A data generation apparatus of one embodiment includes a processing unit, an evaluation unit, and a conversion unit. The processing unit designs, through optical proximity correction based on a target pattern formed on a substrate using the photomask, a mask pattern corresponding to the target pattern and including a plurality of rectangular regions. The evaluation unit evaluates the mask pattern using a cost function having, as a parameter, a jog length indicating a length of each of the rectangular regions included in the mask pattern in a first direction. The conversion unit converts mask pattern data indicating the mask pattern with an evaluation that meets a predetermined condition to drawing data corresponding to a variable shaped beam drawing process.

An electron beam writing apparatus according to the present invention includes a potential regulating member arranged to be upstream of a target object in the case where the target object is placed on a stage, and configured to be set to have a fixed potential being positive with respect to the target object, a potential applying circuit configured to apply a voltage to the target object or the potential regulating member so that the potential regulating member has the fixed potential, and a correction circuit configured to correct a positional deviation of the electron beam on a surface of the target object which occurs in the case where the target object is irradiated with the electron beam in the state in which the potential regulating member has the fixed potential.

A charged particle beam writing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes an electrode configured to deflect a charged particle beam, an amplifier configured to apply a deflection potential to the electrode, a diagnostic circuit configured to diagnose the amplifier, a switching circuit arranged between an output of the amplifier and the electrode, and configured to switch the output of the amplifier between the electrode and the diagnostic circuit, an electron optical system configured to irradiate a target object with the charged particle beam deflected by being applied with the deflection potential by the amplifier, a column configured to include therein the electrode and the electron optical system, a first coaxial cable configured to connect an output side of the amplifier with the switching circuit, a second coaxial cable configured to connect the electrode with the switching circuit, a third coaxial cable configured to connect the output side of the amplifier with the diagnostic circuit, and a resistance configured to connect, parallelly to the switching circuit, an inner conductor of the first coaxial cable with an inner conductor of the second coaxial cable.

A charged particle beam writing method includes forming an aperture image by making a charged particle beam pass through an aperture substrate, changing, in the state where a plurality of crossover positions of the charged particle beam and positions of all of one or more intermediate images of the aperture image are adjusted to matching positions with respect to the aperture image with the first magnification, magnification of the aperture image from the first magnification to the second magnification by using a plurality of lenses while maintaining the last crossover position of the charged particle beam and the position of the last intermediate image of the aperture image to be fixed, and forming, using an objective lens, the aperture image whose magnification has been changed to the second magnification on the surface of the target object, and writing the aperture image.

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 charged-particle beam writing apparatus includes a writing chamber to house a stage having a writing object placed thereon, a beam irradiator to irradiate a charged particle beam to the writing object placed on the stage, a stage driver to move the stage, a temperature distribution calculator to calculate temperature distribution of the writing object caused by a heat source in the writing chamber, based on movement history information of the stage, a deformed amount calculator to calculate a deformed amount of the writing object based on a constraint condition of the writing object placed on the stage and the calculated temperature distribution, and a position corrector to correct an irradiation position of the charged particle beam to the writing object based on the calculated deformed amount. The beam irradiator irradiates the charged particle beam based on the irradiation position corrected by the position corrector.

Methods for fracturing a pattern to be exposed on a surface using variable shaped beam (VSB) lithography include inputting an initial pattern; calculating a first substrate pattern from the initial pattern; overlaying the initial pattern with a two-dimensional grid, wherein an initial set of VSB shots are formed by a union of the initial pattern with locations on the grid; and merging two or more adjacent shots in the initial set of VSB shots to create a larger shot in a modified set of VSB shots; and outputting the modified set of VSB shots. The method also includes calculating a calculated pattern to be exposed on the surface with the modified set of VSB shots; and calculating a second substrate pattern from the calculated pattern to be exposed on the surface.

A apparatus according to an embodiment includes a unit to generate first blocks in a writing region in which at least one of writing groups respectively using different base doses is to be written, a unit to generate second blocks for proximity effect correction, in the each of the regions of the groups, a unit to calculate an area density in each of the first blocks, a unit to perform a weighting calculation on the area density for each of the first blocks by using a base dose of a corresponding group, a unit to calculate a dose coefficient for proximity effect correction, for each of the second blocks, by using a corresponding weighted area density, and a unit to calculate a dose by using the base dose of the each of the groups and the dose coefficient of the each of the second blocks.

A charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a writing data generation circuitry to input character information or information of an item selected, for specifying an apparatus quality check pattern used for evaluating apparatus quality of a charged particle beam writing apparatus, and to generate writing data of the apparatus quality check pattern based on the character information or the information of the item selected, and a combination circuitry to input writing data of an actual chip pattern to be written on a target object, and to combine the writing data of the actual chip pattern and the writing data of the apparatus quality check pattern such that the actual chip pattern and the apparatus quality check pattern do not overlap with each other.

In one embodiment, a charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a current limiting aperture, a blanking deflector switching between beam ON and beam OFF so as to control an irradiation time by deflecting the charged particle beam having passed through the current limiting aperture, a blanking aperture blocking the charged particle beam deflected by the blanking deflector in such a manner that the beam OFF state is entered, and an electron lens disposed between the current limiting aperture and the blanking aperture. A lens value set for the electron lens is substituted into a given function to calculate an offset time. The offset time is added to an irradiation time for writing a pattern to correct the irradiation time. The blanking deflector switches between the beam ON and the beam OFF based on the corrected irradiation time.