Lithographic apparatuses suitable for, and methodologies involving, complementary e-beam lithography (CEBL) are described. In an example, a column for an e-beam direct write lithography tool includes a first blanker aperture array (BAA) including a staggered array of openings having a pitch along an array direction. The array direction is orthogonal to a scan direction. Each opening has a first dimension in the array direction. The column also includes a second BAA including a staggered array of openings having the pitch along the array direction. Each opening has a second dimension in the array direction, the second dimension greater than the first dimension.

In one embodiment, a method for inspecting a blanking plate includes generating a plurality of beams by causing a charged particle beam to pass through a shaping aperture array having a plurality of holes, performing blanking deflection on the plurality of beams by using a plurality of blankers provided in a blanking plate, each of the plurality of blankers corresponding to one of the plurality of beams, writing a first inspection pattern on a substrate by using a first writing mode in which beams that have not been deflected by the plurality of blankers are radiated onto the substrate, writing a second inspection pattern on the substrate by using a second writing mode in which beams that have been deflected by the plurality of blankers are radiated onto the substrate, obtaining a pattern image of the first inspection pattern and a pattern image of the second inspection pattern, the first and second inspection patterns having been formed on the substrate, and determining a defect by comparing the obtained pattern images.

A multi charged particle beam blanking apparatus includes a substrate, where a plurality of passage holes are formed, to let multi-beams of charged particle beams individually pass through a passage hole concerned; a plurality of reference electrodes, each arranged close to a corresponding passage hole, to be applied with a reference potential, not a ground potential, not via a transistor circuit, in an irradiation region of the whole multi-beams; and a plurality of switching electrodes, arranged at the substrate such that each of the plurality of switching electrodes and a corresponding paired one of the plurality of reference electrodes are opposite each other across a corresponding passage hole, to be applied with the reference potential and a control potential different from the reference potential in a switchable manner.

A chicane blanker assembly for a charged particle beam system includes an entrance and an exit, at least one neutrals blocking structure, a plurality of chicane deflectors, a beam blanking deflector, and a beam blocking structure. The entrance is configured to accept a beam of charged particles propagating along an axis. The at least one neutrals blocking structure intersects the axis. The plurality of chicane deflectors includes a first chicane deflector, a second chicane deflector, a third chicane deflector, and a fourth chicane deflector sequentially arranged in series between the entrance and the exit and configured to deflect the beam along a path that bypasses the neutrals blocking structure and exits the chicane blanker assembly through the exit. In embodiments, the chicane blanker assembly includes a two neutrals blocking structures. In embodiments, the beam blocking structure is arranged between the third chicane deflector and the fourth chicane deflector.

In one embodiment, a multi charged particle beam evaluation method includes writing a plurality of evaluation patterns on a substrate by using multi charged particle beams, with a design value of a line width changed by a predetermined change amount at a predetermined pitch, measuring the line widths of the plurality of evaluation patterns thus written, and extracting a variation in a specific period of a distribution of differences between results of a measurement value and the design value of each of the line widths of the plurality of evaluation patterns. The predetermined change amount is equal to or larger than data resolution and smaller than a size of each of pixels, each of which is a unit region to be irradiated with one of the multi charged particle beams.

Provided is a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus, including: an emission unit emitting a charged particle beam; a first aperture substrate having a plurality of first openings, the first aperture being irradiated with the charged particle beam, and the first aperture allowing a portion of the charged particle beam to pass through the plurality of first openings to form multiple beams; a second aperture substrate having a plurality of second openings through which each beam of the multiple beams passes and the second aperture substrate being capable of independently deflecting the each beam of the multiple beams; and a shielding plate provided so as to be insertable to a space between the first aperture substrate and the second aperture substrate and the shielding plate being capable of simultaneously shielding all the multiple beams.

The invention relates to an exposure apparatus and a method for projecting a charged particle beam onto a target. The exposure apparatus comprises a charged particle optical arrangement comprising a charged particle source for generating a charged particle beam and a charged particle blocking element and/or a current limiting element for blocking at least a part of a charged particle beam from a charged particle source. The charged particle blocking element and the current limiting element comprise a substantially flat substrate provided with an absorbing layer comprising Boron, Carbon or Beryllium. The substrate further preferably comprises one or more apertures for transmitting charged particles. The absorbing layer is arranged spaced apart from the at least one aperture.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an electron beam irradiation apparatus includes a photoelectric surface configured to receive irradiation of excitation light on a side of a front surface, and generate electron beams from a side of a back surface; a blanking aperture array mechanism provided with passage holes corresponding to the electron beams and configured to perform deflection control on each of the plurality of electron beams passing through the passage holes; and an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust at least one of an orbit of transmitted light that passes through at least one of arrangement objects including the photoelectric surface, the blanking aperture array mechanism, and the limit aperture substrate up to the stage and reaches the stage, among an irradiated excitation light, and an orbit of the electron beams, wherein the arrangement objects shield at least a part of the transmitted light.

In one embodiment, a multi-beam blanking device includes a semiconductor substrate, an insulating film that is disposed on the semiconductor substrate, an antistatic film that is disposed on the insulating film, a plurality of cells each of which is related to a through-hole that penetrate the semiconductor substrate and the insulating film and each of which includes a blanking electrode and a ground electrode that are disposed on the insulating film, and a ground wiring line that is disposed in the insulating film. The antistatic film and the ground wiring line are connected to each other at a joint that extends through the insulating film on the ground wiring line.

A blanking deflector according to an embodiment includes: a first electrode comprising a first insulator, a first material film coating all surfaces of the first insulator and having lower resistance than the first insulator, and a first low-resistance film coating part or all of surfaces of the first material film and having lower resistance than the first material film; and a second electrode comprising a second insulator, a second material film coating all surfaces of the second insulator and having lower resistance than the second insulator, and a second low-resistance film coating part or all of surfaces of the second material film and having lower resistance than the second material film, wherein the blanking deflector controls whether to irradiate a specimen with a charged particle beam by causing the charged particle beam to pass between the first electrode and the second electrode.