# US 10,483,088 B2 · Multi charged particle beam writing apparatus and multi charged particle beam writing method

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- Number: US 10,483,088 B2
- Document ID: US10483088B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/806,576
- Filed: 2017-11-08
- Published: 2018-05-17
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2016-11-11
- Assignees: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
- Applicants: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
- Inventors: Osamu Iizuka; Yukitaka Shimizu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10483088B2

## CPC

- H01J 37/3177: {Multi-beam, e.g. fly's eye, comb probe}
- H01J 37/045: {Beam blanking or chopping, i.e. arrangements for momentarily interrupting exposure to the discharge}
- H01J 37/147: Arrangements for directing or deflecting the discharge along a desired path ({H01J37/045 take precedence;} lenses H01J37/10)
- H01J 37/20: Means for supporting or positioning the object or the material; Means for adjusting diaphragms or lenses associated with the support
- H01J 37/244: Detectors; Associated components or circuits therefor
- H01J 37/3023: {Program control}
- H01J 37/304: Controlling tubes by information coming from the objects {or from the beam}, e.g. correction signals
- H01J 2237/0435: Multi-aperture
- H01J 2237/0453: multiple apertures
- H01J 2237/24542: Beam profile
- H01J 2237/24564: Measurements of electric or magnetic variables, e.g. voltage, current, frequency
- H01J 2237/24578: Spatial variables, e.g. position, distance
- H01J 2237/24592: Inspection and quality control of devices
- H01J 2237/3045: Deflection calibration
- H01J 2237/31774: Multi-beam
- H01J 2237/31798: detecting pattern defects
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)

## Abstract

In one embodiment, a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus includes an aperture plate forming multiple beams, a stage on which a writing target substrate is placed, a stage position detector detecting the position of the stage, an inspection aperture plate provided in the stage, the inspection aperture plate permitting one of the multiple beams to pass through the inspection aperture plate, a deflector deflecting the multiple beams, a current detector detecting a beam current of each of the multiple beams scanned over the inspection aperture plate in X and Y directions and passed through the inspection aperture plate, and a control computer generating a beam image based on the detected beam currents and calculating positions of the beams based on the beam image and the position of the stage.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A multi charged particle beam writing apparatus comprising:
an aperture plate including a plurality of apertures through which a charged particle beam passes to form multiple beams;
a blanking aperture array including a plurality of blankers each switching a corresponding one of the multiple beams between a beam ON state and a beam OFF state;
a movable stage on which a writing target substrate is placed;
a stage position detector detecting the position of the stage;
an inspection aperture plate provided in the stage, the inspection aperture plate permitting one of the multiple beams to pass through the inspection aperture plate;
a deflector deflecting the multiple beams;
a current detector detecting a beam current of each of the multiple beams scanned over the inspection aperture plate in X and Y directions and passed through the inspection aperture plate; and
electric circuitry generating a beam image based on the detected beam currents and calculating positions of the beams based on the beam image and the position of the stage,
wherein the inspection aperture plate includes a through hole through which the one of the multiple beams passes, and
a diameter ϕ1 of the through hole satisfies a following condition:
S<ϕ1<P−S,
wherein S is a beam size of the one of the multiple beams, and P is a beam pitch of the multiple beams on the writing target substrate.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blanking aperture array is divided into a plurality of measurement regions and scanning over the inspection aperture plate is performed for each of the measurement regions.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electric circuitry identifies a beam array region, corresponding to each of the measurement regions, in the beam image and calculates coordinates of the center of the beam array region.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the electric circuitry calculates a shape of the multiple beams on the stage based on the coordinates of the centers of the beam array regions corresponding to the respective measurement regions.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein while beams corresponding to the measurement region are scanned over the inspection aperture plate, the blanking aperture array causes beams corresponding to a non-measurement region to enter the beam ON state.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the blanking aperture array causes beams corresponding to a boundary portion that is included in the non-measurement region and that surrounds the measurement region to enter the beam OFF state.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inspection aperture plate is sequentially moved to a plurality of positions within a deflection region of the deflector, the multiple beams are scanned over the inspection aperture plate at each of the positions, and deflection sensitivity of the deflector is measured based on the calculated positions of the beams and amounts of deflection by the deflector.

### Claim 8

A charged particle beam writing method comprising:
emitting a charged particle beam;
causing the charged particle beam to pass through a plurality of apertures in an aperture plate to form multiple beams;
causing each of a plurality of blankers arranged in a blanking aperture array to switch a corresponding one of the multiple beams between a beam ON state and a beam OFF state;
scanning the multiple beams over an inspection aperture plate in X and Y directions, the inspection aperture plate being provided in a stage on which a writing target substrate is placed, the inspection aperture plate permitting one of the multiple beams to pass through the inspection aperture plate;
detecting a beam current of each of the multiple beams passed through the inspection aperture plate;
generating a beam image based on the detected beam currents;
detecting a position of the stage; and
calculating positions of the beams based on the beam image and the position of the stage,
wherein the inspection aperture plate includes a through hole through which the one of the multiple beams passes, and
a diameter ϕ1 of the through hole satisfies a following condition:
S<ϕ1<P−S,
wherein S is a beam size of the one of the multiple beams, and P is a beam pitch of the multiple beams on the writing target substrate.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method according to claim 8, wherein the blanking aperture array is divided into a plurality of measurement regions and scanning over the inspection aperture plate is performed for each of the measurement regions.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method according to claim 9, wherein a beam array region corresponding to each of the measurement regions in the beam image is identified and coordinates of the center of the beam array region is calculated.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method according to claim 10, wherein a shape of the multiple beams on the stage is calculated based on the coordinates of the centers of the beam array regions corresponding to the respective measurement regions.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The method according to claim 9, wherein while beams corresponding to the measurement region are scanned over the inspection aperture plate, the blanking aperture array causes beams corresponding to a non-measurement region to enter the beam ON state.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method according to claim 12, wherein the blanking aperture array causes beams corresponding to a boundary portion that is included in the non-measurement region and that surrounds the measurement region to enter the beam OFF state.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The method according to claim 8, wherein the inspection aperture plate is sequentially moved to a plurality of positions within a deflection region of a deflector, the multiple beams are scanned over the inspection aperture plate at each of the positions, and deflection sensitivity of the deflector is measured based on the calculated positions of the beams and amounts of deflection by the deflector.