The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for an electron beam system for manufacturing a three-dimensional object by fusing successive layers of powder, said system having at least one lens for reshaping of said electron beam, an electron source and a powder bed, said method comprising the step: blocking a selected cross section of said electron beam for controlling the electron beam power. By interference between the electron beam and a beam blocking part a portion of the electron beam is prevented from reaching the powder bed.

Provided is a multi-charged-particle beam writing apparatus including: an emitter emitting a charged particle beam; a first shaping aperture array substrate having a plurality of first apertures and forming first multiple beams by passing a part of the charged particle beam through the first apertures, respectively; a second shaping aperture array substrate having second apertures formed at positions corresponding to the respective first apertures and forming second multiple beams by passing at least a part of each of the first multiple beams through corresponding the second apertures, respectively; a blanking aperture array having third apertures formed at positions corresponding to the respective second apertures and including blankers disposed in the respective third apertures to perform blanking deflection on the respective beams of the corresponding second multiple beams; a movable mechanism moving at least one of the first shaping aperture array substrate and the second shaping aperture array substrate; and a controller controlling the movable mechanism.

A set of aperture substrates for multiple beams includes a first shaping aperture array substrate including a plurality of first openings, the first shaping aperture array substrate being irradiated with a charged particle beam in a region in which the first openings are formed whereby first multiple beams are formed with a part of the charged particle beams having passed respectively through the first openings, and a second shaping aperture array substrate including a plurality of second openings through which corresponding first multiple beam passes respectively whereby second multiple beams are formed. Each of the second multiple beams is shaped by a pair of opposite sides of the first opening and a pair of opposite sides of the second opening.

In order to compensate for undesired effects of varying elevation of a target with respect to a nominal target plane, during writing a desired pattern on the target in a charged-particle beam apparatus, the pattern is re-calculated in each of a number of segments of the target plane by: determining an elevation of the target in the segment from the nominal target plane; determining a local blur value which represents the actual value of blur corresponding to the elevation, with regard to a dependence of the blur upon the elevation of the target; calculating a convolution kernel which represents a point spreading function realizing a local blur value; and re-calculating a nominal exposure pattern by applying the kernel to the pattern. The convolution kernel corresponds to introducing an additional blur into the pattern in the segment, increasing the blur to a given target blur value which is uniform to all segments.

Provided is a focused ion beam processing apparatus including: an ion source; a sample stage a condenser lens; an aperture having a slit in a straight line shape; a projection lens and the sample stage, wherein, in a transfer mode, by Köhler illumination, with an applied voltage of the condenser lens when a focused ion beam is focused on a main surface of the projection lens scaled to be 100, the applied voltage is set to be less than 100 and greater than or equal to 80; a position of the aperture is set such that the focused ion beam is masked by the aperture with the one side of the aperture at a distance greater than 0 μm and equal to or less than 500 μm from a center of the focused ion beam; and the shape of the slit is transferred onto the sample.

Provided is an ion milling device capable of improving the reproducibility of an ion distribution. An ion milling device includes: an ion source (1); a sample stage (2) on which a sample (4) to be processed by being irradiated with an unfocused ion beam from the ion source (1) is placed; and a drive unit (8) configured to be arranged between the ion source (1) and the sample stage (2), and to move a linear ion beam measuring member (7) extending in a first direction to a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, in which the drive unit (8) moves the ion beam measuring member (7) within an emission range of the ion beam in a state where the ion beam is outputted from the ion source (1) under a first emission condition, and an ion beam current flowing through the ion beam measuring member (7) is measured by irradiating the ion beam measuring member (7) with the ion beam.

A set of aperture substrates for multiple beams includes a first shaping aperture array substrate including a plurality of first openings, the first shaping aperture array substrate being irradiated with a charged particle beam in a region in which the first openings are formed whereby first multiple beams are formed with a part of the charged particle beams having passed respectively through the first openings, and a second shaping aperture array substrate including a plurality of second openings through which corresponding first multiple beam passes respectively whereby second multiple beams are formed. Each of the second multiple beams is shaped by a pair of opposite sides of the first opening and a pair of opposite sides of the second opening.

Provided is a multi-charged-particle beam writing apparatus including: an emitter emitting a charged particle beam; a first shaping aperture array substrate having a plurality of first apertures and forming first multiple beams by passing a part of the charged particle beam through the first apertures, respectively; a second shaping aperture array substrate having second apertures formed at positions corresponding to the respective first apertures and forming second multiple beams by passing at least a part of each of the first multiple beams through corresponding the second apertures, respectively; a blanking aperture array having third apertures formed at positions corresponding to the respective second apertures and including blankers disposed in the respective third apertures to perform blanking deflection on the respective beams of the corresponding second multiple beams; a movable mechanism moving at least one of the first shaping aperture array substrate and the second shaping aperture array substrate; and a controller controlling the movable mechanism.

An apparatus and method are provided. In one embodiment. an apparatus may include a main chamber, where the main chamber includes an electrode assembly. The electrode assembly may include a plurality of electrodes arranged between a chamber entrance and a chamber exit of the main chamber. The apparatus may include a beam tunnel, connected to the chamber entrance, configured to conduct an ion beam to the main chamber; and an electrostatic tuner, disposed in the beam tunnel, the electrostatic tuner comprising at least one tuner electrode, independently coupled to a tuner voltage assembly.

An apparatus and method are provided. In one embodiment. an apparatus may include a main chamber, where the main chamber includes an electrode assembly. The electrode assembly may include a plurality of electrodes arranged between a chamber entrance and a chamber exit of the main chamber. The apparatus may include a beam tunnel, connected to the chamber entrance, configured to conduct an ion beam to the main chamber; and an electrostatic tuner, disposed in the beam tunnel, the electrostatic tuner comprising at least one tuner electrode, independently coupled to a tuner voltage assembly.