An adjustable attenuation optical unit that may include a lightguide that includes a core, wherein the core comprises an output, an input and an exterior surface; and an adjustable attenuator that is configured to define an interfacing parameter related to an area of the exterior surface thereby receiving at least some of the light that impinges on the area.

A substrate processing system includes a substrate processing apparatus and a switching timing creation support device, wherein the switching timing creation support device includes: an acquisition part configured to acquire, for each of a plurality of properties of particles contained in a gas in the substrate processing apparatus during a processing for a substrate, a measured value of an amount of the particles from a measuring device; a selection part configured to select properties of a predetermined number of the particles in descending order of temporal variations in the amount of the particles; a determination part configured to determine an operation expression and a switching condition for determining a switching timing based on a temporal change in the amount of the particles for each of the selected properties of the particles; and an output part configured to output the operation expression and the switching condition to the substrate processing apparatus.

The mark position is measured with a multi-beam with high accuracy. A multi charged particle beam writing method includes forming a multi-beam (30a-30e) in which charged particle beams are arranged with a predetermined pitch, irradiating a mark (M) with beams in an on-beam region while shifting irradiation positions of the charged particle beams by sequentially changing the on-beam region in which beams in a partial region of the multi-beam (30a-30e) are set to ON, the mark (M) being provided at a predetermined position and having a width greater than the predetermined pitch, detecting a reflected charged particle signal from the mark (M), and calculating a position of the mark (M), and adjusting the irradiation positions of the multi-beam based on the calculated position of the mark (M), and writing a pattern.

A method to compensate for drift while controlling a charged particle beam (CPB) system having at least one charged particle beam controllable in position. Sources of drift include mechanical variations in the stage supporting the sample, beam deflection shifts, and environmental impacts, such as temperature. The method includes positioning a sample supported by a stage in the CPB system, monitoring a reference fiducial on a surface of the sample from a start time to an end time, determining a drift compensation to compensate for a drift that causes an unintended change in the position of a first charged particle beam relative to the sample by a known amount over a period of time based on a change in the position of the reference fiducial between the start time and the end time, and adjusting positions of the first charged particle beam by applying the determined drift compensation during an operation of the CPB system.

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 multi-charged-particle-beam writing method includes performing a tracking operation such that, while a substrate placed on a stage moving continuously is being irradiated with multiple beams including a plurality of charged particle beams, deflection positions of the multiple beams follow movement of the stage, and applying the multiple beams to the substrate having a writing area including a plurality of rectangular regions arranged in a mesh during the tracking operation such that each of the plurality of rectangular regions is irradiated with the multiple beams. Each rectangular region includes a plurality of pixels each having a predetermined size and arranged in a mesh. At least one subset of the plurality of pixels is irradiated with the multiple beams in a first shot order and is then irradiated with the multiple beams in a second shot order different from the first shot order.

In one embodiment, a multi-charged-particle-beam writing method includes dividing a data path into a plurality of first blocks based on at least either one of each of a plurality of input/output circuits and a plurality of wiring groups, and calculating a first shift amount for multiple beams for each of the plurality of first blocks. The data path is for inputting control data to a cell array on a blanking aperture array substrate. The control data is for controlling ON/OFF of each beam of the multiple beams. Each of the plurality of wiring groups includes a plurality of pieces of wiring connected to the plurality of input/output circuits and grouped together based on inter-wiring distance. The first shift amount is due to at least one of an electric field and a magnetic field for each of the plurality of first blocks. An irradiation position or a dose of the multiple beams is corrected based on the first shift amount, and irradiation is performed.

Provided is a charged particle beam drawing apparatus including a measurement unit that scans a reference mark disposed on a stage with a charged particle beam to detect a position of the reference mark, and measures a positional deviation amount of the charged particle beam, based on the detected position; and a positional correction unit that corrects a drawing position based on the measured positional deviation amount. A plurality of the reference marks is disposed on the stage, and the measurement unit switches from one of the reference marks used for the measurement of the positional deviation amount to another one of the reference marks that is not used yet, when a predetermined condition has been satisfied.

Provided is a charged particle beam apparatus including a focused ion beam column, a sample holder, a stage supporting the sample holder, a securing member rotating unit, a stage driving unit, and a control device. The sample holder includes a securing member fixing a sample. The securing member rotating unit rotates the securing member around a first rotational axis and a second rotational axis. The stage driving unit translates the stage in three dimensions and rotates the stage around a third rotational axis. The control device acquires a correction value for correcting a change in a position of a center of rotation for rotation around at least one among a first rotational axis, a second rotational axis, and a third rotational axis. The control device translates the stage according to the correction value.

Analyzing a buried layer on a sample includes milling a spot on the sample using a charged particle beam of a focused ion beam (FIB) column to expose the buried layer along a sidewall of the spot. From a first perspective a first distance is measured between a first point on the sidewall corresponding to an upper surface of the buried layer and a second point on the sidewall corresponding to a lower surface of the buried layer. From a second perspective a second distance is measured between the first point on the sidewall corresponding to the upper surface of the buried layer and the second point on the sidewall corresponding to the lower surface of the buried layer. A thickness of the buried layer is determined using the first distance and the second distance.