Abstract: A particle-beam exposure apparatus (1) for irradiating a target (41) by means of a beam (2) of energetic electrically charged particles comprises: an illumination system (101) for generating and forming said particles into a directed beam (21); a pattern definition means (102) located after the illumination system for positioning a pattern of apertures transparent to the particles in the path of the directed beam, thus forming a patterned beam (22) emerging from the pattern definition means through the apertures; and a projection system (103) positioned after the pattern definition means (102) for projecting the patterned beam (22) onto a target (41) positioned after the projection system. The apparatus further comprises an acceleration/deceleration means (32) containing an electric potential gradient which is oriented substantially parallel to the path of the structured beam and constant over at least a cross-section of the beam.

Abstract: An apparatus for masked ion-beam lithography comprises a mask maintenance module for prolongation of the lifetime of the stencil mask. The module comprises a deposition means for depositing material to the side of the mask irradiated by the lithography beam, with at least one deposition source being positioned in front of the mask, and further comprises a sputter means in which at least one sputter source, positioned in front of the mask holder means and outside the path of the lithography beam, produces a sputter ion beam directed to the mask in order to sputter off material from said mask in a scanning procedure and compensate for inhomogeneity of deposition.

Abstract: A particle-beam exposure apparatus (1) for irradiating a target (41) by means of a beam (2) of energetic electrically charged particles comprises: an illumination system (101) for generating and forming said particles into a directed beam (21); a pattern definition means (102) located after the illumination system for positioning a pattern of apertures transparent to the particles in the path of the directed beam, thus forming a patterned beam (22) emerging from the pattern definition means through the apertures; and a projection system (103) positioned after the pattern definition means (102) for projecting the patterned beam (22) onto a target (41) positioned after the projection system. The apparatus further comprises an acceleration/ deceleration means (32) containing an electric potential gradient which is oriented substantially parallel to the path of the structured beam and constant over at least a cross-section of the beam.

Abstract: In a particle projection lithography system, an alignment system is used to determine alignment parameters to measure the position and shape of an optical image of a pattern of structures formed in a mask and imaged onto a target by means of a broad particle beam, by means of an apparatus with a plurality of alignment marks adapted to produce secondary radiation upon irradiation with radiation of said particle beam. In order to allow for a variation of the alignment parameters along the optical axis, the alignment marks are positioned outside the aperture of the alignment system for the part of the beam that generates said optical image, arranged at positions to coincide with particle reference beams projected through reference beam forming structures provided on the mask while said optical image is projected onto the target, and situated on at least two different levels over the target as seen along the directions of the respective reference beams.

Abstract: For producing an exposure pattern on a resist material layer on a substrate, a mask having a pattern of transparent structures is illuminated with a beam of energetic radiation and the structure pattern is imaged onto the substrate by means of the structured beam within a pattern transfer system such as an ion-beam lithography system. The pattern image produced on the substrate is shifted laterally with respect to the substrate between a plurality of predetermined shift positions and with each shift position the substrate is irradiated for a predetermined time, wherein the width of lateral displacements is smaller than the minimum feature size of the exposure pattern, the blur as determined by the pattern transfer system is not smaller than the width of lateral displacements, and the dimension and/or direction of the structure patterns are incongruent with respect to the lateral displacements.

Abstract: A structuring device (SD) for processing a surface of a substrate (SB), comprising a substrate chamber (VC) for mounting the substrate (SB) and a reaction chamber (GC) enabling a gas reaction at a given operating pressure. The reaction chamber (GC) has at least one gas inlet (GL) for a reaction gas and at least one injection outlet (JL) leading into the substrate chamber, while the substrate chamber (VC) is provided with a pumping system (PP) for maintaining a vacuum within the substrate chamber at a pressure not above the operating pressure of the gas reaction in the reaction chamber (GC). The injection outlet (JL) is provided with at least one injection pipe ending into an injection opening of given width, the injection pipe having a length not smaller than the width of the injection opening, the injection pipe forming the gas particles originating from the gas reaction into a gas jet streaming out of the injection opening.

Abstract: In a particle-optical imaging lithography system, an illuminating system comprising a particle source and a first electrostatic lens arrangement produces a particle beam which penetrates a mask foil provided with an orifice structure positioned in the particle beam path. This structure is imaged on a substrate plane by a projection system comprising a second electrostatic lens arrangement. The first and second lens arrangements each comprise, on their respective sides facing the mask holding device, at least one pre- and post-mask electrode, respectively. By applying different electrostatic potentials to the pre- and post-mask electrodes and to the mask foil, the mask foil and the pre-mask electrode form a grid lens with negative refracting power, and the mask foil and the post-mask electrode also form a grid lens with negative refracting power.

Abstract: A particle beam lithography method for imaging a structure pattern onto one or more fields on a substrate (11) by means of electrically charged particles, e.g. ions, in which a particle beam is shaped into a desired beam pattern by means of a mask positioned in the particle beam, converted into a beam pattern by apertures in the mask and projected onto the substrate to form an image of the mask apertures. According to the invention, a plurality of masks is positioned on one mask carrier, thus offering a plurality of aperture patterns which are used for producing structure patterns to be imaged onto respective areas (S) of the substrate. The patterns thus imaged, as a whole, combine together to form e.g. the total pattern of a die-field (D) of the substrate (11).

Abstract: Electrostatic lens for focussing the beams of charged particles, more particularly of ions, which have electrodes being designed as an electric conductor with a ring-shaped section, the inner edge of which is essentially circular, whereas at least one of the electrodes is composed of sector areas (4) succeeding one another along the periphery of an electrode, whereas each sector area is covering one predetermined angle area of the periphery, the sector areas are electrically connected to one another and the sector areas are linked to the holding device via at least one adjusting element per sector area the position of the sector areas may be adjusted irrespective of the other sector areas by means of the adjusting elements during operation of the electrostatic lens. The sector areas may be mechanically separated or extend from one thickness minimum of an electrode cross-section with periodically varying thickness to the next one.

Abstract: A method for the purpose of producing a stencil mask, which comprises a sheet having structures in the form of orifices, wherein the method comprises the following sequence of steps:a) selecting a planar, two-dimensional substrate consisting of a specific material comprising a thickness greater than 50 .mu.m,b) producing a thin layer, the so-called intermediate layer on the upper side of the substrate,c) structuring this intermediate layer by means of a lithographic process with the structures for the mask which is to be produced,d) etching the lower side of the substrate at least in the region of the structures provided for the mask orifices, until the substrate comprises in this region a predetermined membrane thickness less than 50 .mu.m,e) etching the upper side of the membrane using the structured intermediate layer as a masking layer, in order to form in this membrane the orifices of the mask which orifices correspond to the structures of the intermediate layer, andf) removing the intermediate layer.

Abstract: In order to process a carbon film carbon is deposited on a substrate by sputtering from a carbon sputter target in a gas mixture which contains nitrogen in a minimum proportion of 20% and a sputter gas at a predetermined gas pressure and the substrate is then subjected under a high vacuum to thermal treatment at a temperature above 100.degree. C. The carbon films produced in this manner comprise a fiber and/or tube structure which extends substantially perpendicular to the film.

Abstract: A charged particle, in particular ion projector system, has a mask arranged in the path of the charged particle beam and provided with transparent spots, in particular openings, arranged asymmetrically to the optical axis, which are reproduced on a wafer by means of lenses arranged in the path of the charged particle beam. The charged particle beam has at least one cross-over (crosses the optical axis at least once) between the mask and the wafer. Charged particles with an opposite charge to the charge of the reproduction particles are supplied into the path of the reproduction charged particle beam in a defined area located between the mask and the wafer. The limits that define said area are selected in such a way that the absolute value of the integral effect of the space charge on the particles that reproduce the mask structures is as high upstream of said area (seen in the direction of radiation) as the absolute value of the integral effect of the space charge downstream of said area.

Abstract: A silicon membrane for use as a micromechanical sensor or as a mask for projection lithography is fabricated by doping a silicon wafer to different thicknesses at different portions and then electrochemically etching away the undoped portion of the wafer.