Abstract: A multifunction module for an electron beam column comprises upper and lower electrodes, and a central ring electrode. The upper and lower electrodes have multipoles and are capable of deflecting, or correcting an aberration of, an electron beam passing through the electrodes. A voltage can be applied to the central ring electrode independently of the voltages applied to the upper and lower electrodes to focus the electron beam on a substrate.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to facilitate the measurement of the amount of scattered electrons collected by an anti-fogging baffle arrangement are provided. For some embodiments, by affixing a lead to an electrically isolated (floating) portion of the baffle arrangement, the amount of scattered electrons collected thereby may be read out, for example, as a current signal. Thus, for such embodiments, the baffle arrangement may double as a detector, allowing an image of surface (e.g., a mask or substrate surface) to be generated.

Abstract: A method for generating a flash. The method includes computing dose correction multipliers taking into account fogging scattering effects, backscattering effects and fast secondary scattering effects; and using the dose correction multipliers to generate the flash.

Abstract: A shaped particle beam writing strategy can be used to write a pattern with a particle beam onto a substrate. The pattern comprises a circuit design that is fractured into a plurality of arbitrary polygons. The writing strategy comprises transforming and fracturing the arbitrary polygons into a plurality of restricted polygons, each restricted polygon being represented by a location coordinate, at least two dimension coordinates, and at least one external edge indicator. Thereafter, the restricted polygons are tiled into a set of tiles comprising interior tiles and external edge tiles. Flash data is assigned for each tile such that the interior tiles are assigned a first flash area and the external edge tiles are assigned a second flash area that is smaller than the first flash area. The flash data is arranged in a selected order to write the pattern with a modulated particle beam, such as an electron beam, on a substrate.

Abstract: A method for generating a charged particle beam flash. The method includes computing an array of dose correction multipliers, based, at least in part, on a resist sensitivity correction factor, and computing a displacement vector to account for placement effects, such as resist charging. The displacement vector is defined as {right arrow over (?)}c=dP{circle around (×)}{right arrow over (K)} , where {right arrow over (?)}c—represents the displacement vector, d represents the array of dose correction multipliers, P represents pattern exposure data, {circle around (×)} represents a mathematical convolution operation, and {right arrow over (K)} represents a Poisson kernel converted to a spatial domain. The method further includes using the displacement vector to modify position of the charged particle beam flash.

Abstract: A multifunction module for an electron beam column comprises upper and lower electrodes, and a central ring electrode. The upper and lower electrodes have multipoles and are capable of deflecting, or correcting an aberration of, an electron beam passing through the electrodes. A voltage can be applied to the central ring electrode independently of the voltages applied to the upper and lower electrodes to focus the electron beam on a substrate.

Abstract: An electron beam column comprises a thermal field emission electron source to generate an electron beam, an electron beam blanker, a beam shaping module, and electron beam optics comprising a plurality of electron beam lenses. In one version, the optical parameters of the electron beam blanker, beam shaping module, and electron beam optics are set to achieve an acceptance semi-angle ? of from about ¼ to about 3 mrads, where the acceptance semi-angle ? is half the angle subtended by the electron beam at the writing plane. The beam-shaping module can also operate as a single lens using upper and lower projection lenses. A multifunction module for an electron beam column is also described.

Abstract: A beam exposure writing strategy method and system are disclosed for exposing a desired pattern on a substrate, by raster scanning a beam such as a particle beam, across a major field on the substrate. The beam is also vector scanned across a minor field of the substrate superimposed along the major field raster scan. The beam is selectively blanked and unblanked as the beam is being scanned. The unblanked flashes of the beam are modulated in coordination with the raster and vector scanning to expose the desired pattern on the substrate. The disclosed system and method generating an adjustable length microvector having a maximum range of at least about M times a nominal length ?, where M is equal to at least four and ? is substantially equal to a dimension of a nominal flash area, the nominal flash location dimension being substantially greater than a field cell dimension.

Abstract: An electrostatic deflector for a particle beam apparatus comprises opposing deflector plates that face one another across a particle beam gap and are electrostatically chargeable. Each deflector plate comprises its own voltage driver, which has a DAC and amplifier. Digital electronics receives an input digital code that expresses the complementary voltages to be applied to opposing deflector plates. When the input digital code is determined to provide a non-linear output response voltage from a DAC, the digital electronics provides an output digital code with a different digital code that provides a linear response from the DAC while providing the same differential voltage between the first and second deflector plates.

Abstract: A fast convolution method applicable to convolving a signal (indicative of an n-dimensional pattern, where n is greater than or equal to two) with a smooth kernel that can be approximated by a separated-spline kernel, and a system configured to perform such method using software or signal processing circuitry. Unlike Fourier-based convolution methods which require on the order of N log N arithmetic operations for a signal of length N, the method of the invention requires only on the order of N arithmetic operations to do so. Unlike wavelet-based convolution approximations (which typically also require more arithmetic operations than are required in accordance with the invention to convolve the same signal), the method of the invention is exact for convolution kernels which are spline kernels.

Abstract: Dose conservation is used during pattern modification in the data preparation phase of scanning beam lithography. The features to be exposed on a substrate, such as a mask or direct written semiconductor wafer, are corrected while neighboring features suffer little or no change. Thus, the edge of a feature is moved in terms of its exposure location without appreciably affecting the scattering into its neighbors. This achieves a developed feature which meets the intended design edge location. This process also corrects for variations in resist profile angles which otherwise may vary depending upon localized feature packing density. Not only is the feature edge moved but its dose per area is adjusted while conserving total dose over the feature.

Abstract: A fast convolution method applicable to convolving a signal (indicative of an n-dimensional pattern, where n is greater than or equal to two) with a smooth kernel that can be approximated by a separated-spline kernel, and a system configured to perform such method using software or signal processing circuitry. Unlike Fourier-based convolution methods which require on the order of N log N arithmetic operations for a signal of length N, the method of the invention requires only on the order of N arithmetic operations to do so. Unlike wavelet-based convolution approximations (which typically also require more arithmetic operations than are required in accordance with the invention to convolve the same signal), the method of the invention is exact for convolution kernels which are spline kernels.