface for the second elongated mirror to which it is nominally parallel.

Abstract: A laser pattern generator for semiconductor mask making or direct writing of features on a semiconductor wafer uses a pulsed laser source to achieve high power and short wavelength (e.g. 263 nm or less) radiation, for writing very small-sized features. The laser pulse frequency is either synchronous or asynchronous to the writing grid of the features being written, in various embodiments.

Abstract: A charged particle-beam microcolumn, which for example may be used for charged particle microscopy, with a T-shape configuration has a relatively narrow base structure supporting the beam forming charged particle optical column. The narrow base structure permits the T-shaped microcolumn and sample to be positioned at an angle other than normal with respect to each other, which allows generation of three-dimensional-like images of the sample surface. Thus, the incidence angle of the charged particle beam generated by the T-shaped microcolumn may be varied while a short working distance is maintained. A conventional secondary/backscattered charged particle detector may be used because the reflected angle of the charged particles allows a charged particle detector to be separated from the T-shaped microcolumn. Further, the small size of the T-shaped microcolumn permits observation of different parts of a large stationary sample by moving the T-shaped microcolumn with respect to the sample.

Abstract: A shaped electron beam column focuses electrons from an electron source to produce a shadow image of a shaped aperture on a writing plane. The shadow image of the shaped aperture is the defocused image of a shape aperture. This defocused shadow image is in the the object plane of the shaped electron beam column. The shadow image in the writing plane is defocused because an electron beam lens produces a focused image of the electron source off the writing plane. The size of the shadow image on the writing plane may be altered by adjusting the electron beam lens to change the distance between the electron source image and the writing plane, i.e., defocus. Thus, a relatively large shaped aperture may be used in comparison to shaped apertures used in conventional electron beam columns. Further, only a small total linear demagnification may be used, which permits the length of the shaped electron beam column to be decreased.

Abstract: For electron beam wafer or mask processing, a registration mark is capacitively coupled to the top surface of an overlying resist layer on a substrate to form a voltage potential on the surface of the resist layer directly over the registration mark. The registration mark is directly connected to an electrical lead that produces an AC voltage on the registration mark, which is capacitively induced on the surface of the resist layer. Alternatively, the registration mark itself is capacitively coupled to a conductive plate placed on the bottom surface of the semiconductor substrate. An AC voltage is then applied to the conductive plate that induces a charge on the registration mark, which then capacitively induces a charge on the surface of the layer of resist. An electron beam scanning across the surface of the resist layer generates secondary electrons. The secondary electrons have a low energy and are affected by the voltage potential created at the surface of the resist layer.

Abstract: A composite magnetic lens and deflector for particle beam optical systems has a concentric gap and concentric conical lower pole pieces arranged to allow more accurate magnetic deflection. The flux generated by a solenoidal lens coil is shared by magnetically soft inner and higher saturation flux outer pole pieces to minimize saturation effects, while the flux generated by internal deflection coils is confined to magnetically soft inner pole pieces that minimize flux leakage and associated eddy current settling effects. Shielding rings further contain leakage flux. The inner magnetic circuit is mounted and adhesively bonded to radial flexures to minimize thermal expansion drifts.

Abstract: A rasterizer, particularly suited for generating patterns for semiconductor masks and the like is described. An 8.times.8 array uses RAS, CAS and WE signals in addition to the memory address for accessing the array. A state machine is used to convert the pattern data (e.g., type of object orientation, etc.) into accessing data with the WE generator being driven through a ROM.

Abstract: A solid state electron or x-ray detector is mounted within the time-varying magnetic deflection fields of a charged particle beam system. A minimum volume of high resistivity conductors and insulating materials are used in the mounting to minimize eddy currents that otherwise cause dynamic deflection distortions. Segmented conductive elastomer members make electrical and mechanical contact with the active surface of the detector. A flexible PC board connects the detector active areas to external signal processing electronics.

Abstract: A hybrid exposure strategy for pattern generation uses wide field raster scan deflection and a uniformly moving stage to expose long stripes. Periodic analog wide field magnetic scan is augmented by a high speed electrostatic retrograde scan to keep the beam stationary during exposure of rectangular flash fields. The system's data path utilizes a pattern represented in a rasterized format. Intermediate vector data bases are created using fracture rules that limit feature and hierarchical cell size of to be smaller than overlapping fringes of stripe data fields. Rectangular flash fields are employed with each field being a 1 by n array of writing pixels. The length, origin position and dose of line shaped beam flashes can be varied to allow patterns to be exposed on a design grid much smaller than a writing pixel. The length, origin position and dose data for each flash is derived from a rasterized data format using a decoder device.

Abstract: An electron beam pattern generating system for exposing a pattern on a substrate using a raster scan method. The system stores a rasterized representation of the pattern as a plurality of regular pixel dose exposure levels. These pixel dose exposure levels are evaluated by the system for one or more proximity effects and corrections to the dose exposure level and/or pixel location are calculated. The system includes apparatus for both calculation and storage of intermediate and final results as required. As they are calculated, the corrections are provided to an exposure dose modulator wherein they are applied to forming the pattern. Thus corrections for both long range and short range proximity effects due to both electron scattering and heating as well as for proximity effects due to global thermal expansion can be calculated and provided during run-time and a corrected pattern exposed.

Abstract: A conical shaped baffle aperture reduces beam position drift due to electrostatic charging of insulating contamination layers on beam tube walls of a charged particle beam system. The geometric cone angle, aperture size and apex location of the baffle with respect to the source of contamination and secondary radiation are selected so that the inner walls of the baffle and the beam itself are invisible from the source, and therefore remain free of the insulating contamination layers that would otherwise cause charging drift.