Systems, methods, and apparatuses for atomic-scale materials processing based on electron beam induced etching assisted by remote plasma are disclosed. For example, a method may include placing the substrate into a low-pressure chamber to which an electron source is connected. The method may also include contacting the surface of the substrate with reactive particle fluxes produced by a remote plasma source connected to the low-pressure chamber. The remote plasma source may be fed with one or more chemical precursors for surface chemical functionalization of the surface of the substrate. The method may further include electron irradiation of the surface of the substrate with electrons via the electron source at a specified energy level to induce a surface chemical process on the surface of the substrate.

Methods for reticle enhancement technology (RET) for use with variable shaped beam (VSB) lithography include inputting a desired pattern to be formed on a substrate; determining an initial mask pattern from the desired pattern for the substrate; optimizing the initial mask pattern for wafer quality using a VSB exposure system; and outputting the optimized mask pattern. Methods for fracturing a pattern to be exposed on a surface using VSB lithography include inputting an initial pattern; overlaying the initial pattern with a two-dimensional grid, wherein an initial set of VSB shots are formed by the union of the initial pattern with locations on the grid; 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.

Methods for reticle enhancement technology (RET) for use with variable shaped beam (VSB) lithography include inputting a desired pattern to be formed on a substrate; determining an initial mask pattern from the desired pattern for the substrate; optimizing the initial mask pattern for wafer quality using a VSB exposure system; and outputting the optimized mask pattern. Methods for fracturing a pattern to be exposed on a surface using VSB lithography include inputting an initial pattern; overlaying the initial pattern with a two-dimensional grid, wherein an initial set of VSB shots are formed by the union of the initial pattern with locations on the grid; 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 invention relates to a device and a method for processing a microstructured component, in particular for microlithography. A device for processing a microstructured component comprises an ion beam source for applying an ion beam to at least regions of the component, wherein an ion energy of this ion beam is no more than 5 keV, and a detector for detecting particles backscattered at the component.

A method for particle beam-induced processing of a defect of a microlithographic photomask, including the steps of: a1) providing an image of at least a portion of the photomask, b1) determining a geometric shape of a defect in the image as a repair shape, c1) subdividing the repair shape into a number of n pixels in accordance with a first rasterization, d1) subdividing the repair shape into a number of m pixels in accordance with a second rasterization, the second rasterization emerging from a subpixel displacement of the first rasterization, e1) providing an activating particle beam and a process gas at each of the n pixels of the repair shape in accordance with the first rasterization, and f1) providing the activating particle beam and the process gas at each of the m pixels of the repair shape in accordance with the second rasterization.

A method for particle beam-induced processing of a defect of a microlithographic photomask, including the steps of: a1) providing an image of at least a portion of the photomask, b1) determining a geometric shape of a defect in the image as a repair shape, c1) subdividing the repair shape into a number of n pixels in accordance with a first rasterization, d1) subdividing the repair shape into a number of m pixels in accordance with a second rasterization, the second rasterization emerging from a subpixel displacement of the first rasterization, e1) providing an activating particle beam and a process gas at each of the n pixels of the repair shape in accordance with the first rasterization, and f1) providing the activating particle beam and the process gas at each of the m pixels of the repair shape in accordance with the second rasterization.

A method includes: providing a photomask, wherein the photomask includes a multilayer stack, a light-absorption layer, an anti-reflection coating and a light-absorption layer. The method further includes: receiving information on the photomask; determining a bias voltage according to the information; determining a scan recipe of an electron beam writer system based on the bias voltage; and performing a repairing operation on at least one of the anti-reflection coating and the light-absorption layer by the electron beam writer system with the scan recipe.

Methods for repairing a defect of a lithographic mask with a particle beam are described. One such method can comprise the following steps: Processing the defect with the particle beam with a first set of processing parameters; processing the defect with the particle beam with a second set of processing parameters; wherein at least one parameter from the first set of processing parameters differs from the second set of processing parameters.

Methods for repairing a defect of a lithographic mask with a particle beam are described. One such method can comprise the following steps: Processing the defect with the particle beam with a first set of processing parameters; processing the defect with the particle beam with a second set of processing parameters; wherein at least one parameter from the first set of processing parameters differs from the second set of processing parameters.

The present invention relates to a method for setting at least one side wall angle of at least one pattern element of a photolithographic mask including the steps of: (a) providing at least one precursor gas; (b) providing at least one massive particle beam which induces a local chemical reaction of the at least one precursor gas; and (c) altering at least one parameter of the particle beam and/or a process parameter during the local chemical reaction in order to set the at least one side wall angle of the at least one pattern element.