A Procedural EBL system implements a user-provided oracle function (e.g., associated with a specific pattern) to generate control instructions for electron beam drive electronics in an on-demand basis. A control system may invoke the oracle function to query the pattern at individual point locations (e.g., individual x,y locations), and/or it may query the pattern over an area corresponding to a current field being addressed by the beam and stage positioner, for example. This Procedural EBL configuration manages control and pattern generation so that the low-level drive electronics and beam column may remain unchanged, allowing it to leverage existing EBL technologies.

A system and method for etching workpieces in a uniform manner are disclosed. The system includes a semiconductor processing system that generates a ribbon ion beam, and a workpiece holder that scans the workpiece through the ribbon ion beam. The workpiece holder includes a portion that extends beyond the workpiece, referred to as a halo. The halo may be independently heated to compensate for etch rate non-uniformities. In some embodiments, the halo may be independently biased such that its potential is different from the potential applied to the workpiece. In certain embodiments, the halo may be divided into a plurality of thermal zones that can be separately controlled. In this way, various etch rate non-uniformities may be addressed by controlling the potential and/or temperature of the various thermal zones of the halo.

A writing apparatus of the embodiments of the present invention is a writing apparatus that irradiates a predetermined position on an irradiation target with multiple charged particle beams to write a predetermined pattern on the irradiation target, the apparatus comprising: a beam generation mechanism configured to generate multiple charged particle beams; a blanking aperture mechanism configured to perform blanking control of the generated multiple charged particle beams; a stage configured to have the irradiation target mounted thereon and to be movable; and a controller configured to control the writing apparatus, wherein the controller controls the blanking aperture mechanism and the stage to move the stage in an in-plane direction of a surface of the irradiation target during a blanking period in preparatory phase for writing.

An ion implanter includes a beam generator that generates anion beam, a beam scanner that performs reciprocating scan with the ion beam in a first direction, a platen driving device that performs reciprocating motion of a wafer in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, while holding the wafer so that a wafer processing surface is irradiated with the ion beam subject to the reciprocating scan, and a control device that changes a beam scan speed in the first direction and a wafer motion speed in the second direction in accordance with a beam irradiation position in the first direction and the second direction at which the wafer processing surface is irradiated with the ion beam so that ions having a desired two-dimensional non-uniform dose distribution are implanted into the wafer processing surface.

A method of milling a sample that includes a first layer formed over a second layer, where the first and second layers are different materials, the method comprising: milling the region of the sample by scanning a focused ion beam over the region a plurality of iterations in which, for each iteration, the focused ion beam removes material from the sample generating byproducts from the milled region; detecting, during the milling, the partial pressures of one or more byproducts with a residual gas analyzer positioned to have a direct line of sight to the milled region; generating, in real-time, an output detection signal from the residual gas analyzer indicative of an amount of the one or more byproducts detected; and stopping the milling based on the output signal.

In one embodiment, a charged particle beam writing method includes transferring a substrate to a writing chamber of a charged particle beam writing apparatus by use of a transfer mechanism while maintaining each of the writing chamber and the transfer mechanism at a predetermined temperature, calculating correction amounts for charged particle beams based on correction data for charged particle beam irradiation positions each associated with a previously obtained elapsed time from a predetermined starting point in time of transfer of the substrate and the elapsed time at a point in time of irradiation with each of the charged particle beams, and applying the charged particle beams to positions corrected based on the calculated correction amounts for the charged particle beams to write a pattern on the substrate.

In one embodiment, a charged particle beam writing method includes transferring a substrate to a writing chamber of a charged particle beam writing apparatus by use of a transfer mechanism while maintaining each of the writing chamber and the transfer mechanism at a predetermined temperature, calculating correction amounts for charged particle beams based on correction data for charged particle beam irradiation positions each associated with a previously obtained elapsed time from a predetermined starting point in time of transfer of the substrate and the elapsed time at a point in time of irradiation with each of the charged particle beams, and applying the charged particle beams to positions corrected based on the calculated correction amounts for the charged particle beams to write a pattern on the substrate.

Electron-optical devices and associated methods are disclosed. In one arrangement, an electron-optical device projects a multi-beam of sub-beams of charged particles to a sample. A plurality of plates are provided in which are defined respective aperture arrays. The plates comprise an objective lens array configured to project the sub-beams towards the sample. The aperture arrays defined in at least two of the plates each have a geometrical characteristic configured to apply a perturbation to a corresponding target property of the sub-beams. A controller controls potentials applied to the plates having the geometrical characteristics such that the applied perturbations together substantially compensate for a variation in the target property over a range of a parameter of the device.

A surface processing apparatus is an apparatus which performs surface processing on an inspection object 20 by irradiating the inspection object with an electron beam. A surface processing apparatus includes: an electron source 10 (including lens system that controls beam shape of electron beam) which generates an electron beam; a stage 30 on which an inspection object 20 to be irradiated with the electron beam is set; and an optical microscope 110 for checking a position to be irradiated with the electron beam. The current value of the electron beam which irradiates the inspection object 20 is set at 10 nA to 100 A.

Nanopantography is a method for patterning nanofeatures over large areas. Transfer of patterns defined by nanopantography using highly selective plasma etching, with an oxide layer of silicon serving as a hard mask, can improve patterning speed and etch profile. With this method, high aspect ratio features can be fabricated in a substrate with no mask undercut. The ability to fabricate complex patterns using nanopantography, followed by highly selective plasma etching, provides improved patterning speed, feature aspect ratio, and etching profile.