A system and method for controlling an ion implantation system as a function of sampling ion beam current and uniformity thereof. The ion implantation system includes a plurality of ion beam optical elements configured to selectively steer and/or shape the ion beam as it is transported toward a workpiece, wherein the ion beam is sampled at a high frequency to provide a plurality of ion beam current samples, which are then analyzed to detect fluctuations and/or nonuniformities or unpredicted variations amongst the plurality of ion beam current samples. Beam current samples are compared against predetermined threshold levels, and/or predicted nonuniformity levels to generate a control signal when a detected nonuniformity in the plurality of ion beam current density samples exceeds a predetermined threshold. A control system can be configured to generate a control signal for interlocking the ion beam transport in the ion implantation system or for varying an input to at least one beam optical element to control variations in beam current.

Embodiments herein provide methods of monitoring temperatures of fluid delivery conduits for delivering fluids to, and other components external to, a processing volume of a processing chamber used in electronic device fabrication manufacturing, and monitoring systems related thereto. In one embodiment, a method of monitoring a processing system includes receiving, through a data acquisition device, temperature information from one or more temperature sensors and receiving context information from a system controller coupled to a processing system comprising the processing chamber. Here, the one or more temperature sensors are disposed in one or more locations external to a processing volume of a processing chamber. The context information relates to instructions executed by the system controller to control one or more operations of the processing system.

A substrate is alignable for ion beam milling or other inspection or processing by obtaining an electron channeling pattern (ECP) or other electron beam backscatter pattern from the substrate based on electron beam backscatter from the substrate. The ECP is a function of substrate crystal orientation and tilt angles associated with ECP pattern values at or near a maximum, minimum, or midpoint are used to determine substrate tilt. Such tilt is then compensated or eliminated using a tilt stage coupled the substrate, or by adjusting an ion beam axis. In typical examples, circuit substrate chunks are aligned for ion beam milling to reveal circuit features for evaluation of circuit processing.

In one embodiment, a charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a deflector deflecting a charged particle beam, a first correcting lens and a second correcting lens correcting a focus position of the charged particle beam, a focus correction amount calculator calculating a first correction amount for the focus position according to a change in a height position of a sample surface, and calculating a second correction amount for the focus position according to a change in shot size of the charged particle beam, a first DAC (digital to analog converter) amplifier applying a voltage for a ground potential based on the first correction amount to the first correcting lens, and a second DAC amplifier applying a voltage for a ground potential based on the second correction amount to the second correcting lens, an output of the second DAC amplifier being smaller than an output of the first DAC amplifier.

In a charged-particle multi-beam writing method a desired pattern is written on a target using a beam of energetic electrically charged particles, by imaging apertures of a pattern definition device onto the target, as a pattern image which is moved over the target. Thus, exposure stripes are formed which cover the region to be exposed in sequential exposures, and the exposure stripes are mutually overlapping, such that each area of said region is exposed by at least two different areas of the pattern image at different transversal offsets (Y1). For each pixel, a corrected dose amount is calculated by dividing the value of the nominal dose amount by a correction factor (q), wherein the same correction factor (q) is used with pixels located at positions which differ only by said transversal offsets (Y1) of overlapping stripes.

Methods and apparatuses for providing an anisotropic ion beam for etching and treatment of substrate are discussed. In one embodiment, a system for processing a substrate includes a chamber, a chuck assembly, an ion source, and a grid system. The ion source includes grid system interfaces both the chamber and the ion source and includes a plurality of holes through which ions are extracted from the ion source to form an ion beam. The size of the plurality holes varies along an axis such that the ion density of the ion beam also varies along the axis. The density of the plurality of holes varies along an axis such that the ion density of the ion beam also varies along the axis. In some embodiments, the energies of a beamlet or multiple beamlets may be individual defined to adjust beam energy density.

In order to evaporate material, an electronic beam is guided over a melt surface in a periodic pattern by a detecting unit. Whether or not the actual pattern matches the target pattern specified by the deflecting unit is detected in principle on an image of the melt surface. In order to allow a better analysis of the image, the periodicity of the deflection pattern during the analysis of temporally successive images is taken into consideration.

The present invention is directed to a technique for correcting processing positional deviation and processing size deviation during processing by a focused ion beam device. A focused ion beam device control method includes forming a first processed figure on the surface of a specimen through the application of a focused ion beam in a first processing range of vision; determining the position of a next, second processing range of vision based on the outer dimension of the first processed figure; and moving a stage to the position of the second processing range of vision thus determined. Further, the control method includes forming a second processed figure through the application of the focused ion beam in a second processing range of vision.

In one embodiment, a charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a writer writing a pattern on a substrate on a stage with a charged particle beam, a mark substrate disposed on the stage and having a mark, an irradiation position detector detecting an irradiation position of the charged particle beam on a mark surface, a height detector detecting a surface height of the substrate and the mark substrate, a drift correction unit calculating an amount of drift correction, and a writing control unit correcting the irradiation position of the charged particle beam by using the amount of drift correction. The mark substrate has a pattern region with a plurality of marks and a non-pattern region with no pattern therein, and at least part of the non-pattern region is disposed between different portions of the pattern region. The height detector detects a height of a detection point in the non-pattern region.

In one embodiment, a charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a writer writing a pattern on a substrate placed on a stage by irradiating the substrate with a charged particle beam, a height detector detecting a surface height of a mark on the stage, an irradiation position detector detecting an irradiation position of the charged particle beam on the mark surface by irradiation with the charged particle beam focused at the surface height of the mark, a drift correction unit calculating an amount of drift of the charged particle beam on the mark surface from the irradiation position detected by the irradiation position detector, and generating correction information for correcting a shift in irradiation position caused by a drift on the substrate surface based on the amount of drift, and a writing control unit correcting the irradiation position of the charged particle beam by using the correction information.