Multi-Beam Tool for Cutting Patterns

A charged-particle multi-beam processing apparatus for exposure of a target with a plurality of beams of electrically charged particles, comprising:

• a plurality of particle-optical columns arranged parallel and configured for directing a respective particle beam towards the target, said target comprising a line pattern oriented along a given line grid direction and the exposure of the target being performed with respect to said line grid direction, wherein each particle-optical column comprises:
• an illumination system,
• a beam shaping device and
• a projection optics system,
• the illumination system being configured to produce a respective beam and form it into a substantially telecentric beam illuminating the beam shaping device, the beam shaping device being configured to form the shape of the illuminating beam into a desired pattern composed of a multitude of sub-beams, and the projection optics system being configured to project an image of the beam shape defined in the beam shaping device onto the target,
• wherein each beam shaping device comprises:
• an aperture array device provided with an array of apertures, said array of apertures comprising a multitude of apertures, each of which defines the shape of a respective sub-beam having a nominal path towards the target, and
• a deflection array device, configured to deflect selected sub-beams off their respective nominal path so that sub-beams thus selected do not reach the target,
• wherein the apertures in said array of apertures are configured to form an oblong shape as seen along the direction of the beam, said oblong shape having a short and a long side, with the long side being at least the double of the short side, and
• wherein the oblong shape formed by the apertures is oriented traversing said line grid direction.