In one embodiment, a multi charged particle beam evaluation method includes writing a plurality of evaluation patterns on a substrate by using multi charged particle beams, with a design value of a line width changed by a predetermined change amount at a predetermined pitch, measuring the line widths of the plurality of evaluation patterns thus written, and extracting a variation in a specific period of a distribution of differences between results of a measurement value and the design value of each of the line widths of the plurality of evaluation patterns. The predetermined change amount is equal to or larger than data resolution and smaller than a size of each of pixels, each of which is a unit region to be irradiated with one of the multi charged particle beams.

A Register Transfer Level (RTL) representation is recovered from a netlist representing an integrated circuit (IC). The netlist is converted to a graph comprising nodes belonging to a set of node types and edges connecting the nodes. The set of node types includes an instance node type representing an electronic component and a wire node type representing signal transfer between components. The graph is converted to a standardized graph by replacing subgraphs of the graph with standardized subgraphs. An RTL representation of the standardized graph is generated by operations including building signal declarations in a hardware description language (HDL) from the wire nodes of the standardized graph and building signal assignments in the HDL from instance nodes of the standardized graph.

A multiple charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a defective pattern data generation circuitry configured to generate defective pattern data of a defective pattern having a shape of the defective region in the writing region; a reverse pattern data generation circuitry configured to generate reverse pattern data by reversing the defective pattern data; a combined-value pixel data generation circuitry configured to generate, for the each pixel, combined-value pixel data by adding a value defined in a reverse pattern pixel data and a value defined in a writing pattern pixel data; and a writing mechanism configured to perform multiple writing, using multiple charged particle beams, on the target object such that the each pixel is irradiated with a beam of a dose corresponding to a value defined in the combined-value pixel data.

A multi-charged particle beam inspection apparatus includes a movable stage to place thereon an inspection substrate where plural dies each with the same pattern are arranged in a predetermined direction, a pitch acquisition circuit to acquire an arrangement pitch of plural dies, a magnification control circuit to control, when imaging the inspection substrate with multi-charged particle beams while continuously moving the stage, magnification of the multi-charged particle beams to be a controlled magnification such that the arrangement pitch of the plural dies becomes a natural number (2 or greater) multiple of an imaging region cycle in the predetermined direction of plural imaging regions to be individually imaged by each beam at each arrangement position of the multi-charged particle beams, and an acquisition mechanism to acquire inspection images of the plural dies on the inspection substrate, using the multi-charged particle beams whose magnification has been controlled to be the controlled magnification.

A method for process analysis includes acquiring first inspection data, using a first inspection modality, with respect to a substrate having multiple instances of a predefined pattern of features formed thereon using different, respective sets of process parameters. Characteristics of defects identified in the first inspection data are processed so as to select a first set of defect locations in which the first inspection data are indicative of an influence of the process parameters on the defects. Second inspection data are acquired, using a second inspection modality having a finer resolution than the first inspection modality, of the substrate at the locations in the first set. The defects appearing in the second inspection data are analyzed so as to select, from within the first set of the locations, a second set of the locations in which the second inspection data are indicative of an optimal range of the process parameters.

The present invention provides apparatus for an imaging system comprising a multitude of chemical emitting elements upon a substrate. In some embodiments the substrate may be approximately round with a radius of approximately one inch. Various methods relating to using and producing an imaging system of chemical emitters are disclosed.

In one embodiment, a method of obtaining a beam deflection shape includes using a plurality of beams to write a line pattern on a substrate by deflecting the plurality of beams, the plurality of beams being beams in the i-th row (i is an integer satisfying 1im) among multiple charged-particle beams including beams of m rows and n columns (m and n are integers equal to or greater than two), the deflection being performed in such a manner that a writing area for a beam in the j-th column (j is an integer satisfying 1jn1) is continuously adjacent to a writing area for a beam in the (j+1)th column, measuring a degree of unevenness of an edge of the line pattern, and obtaining a deflection shape of the beam based on the degree of unevenness.

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.

In one embodiment, a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus includes an aperture plate having a plurality of holes to form multiple beams, a blanking aperture array having a plurality of blankers which switch ON-OFF of corresponding respective beams among the multiple beams, a stage on which a writing target substrate is placed, an inspection aperture provided on the stage and that allows one beam among the multiple beams to pass therethrough, a deflector deflecting the multiple beams, a current detector detecting a beam current of each of the multiple beams that has passed through the inspection aperture in a case where the multiple beams are scanned on the inspection aperture, and a control computing machine that generates a beam image based on the detected beam current and detects a defect of the blanking aperture array or the aperture plate based on the beam image.

According to one embodiment, a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus includes an objective lens adjusting a focus position of multiple beams, a coil correcting astigmatism of the multiple beams, an inspection aperture disposed in a stage and configured to allow one beam of the multiple beams to pass therethrough, a deflector deflecting the multiple beams, a current detector detecting a beam current of each beam of the multiple beams scanned over the inspection aperture in the XY direction and passed through the inspection aperture, and a controller generating a beam image on the basis of the detected beam current, calculating a feature quantity of the beam image, and controlling the objective lens or the coil on the basis of the feature quantity.