Abstract: An exposure method with an electron beam exposure apparatus in which an electron beam is emitted onto a substrate such as a silicon wafer on which an electron-beam sensitive resist is coated, thereby directly forming or writing patterns. A substrate having thereon a number of chips are divided into blocks, which each contain a plurality of chips. Marks are provided on each of the blocks, the positions of the marks are detected and the writing exposure positions of the chips within each block are modified on the basis of the detection results. According to this invention, efficient writing exposure can be made with high accuracy.

Abstract: A shaping aperture used in a charged particle forming system and provided with a slit for shaping the cross section of a charged beam emitted is disclosed in which at least two thin plates each provided with a through-hole for passing the charged particle beam therethrough are piled so as to form a shaping slit of a desired form by the through-holes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of deflection calibration for a charged particle beam exposure apparatus having an electromagnetic deflector and an electrostatic deflector both for deflecting a charged particle beam and a movable stage structure. The electromagnetic deflector is previously subjected to a calibration operation known per se. With a fiducial mark positioned in a predetermined location, the beam is deflected by the calibrated electromagnetic deflector instead of moving the stage structure, the beam is then deflected by the electrostatic deflector to detect the location of the fiducial mark, and deflection data are measured of the electrostatic deflection for the detection of the location of the fiducial mark. According to the present invention the calibration is performed in a short time without causing degradation of the precision of, e.g., lithography due to heat generated by movement of the stage structure.

Abstract: In a method for correcting deflection distortion which develops in an apparatus for delineating a pattern on a sample by scanning a charged particle beam thereover, the corrections of the deflection distortions are made in accordance with the height (deformation) of a portion-to-be-delineated on a sample (for example, a wafer) on the basis of correction magnitudes of the deflection distortions at respective reference levels of a mark as obtained by scanning the charged particle beam on the mark which has at least two reference levels having unequal heights in the direction of an optical axis.