Electron beam data storage system and method for high volume manufacturing

A method comprising:

• dividing a design layout into a plurality of units;
• creating a lookup table that maps each of the plurality of units to its position within the design layout and a data set, wherein the lookup table associates any repeating units in the plurality of units to a same data set;
• and
• exposing an energy sensitive layer to a charged particle beam based on the lookup table.

An electron beam apparatus comprising:

• an electron beam exposure module;
• and
• an electron beam data processing module in communication with the electron beam exposure module, the electron beam data processing module programmed to:
• receive a design layout having a data representation of a first data size, wherein the design layout includes a plurality of pattern portions;
• and
• reduce the data representation from the first data size to a second data size, the second data size being less than the first data size, wherein the reducing includes:
• including the plurality of pattern portions in the data representation of the second data size, wherein any pattern portion that is repeated in the design layout is included once in the data representation of the second data size, and
• creating a lookup table that maps each of the included plurality of pattern portions to at least one location within the design layout.