Electron optical system array, method of fabricating the same, charged-particle beam exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method

A method of manufacturing an electron optical system array having a plurality of electron lenses, comprising:

• the preparation step of preparing a plurality of electrodes each having a membrane in which a plurality of apertures are formed, and a support portion which supports the membrane;
• the step of preparing a base member;
• and
• the fixing step of fixing the support portions of the plurality of electrodes to the base member so as to form a nested structure by all or some of the plurality of electrodes.

A charged-particle beam exposure apparatus comprising:

• a charged-particle beam source for emitting a charged-particle beam;
• an electron optical system array which has a plurality of electron lenses and forms a plurality of intermediate images of said charged-particle beam source by the plurality of electron lenses;
• and
• a projection electron optical system for projecting on a substrate the plurality of intermediate images formed by said electron optical system array,
• wherein said electron optical system array includes a plurality of electrodes arranged along paths of a plurality of charged-particle beams concerning the plurality of intermediate images,
• each of said plurality of electrodes has a membrane in which a plurality of apertures are formed on the paths of the plurality of charged-particle beams, and a support portion which supports the membrane, and
• at least two of said plurality of electrodes are arranged to form a nested structure.

A device manufacturing method comprising the steps of:

• installing a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses including a charged-particle beam exposure apparatus in a factory;
• and
• manufacturing a semiconductor device by using the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses,
• wherein the charged-particle beam exposure apparatus includes
• a charged-particle beam source for emitting a charged-particle beam,
• an electron optical system array which has a plurality of electron lenses and forms a plurality of intermediate images of the charged-particle beam source by the plurality of electron lenses, and
• a projection electron optical system for projecting on a substrate the plurality of intermediate images formed by the electron optical system array,
• the electron optical system array includes a plurality of electrodes arranged along paths of a plurality of charged-particle beams concerning the plurality of intermediate images,
• each of the plurality of electrodes has a membrane in which a plurality of apertures are formed on the paths of the plurality of charged-particle beams, and a support portion which supports the membrane, and
• at least two of the plurality of electrodes are arranged to form a nested structure.

A semiconductor manufacturing factory comprising:

• a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses including a charged-particle beam exposure apparatus;
• a local area network for connecting said plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses;
• and
• a gateway for connecting the local area network to an external network of said semiconductor manufacturing factory,
• wherein said charged-particle beam exposure apparatus includes
• a charged-particle beam source for emitting a charged-particle beam,
• an electron optical system array which has a plurality of electron lenses and forms a plurality of intermediate images of said charged-particle beam source by the plurality of electron lenses, and
• a projection electron optical system for projecting on a substrate the plurality of intermediate images formed by said electron optical system array,
• said electron optical system array includes a plurality of electrodes arranged along paths of a plurality of charged-particle beams concerning the plurality of intermediate images,
• each of said plurality of electrodes has a membrane in which a plurality of apertures are formed on the paths of the plurality of charged-particle beams, and a support portion which supports the membrane, and
• at least two of said plurality of electrodes are arranged to form a nested structure.

A maintenance method for a charged-particle beam exposure apparatus, comprising the steps of:

• preparing a database for storing information about maintenance of the charged-particle beam exposure apparatus on an external network of a factory where the charged-particle beam exposure apparatus is installed;
• connecting the charged-particle beam exposure apparatus to a local area network in the factory;
• and
• maintaining the charged-particle beam exposure apparatus on the basis of the information stored in the database by using the external network and the local area network,
• wherein the charged-particle beam exposure apparatus includes
• a charged-particle beam source for emitting a charged-particle beam,
• an electron optical system array which has a plurality of electron lenses and forms a plurality of intermediate images of the charged-particle beam source by the plurality of electron lenses, and
• a projection electron optical system for projecting on a substrate the plurality of intermediate images formed by the electron optical system array,
• the electron optical system array includes a plurality of electrodes arranged along paths of a plurality of charged-particle beams concerning the plurality of intermediate images,
• each of the plurality of electrodes has a membrane in which a plurality of apertures are formed on the paths of the plurality of charged-particle beams, and a support portion which supports the membrane, and
• at least two of the plurality of electrodes are arranged to form a nested structure.