Patents by Inventor Kenichi Yasui

Kenichi Yasui has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20200051782
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a writing data generation method is for generating writing data used by a multi-charged particle beam writing apparatus. The writing data generation method includes referring to library data in which a vertex sequence including a plurality of vertices is registered, and extracting a portion of an outer line of a figure contained in design data, the portion corresponding to the vertex sequence, and representing the extracted portion by information which identifies the vertex sequence and information which indicates a connection method for the plurality of vertices of the vertex sequence, and generating the writing data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2019
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Applicant: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shinji SAKAMOTO, Kenichi Yasui, Chiaki Inaba, Hikaru Yamamura, Satoru Fukushima, Yoshinori Akahane
  • Patent number: 10503860
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method is for creating writing data used in a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus. The method includes partitioning a polygonal figure included in design data into a plurality of trapezoids that each include at least one pair of opposite sides parallel along a first direction and that join so as to be continuous in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction while a side parallel to the first direction serves as a common side, and creating the writing data by, when a first trapezoid, a second trapezoid, and a third trapezoid join along the second direction, representing a position of a common vertex shared by the second trapezoid and the third trapezoid using displacements in the first direction and the second direction from a position of a common vertex shared by the first trapezoid and the second trapezoid. In at least one of the plurality of trapezoids, different dose amounts are defined in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigehiro Hara, Kenichi Yasui, Yasuo Kato
  • Patent number: 10445450
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a generating method of drawing data includes generating a pixel map that includes dose amount information on each of pixels obtained by dividing a drawing area on an object into a mesh, extracting, from the pixel map, an island-shaped pixel map which is a group of multiple pixels in which the dose amount information is not zero, determining an order of definition of the dose amount information on the pixels in the island-shaped pixel map, and generating a compressed pixel map including a size of the pixels, information indicating the order of definition, coordinates of a pixel which is first in the order of definition in the island-shaped pixel map, and the dose amount information on the pixels in the island-shaped pixel map, the dose amount information being continuously defined based on the order of definition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigehiro Hara, Kenichi Yasui
  • Patent number: 10199199
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a drawing data creation method includes inputting correction-map-including drawing data having a correction map to a converter, the correction map including dose amount information for each mesh area obtained by dividing a drawing area on a target drawn by a charged particle beam drawing apparatus, the drawing area being divided in a mesh shape, converting dose amount information in a second mesh area adjacent to a first mesh area to a representation based on dose amount information in the first mesh area to compress data of the dose amount information in the second mesh area, and outputting compressed-correction-map-including drawing data having a compressed correction map to a controller, the compressed correction map including dose amount information in which data in each of the plurality of mesh areas has been compressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigehiro Hara, Kenichi Yasui, Yasuo Kato
  • Publication number: 20180366297
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a data processing method is provided for generating writing data from design data and registering the writing data in a charged particle beam writing apparatus. The method includes generating the writing data by performing a plurality of conversion processes on a plurality of pieces of first frame data obtained through division of the design data corresponding to one chip, and performing a plurality of preprocessing processes on a plurality of pieces of second frame data obtained through division of the writing data of the chip, and registering the writing data of the chip in the charged particle beam writing apparatus. The plurality of conversion processes are performed in frame-basis pipeline processing, and the plurality of preprocessing processes are performed in frame-basis pipeline processing. The writing data is registered in the charged particle beam writing apparatus on a frame basis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenichi YASUI
  • Patent number: 10096452
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a data processing method is for creating write data from design data, and registering the write data into a writing apparatus. The method includes applying, to a plurality of pieces of first frame data into which first chip data of the design data is divided, a plurality of conversion processes to create the write data, and applying a plurality of pre-processes to a plurality of pieces of second frame data into which second chip data of the write data is divided, and registering the second chip data into the writing apparatus. The plurality of conversion processes and the plurality of pre-processes are each performed in a pipeline processing on a per-frame basis. The write data is registered into the writing apparatus on a per-chip basis, on a per-virtual chip basis, or on a per-frame basis. The virtual chip includes a plurality of chips combined together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenichi Yasui, Shigehiro Hara, Shinji Sakamoto
  • Publication number: 20180285505
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method is for creating writing data used in a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus. The method includes partitioning a polygonal figure included in design data into a plurality of trapezoids that each include at least one pair of opposite sides parallel along a first direction and that join so as to be continuous in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction while a side parallel to the first direction serves as a common side, and creating the writing data by, when a first trapezoid, a second trapezoid, and a third trapezoid join along the second direction, representing a position of a common vertex shared by the second trapezoid and the third trapezoid using displacements in the first direction and the second direction from a position of a common vertex shared by the first trapezoid and the second trapezoid. In at least one of the plurality of trapezoids, different dose amounts are defined in the first direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigehiro Hara, Kenichi Yasui, Yasuo Kato
  • Patent number: 9984853
    Abstract: A method for generating writing data to be input to a writing apparatus, which writes a figure pattern on a target object by using a charged particle beam, includes generating the writing data, based on a data format that sequentially defines figure information on a figure pattern, and dose information which is defined before or after the figure information and indicates one of a dose and a dose modulation rate for modulating a dose, for a position of each of corner points of the figure pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigehiro Hara, Kenichi Yasui, Yasuo Kato
  • Publication number: 20180060474
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a generating method of drawing data includes generating a pixel map that includes dose amount information on each of pixels obtained by dividing a drawing area on an object into a mesh, extracting, from the pixel map, an island-shaped pixel map which is a group of multiple pixels in which the dose amount information is not zero, determining an order of definition of the dose amount information on the pixels in the island-shaped pixel map, and generating a compressed pixel map including a size of the pixels, information indicating the order of definition, coordinates of a pixel which is first in the order of definition in the island-shaped pixel map, and the dose amount information on the pixels in the island-shaped pixel map, the dose amount information being continuously defined based on the order of definition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Applicant: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigehiro HARA, Kenichi YASUI
  • Patent number: 9846760
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a writing data verification method is for verifying a conversion error due to data conversion from first writing data in a vector format based on design data to second writing data in a pixel format. The method includes converting the second writing data to third writing data in a vector format, performing an exclusive OR operation on the first writing data and the third writing data, enlarging a graphic of the first writing data to obtain an enlarged graphic and generating a tolerance region graphic from a difference between the enlarged graphic and the graphic of the first writing data, and detecting a defect by performing a mask process on a graphic generated by the exclusive OR operation with the tolerance region graphic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenichi Yasui
  • Patent number: 9779913
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a charged particle beam drawing apparatus includes a drawing unit that draws a pattern in a drawing area on a substrate and a control processing circuitry that controls the drawing unit via a process including receiving drawing data with a hierarchical correction map input to the control processing circuitry. The drawing data with the hierarchical map includes a plurality of files in which division maps are respectively described in files in units of subframes. Each division map includes dose correction information associated with corresponding one of blocks of the drawing area. The process further includes generating shot data by performing a data conversion process on the drawing data, reading a division map corresponding to a block in the area to be drawn from the hierarchical correction map, calculating a dose, and controlling the drawing unit based on the shot data and the calculated dose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigehiro Hara, Kenichi Yasui, Hiroshi Yamashita, Yasuo Kato, Saori Gomi, Shinji Sakamoto, Takao Tamura, Hideo Tsuchiya, Noriaki Nakayamada, Hironobu Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 9715994
    Abstract: A charged particle beam drawing apparatus in an embodiment includes an information generation part to generate encoded information on drawing data having a layered structure and check information on the format check, if the drawing data passes the check by the format check part; an information storage part to store the encoded information and the check information; a code inspection part to inspect the drawing data by using the encoded information in the information storage part, when the drawing data is to be rechecked in the format check based on the check details; an information inspection part to inspect the check information in the information storage part while omitting the format check, if the drawing data passes the inspection by the code inspection part; and a check execution part to execute check with processing details of the format check changed according to the inspection result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc
    Inventor: Kenichi Yasui
  • Publication number: 20170193650
    Abstract: A drawing data generating method according to an embodiment is a method for generating drawing data input to a drawing apparatus that draws a plurality of figure patterns on an object using a charged particle beam. The method includes generating the drawing data in accordance with a data format that not only defines a plurality of pieces of figure information, but also sequentially defines dose information of each figure before or after the plurality of pieces of figure information. The dose information of each of the second and succeeding figures is converted to a representation based on the dose information of any preceding figure, and a data length of the dose information is made variable for each figure. For example, the dose information of each of the second and succeeding figures is converted to a difference representation between a dose of the figure and a dose of the preceding figure, and a data length of the difference representation is changed in accordance with the magnitude of a difference value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Applicant: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigehiro Hara, Kenichi Yasui, Noriaki Nakayamada
  • Publication number: 20170169994
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a data processing method is for creating write data from design data, and registering the write data into a writing apparatus. The method includes applying, to a plurality of pieces of first frame data into which first chip data of the design data is divided, a plurality of conversion processes to create the write data, and applying a plurality of pre-processes to a plurality of pieces of second frame data into which second chip data of the write data is divided, and registering the second chip data into the writing apparatus. The plurality of conversion processes and the plurality of pre-processes are each performed in a pipeline processing on a per-frame basis. The write data is registered into the writing apparatus on a per-chip basis, on a per-virtual chip basis, or on a per-frame basis. The virtual chip includes a plurality of chips combined together.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Applicant: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenichi Yasui, Shigehiro Hara, Shinji Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 9659745
    Abstract: A charged particle beam drawing apparatus of an embodiment includes: a graphic information file for storing graphic information for each of elements (for example, patterns) at a level underlying an element (for example, a cell) at a particular level in hierarchically-structured drawing data which has elements at each level; and an attribute information file for storing attribute information to be given to each of the elements at the underlying level in association with information (for example, an index number) on the element at the particular level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenichi Yasui
  • Patent number: 9627178
    Abstract: A charged particle beam drawing apparatus of an embodiment includes: a graphic information file for storing graphic information for each of elements (for example, patterns) at a level underlying an element (for example, a cell) at a particular level in hierarchically-structured drawing data which has elements at each level; and an attribute information file for storing attribute information to be given to each of the elements at the underlying level in association with information (for example, an index number) on the element at the particular level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenichi Yasui
  • Patent number: 9558315
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of generating write data generates write data for a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus. The method includes dividing a polygonal figure included in design data into a plurality of figure segments including trapezoids each having a pair of parallel opposite sides extending in a first direction, the trapezoids being connected in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction such that adjacent trapezoids share the side extending in the first direction as a common side, and generates the write data including position information of a common vertex of a first trapezoid and a second trapezoid next to the first trapezoid expressed by a displacement in the first and second directions from a position of a common vertex of the second trapezoid and a third trapezoid next to the second trapezoid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenichi Yasui, Shigehiro Hara
  • Publication number: 20170018404
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a drawing data creation method includes inputting correction-map-including drawing data having a correction map to a converter, the correction map including dose amount information for each mesh area obtained by dividing a drawing area on a target drawn by a charged particle beam drawing apparatus, the drawing area being divided in a mesh shape, converting dose amount information in a second mesh area adjacent to a first mesh area to a representation based on dose amount information in the first mesh area to compress data of the dose amount information in the second mesh area, and outputting compressed-correction-map-including drawing data having a compressed correction map to a controller, the compressed correction map including dose amount information in which data in each of the plurality of mesh areas has been compressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2016
    Publication date: January 19, 2017
    Applicant: NUFLARE TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Shigehiro HARA, Kenichi YASUI, Yasuo KATO
  • Publication number: 20160284510
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a charged particle beam drawing apparatus includes a drawing unit that draws a pattern in a drawing area on a substrate and a control processing circuitry that controls the drawing unit via a process including receiving drawing data with a hierarchical correction map input to the control processing circuitry, the drawing data with the hierarchical map including a plurality of files in which division maps are respectively described in files in units of subframes, each division map including dose information associated with corresponding one of blocks of the drawing area, and the process further including generating shot data by performing a data conversion process on the drawing data, reading a division map corresponding to a block in the area to be drawn from the hierarchical correction map, calculating a dose, and controlling the drawing unit based on the shot data and the calculated dose.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Applicant: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigehiro HARA, Kenichi Yasui, Hiroshi Yamashita, Yasuo Kato, Saori Gomi, Shinji Sakamoto, Takao Tamura, Hideo Tsuchiya, Noriaki Nakayamada, Hironobu Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20160155609
    Abstract: A method for generating writing data to be input to a writing apparatus, which writes a figure pattern on a target object by using a charged particle beam, includes generating the writing data, based on a data format that sequentially defines figure information on a figure pattern, and dose information which is defined before or after the figure information and indicates one of a dose and a dose modulation rate for modulating a dose, for a position of each of corner points of the figure pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Publication date: June 2, 2016
    Applicant: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigehiro HARA, Kenichi YASUI, Yasuo KATO