An edge ring arrangement for a processing chamber includes a first ring configured to surround and overlap a radially outer edge of an upper plate of a pedestal arranged in the processing chamber, a second ring arranged below the first moveable ring, wherein a portion of the first ring overlaps the second ring, a first actuator configured to actuate a first pillar to selectively move the first ring to a raised position and a lowered position relative to the pedestal, and a second actuator configured to actuate a second pillar to selectively move the second ring to a raised position and a lowered position relative to the pedestal.

A charged particle beam source that may include an emitter that has a tip for emitting charged particles; a socket; electrodes; a filament that is connected to the electrodes and to the emitter; electrodes for providing electrical signals to the filament; a support element that is connected to the emitter; and a support structure that comprises one or more interfaces for contacting only a part of the support element while supporting the support element.

A charged particle beam irradiation apparatus according to an embodiment includes: an optical column; a stage; a mount supporting the stage; a chamber provided on the mount and supporting the optical column; a detector configured to detect movement of the stage; actuator units each including a curved plate, a piezoelectric element, and a connector connected configured to transmit a first force generated by a change of the curvature of the curved plate to the mount; and an actuator control circuit configured to control the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element of each of the actuator units based on movement information, so that the first force is transmitted from the actuator units to the mount against a second force acting on the mount due to the movement of the stage.

A secondary charged particle imaging system comprising: a backscattered electron detector module, wherein the backscattered electron detector module is rotatable between a first angular position and a second angular position about an axis.

To compensate for hysteresis in an actuator, a path between a first position and a second position can be selected, and a drive signal can be applied to an actuator element that includes a hysteresis-compensated portion to move an object along the selected path.

A method of producing a compensation signal to compensate for misalignment of a drive unit clamp element can include applying a clamp element drive signal to a drive unit clamp element to engage a mover element. A first displacement of the mover element can be determined. A first compensation signal to be applied to one or more drive unit shear elements can be determined based at least in part on the first displacement. The first compensation signal can be applied to the one or more drive unit shear elements and the clamp element drive signal can be applied to the drive unit clamp element. A second displacement can be determined in response to the application of the first compensation signal and the clamp element drive signal. The second displacement can then be compared to a preselected threshold. For a second displacement less than the preselected threshold, combining the first compensation signal with an initial shear element drive signal to produce a modified shear element drive signal, and for a second displacement greater than the preselected threshold, determining a second compensation signal to be applied to the one or more drive unit shear elements.

A thickness of a bonding material (8) is varied in a radial direction orthogonal to a central axis (P) of the tubular anode member (6), the bonding material (8) being used for bonding a transmitting substrate (7) for supporting a target layer (9) and a tubular anode member (6) in a direction along the central axis (P). Thus, a region in which a circumferential tensile stress of the bonding material (8) is alleviated is formed in the direction along the central axis (P) to prevent a crack from developing in the bonding material (8).

A method comprising contact-free positioning a template mask wafer having a template device pattern relative to a predetermined surface area section of a device pattern wafer. The template mask wafer includes a semitransparent layer. The method includes contact-free aligning one or more mask alignment marks of the template mask wafer with one or more alignment marks of the device pattern wafer and contacting the mask wafer on the device pattern wafer. The method includes transferring a template device pattern of the template mask wafer onto the predetermined surface area section of the device pattern wafer using an electron beam while heat conduction is distributed throughout the mask wafer to maintain a low temperature rise in the mask wafer during the transferring. A system is also provided.

The charged particle beam device includes a charged particle source and a beamlet-forming multiaperture plate. The device also includes a precompensator for reducing aberrations of the beamlets at a target, a scanner for scanning each of the beamlets, an objective lens for focusing each beamlet onto the target, and a controller configured to synchronize the precompensator and the scanner. The precompensator includes: at least one radially variable multiaperture electrode in which the diameter of each aperture thereof scales with the distance of the aperture from the optical axis, z; and at least one cartesianally variable multiaperture electrode in which the diameter of each aperture thereof scales with an x component of the position of the aperture.

A method comprising contact-free positioning a template mask wafer having a template device pattern relative to a predetermined surface area section of a device pattern wafer. The template mask wafer includes a semitransparent layer. The method includes contact-free aligning one or more mask alignment marks of the template mask wafer with one or more alignment marks of the device pattern wafer and contacting the mask wafer on the device pattern wafer. The method includes transferring a template device pattern of the template mask wafer onto the predetermined surface area section of the device pattern wafer using an electron beam while heat conduction is distributed throughout the mask wafer to maintain a low temperature rise in the mask wafer during the transferring. A system is also provided.