Patterned atomic layer etching and deposition using miniature-column charged particle beam arrays

A method for targeted atomic layer deposition of material onto a substrate using multiple charged particle beam columns, individual columns projecting individual charged particle beams at the substrate, comprising the actions of:

• a) serially injecting, using multiple local gas injectors, an initial gas and then another gas onto multiple frames corresponding to multiple different ones of the beams, said initial gas selected to be adsorbed by the substrate, said another gas selected to react with said initial adsorbed gas to form a deposited layer;
• and
• b) scanning said frames using said corresponding beams, locations being targeted by said corresponding beams in dependence on the design layout database, wherein a beam energy of said beams is selected to provide the energy for said adsorption and/or said reaction,
• wherein said injecting and said scanning are performed differently and simultaneously by different ones of said local gas injectors and said columns.

A method for targeted atomic layer deposition of material onto a substrate using multiple charged particle beam columns, individual columns projecting individual charged particle beams at the substrate, comprising the actions of:

• a) serially injecting, using multiple local gas injectors, an initial gas and then another gas onto multiple frames corresponding to multiple different ones of the beams, said initial gas selected to be adsorbed by the substrate, said another gas selected to react with said initial adsorbed gas to form a deposited layer;
• and
• b) scanning said frames using said corresponding beams, locations being targeted by said corresponding beams in dependence on the design layout database, wherein a beam energy of said beams is selected to provide the energy for said adsorption and/or said reaction,
• wherein, in one or more of said frames, said injecting actions inject a different initial gas and/or a different another gas.