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.

According to one embodiment, a charged particle beam writing apparatus includes, a writing mechanism, a writing control circuit, a deflection operation control circuit configured to generate control data for controlling the blanking of each of the charged particle beams based on the shot data, a storage, a blanking control circuit configured to control the blanking based on the control data, and a detector. The writing control circuit is configured to, when the detector detects the abnormality during the writing, interrupt the writing, and generate interrupt position information at a position where the writing is interrupted based on the shot data which has been stored at the storage and is related to the control data that has not been used for controlling the blanking.

A method for estimating the cathode lifetime of an electron gun includes recording the change amount, per unit temperature increase of the cathode of an electron gun which emits an electron beam, with respect to a parameter value relating to the electron beam, to be recorded in relation to the usage time of the cathode, and estimating the lifetime of the cathode by one of estimating a time obtained by adding a predetermined time to a time at which the change amount recorded a plurality of times becomes lower than a prescribed value as the lifetime of the cathode, and estimating, using an approximate line obtained by approximating the change amount recorded a plurality of times, a time at which the change amount becomes zero as the lifetime of the cathode, and outputting the estimated lifetime.

In one embodiment, a multi charged-particle beam writing apparatus includes a plurality of blankers switching between ON and OFF state of a corresponding beam among multiple beams, a main deflector deflecting beams having been subjected to blanking deflection to a writing position of the beams in accordance with movement of a stage, a detector scanning a mark on the stage with each of the beams having been deflected by the main deflector and detecting a beam position from a change in intensity of reflected charged particles and a position of the stage, and a beam shape calculator switching an ON beam, scanning the mark with the ON beam, and calculating a shape of the multiple beams from a beam position. A shape of a deflection field of the main deflector is corrected by using a polynomial representing an amount of beam position shift that is dependent on a beam deflection position of the main deflector and then the mark is scanned with the ON beam. The polynomial is different for each ON beam.

A multi charged particle beams exposure method includes assigning, with respect to plural times of shots of multi-beams using a charged particle beam, each shot to one of plural groups, depending on a total current value of beams becoming in an ON condition in a shot concerned in the multi-beams, changing the order of the plural times of shots so that shots assigned to the same group may be continuously emitted for each of the plural groups, correcting, for each group, a focus position of the multi-beams to a focus correction position for a group concerned corresponding to the total current value, and performing the plural times of shots of the multi-beams such that the shots assigned to the same group are continuously emitted in a state where the focus position of the multi-beams has been corrected to the focus correction position for the group concerned.

A blanking device for multi charged particle beams includes a first substrate, in which plural first openings are formed in an array, to form multi-beams, a second substrate in which plural second openings are formed in an array, where a corresponding beam of the multi-beams passes through each of the plural second openings, plural control electrodes, which are on the second substrate and each of which is close to a corresponding one of the plural second openings and arranged not to be directly exposed to other second opening adjacent to the corresponding one of the plural second openings, to be switchably applied with first and second potentials, plural counter electrodes, each of which is facing a corresponding one of the plural control electrodes, to be applied with the second potential, and a shield film provided between the first substrate and the plural control electrodes.

A blanking device for multi-beams includes arrayed plural separate blanking systems, each performing blanking control switching a corresponding beam of multi charged particle beams between a beam ON state and a beam OFF state and each including a first electrode, a first potential applying mechanism applying two different potentials selectively to the first electrode for the blanking control, and a second electrode performing blanking deflection of the corresponding beam, the second electrode being grounded and paired with the first electrode, and a potential change mechanism changing a potential of the second electrode from a ground potential to another potential, wherein when a potential of the first electrode included in one of the separate blanking systems is fixed to the ground potential, the potential change mechanism changes the potential of the second electrode corresponding to the first electrode fixed to the ground potential, from the ground potential to the another potential.

A charged particle beam system is disclosed, comprising: a charged particle beam generator for generating a beam of charged particles; a charged particle optical column arranged in a vacuum chamber, wherein the charged particle optical column is arranged for projecting the beam of charged particles onto a target, and wherein the charged particle optical column comprises a charged particle optical element for influencing the beam of charged particles; a source for providing a cleaning agent; a conduit connected to the source and arranged for introducing the cleaning agent towards the charged particle optical element;

wherein the charged particle optical element comprises: a charged particle transmitting aperture for transmitting and/or influencing the beam of charged particles, and at least one vent hole for providing a flow path between a first side and a second side of the charged particle optical element,

wherein the vent hole has a cross section which is larger than a cross section of the charged particle transmitting aperture.

Further, a method for preventing or removing contamination in the charged particle transmitting apertures is disclosed, comprising the step of introducing the cleaning agent while the beam generator is active.

A method for operating a multi-beam particle optical unit comprises includes providing a first setting of effects of particle-optical components, wherein a particle-optical imaging is characterizable by at least two parameters. The method also includes determining a matrix A, and determining a matrix S. The method further includes defining values of parameters which characterize a desired imaging, and providing a second setting of the effects of the components in such a way that the particle-optical imaging is characterizable by the parameters having the defined values.

A multiple electron beam writing apparatus includes an excitation light source to emit an excitation light, a multi-lens array to divide the excitation light into a plurality of lights, a photoemissive surface to receive the plurality of lights incident through its upper side, and emit multiple photoelectron beams from its back side, a blanking aperture array mechanism to provide, by deflecting each beam of the multiple photoelectron beams, an individual blanking control which individually switches each beam between ON and OFF, an electron optical system to include an electron lens, and to irradiate, using the electron lens, a target object with the multiple photoelectron beams having been controlled to be beam ON, and a control circuit to interconnect, for each shot of the multiple photoelectron beams, a timing of switching the excitation light between emission and non-emission with a timing of switching the each beam between ON and OFF.