A multi charged particle beam writing method includes emitting each corresponding beam in an “on” state while starting and continuing tracking control, shifting a writing position by beam deflection of the multi beams, in addition to tracking control, while continuing tracking control, emitting each corresponding beam in the next “on” state to the next writing position having been shifted while continuing tracking control, and returning the tracking position by resetting tracking control, after emitting each next corresponding beam to the next writing position having been shifted at least once, wherein writing of a predetermined region is completed by repeating the number of preset times a group of performing emitting, shifting, emitting, and returning, wherein the tracking time from start to reset of tracking control in at least one of the repeated groups is longer than the others.

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 multi charged particle beam irradiation apparatus includes a shaping aperture array substrate, where plural openings are formed as an aperture array, to shape multi-beams by making a region including entire plural openings irradiated by a charged particle beam, and making portions of a charged particle beam individually pass through a corresponding one of the plural openings; and a plurality of stages of lenses, arranged such that a reduction ratio of multi-beams by at least one lens of a stage before the last stage lens is larger than that of the multi-beams by the last stage lens, to correct distortion of a formed image obtained by forming an image of the aperture array by the multi-beams, and to form the image of the aperture array by the multi-beams at a height position between the last stage lens and a last-but-one stage lens, and at the surface of a target object.

The invention provides an exposure apparatus (100) including a formation module (122) which forms charged particle beams with different irradiation positions on a specimen. The formation module (122) includes: a particle source (20) which emits the charged particle beams from an emission region (21) in which a width in a longitudinal direction is different from and a width in a lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction; an aperture array device (60) provided with openings (62) arranged in an illuminated region (61) in which a width in a longitudinal direction is different from a width in a lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction; illumination lenses (30, 50) provided between the particle source (20) and the aperture array device (60); and a beam cross-section deformation device (40) which is provided between the particle source (20) and the aperture array device (60), and deforms a cross-sectional shape of the charged particle beams into an anisotropic shape by an action of a magnetic field or an electric field.

To irradiate a target with a beam of energetic electrically charged particles, the beam is formed and imaged onto a target, where it generates a pattern image composed of pixels. The pattern image is moved along a path on the target over a region to be exposed, and this movement defines a number of stripes covering said region in sequential exposures and having respective widths. The number of stripes is written in at least two sweeps which each have a respective general direction, but the general direction is different for different sweeps, e.g. perpendicular to each other. Each stripe belongs to exactly one sweep and runs substantially parallel to the other stripes of the same sweep, namely, along the respective general direction. For each sweep the widths, as measured across said main direction, of the stripes of one sweep combine into a cover of the total width of the region.

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.

A multi charged particle beam exposure method includes transmitting ON/OFF control signals each being an ON/OFF control signal for a corresponding beam of multi-beams of charged particle beams in a batch to a blanking apparatus in which there are mounted a substrate where a plurality of passage holes are formed to let a corresponding beam of the multi-beams individually pass therethrough, and a plurality of individual blanking mechanisms arranged in the substrate to individually perform blanking deflection of each beam of the multi-beams, and irradiating the substrate with the multi-beams in accordance with the ON/OFF control signals transmitted in a batch, while shifting an irradiation timing for each group obtained by grouping the multi-beams into a plurality of groups by a plurality of individual blanking mechanisms mounted in the blanking apparatus.

An electron beam apparatus is disclosed that includes a plurality of current source elements disposed in at least one field emitter array. Each current source element can be a gated vertical transistor, an ungated vertical transistor, or a current controlled channel that is proximate to an optically-modulated current source. The electron beam apparatus includes a plurality of field emitter tips, each field emitter tip of the plurality of field emitter tips being coupled to a current source element of the plurality of current source elements. The electron beam apparatus is configured to allow selective activation of one or more of the current source elements.

In one embodiment, a data generating apparatus generates data including an irradiation amount of a beam in each pixel for an energy beam writing apparatus. The data generating apparatus includes a target irradiation amount calculating section configured to calculate a first irradiation amount in each pixel, an irradiation amount rounding section configured to round the first irradiation amount based on an irradiation amount control unit and calculate a second irradiation amount, a difference calculating section configured to calculate a first difference between the first irradiation amount and the second irradiation amount, a difference sum calculating section configured to calculate a sum of the first differences in a first group of a plurality of adjacent pixels, and an allocating section configured to allocate an irradiation amount based on the irradiation amount control unit and the sum to a pixel in the first group.