Charged Particle Optics with Azimuthally-Varying Third-Order Aberrations for Generation of Shaped Beams

A method of forming a charged particle shaped beam in a charged particle optical column, comprising the steps of:

• forming a charged particle beam approximately parallel to the optic axis of said charged particle column;
• creating an octupole electromagnetic field to induce azimuthally dependent deflection of said charged particle beam, wherein the azimuthal angle is about the optic axis of said charged particle column, in a plane perpendicular to the optic axis;
• and
• forming a charged particle shaped beam on a substrate.

A high throughput charged particle direct write lithography system comprising:

• a charged particle optical assembly configured to (1) produce a multiplicity, N, of high current density charged particle non-circular shaped-beams focused on the surface of a substrate and (2) vector scan said charged particle shaped-beams across the surface of said substrate;
• wherein each of said multiplicity of high current density charged particle shaped-beams has a current density, Ia, and an area A which satisfy the equations:
• Ia≧1000 Ampères per square centimeter;
• 300≧N≧10;
• A=p2;
• and
• 120>p>20 nanometers;
• and
• wherein said charged particle optical assembly includes N charged particle columns, each of said charged particle columns forming a charged particle beam, each of said charged particle columns including at least one optical element with 8N poles disposed radially symmetrically about the optic axis of said column, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1, each of said optical elements being configured to produce azimuthally dependent deflection of said corresponding charged particle beam, the azimuthal angle being about the optic axis of said corresponding charged particle column, in a plane perpendicular to the optic axis.