In one embodiment, a data generation method includes generating a plurality of parametric elements by dividing, at positions of an extremum and an inflection point, a parametric curve that expresses a shape of a writing pattern and is defined by a plurality of control points arranged in order in a predetermined direction, generating a polygon by extracting, for each of the parametric elements, one or some of the plurality of control points and connecting the extracted control points in order in the predetermined direction, calculating a coverage by the polygon in each of a plurality of rectangular segmented regions obtained by dividing a target to be irradiated with a charged particle beam into a predetermined size, and calculating a coverage of each segmented region in a peripheral part of the writing pattern by finding intersections of each of the plurality of parametric elements and four sides of each of the plurality of segmented regions.

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 a charged particle beam writing method according to one embodiment, a deflector is caused to deflect a charged particle beam and a pattern is written by irradiating a substrate with the charged particle beam. The charged particle beam writing method includes calculating a charge amount distribution based on a charge amount of a beam irradiation region on the substrate immediately after irradiation with the charged particle beam and a diffusion coefficient for electric charge of the substrate, calculating a position shift distribution of the charged particle beam on the substrate based on the charge amount distribution, and correcting an irradiation position of the charged particle beam based on the position shift distribution.

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.

The purpose of the present invention is to correct a beam irradiation position shift caused by charging phenomena with high accuracy. A charged particle beam writing method includes virtually dividing a writing region of the substrate so as to have a predetermined mesh size and calculating a pattern density distribution representing an arrangement ratio of the pattern for each mesh region, calculating a dose distribution using the pattern density distribution, calculating an irradiation amount distribution using the pattern density distribution and the dose distribution, calculating a fogging charged particle amount distribution, calculating a charge amount distribution due to direct charge and a charge amount distribution due to fogging charge, calculating a position shift of a writing position based on the charge amount distribution due to direct charge and the charge amount distribution due to fogging charge, correcting an irradiation position using the position shift, and irradiating the corrected irradiation position with the charged particle beam with which a potential of a surface of the substrate becomes higher than a potential of a bottom surface of ae potential regulation member.

In one embodiment, a writing data verification method is for verifying a conversion error due to data conversion from first writing data in a vector format based on design data to second writing data in a pixel format. The method includes converting the second writing data to third writing data in a vector format, performing an exclusive OR operation on the first writing data and the third writing data, enlarging a graphic of the first writing data to obtain an enlarged graphic and generating a tolerance region graphic from a difference between the enlarged graphic and the graphic of the first writing data, and detecting a defect by performing a mask process on a graphic generated by the exclusive OR operation with the tolerance region graphic.

A method for operating a multi-beam particle optical unit comprises includes providing a first setting of effects of particle-optical components, wherein a particle-optical imaging is characterizable by at least two parameters. The method also includes determining a matrix A, and determining a matrix S. The method further includes defining values of parameters which characterize a desired imaging, and providing a second setting of the effects of the components in such a way that the particle-optical imaging is characterizable by the parameters having the defined values.

The invention relates to a method for producing a structure in a lithographic material, wherein the structure in the lithographic material is defined by means of a writing beam of an exposure device, in that a plurality of partial structures are written sequentially, wherein for writing the partial structures a write field of the exposure device is displaced and positioned sequentially and that a partial structure is written in the write field in each case, and wherein for positioning of the write field a reference structure is detected by means of an imaging measuring device. For calibration of the write field in the respectively positioned write field, before, during or after writing a partial structure, at least one reference structure element assigned to this partial structure is produced in the lithographic material with the writing beam, wherein the reference structure element after the displacement of the write field is detected by means of the imaging measuring device for writing a further partial structure.

In one embodiment, a charged particle beam writing method includes dividing a figure pattern defined in writing data into a plurality of shot figures, virtually dividing a writing target substrate into a plurality of mesh regions, and calculating a correction irradiation amount to correct proximity effect and middle range effect for each of the mesh regions based on a position of the figure pattern, calculating an irradiation amount for each of the plurality of shot figures using the correction irradiation amount, calculating an insufficient irradiation amount at an edge portion of the shot figure based on the irradiation amount, resizing the shot figure based on the insufficient irradiation amount, and writing the resized shot figure on the writing target substrate using a charged particle beam in the irradiation amount.

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, each of the openings of the first column of openings having dog-eared corners. The BAA also includes a second column of openings along the first direction and staggered from the first column of openings, each of the openings of the second column of openings having dog-eared corners. The first and second columns of openings together form an array having a pitch in the first direction. A scan direction of the BAA is along a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction. The pitch of the array corresponds to half of a minimal pitch layout of a target pattern of lines for orientation parallel with the second direction.