There is provided an ion milling apparatus that can enhance reproducibility of ion distribution.

The ion milling apparatus includes an ion source 101, a sample stage 102 on which a sample processed by radiating a non-convergent ion beam from the ion source 101 is placed, a drive unit 107 that moves a measurement member holding section 106 holding an ion beam current measurement member 105 along a track located between the ion source and the sample stage, and an electrode 112 that is disposed near the track, in which a predetermined positive voltage is applied to the electrode 112, the ion beam current measurement member 105 is moved within a radiation range of the ion beam by the drive unit 107, in a state in which the ion beam is output from the ion source 101 under a first radiation condition, and an ion beam current that flows when the ion beam is radiated to the ion beam current measurement member 105 is measured.

In corner sections of first to fourth quadrants whose origin point is a center of an upper surface of a stage, three each of two-dimensional heads are provided. The three each of two-dimensional heads include one first head and two second heads. The stage is driven, while measuring a position of the stage using three first heads that face a two-dimensional grating of a scale plate provided above the stage from the four first heads, and during the driving, difference data of measurement values of the two second heads with respect to the first head in a measurement direction are taken in for head groups to which the three first heads belong, respectively, and using the difference data, grid errors are calibrated.

An ion implanter includes an implantation processing chamber in which an implantation process of irradiating a wafer with an ion beam is performed, a first Faraday cup disposed inside the implantation processing chamber to measure a beam current of the ion beam during a preparation process performed before the implantation process, a second Faraday cup disposed inside the implantation processing chamber to measure a beam current of the ion beam during a calibration process for calibrating a beam current measurement value of the first Faraday cup, and a blockade member for blocking the ion beam directed toward the second Faraday cup, the blockade member being configured so that the ion beam is not incident into the second Faraday cup during the implantation process and the preparation process, and the ion beam is incident into the second Faraday cup during the calibration process.

An ion implanter includes an implantation processing chamber in which an implantation process of irradiating a wafer with an ion beam is performed, a first Faraday cup disposed inside the implantation processing chamber to measure a beam current of the ion beam during a preparation process performed before the implantation process, a second Faraday cup disposed inside the implantation processing chamber to measure a beam current of the ion beam during a calibration process for calibrating a beam current measurement value of the first Faraday cup, and a blockade member for blocking the ion beam directed toward the second Faraday cup, the blockade member being configured so that the ion beam is not incident into the second Faraday cup during the implantation process and the preparation process, and the ion beam is incident into the second Faraday cup during the calibration process.

An ion implantation system and method that selectively varies an ion beam energy to a workpiece in sequential passes thereof in front of the beam. The implantation system has an ion source for generating the ion beam and an acceleration/deceleration stage for varying the energy of the ion beam based on an electrical bias supplied to the acceleration deceleration stage. A workpiece support is provided immediately downstream of the acceleration/deceleration stage to support a workpiece through the selectively varied energy ion beam, and can be thermally controlled to control a temperature of the workpiece during the variation of energy of the beam. The energy can be varied while the workpiece is positioned in front of the beam, and a controller can control the electrical bias to control the variation in energy of the ion beam, where a plurality of process recipes can be attained during a single positioning of the workpiece on the workpiece support.

A method of generating a layout pattern includes determining a first energy density indirectly exposed to a first feature of one or more features of a layout pattern on an energy-sensitive material when the one or more features of the layout pattern on the energy-sensitive material are directly exposed by a charged particle beam. The method also includes adjusting a second energy density exposed the first feature when the first feature is directly exposed by the charged particle beam. A total energy density of the first feature that comprises a sum of the first energy density from the indirect exposure and the second energy density from the direct exposure is maintained at about a threshold energy level to fully expose the first feature in the energy-sensitive material.

A method of generating a layout pattern includes determining a first energy density indirectly exposed to a first feature of one or more features of a layout pattern on an energy-sensitive material when the one or more features of the layout pattern on the energy-sensitive material are directly exposed by a charged particle beam. The method also includes adjusting a second energy density exposed the first feature when the first feature is directly exposed by the charged particle beam. A total energy density of the first feature that comprises a sum of the first energy density from the indirect exposure and the second energy density from the direct exposure is maintained at about a threshold energy level to fully expose the first feature in the energy-sensitive material.

A multiple charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a margined block region generation circuit to generate plural margined block regions each formed by adding a margin region to the periphery of each block region of plural block regions obtained by dividing the writing region of the target object, a detection circuit to detect a defective beam in multiple charged particle beams, a specifying circuit to specify, for each defective beam detected, a position irradiated with the defective beam, and an affiliation determination circuit to determine a margined block region, in the plural margined block regions, to which the position irradiated with the defective beam belongs, based on conditions set according to a sub-block region, in plural sub-block regions acquired by dividing the margined block region, in which the position irradiated with the defective beam in the multiple charged particle beams is located.

A multiple charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a margined block region generation circuit to generate plural margined block regions each formed by adding a margin region to the periphery of each block region of plural block regions obtained by dividing the writing region of the target object, a detection circuit to detect a defective beam in multiple charged particle beams, a specifying circuit to specify, for each defective beam detected, a position irradiated with the defective beam, and an affiliation determination circuit to determine a margined block region, in the plural margined block regions, to which the position irradiated with the defective beam belongs, based on conditions set according to a sub-block region, in plural sub-block regions acquired by dividing the margined block region, in which the position irradiated with the defective beam in the multiple charged particle beams is located.

The present invention quickly calculates values of optimal excitation parameters which are set in lenses in multiple stages. A multi charged particle beam adjustment method includes forming a multi charged particle beam, calculating, for each of lenses in two or more stages disposed corresponding to object lenses in two or more stages, a first rate of change and a second rate of change in response to change in at least an excitation parameter, the first rate of change being a rate of change in a demagnification level of a beam image of the multi charged particle beam, the second rate of change being a rate of change in a rotation level of the beam image, and calculating a first amount of correction to the excitation parameter of each of the lenses based on an amount of correction to the demagnification level and the rotation level of the beam image, the first rate of change, and the second rate of change.