A multi-charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a movable stage to mount a substrate thereon, a shot data generation circuit to generate shot data of each shot of multiple charged particle beams, a shift amount calculation circuit to calculate a shift amount for collectively correcting positions of all of the multiple charged particle beams of the k-th shot, based on parameters related to at least the (k+1)th and subsequent shots (k being a natural number) of the multiple charged particle beams, and a writing mechanism including a deflector for deflecting the multiple charged particle beams, and to perform the k-th shot onto the substrate with the multiple charged particle beams while shifting the all of the multiple charged particle beams of the k-th shot by collective deflection according to the shift amount.

In one embodiment, a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a stage position detector detecting a position of the stage which holds a substrate to be written, a mark disposed on the stage, a beam position detector detecting a beam position of each beam by allowing the multiple beams to pass over the mark, a beam shape detector detecting a beam shape of the multiple beams at predetermined time intervals based on the detected beam position and the detected position of the stage, the multiple beams being used to irradiate the substrate, and a writing data processor calculating an amount of irradiation correction of each beam for correcting the beam shape based on the detected beam shape.

A method, including using an implant recipe to perform an implant by scanning an ion beam along a first axis over a substrate, coated with a photoresist layer, while the substrate is scanned along a perpendicular axis; measuring an implant current (I) during the implant, using a first detector, positioned to a side of a substrate position; determining a value of a difference ratio (I−B)/(B), based upon the implant current, where B is current measured by the first detector, during a calibration at base pressure; determining a plurality of values of a current ratio (CR) for the plurality of instances, based upon the difference ratio, the current ratio being a ratio of the implant current to a current measured by a second detector, positioned over the substrate position, during the calibration; and adjusting scanning the ion beam, scanning of the substrate, or a combination thereof, based upon the current ratio.

Systems and methods of observing a sample in a multi-beam apparatus are disclosed. A multi-beam apparatus may comprise an array of deflectors configured to steer individual beamlets of multiple beamlets, each deflector of the array of deflectors having a corresponding driver configured to receive a signal for steering a corresponding individual beamlet. The apparatus may further include a controller having circuitry to acquire profile data of a sample and to control each deflector by providing the signal to the corresponding driver based on the acquired profile data, and a steering circuitry comprising the corresponding driver configured to generate a driving signal, a corresponding compensator configured to receive the driving signal and a set of driving signals from other adjacent drivers associated with adjacent deflectors and to generate a compensation signal to compensate a corresponding deflector based on the driving signal and the set of driving signals.

Disclosed are embodiments of an ion beam sample preparation and coating apparatus and methods. A sample may be prepared in one or more ion beams and then a coating may be sputtered onto the prepared sample within the same apparatus. A vacuum transfer device may be used with the apparatus in order to transfer a sample into and out of the apparatus while in a controlled environment. Various methods to improve preparation and coating uniformity are disclosed including: rotating the sample retention stage; modulating the sample retention stage; variable tilt ion beam irradiating means, more than one ion beam irradiating means, coating thickness monitoring, selective shielding of the sample, and modulating the coating donor holder.

A multiple charged particle writing method includes performing a tracking operation by shifting the main deflection position of multiple beams using charged particle beams in the direction of stage movement so that the main deflection position of the multiple beams follows the stage movement while a predetermined number of beam shots of the multiple beams are performed, and shifting the sub deflection position of the multiple beams so that each beam of the multiple beams straddles rectangular regions among plural rectangular regions obtained by dividing a writing region of a target object into meshes by the pitch size between beams of the multiple beams, and the each beam is applied to a different position in each of the rectangular regions straddled, and applying a predetermined number of shots per beam using plural beams in the multiple beams to each of the plural rectangular regions, during the tracking operation.

In a device for observing a semiconductor wafer, a positional relationship between an in-wafer region and a background region in an imaging field of view is not constant when an outer peripheral portion of the wafer is imaged, which results in an increase in the quantity of calculation in defect detection and image classification processing and makes it difficult to efficiently perform defect observation and analysis. There is provided a defect observation system for a semiconductor wafer, and the system includes: a stage on which the semiconductor wafer is placed and which is movable in an XY direction, an imaging unit that is configured to image a portion including an edge of the semiconductor wafer, and an image output unit that is configured to, with respect to a plurality of images obtained by imaging, output images in which edges of the wafer are substantially in parallel among the plurality of images.

An ion implanter includes a beam generator that generates anion beam, a beam scanner that performs reciprocating scan with the ion beam in a first direction, a platen driving device that performs reciprocating motion of a wafer in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, while holding the wafer so that a wafer processing surface is irradiated with the ion beam subject to the reciprocating scan, and a control device that changes a beam scan speed in the first direction and a wafer motion speed in the second direction in accordance with a beam irradiation position in the first direction and the second direction at which the wafer processing surface is irradiated with the ion beam so that ions having a desired two-dimensional non-uniform dose distribution are implanted into the wafer processing surface.

The present disclosure provides an ion implantation method and an ion implanter for realizing the ion implantation method. The above-mentioned ion implantation method comprises: providing a spot-shaped ion beam current implanted into the wafer; controlling the wafer to move back and forth in a first direction; controlling the spot-shaped ion beam current to scan back and forth in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and adjusting the scanning width of the spot-shaped ion beam current in the second direction according to the width of the portion of the wafer currently scanned by the spot-shaped ion beam current in the second direction. According to the ion implantation method provided by the present disclosure, the scanning path of the ion beam current is adjusted by changing the scanning width of the ion beam current, so that the beam scanning area is attached to the wafer, which greatly reduces the waste of the ion beam current, improves the effective ion beam current and increases productivity without increasing actual ion beam current.

A method of forming a product using additive layer manufacture is provided. The method comprises forming the product as a series of layers, each layer being formed by fusing powder deposited as a powder bed by scanning the powder bed using a charged particle beam to form a desired layer shape. For each layer, the powder is fused by melting successive areas of the powder bed by scanning the charged particle beam using a combination of a relatively long-range deflector and a relatively short-range deflector, wherein the relatively long-range deflector deflects the charged particle beam over a larger deflection angle than the short-range deflector. Also provided are a corresponding charged particle optical assembly, and an additive layer manufacturing apparatus.