# US 12,009,174 B2 · Drawing apparatus and deflector > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,009,174 B2 - Document ID: US12009174B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/651,278 - Filed: 2022-02-16 - Published: 2022-06-02 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-20 - Assignees: NuFlare Technology, Inc. - Applicants: Nuflare Technology, Inc. - Inventors: Kazuhiro Kishi; Munehiro Ogasawara - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12009174B2 ## CPC - H01J 37/045: {Beam blanking or chopping, i.e. arrangements for momentarily interrupting exposure to the discharge} - H01J 37/3177: {Multi-beam, e.g. fly's eye, comb probe} - G03F 7/20: Exposure; Apparatus therefor (photographic printing apparatus for making copies G03B27/00) - H01J 37/3174: {Particle-beam lithography, e.g. electron beam lithography} - H10P 76/00: Manufacture or treatment of masks on semiconductor bodies, e.g. by lithography or photolithography - H01J 37/26: Electron or ion microscopes; Electron or ion diffraction tubes - H01J 2237/043: Beam blanking - H01J 2237/0435: Multi-aperture - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) - G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A blanking deflector according to an embodiment includes: a first electrode comprising a first insulator, a first material film coating all surfaces of the first insulator and having lower resistance than the first insulator, and a first low-resistance film coating part or all of surfaces of the first material film and having lower resistance than the first material film; and a second electrode comprising a second insulator, a second material film coating all surfaces of the second insulator and having lower resistance than the second insulator, and a second low-resistance film coating part or all of surfaces of the second material film and having lower resistance than the second material film, wherein the blanking deflector controls whether to irradiate a specimen with a charged particle beam by causing the charged particle beam to pass between the first electrode and the second electrode. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A blanking deflector comprising: a first electrode comprising a first insulator, a first material film coating all surfaces of the first insulator and having lower resistance than the first insulator, and a first low-resistance film coating part or all of surfaces of the first material film and having lower resistance than the first material film; and a second electrode comprising a second insulator, a second material film coating all surfaces of the second insulator and having lower resistance than the second insulator, and a second low-resistance film coating part or all of surfaces of the second material film and having lower resistance than the second material film, wherein the blanking deflector controls whether to irradiate a specimen with a charged particle beam by causing the charged particle beam to pass between the first electrode and the second electrode. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The deflector of claim 1, wherein the second low-resistance film is provided on an opposing surface facing the first electrode of surfaces of the second electrode and is not provided on a surface on an opposite side to the opposing surface. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The deflector of claim 1, wherein the first low-resistance film and the second low-resistance film are provided on surfaces facing each other of the first electrode and the second electrode, respectively. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The deflector of claim 1, wherein the first electrode has a plate-like or rod-like shape, and the second electrode has a tubular shape encompassing the first electrode. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The deflector of claim 4, wherein the first low-resistance film is provided on all surfaces of the first electrode, and the second low-resistance film is provided only on an inner side surface of the surfaces of the second electrode. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The deflector of claim 1, wherein aluminium oxide is used as the first and second insulators, carbon, titanium, or titanium nitride is used as the first and second material films, and gold, platinum, copper, or aluminium is used as the first and second low-resistance films. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The deflector of claim 1, wherein film thicknesses of the first and second low-resistance films are equal to or lower than d represented by Expression 1 d = 2 ⁢ ρ ω ⁢ μ [ Expression ⁢ ⁢ 1 ] where ρ is an electrical resistivity of the first and second low-resistance films, ω is an angular frequency of a current flowing through the first and second electrodes, and μ is an absolute permeability of the first and second low-resistance films. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The deflector of claim 1, wherein the first and second material films and the first and second low-resistance films satisfy Expression 2 i H I = r L r L + r H < 0.01 [ Expression ⁢ ⁢ 2 ] where I is a current flowing through the first and second electrodes, rL is a resistance value of the first and second low-resistance films, iH is a current flowing through the first and second low-resistance films, and rH is a resistance value of the first and second material films. ### Claim 9 A charged particle beam apparatus comprising: a beam irradiation part configured to generate a charged particle beam to be emitted to a specimen; and a first deflector comprising a first electrode and a second electrode and configured to cause a charged particle beam to be emitted to a specimen to pass between the first electrode and the second electrode and control whether to irradiate the specimen with the charged particle beam, wherein the first electrode comprises a first insulator, a first material film coating all surfaces of the first insulator and having lower resistance than the first insulator, and a first low-resistance film coating part or all of surfaces of the first material film and having lower resistance than the first material film, and the second electrode comprises a second insulator, a second material film coating all surfaces of the second insulator and having lower resistance than the second insulator, and a second low-resistance film coating part or all of surfaces of the second material film and having lower resistance than the second material film. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second low-resistance film is provided on an opposing surface facing the first electrode of surfaces of the second electrode and is not provided on a surface on an opposite side to the opposing surface. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first low-resistance film and the second low-resistance film are provided on surfaces facing each other of the first electrode and the second electrode, respectively. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first electrode has a plate-like or rod-like shape, and the second electrode has a tubular or annular shape encompassing the first electrode. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first low-resistance film is provided on all surfaces of the first electrode, and the second low-resistance film is provided only on an inner side surface of the surfaces of the second electrode. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein aluminium oxide is used as the first and second insulators, carbon, titanium, or titanium nitride is used as the first and second material films, and gold, platinum, copper, or aluminium is used as the first and second low-resistance films. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein film thicknesses of the first and second low-resistance films are equal to or lower than d represented by Expression 1 d = 2 ⁢ ρ ω ⁢ μ [ Expression ⁢ ⁢ 1 ] where ρ is an electrical resistivity of the first and second low-resistance films, ω is an angular frequency of a current flowing through the first and second electrodes, and μ is an absolute permeability of the first and second low-resistance films. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first and second material films and the first and second low-resistance films satisfy Expression 2 i H I = r L r L + r H < 0.01 [ Expression ⁢ ⁢ 2 ] where I is a current flowing through the first and second electrodes, rL is a resistance value of the first and second low-resistance films, iH is a current flowing through the first and second low-resistance films, and rH is a resistance value of the first and second material films. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a blanking aperture comprising an opening at a central portion and configured to block the charged particle beam to the specimen, wherein the charged particle beam is blocked by the blanking aperture when the first deflector deflects the charged particle beam, and the charged particle beam passes through the opening of the blanking aperture to be emitted to the specimen when the first deflector does not deflect the charged particle beam. ### Claim 18 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising: a shaping aperture configured to shape the charged particle beam; and a second deflector configured to deflect the charged particle beam to irradiate a desired location of the shaping aperture with the charged particle beam.