An exposure apparatus scans a substrate in a Y-axis direction and also adjusts irradiation position of a plurality of beams, based on correction information obtained from the same number of distortion tables as the beams, the distortion tables including information concerning change of irradiation position of the plurality of beams of a multibeam optical system. Especially, the irradiation position of the plurality of beams in the Y-axis direction is adjusted by individually controlling irradiation timing of the plurality of beams irradiated on the substrate from the multibeam optical system.

A multi-charged particle beam writing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a region setting unit configured to set, as an irradiation region for a beam array to be used, the region of the central portion of an irradiation region for all of multiple beams of charged particle beams implemented to be emittable by a multiple beam irradiation mechanism, and a writing mechanism, including the multiple beam irradiation mechanism, configured to write a pattern on a target object with the beam array in the region of the central portion having been set in the multiple beams implemented.

In one embodiment, a first storage storing writing data, a second storage storing correction data for correcting an error in a writing position due to factors including bending of the substrate, a cell data allocator virtually dividing a writing region of the substrate into blocks, and allocating a cell to the blocks in consideration of the correction data, a plurality of bitmap data generators virtually dividing the blocks into meshes, calculating an irradiation amount per mesh region, and generating bitmap data which assigns the irradiation amount to each mesh region, and a shot data generator generating shot data that defines an irradiation time for each beam. The cell data allocator virtually divides the writing region by division lines in a direction different from a writing forward direction to generate a plurality of division regions. The plurality of bitmap data generators generate pieces of bitmap data of the different division regions.

An anomaly determination method of the present embodiment includes: measuring a first resistance value of a processing target via a first grounding member when the first grounding member is attached to the processing target in a first chamber; bringing the first grounding member into contact with a grounded second grounding member to measure a second resistance value of the processing target via the first and second grounding members in a second chamber; and determining an anomaly of the second grounding member with an arithmetic processing unit based on a trend of a resistance difference between the first resistance value and the second resistance value for a plurality of processing targets.

Methods and systems for direct lithographic pattern definition based upon electron beam induced alteration of the surface chemistry of a substrate are described. The methods involve an initial chemical treatment for global definition of a specified surface chemistry (SC). Electron beam induced surface reactions between a gaseous precursor and the surface are then used to locally alter the SC. High resolution patterning of stable, specified surface chemistries upon a substrate can thus be achieved. The defined patterns can then be utilized for selective material deposition via methods which exploit the specificity of certain SC combinations or by differences in surface energy. It is possible to perform all steps in-situ without breaking vacuum.

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.

A charged particle beam arrangement is described. The charged particle beam arrangement includes a charged particle source including a cold field emitter, a beam limiting aperture between the charged particle source and a magnetic condenser lens; the magnetic condenser lens comprising a first inner pole piece and a first outer pole piece, wherein a first axial distance between the charged particle source and the first inner pole piece is equal or less than approximately 20 mm, an acceleration section for accelerating the charged particle beam to an energy of 10 keV or more, a magnetic objective lens comprising a second inner pole piece and a second outer pole piece, a third axial distance between the second inner pole piece and a surface of a specimen is equal to or less than approximately 20 mm, and a deceleration section.

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.

A method for projecting a particle beam onto a substrate, the method includes a step of calculating a correction of the scattering effects of the beam by means of a point spread function modelling the forward scattering effects of the particles; a step of modifying a dose profile of the beam, implementing the correction thus calculated; and a step of projecting the beam, the dose profile of which has been modified, onto the substrate, and being wherein the point spread function is, or comprises by way of expression of a linear combination, a two-dimensional double sigmoid function. A method to e-beam lithography is also provided.

In one embodiment, a multi charged particle beam drawing apparatus includes an emitter emitting a charged particle beam, a shaping aperture array in which a plurality of first openings are formed, and which receives irradiation of the charged particle beam in an area including the plurality of first openings, and forms a multi-beam by allowing part of the charged particle beam to pass through a corresponding one of the plurality of first openings, a blanking aperture array in which a plurality of second openings are formed, through each of which a beam is passed, corresponding to part of the multi-beam which has passed through the plurality of first openings, the plurality of second openings each including a blanker that performs blanking deflection of a beam, and a movement controller moving the shaping aperture array or the blanking aperture array, and adjusting space between the shaping aperture array and the blanking aperture array.