In one embodiment, a writing data generation method is for generating writing data used by a multi-charged particle beam writing apparatus. The writing data generation method includes referring to library data in which a vertex sequence including a plurality of vertices is registered, and extracting a portion of an outer line of a figure contained in design data, the portion corresponding to the vertex sequence, and representing the extracted portion by information which identifies the vertex sequence and information which indicates a connection method for the plurality of vertices of the vertex sequence, and generating the writing data.

The present disclosure provides one embodiment of an IC method. First pattern densities (PDs) of a plurality of templates of an IC design layout are received. Then a high PD outlier template and a low PD outlier template from the plurality of templates are identified. The high PD outlier template is split into multiple subsets of template and each subset of template carries a portion of PD of the high PD outlier template. A PD uniformity (PDU) optimization is performed to the low PD outlier template and multiple individual exposure processes are applied by using respective subset of templates.

Methods include inputting an array of pixels, where each pixel in the array of pixels has a pixel dose. The array of pixels represents dosage on a surface to be exposed with a plurality of patterns, each pattern of the plurality of patterns having an edge. A target bias is input. An edge of a pattern in the plurality of patterns is identified. For each pixel which is in a neighborhood of the identified edge, a calculated pixel dose is calculated such that the identified edge is relocated by the target bias. The array of pixels with the calculated pixel doses is output. Systems for performing the methods are also disclosed.

Disclosed is a lithography process on a sample including at least one structure and covered by at least a lower layer of resist and a upper layer of resist the process including: using an optical device to image or determine, in reference to the optical device, a position of the selected structure and positions of markers integral with the sample; using an electron-beam device, imaging or determining the position of each marker in reference to the electron-beam device; deducing the position of the selected structure in reference to the electron-beam device; exposing to an electron beam the upper layer of resist above the position of the selected structure to remove all the thickness of the upper layer of resist above the position of the selected structure but none or only part of the thickness of the lower layer of resist above the position of the selected structure.

A method for transferring a pattern onto a substrate by direct writing by means of a particle or photon beam comprises: a step of producing a dose map, associating a dose to elementary shapes of the pattern; and a step of exposing the substrate according to the pattern with a spatially-dependent emitted dose depending on the dose map; wherein the step of producing a dose map includes: computing at least first and second metrics of the pattern for each of the elementary shapes, the first metric representative of features of the pattern within a first range from the elementary shape and the second metric representative of features of the pattern within a second range, larger than the first range, from the elementary shape; and determining the emitted dose associated to each of the elementary shapes of the pattern as a function of the metrics. A computer program product is provided for carrying out such a method or at least the step of producing a dose map.

A method of generating a layout pattern includes determining a first energy density indirectly exposed to a first feature of one or more features of a layout pattern on an energy-sensitive material when the one or more features of the layout pattern on the energy-sensitive material are directly exposed by a charged particle beam. The method also includes adjusting a second energy density exposed the first feature when the first feature is directly exposed by the charged particle beam. A total energy density of the first feature that comprises a sum of the first energy density from the indirect exposure and the second energy density from the direct exposure is maintained at about a threshold energy level to fully expose the first feature in the energy-sensitive material.

In one embodiment, a method is for creating writing data used in a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus. The method includes partitioning a polygonal figure included in design data into a plurality of trapezoids that each include at least one pair of opposite sides parallel along a first direction and that join so as to be continuous in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction while a side parallel to the first direction serves as a common side, and creating the writing data by, when a first trapezoid, a second trapezoid, and a third trapezoid join along the second direction, representing a position of a common vertex shared by the second trapezoid and the third trapezoid using displacements in the first direction and the second direction from a position of a common vertex shared by the first trapezoid and the second trapezoid. In at least one of the plurality of trapezoids, different dose amounts are defined in the first direction.

An electron beam irradiation method includes calculating a charge amount distribution in the case where a substrate is irradiated with an electron beam, by using an index indicating complexity of a pattern to be formed on the substrate, calculating a positional deviation amount of an irradiation pattern to be formed due to irradiation with the electron beam, by using the charge amount distribution having been calculated, correcting an irradiation position by using the positional deviation amount having been calculated, and applying an electron beam to the irradiation position having been corrected.

A parameter acquiring method for dose correction of a charged particle beam includes writing evaluation patterns on a substrate coated with resist; writing, while varying writing condition, a peripheral pattern on a periphery of any different one of the evaluation patterns, after an ignorable time as to influence of resist temperature increase due to writing of an evaluation pattern concerned has passed; and calculating a parameter for defining correlation among a width dimension change amount of the evaluation pattern concerned, a temperature increase amount of the evaluation pattern concerned, and a backscatter dose reaching the evaluation pattern concerned, by using, under each writing condition, a width dimension of the evaluation pattern concerned, the temperature increase amount of the evaluation pattern concerned at each shot time, and the backscatter dose reaching the evaluation pattern concerned from each shot.

In one embodiment, a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a blanking plate including a plurality of blankers, bitmap generation processing circuitry generating bitmap data for each writing pass of multi-pass writing, the bitmap data specifying irradiation time periods for a plurality of irradiation positions, a plurality of dose correction units configured to receive bitmap subdata items obtained by dividing the bitmap data from the bitmap generation processing circuitry, and correct the irradiation time periods to generate a plurality of dose data items corresponding to respective processing ranges, and data transfer processing circuitry transferring the plurality of dose data items to the blanking plate through a plurality of signal line groups. Each of the signal line groups corresponds to the blankers located in a predetermined region of the blanking plate. The data transfer processing circuitry changes the signal line groups, used to transfer the plurality of dose data items generated by the respective dose correction units, for each writing pass.