# US 2014/0154629 A1 · Lithography apparatus and method of manufacturing article > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0154629 A1 - Document ID: US20140154629A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/091,225 - Filed: 2013-11-26 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Hiromi Kinebuchi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140154629A1 ## CPC - H01J 37/3174: {Particle-beam lithography, e.g. electron beam lithography} - B82Y 10/00: Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic - B82Y 40/00: Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures - H01J 37/3026: {Patterning strategy} - H01J 2237/31798: detecting pattern defects - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) - B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES ## Abstract A lithography apparatus that performs drawing on a substrate with an energy beam based on bitmap data generated via an error diffusion from pattern data includes a smoothing device configured to perform smoothing on the pattern data before the error diffusion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A lithography apparatus that performs drawing on a substrate with an energy beam based on bitmap data generated via error diffusion from pattern data, the lithography apparatus comprising: a smoothing device configured to perform smoothing on the pattern data before the error diffusion. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The lithography apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the smoothing device is configured to obtain, based on a value of a target pixel and at least one of a value of a pixel adjacent to the target pixel in a vertical direction and a value of a pixel adjacent to the target pixel in a horizontal direction, a value of the target pixel after the smoothing. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The lithography apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the smoothing device is configured to obtain, based on a value of a pixel to which a quantization error of a target pixel is not diffused by the error diffusion out of pixels adjacent to a target pixel and a value of the target pixel, a value of the target pixel after the smoothing. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The lithography apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the smoothing device is configured to obtain, based on a value of one pixel to which a quantization error of a target pixel is not diffused by the error diffusion out of pixels adjacent to a target pixel and a value of the target pixel, a value of the target pixel after the smoothing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The lithography apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a compensation device configured to compensate for movement of pattern caused by the smoothing in the pattern data. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The lithography apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the compensation device is configured to perform a geometrical conversion on the pattern data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The lithography apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a stage configured to hold the substrate and to be movable, wherein the compensation device is configured to set an offset amount for a target position in positioning of the stage, so as to compensate for the movement. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The lithography apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lithography apparatus performs drawing on the substrate with a charged particle beam as the energy beam. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The lithography apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a blanking device configured to operate based on the bitmap data. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The lithography apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the smoothing device is configured to obtain, based only on a value of a target pixel and at least one of a value of a pixel adjacent to the target pixel in a vertical direction and a value of a pixel adjacent to the target pixel in a horizontal direction, a value of the target pixel after the smoothing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The lithography apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the smoothing device is configured to obtain, based only on a value of a pixel to which a quantization error of a target pixel is not diffused by the error diffusion out of pixels adjacent to the target pixel and a value of the target pixel, a value of the target pixel after the smoothing. ### Claim 12 (depends on 3) The lithography apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the smoothing device is configured to obtain, based only on a value of one pixel to which a quantization error of a target pixel is not diffused by the error diffusion out of pixels adjacent to the target pixel and a value of the target pixel, a value of the target pixel after the smoothing. ### Claim 13 A method of manufacturing an article, the method comprising: forming a pattern on a substrate using a lithography apparatus; and developing the substrate, on which the pattern has been formed, to manufacturing the article, wherein the lithography apparatus performs drawing on the substrate with an energy beam based on bitmap data generated via error diffusion from pattern data, the lithography apparatus including: a smoothing device configured to perform smoothing on the pattern data before the error diffusion.