Abstract: A charged particle beam inspection apparatus comprises: an electron gun for irradiating an electron beam onto a sample; a detector for detecting a signal obtained from the sample; an image processor for forming an image from the signal obtained from the detector, and an energy controller for controlling the beam energy of the electron beam to be irradiated onto the sample. An identical charged particle beam inspection apparatus carries out a plurality of types of inspections. An inspection apparatus of a projection type may be applied thereto. A pattern defect inspection, a foreign material inspection, and an inspection for a defect in a multilayer are carried out. Beam energies E1, E2, and E3 in those inspections have a relation E1>E2 and E3>E2. Charge removal is performed in a transport chamber or other vacuum chamber before an inspection.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a template including: a template substrate; patterns for forming device patterns on a wafer substrate; and a charging monitoring pattern, a size of the charging monitoring pattern being equal to a largest pattern in the patterns for forming the device patterns.

Abstract: A template includes a substrate, an element pattern formed on a surface of the substrate, and a light absorbing portion formed on or inside the substrate.

Abstract: The first charged-beam optical system, which is one of the charged-beam optical systems, detects first marks provided on the chips formed in the wafer. The positions of the chips made in the wafer are calculated from position data about the first marks detected. The charged-beam optical systems detect the second mark provided on a stage. The position of the beam generated by each charged-beam optical system is adjusted in accordance with position data about the second mark detected. The charged-beam optical systems are used in accordance with the positions of the chips, to thereby draw a pattern.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an electron beam lithography apparatus including a first setting unit configured to set a drawing position on a semiconductor substrate based on layout information of the semiconductor substrate, a second setting unit configured to set a valid range on the semiconductor substrate based on shape information of the semiconductor substrate, a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the drawing position falls within the valid range, and an irradiation unit configured to irradiate the semiconductor substrate with an electron beam when the determination unit determines that the drawing position falls within the valid range.

Abstract: A charged particle beam exposure method is disclosed, which includes preparing an aperture mask having character apertures, correcting dimensions of designed patterns in design data in consideration of at least one of factors such as a forward scattering distance of a charged particle, a rearward scattering distance of the charged particle, a blurring of a beam of the charged particle, a dimension conversion difference of the designed patterns due to a denseness/coarseness difference of the designed patterns caused when the underlayer is processed while using the resist as a mask, and the like, allocating at least a part of a specified character aperture of the plurality of character apertures of the aperture mask to the corrected designed patterns to produce writing data, and exposing the resist to the beams of the charged particle passed through the at least a part of the specified character aperture based on the writing data.

Abstract: A system for correcting a charged particle beam lithography condition including: an error calculation unit configured to calculate an error in an illumination position of a charged particle beam, the charged particle beam is controlled by a lithography condition corrected by initial correction parameters; a temporary correction unit configured to calculate temporary correction parameters to decrease the error to a minimum; and a main correction unit configured to calculate main correction parameters correcting the lithography condition, by executing statistical processing using the temporary correction parameters and the initial correction parameters.

Abstract: A character pattern extracting method includes ranking character patterns whose number is larger than a maximum number of character patterns in an aperture, depending on the number of reference times in design data of a semiconductor device, extracting first extraction patterns whose number is smaller than the maximum number from the large number of read character patterns in a descending order of the reference time number, defining character patterns except the first extraction patterns out of the larger number of character patterns as candidate patterns, selecting from the candidate patterns a plurality of candidate patterns whose number corresponds to a difference between the number of extracted patterns from the maximum number, and creating combinations of the selected candidate patterns, and extracting second extraction patterns included in a combination among the combinations of candidate patterns, in which a manufacturing time of the semiconductor device is most shortened.

Abstract: A charged particle beam drawing equipment includes charged particle beam source, first and second shaping aperture masks with first and second opening portions for rotation adjustment, detection section to detect charged particle beam intensity distribution in a plane parallel to the second mask, the beam being emitted from the source and passing through the opening portions, rotation angle control section to control relative rotation angle between the masks, acquisition section to acquire relative rotation angle between the masks such that deviation in relative rotation angle between the masks falls within a predetermined range based on detection results obtained by changing the relative rotation angle between the masks plural times by the control section and by detecting the beam by the detection section for each rotation angle, and instruction section to instruct the rotation angle control section such that the relative rotation angle between the masks be the acquired rotation angle.

Abstract: A charged particle beam exposure method is disclosed, which includes preparing an aperture mask having character apertures, correcting dimensions of designed patterns in design data in consideration of at least one of factors such as a forward scattering distance of a charged particle, a rearward scattering distance of the charged particle, a blurring of a beam of the charged particle, a dimension conversion difference of the designed patterns due to a denseness/coarseness difference of the designed patterns caused when the underlayer is processed while using the resist as a mask, and the like, allocating at least a part of a specified character aperture of the plurality of character apertures of the aperture mask to the corrected designed patterns to produce writing data, and exposing the resist to the beams of the charged particle passed through the at least a part of the specified character aperture based on the writing data.

Abstract: A method of correcting deflection distortion includes dividing a deflection area to which a charged-particle beam is deflected into equal initial blocks as an initial setting, calculating an initial aberration amount for each of the initial blocks generated when the charged-particle beam is deflected, dividing the deflection area into main blocks in accordance with a change rate of the initial aberration amount; calculating a main aberration amount for each of the main blocks generated when the charged-particle beam is deflected, and calculating a correction value correcting a deflection distortion based on the main aberration amount.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an electron beam lithography apparatus including a first setting unit configured to set a drawing position on a semiconductor substrate based on layout information of the semiconductor substrate, a second setting unit configured to set a valid range on the semiconductor substrate based on shape information of the semiconductor substrate, a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the drawing position falls within the valid range, and an irradiation unit configured to irradiate the semiconductor substrate with an electron beam when the determination unit determines that the drawing position falls within the valid range.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an electron beam drawing apparatus comprising at least one stage of a deflection amplifier and a deflection unit, a first storage section which stores shot information at a drawing time, a second storage section which stores a correction table indicating a relation between the shot information and an output voltage of the deflection amplifier, and an adjusting section which adjusts an output of the deflection amplifier based on the correction table stored in the second storage section and the shot information stored in the first storage section.

Abstract: A system for correcting a charged particle beam lithography condition including: an error calculation unit configured to calculate an error in an illumination position of a charged particle beam, the charged particle beam is controlled by a lithography condition corrected by initial correction parameters; a temporary correction unit configured to calculate temporary correction parameters to decrease the error to a minimum; and a main correction unit configured to calculate main correction parameters correcting the lithography condition, by executing statistical processing using the temporary correction parameters and the initial correction parameters.

Abstract: A charged particle beam drawing equipment includes charged particle beam source, first and second shaping aperture masks with first and second opening portions for rotation adjustment, detection section to detect charged particle beam intensity distribution in a plane parallel to the second mask, the beam being emitted from the source and passing through the opening portions, rotation angle control section to control relative rotation angle between the masks, acquisition section to acquire relative rotation angle between the masks such that deviation in relative rotation angle between the masks falls within a predetermined range based on detection results obtained by changing the relative rotation angle between the masks plural times by the control section and by detecting the beam by the detection section for each rotation angle, and instruction section to instruct the rotation angle control section such that the relative rotation angle between the masks be the acquired rotation angle.

Abstract: A method of correcting deflection distortion includes dividing a deflection area to which a charged-particle beam is deflected into equal initial blocks as an initial setting, calculating an initial aberration amount for each of the initial blocks generated when the charged-particle beam is deflected, dividing the deflection area into main blocks in accordance with a change rate of the initial aberration amount; calculating a main aberration amount for each of the main blocks generated when the charged-particle beam is deflected, and calculating a correction value correcting a deflection distortion based on the main aberration amount.

Abstract: In an optical disk reproducing device capable of rotating an optical disk at a selected one of a plurality of preset linear velocities, vibration or shock of the device is detected during rotation of the disk, and the linear velocity of the disk is determined based on the result of the detection of the vibration or shock to restrain the vibration and shock within a permissible range. A limit rotational velocity above which the vibration or shock is excessive may be determined during a test conducted each time a disk is inserted, and the linear velocity of the disk during reproduction may be determined such that the rotational velocity does not exceed the limit rotational velocity.

Abstract: In an optical disk reproducing device capable of rotating an optical disk at a selected one of a plurality of preset linear velocities, vibration or shock of the device is detected during rotation of the disk, and the linear velocity of the disk is determined based on the result of the detection of the vibration or shock to restrain the vibration and shock within a permissible range. A limit rotational velocity above which the vibration or shock is excessive may be determined during a test conducted each time a disk is inserted, and the linear velocity of the disk during reproduction may be determined such that the rotational velocity does not exceed the limit rotational velocity.

Abstract: In an optical disk reproducing device capable of rotating an optical disk at a selected one of a plurality of preset linear velocities, vibration or shock of the device is detected during rotation of the disk, and the linear velocity of the disk is determined based on the result of the detection of the vibration or shock to restrain the vibration and shock within a permissible range. A limit rotational velocity above which the vibration or shock is excessive may be determined during a test conducted each time a disk is inserted, and the linear velocity of the disk during reproduction may be determined such that the rotational velocity does not exceed the limit rotational velocity.

Abstract: In an optical disk reproducing device capable of rotating an optical disk at a selected one of a plurality of preset linear velocities, vibrations or shock of the device is detected during rotation of the disk, and the linear velocity of the disk is determined based on the result of the detection of the vibration or shock to restrain the vibration and shock within a permissible range. A limit rotational velocity above which the vibration or shock is excessive may be determined during a test conducted each time a disk is inserted, and the linear velocity of the disk during reproduction may be determined such that the rotational velocity does not exceed the limit rotational velocity.