Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention, a pattern inspection apparatus includes: a determination circuit configured to, using gradation values of an optical image and one of a development image and a reference image, determine whether or not contrasts between brightness and darkness of a pattern in the optical image and a pattern in one of the development image and the reference image are reversed; and a comparison circuit configured to compare the optical image with one of (i) a reference image in which a contrast between brightness and darkness is not reversed relative to the optical image and (ii) a reference image based on the development image in which a contrast between brightness and darkness is not reversed relative to the optical image, in a case where it is determined that the contrasts between brightness and darkness are not reversed.

Abstract: A blanking aperture array mechanism includes a blanking aperture array chip configured to include a plurality of blankers which, at incidence of multiple beams, individually switch a state between “beam ON” and “beam OFF” of the multiple beams, and a mounting substrate configured to support the blanking aperture array chip, and to include a power supply plane which supplies power to the blanking aperture array chip, and a cancelling layer, arranged at one of an upper layer side and a lower layer side of the power supply plane in a manner overlapping with the power supply plane, to cancel out a magnetic field generated by the power supply plane.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a charged particle beam drawing method includes: placing, on a stage, a processed substrate electrically connected to a substrate cover that includes a first grounding mechanism and a second grounding mechanism, and bringing the first grounding mechanism and the second grounding mechanism into contact with a first conductive member and a second conductive member provided on the stage, respectively; performing a ground check by measuring a resistance value between the first conductive member and the second conductive member, and determining whether the resistance value falls within a predetermined range; and in a case where an error has occurred in the ground check, performing a process of changing a position of the processed substrate and retrying the ground check.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a charged particle multi-beam writing method includes calculating, from writing data, an irradiation time for each beam of each shot of a multi-beam of charged particles, generating irradiation time control data corresponding to the calculated irradiation time for each beam at an irradiation dose control resolution determined for each region of a plurality of regions into which a writing area of a substrate is virtually divided, and performing shots of the multi-beam based on the irradiation time control data.

Abstract: A charged particle beam writing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes an electrode configured to deflect a charged particle beam, an amplifier configured to apply a deflection potential to the electrode, a diagnostic circuit configured to diagnose the amplifier, a switching circuit arranged between an amplifier output and the electrode, and configured to switch the amplifier output between the electrode and the diagnostic circuit, an electron optical system, a column configured to include the electrode and the electron optical system, a first coaxial cable configured to connect an output side of the amplifier with the switching circuit, a second coaxial cable configured to connect the electrode with the switching circuit, a third coaxial cable configured to connect the amplifier output side with the diagnostic circuit, and a resistance configured to connect, parallelly to the switching circuit, inner conductors of the first and second coaxial cables.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention, a multi-charged particle beam writing method includes performing allocation, with respect to each irradiation-unit-region-set of a plurality of irradiation-unit-region-sets, in order that one of a dose and an irradiation time of an irradiation unit region to which one group of a plurality of groups has been assigned can become more than one of a dose and an irradiation time of an irradiation unit region, in a same irradiation-unit-region-set, to which another group of the plurality of groups has been assigned, in such a manner that at least a part of the one of the dose and the irradiation time of the irradiation unit region to which the another group has been assigned is allocated to the irradiation unit region to which the one group has been assigned.

Abstract: A drawing data examination method acquires coordinates representing the positions of a plurality of control points forming the B-spline curve; sets, as an examination target region of the drawing data, a region surrounded by a line segment connecting at least three or more control points adjacent to each other in the drawing data with a straight line after acquiring the coordinates; performs calculation processing of specifying a relative position of an examination target control point with respect to the examination target region by using the coordinates of the examination target control point and control points of the examination target region with respect to the examination target region; and determines whether the figure of the drawing data has an intersection by determining whether the examination target control point exists inside the examination target region based on the relative position.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a high-voltage power supply configured to apply an acceleration voltage for charged particles to an emission unit, a deflector configured to deflect a charged particle beam emitted from the emission unit, a discharge sensor configured to output an output value indicating a change in a case where a discharge occurs in a column in which the emission unit and the deflector are arranged or in the high-voltage power supply, and a discharge detection control unit configured to convert the output value from the discharge sensor into a conversion value with the same sign, calculate an integral value of the conversion value over a fixed period of time, and determine, based on the integral value, whether or not a discharge that causes a pattern error has occurred.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention, a dose information correction method includes: setting a reference correction amount for correcting the dose information; calculating, for each mesh region, a gradient of the dose information defined for a mesh region by using the dose information defined for the mesh region and the dose information defined for a peripheral mesh region around the mesh region; calculating, for each mesh region, an individual correction amount of the dose information of the mesh region to be applied along a direction of the gradient by using a value of a calculated gradient and the reference correction amount; and generating and outputting a corrected dose information map in which corrected dose information obtained by correcting the dose information of the mesh region using a calculated individual correction amount is defined for each mesh region.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention, a stage mechanism includes four or more support members configured to include a first support member whose upper end is arranged at a first height, and a second support member whose upper end is arranged at a second height lower than the first height, wherein any one of the plurality of substrates is supported by either one of by respective upper ends of support members of a first group which is composed of three or more support members including the first support member in the four or more support members, and by respective upper ends of support members of a second group which is composed of three or more support members including the second support member in the four or more support members.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a data processing method includes acquiring a plurality of first control points of a first parametric curve representing a curve edge of a pattern defined in writing data, acquiring bias amounts for points on the first parametric curve corresponding to a plurality of parameter values, and determining a plurality of second control points such that norms of positional differences between points obtained by shifting the points on the first parametric curve by the bias amounts and points corresponding to the plurality of parameter values on a second parametric curve represented by the plurality of second control points, become small.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a graphic data generation method includes receiving first graphic data in which a plurality of graphics are defined, and adding, in accordance with presence/absence of an adjacent graphic, adjacency information including the presence/absence of the adjacent graphic to each of the plurality of graphics to generate second graphic data to be used in a quantum beam writing device.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention, an electron beam irradiation apparatus includes an inspection power supply connected to at least one contact point of a plurality of contact points, and configured, in a state in which a retarding potential has been applied to the plurality of contact points, to apply an inspection electric potential to be superimposed on the retarding potential, and a current detector connected to at least one other contact point which is different from the at least one contact point of the plurality of contact points, and configured, in a state in which the retarding potential has been applied to the plurality of contact points, and, further, the inspection electric potential has been applied, superimposed on the retarding potential, to the at least one contact point, to detect a current flowing through the at least one other contact point.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a substrate, an electrode extending toward a side opposite to the substrate in a first direction, and a wiring portion provided between the substrate and the electrode in the first direction. The wiring portion includes an insulating layer having a first face located on the side opposite to the substrate in the first direction, a wiring layer provided in the insulating layer, and an opening portion reaching the wiring layer from the first face of the insulating layer. The opening portion includes a first portion extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and a second portion protruding from the first portion in a direction orthogonal to the first direction and crossing the second direction. The electrode being provided on the first face and is connected to the wiring layer at the first portion and the second portion of the opening portion.

Abstract: A multi-beam writing apparatus includes a stripe region generation circuit configured to generate a plurality of first stripe regions by dividing a writing region of the substrate such that a longer direction of each of the plurality of first stripe regions is in a first direction, and a plurality of second stripe regions by dividing the writing region of the substrate such that a longer direction of each of the plurality of second stripe regions is in a second direction having a predetermined relative angle to the first direction, and a writing mechanism configured to perform writing to a group of the first stripe region and the second stripe region while moving the irradiation region of the multiple beams between the first stripe region and the second stripe region in a same group during one movement of a stage to move the writing in a writing direction.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a charged particle beam writing method is provided for writing a pattern on a substrate using a charged particle beam. The charged particle beam writing method includes virtually dividing a writing region of the substrate into a plurality of first mesh regions having a first mesh size, calculating a pattern area density of each of the first mesh regions to create a first area density map, sampling the first area density map with second mesh regions having a second mesh size smaller than the first mesh size, and creating a second area density map that defines a pattern area density for each of the second mesh regions, calculating an irradiation amount for each of the second mesh regions using the second area density map, and irradiating the substrate with the charged particle beam in the calculated irradiation amount.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention, a mark position measurement apparatus includes a mark position calculation circuit configured to calculate, in a state where the height position of the target object has been controlled to be the predetermined height position, positions of marks by using change of a signal for a mark of the marks due to a state of a surface of the target object, obtained by the sensor by scanning the laser beam over the marks such that the laser beam intersects the marks, and a positional deviation amount calculation circuit configured to calculate a positional deviation amount deviated from a calculated position of a mark concerned of the marks, by using an incident angle of the laser beam, and surface height positions of the target object at the positions of the marks acquired from the height position distribution of the surface of the target object.

Abstract: A pattern inspection apparatus includes an illumination optical system to illuminate an inspection substrate on which a pattern is formed, an offset calculation circuit to calculate an offset amount which depends on an image accumulation time of each of a plurality of photo sensor elements arrayed two-dimensionally, a time delay integration (TDI) sensor to include the plurality of photo sensor elements, to acquire an image of the inspection substrate by receiving a transmitted light or a reflected light from the inspection substrate by the plurality of photo sensor elements, to correct, using the offset amount, a pixel value of optical image data of an acquired image, and to output the optical image data having been corrected, and a comparison circuit to compare an optical image formed by the optical image data output from the TDI sensor with a reference image.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a beam detector includes a first aperture plate including a first passage hole, a second aperture plate including a second passage hole that allows a single detection target beam passing through the first passage hole to pass therethrough, and a sensor detecting a beam current of the detection target beam passing through the second passage hole. The second aperture plate includes an electrically conductive material, a plurality of third passage holes are formed around the second passage hole, and the plurality of third passage holes allow light to pass therethrough.