Abstract: A lithography apparatus advantageous in increasing both a throughput and overlay accuracy is provided. The apparatus includes a plurality of charged particle optical systems each irradiating a substrate with a charged particle beam, and a plurality of alignment sensors including an alignment sensor located among the plurality of charged particle optical systems. A processor generates, in parallel with a patterning, information on at least one of a position and a shape of a region on the substrate based on outputs from the plurality of alignment sensors.

Abstract: A lithography apparatus which performs writing on a substrate using a charged particle beam is provided. The apparatus comprises a plurality of column units each of which comprises a charged particle optical system, a plurality of stages each of which is movable while holding the substrate, and a controller. The controller moves the stages in synchronization with each other in a positional relationship corresponding to an arrangement of the column units, and performs writing on substrates held in the stages simultaneously.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrostatic deflector which deflects a plurality of charged particle beams, the deflector comprising a first electrode member including a plurality of first electrode pairs arranged along a first axis direction in an oblique coordinate system, and a second electrode member including a plurality of second electrode pairs arranged along a second axis direction in the oblique coordinate system, wherein each of the plurality of charged particle beams is deflected by a corresponding first electrode pair of the plurality of first electrode pairs, and a corresponding second electrode pair of the plurality of second electrode pairs.

Abstract: A lithograph apparatus that performs writing on a substrate with a plurality of charged particle beams. A blanking deflector array blanks the plurality of charged particle beams. An aperture array blocks n charged particle beam deflected by the blanking deflector array. A sealing mechanism seals an opening or at least one of the blanking deflector array and the aperture array with a shielding material that shields a charged particle beam. A moving mechanism moves the substrate so that the writing is performed with a blankable charged particle beam instead of an unblankable charged particle beam shielded by the shielding material.

Abstract: An electrostatic lens unit of the present disclosure includes an electrostatic lens fixed to a fixing member. The electrostatic lens has a plurality of electrodes arranged apart from each other by a spacing member and each having a through hole through which a charged beam passes. The electrostatic lens is fixed to the fixing member at a position, on a side where the charged beam goes out, shifted from a center of a thickness of the electrostatic lens in a direction of an optical axis. Part of a surface of the electrostatic lens on the side where the charged beam enters is connected to the fixing member via a supporting member.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrostatic deflector which deflects a plurality of charged particle beams, the deflector comprising a first electrode member including a plurality of first electrode pairs arranged along a first axis direction in an oblique coordinate system, and a second electrode member including a plurality of second electrode pairs arranged along a second axis direction in the oblique coordinate system, wherein each of the plurality of charged particle beams is deflected by a corresponding first electrode pair of the plurality of first electrode pairs, and a corresponding second electrode pair of the plurality of second electrode pairs.

Abstract: Disclosed in this invention is a knowledge acquisition tool for facilitating a construction of a knowledge base in an expert system, including: a case preprocessing part 21 for checking whether or not data constituting individual cases on which a knowledge base is based satisfy a predetermined evaluation criterion and deleting or changing non-satisfying cases; a rule generation part 22 for generating rules by extracting regularities from the cases processed by preprocessing part 21; and a rule evaluation part 32 for evaluating the rules generated by the rule generation part 22.

Abstract: Automatic layout planning without previously specifying place of each parts is made possible by utilizing groups of rules each comprising a condition section and a procedure section. An appropriate group of rules can be called from a knowledge base according to an intermediate layout plan generated in a data structure by a rule interpreter.