The invention relates to charged particle beam generator comprising a charged particle source for generating a charged particle beam, a collimator system comprising a collimator structure with a plurality of collimator electrodes for collimating the charged particle beam, a beam source vacuum chamber comprising the charged particle source, and a generator vacuum chamber comprising the collimator structure and the beam source vacuum chamber within a vacuum, wherein the collimator system is positioned outside the beam source vacuum chamber. Each of the beam source vacuum chamber and the generator vacuum chamber may be provided with a vacuum pump.

A semiconductor device and method is disclosed. In one example, the method for forming a semiconductor device includes forming a trench extending from a front side surface of a semiconductor substrate into the semiconductor substrate. The method includes forming of material to be structured inside the trench. Material to be structured is irradiated with a tilted reactive ion beam at a non-orthogonal angle with respect to the front side surface such that an undesired portion of the material to be structured is removed due to the irradiation with the tilted reactive ion beam while an irradiation of another portion of the material to be structured is masked by an edge of the trench.

Provided herein are systems and methods for spatially resolved optical metrology of an ion beam. In some embodiments, a system includes a chamber containing a plasma/ion source operable to deliver an ion beam to a wafer, and an optical collection module operable with the chamber, wherein the optical collection module includes an optical device for measuring a light signal from a volume of the ion beam. The system may further include a detection module operable with the optical collection module, the detection module comprising a detector for receiving the measured light signal and outputting an electric signal corresponding to the measured light signal, thus corresponding to the property of the sampled plasma volume.

A multi-charged particle beam writing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a region setting unit configured to set, as an irradiation region for a beam array to be used, the region of the central portion of an irradiation region for all of multiple beams of charged particle beams implemented to be emittable by a multiple beam irradiation mechanism, and a writing mechanism, including the multiple beam irradiation mechanism, configured to write a pattern on a target object with the beam array in the region of the central portion having been set in the multiple beams implemented.

A test control port (TCP) includes a state machine SM, an instruction register IR, data registers DRs, a gating circuit and a TDO MX. The SM inputs TCI signals and outputs control signals to the IR and to the DR. During instruction or data scans, the IR or DRs are enabled to input data from TDI and output data to the TDO MX and the top surface TDO signal. The bottom surface TCI inputs may be coupled to the top surface TCO signals via the gating circuit. The top surface TDI signal may be coupled to the bottom surface TDO signal via TDO MX. This allows concatenating or daisy-chaining the IR and DR of a TCP of a lower die with an IR and DR of a TCP of a die stacked on top of the lower die.

A method includes depositing a second dielectric layer over a first dielectric layer, depositing a third dielectric layer over the second dielectric layer, patterning a plurality of first openings in the third dielectric layer, etching the second dielectric layer through the first openings to form second openings in the second dielectric layer, performing a plasma etching process directed at the second dielectric layer from a first direction, the plasma etching process extending the second openings in the first direction, and etching the first dielectric layer through the second openings to form third openings in the first dielectric layer.

Methods and systems for direct atomic layer etching and deposition on or in a substrate using charged particle beams. Electrostatically-deflected charged particle beam columns can be targeted in direct dependence on the design layout database to perform atomic layer etch and atomic layer deposition, expressing pattern with selected 3D-structure. Reducing the number of process steps in patterned atomic layer etch and deposition reduces manufacturing cycle time and increases yield by lowering the probability of defect introduction. Local gas and photon injectors and detectors are local to corresponding columns, and support superior, highly-configurable process execution and control.

The invention relates to charged particle beam generator comprising a charged particle source for generating a charged particle beam, a collimator system comprising a collimator structure with a plurality of collimator electrodes for collimating the charged particle beam, a beam source vacuum chamber comprising the charged particle source, and a generator vacuum chamber comprising the collimator structure and the beam source vacuum chamber within a vacuum, wherein the collimator system is positioned outside the beam source vacuum chamber. Each of the beam source vacuum chamber and the generator vacuum chamber may be provided with a vacuum pump.

An apparatus and method for processing a workpiece with a beam is described. The apparatus includes a vacuum chamber having a beam-line for forming a particle beam and treating a workpiece with the particle beam, and a scanner for translating the workpiece through the particle beam. The apparatus further includes a scanner control circuit coupled to the scanner, and configured to control a scan property of the scanner, and a beam control circuit coupled to at least one beam-line component, and configured to control the beam flux of the particle beam according to a duty cycle for switching between at least two different states during processing.

An ion source for improving beam transport efficiency regarding a ribbon beam is provided. The plasma generation container is formed with a beam extraction port at an end thereof. The shielding member plugs the beam extraction port and comprises three or more elongate holes each of which is long in a lateral direction of a ribbon beam to be extracted through the shielding member and which are arranged in the form of an array extending in the lateral direction, wherein a first length one of the elongate holes located in a central region of the array is shorter than a second length of one of the remaining elongate holes located on an end side of the array.