A multi-beam pattern definition device for use in a particle-beam processing or inspection apparatus, which is irradiated with a beam of electrically charged particles through a plurality of apertures to form corresponding beamlets, comprises an aperture array device in which said apertures are realized according to several sets of apertures arranged in respective aperture arrangements, and an absorber array device having openings configured for the passage of at least a subset of beamlets that are formed by the apertures. The absorber array device comprises openings corresponding to one of the aperture arrangement sets, whereas it includes a charged-particle absorbing structure comprising absorbing regions surrounded by elevated regions and configured to absorb charged particles impinging thereupon at locations corresponding to apertures of the other aperture arrangements of the aperture array device, effectively confining the effects of irradiated particles and electric charge therein.

A charged-particle beam exposure method includes providing a sample that has patterns having shot densities different from each other, using the sample to obtain pattern drift values correlated with the shot densities, and irradiating the sample with a charged-particle beam to perform an exposure process on the sample. The irradiating of the sample with the charged-particle beam is carried out while a deflection voltage, which is applied to the charged-particle beam to deflect the charged-particle beam, is corrected based on the pattern drift value corresponding to a shot density of a pattern to be formed on the sample.

The invention relates to a multi-beam pattern definition device for use in a particle-beam processing or inspection apparatus, said device being adapted to be irradiated with a beam of electrically charged particles and allow passage of the beam through a plurality of apertures thus forming a corresponding number of beamlets, said device comprising an aperture array device in which at least two sets of apertures are realized, an opening array device located downstream of the aperture array device having a plurality of openings configured for the passage of beamlets, said opening array device comprises impact regions, wherein charged impinge upon said impact regions.