US 2010/0148087 A1 · Arrangement for the Illumination of a Substrate with a Plurality of Individually Shaped Particle Beams for High-Resolution Lithography of Structure Patterns

Abstract

The invention is directed to an arrangement for the illumination of a substrate with a plurality of individually shaped, controllable particle beams, particularly for electron beam lithography in the semiconductor industry. It is the object of the invention to find a novel possibility for illuminating a substrate (91) with a plurality of individually shaped, controllable particle beamlets (118) which permits a high-resolution structuring of substrates with a high substrate throughput without limiting the flexibility of the applicable structure patterns or limiting the high substrate throughput due to a required flexibility. According to the invention, this object is met in that a first aperture diaphragm array and a second aperture diaphragm array are constructed as multiple-format diaphragm arrays (41, 42) for generating particle beamlets (118) with different beam cross sections, and at least three multibeam deflector arrays (51, 52, 53) for individual deflection of the particle beamlets (118) are associated with the first multiple-format diaphragm array (41) and with the second multiple-format diaphragm array (42), wherein at least one multibeam deflector array (51) is arranged between the first multiple-format diaphragm array (41) and the second multiple-format diaphragm array (42) in order to generate different cross sections of the particle beamlets (118), at least a second multibeam deflector array (52) is arranged in the vicinity of the second multiple-format diaphragm array (42) in order to blank or deflect individual particle beamlets (118) into individual crossovers, and at least a third multibeam deflector array (53) is arranged downstream of the second multiple-format diaphragm array (42) at a distance of 10-20% of the distance to the next crossover (112) in order to generate different positions of the particle beamlets (118) on the substrate (91).

Claims22

Dependent claims

A system for the illuminating a substrate with individually shaped controllable particle beams comprising:

a particle beam source emitting a particle beam;
a first multiple-format multiple-diaphragm aperture array capable of generating beamlets with different cross sections generating separate particle beamlets;
an illumination system shaping and deflecting a particle beam illuminating the first diaphragm array;
a condenser lens system;
a second multiple-format multiple-diaphragm aperture array capable of generating beamlets with different cross sections having diaphragm apertures adapted to the first diaphragm array using an imaging scale, the first diaphragm array being imaged by the condenser lens system on the second diaphragm array;
an outlet aperture diaphragm at a first beam crossover, wherein the second diaphragm array is between the outlet aperture diaphragm and the first diaphragm array;
a reduction optics comprising at least one stage for reduced imaging of the beamlets passed by the second diaphragm array onto the substrate;
and
a multi-beam deflector system for individual deflection of the beamlets comprising at least three multi-beam deflector arrays:
a first multi-beam deflector array between the first diaphragm array and the second diaphragm array generating by individual deflection of the beamlets different cross sections of the beamlets after the beamlets pass the second diaphragm array,
a second multi-beam deflector array adjacent to the second diaphragm array deflecting beamlets in partial crossovers and capable of blanking individual beamlets by directing them at the outlet aperture diaphragm or the second diaphragm array, and
a third multi-beam deflector array at a distance from the second diaphragm array of between 10% and 20% of the distance between the second diaphragm array and a second beam crossover directing the beamlets to different positions on the substrate.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Arrangement for the Illumination of a Substrate with a Plurality of Individually Shaped Particle Beams for High-Resolution Lithography of Structure Patterns

Life of this patent

Arrangement for the Illumination of a Substrate with a Plurality of Individually Shaped Particle Beams for High-Resolution Lithography of Structure Patterns

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22