Abstract: A system and method of determining shape and position corrections of a beam such as a particle or other beam used in a system such as a particle beam lithography. The method of providing corrected deflector voltages may include determining a voltage step value by subtracting a previous deflector voltage value with a current deflector voltage value; determining a plurality of correction values using the voltage step value and an exposure time for the current deflector voltage value; selecting a current voltage correction value from the plurality of correction values using the current deflector voltage value; and calculating a corrected deflector voltage value by adding the current voltage correction value to the current deflector voltage value.

Abstract: A particle beam lithography system and method of blanking a beam such as a particle or other beam. The system may include a frequency divider adapted to convert a master clock signal at a first frequency into an integral number N of waveforms at a second frequency, a reference device adapted to provide a fixed threshold reference signal, a sequencer adapted to provide N sets of data, a blanking circuit for each of the waveforms for creating a blanking signal for each of the waveforms, and a logic circuit for combining each of the blanking signals from each of the blanking circuits. The blanking circuit may include a digital to analog converter adapted to receive one of the N sets of data from the sequencer and to generate a variable threshold reference signal and a window comparator adapted to receive one of the waveforms, the fixed threshold reference signal, and the variable threshold reference signal and to generate a blanking signal.

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.