Lithographic apparatuses suitable for, and methodologies involving, complementary e-beam lithography (CEBL) are described. In an example, a layout for a metallization layer of an integrated circuit includes a first region having a plurality of unidirectional lines of a first width and a first pitch and parallel with a first direction. The layout also includes a second region having a plurality of unidirectional lines of a second width and a second pitch and parallel with the first direction, the second width and the second pitch different than the first width and the first pitch, respectively. The layout also includes a third region having a plurality of unidirectional lines of a third width and a third pitch and parallel with the first direction, the third width and the third pitch different than the first and second widths and different than the first and second pitches.

Lithographic apparatuses suitable for, and methodologies involving, complementary e-beam lithography (CEBL) are described. In an example, a blanker aperture array (BAA) for an e-beam tool includes a first column of openings along a first direction and having a pitch. The BAA also includes a second column of openings along the first direction and staggered from the first column of openings. The second column of openings has the pitch. A scan direction of the BAA is along a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction.

Lithographic apparatuses suitable for, and methodologies involving, complementary e-beam lithography (CEBL) are described. In an example, a blanker aperture array (BAA) for an e-beam tool is described. The BAA includes three distinct aperture arrays of different pitch.

A multi charged particle beam writing method includes assigning, for each unit irradiation region per beam of multi-beams, each divided shot obtained by dividing a shot of a maximum irradiation time and continuously irradiate the same unit irradiation region, to at least one of a plurality of beams that can be switched by collective deflection; calculating, for each unit irradiation region, an irradiation time; determining, for each unit irradiation region, whether to make each divided shot be beam on or off so that the total irradiation time for a plurality of corresponding divided shots to be beam on may become a combination equivalent to the irradiation time calculated; and applying, to the corresponding unit irradiation region, the plurality of corresponding divided shots to be beam on, using the plurality of beams while switching a beam between beams by collective deflection.

Lithographic apparatuses suitable for, and methodologies involving, complementary e-beam lithography (CEBL) are described. In an example, a method of data compression or data reduction for e-beam tool simplification involves providing an amount of data to write a column field and to adjust the column field for field edge placement error on a wafer, wherein the amount of data is limited to data for patterning approximately 10% or less of the column field. The method also involves performing e-beam writing on the wafer using the amount of data.

Lithographic apparatuses suitable for, and methodologies involving, complementary e-beam lithography (CEBL) are described. In an example, a blanker aperture array (BAA) for an e-beam tool is described. The BAA is a non-universal cutter.

A multi charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a maximum irradiation time acquisition processing circuitry to acquire, for each shot of multi-beams, a maximum irradiation time of irradiation time of each of the multi-beams, a unit region writing time calculation processing circuitry to calculate, using the maximum irradiation time for each shot, a unit region writing time by totalizing the maximum irradiation time of each shot of a plurality of times of shots of the multi-beams which irradiate a unit region concerned during stage moving, for each unit region of a plurality of unit regions obtained by dividing a writing region of a target object, a stage speed calculation processing circuitry to calculate speed of the stage for each unit region so that the stage speed becomes variable, by using the unit region writing time and a stage control processing circuitry to variably control the stage speed.