Charged particle beam exposure system and charged particle beam exposure method

A charged particle beam exposure system comprising:

• a charged particle beam generating means for generating a charged particle beam;
• a blanking aperture array means for shaping said charged particle beam generated by said charged particle beam generating means and having a plurality of blanking apertures arranged in two dimensional configuration;
• a stage means for holding an object to be exposed;
• a deflection means for deflecting the charged particle beam passing through said blanking aperture array means by a specified amount in order to irradiate the charged particle beams onto the specified position of said object to be exposed;
• a control means for controlling at least one of said means;
• and
• wherein said blanking aperture array means having a plurality of blanking apertures arranged in two dimensional configuration, and said control means including a control means for controlling said blanking aperture array means;
• and wherein said blanking aperture array controlling means independently controls respective blanking aperture to continuously form a pattern to be exposed to a specific position of said object to be exposed so as to set the blanking aperture to ON state where the charged particle beams generated by said charged particle beam generating means pass through the blanking aperture and reach the object to be exposed or the OFF state where the charged particle beams cannot reach the object to be exposed and thereby a plurality of said charged particle beams irradiate a predetermined position on said object to be exposed, respectively, so that a pattern exposed on said position formed by one of said charged particle beams contacts another pattern thereof formed by another charged particle beam without being separated from each other, and further said blanking aperture array controlling means controlling said blanking apertures to move a predetermined pattern to be exposed on said object to be exposed in a predetermined direction along said blanking aperture array means, and when the pattern is moved, to irradiate a plurality of said charged particle beams passing through a plurality of blanking apertures newly selected to form a predetermined pattern at a region that overlaps with said predetermined region to which a plurality of said charged particle beams passing through a plurality of blanking apertures previously selected to form said predetermined pattern, are irradiated.

A blanking aperture array means which includes a plurality of blanking apertures having the same opening, wherein said apertures are classified into a first blanking aperture array group in which a plurality of said blanking apertures are arranged both in row direction and column direction to form a matrix array configuration and a second blanking aperture array group in which a plurality of said blanking apertures are arranged both in row direction and column direction to form a matrix array configuration and wherein in the column direction, one row of the blanking apertures in said first blanking aperture array group and one row of the blanking apertures in said second blanking aperture array group being alternately arranged each other, while in said row direction, one blanking aperture in said first blanking aperture array group is arranged in a portion opposite to a space formed between adjacent two blanking apertures in the row direction in said second blanking aperture array group, and wherein a pitch length in said row direction formed between one blanking aperture of said first blanking aperture array group and one blanking aperture of said second blanking aperture array group, is set at a predetermined value so that when two different charged particle beams passed through two adjacently arranged blanking apertures, each of which belonging to one of said first and second blanking aperture array groups, respectively, are irradiated the object to be exposed, each of portions exposed with said each one of said different charged particle beams, respectively, is connected to each other on said object.

A method for exposing an object by a charged particle beam exposure system having means for generating a charged particle beam, a blanking aperture array comprising a plurality of selectively and individually controllable blanking apertures arranged in a two-dimensional configuration of parallel rows and transverse, parallel columns, and means for repeatedly scanning the blanking aperture array with the beam and for selectively controlling and thereby enabling the individual apertures thereof thereby to permit the scanning beam to pass through the individual, selectively enabled apertures of the array, means for holding an object to be exposed and deflecting means for deflecting the beam, after passing through a selectively enabled aperture of the array, to scan the object in a corresponding position thereon, said method comprising:

• defining potential target positions to be exposed on the object, the target positions arranged in a two-dimensional configuration of parallel rows and transverse, parallel columns corresponding to the two-dimensional configuration of the apertures of the blanking aperture array;
• moving the object, as held by the holding means, relative to the blanking aperture array and in a first direction parallel to the respective columns of the blanking aperture array and of the target positions;
• in a first step, scanning an array to expose a desired pattern of first target positions in a first row on the object with the beam in accordance with selectively enabling the corresponding apertures of the first row of apertures of the array;
• in a second step, moving the object relative to the array in the first direction and so as to position the first row of potential target positions on the object in correspondence with a second, next successive row of apertures of the array and thereby to position a second row of potential target positions on the object with the first row of apertures of the array, and selectively and individual enabling the apertures of the second row of the array in accordance with the desired pattern of the first target positions of the first row on the object and, simultaneously, selectively and individually enabling the apertures of the first row of the array in accordance with a desired pattern of second target positions in a second row on the object, and scanning the array with the beam so as to expose the desired pattern of first target positions in the first row and second target positions in the second row on the object with the beam, in accordance with the selectively enabled and corresponding apertures of the respective, second and first rows of apertures of the array;
• and
• performing the successive steps until each row of the target positions on the object has been exposed by the scanning beam through the correspondingly enabled apertures, in succession, for each row of apertures of the array.

A method for exposing an object by a charged particle beam exposure system having means for generating a charged particle beam, a blanking aperture array comprising a plurality of selectively and individually controllable blanking apertures arranged in a two-dimensional configuration of parallel rows and transverse, parallel columns, and means for repeatedly scanning the blanking aperture array with the beam and for selectively controlling and thereby enabling the individual apertures thereof thereby to permit the scanning beam to pass through the individual, selectively enabled apertures of the array, means for holding an object to be exposed and deflecting means for deflecting the beam, after passing through a selectively enabled aperture of the array, to scan the object in a corresponding position thereon, said method comprising:

• defining potential target positions to be exposed on the object, the target positions arranged in a two-dimensional configuration of parallel rows and transverse, parallel columns corresponding to the two-dimensional configuration of the apertures of the blanking aperture array;
• moving the object, as held by the holding means, relative to the blanking aperture array and in a first direction parallel to the respective columns of the blanking aperture array and of the target positions;
• in a first step, scanning an array to expose a desired pattern of first target positions in a first row on the object with the beam in accordance with selectively enabling the corresponding apertures of the first row of apertures of the array;
• in a second step, moving the object relative to the array in the first direction and so as to position the first row of potential target position on the object in correspondence with a second, next successive row of apertures of the array and thereby to position a second row of potential target positions on the object with the first row of apertures of the array, and selectively and individually enabling the apertures of the second row of the array in accordance with a desired pattern of peripheral positions in the vicinity of the first target positions of the first row on the object and, simultaneously, selectively and individually enabling the apertures of the first row of the array in accordance with a desired pattern of second target positions in a second row on the object, and scanning the array with the beam so as to expose the desired pattern peripheral positions in the vicinity of first target positions in the first row and second target positions in the second row on the object with the beam, in accordance with the selectively enabled and corresponding apertures of the respective, second and first rows of apertures of the array;
• and
• performing the successive steps until each row of the target positions on the object has been exposed by the scanning beam through the correspondingly enabled apertures, in succession, for each row of apertures of the array.

A method for exposing an object by a charged particle beam exposure system having means for generating a charged particle beam, a blanking aperture array comprising a plurality of selectively and individually controllable blanking apertures arranged in a two-dimensional configuration of parallel rows and N groups of transverse, parallel columns, wherein N is an integer and the blanking apertures in each column of a group have a width of S in the row direction and the distance of each blank aperture in adjacent blanking aperture rows is approximately NS, and means for repeatedly scanning the blanking aperture array with the beam and for selectively controlling and thereby enabling the individual apertures thereof thereby to permit the scanning beam to pass through the individual, selectively enabled apertures of the array, means for holding an object to be exposed and deflecting means for deflecting the beam, after passing through a selectively enabled aperture of the array, to scan the object in a corresponding position thereon, said method comprising:

• defining potential target positions to be exposed on the object, the target positions arranged in a two-dimensional configuration of parallel rows and N groups of transverse, parallel columns corresponding to the two-dimensional configuration of the apertures of the blanking aperture array;
• moving the object, as held by the holding means, relative to the blanking aperture array and in a first direction parallel to the respective columns of the blanking aperture array and of the target positions;
• in a first step, scanning an array to expose a desired pattern of first target positions in a first row on the object with the beam in accordance with selectively enabling the corresponding apertures of the first row of apertures of the array;
• in a second step, moving the object relative to the array in the first direction and so as to position the first row of potential target positions on the object in correspondence with a second next successive row of apertures of the array and thereby to position a second row of potential target positions on the object with the first row of apertures of the array, and selectively and individually enabling the apertures of the second row of the array in accordance with a desired pattern of third target positions in the first row on the object and, simultaneously, selectively and individually enabling the apertures of the first row of the array in accordance with a desired pattern of second target positions in the second row on the object, and scanning the array with the beam so as to expose the desired pattern of third target positions in the first row and second target positions in the second row on the object with the beam, in accordance with the selectively enabled and corresponding apertures of the respective, second and first rows of apertures of the array;
• and
• performing the successive steps until each row of the target positions on the object has been exposed by the scanning beam through the correspondingly enabled apertures, in succession, for each row of apertures of the array.

A method for exposing an object by a charged particle beam exposure system having means for generating a charged particle beam, a blanking aperture array comprising a plurality of selectively and individually controllable blanking apertures arranged in a two-dimensional configuration of parallel rows and transverse, parallel columns, and means for repeatedly scanning the blanking aperture array with the beam and for selectively controlling and thereby enabling the individual apertures thereof thereby to permit the scanning beam to pass through the individual, selectively enabled apertures of the array, means for holding an object to be exposed and deflecting means for deflecting the beam, after passing through a selectively enabled aperture of the array, to scan the object in a corresponding target position thereon, said method comprising:

• defining the respective positions of the blanking apertures within the blanking aperture array in accordance with the two-dimensional configuration of parallel rows and transverse, parallel columns, the columns being grouped in parallel stages and each stage comprising a common number of plural columns including a first and successive columns, the respectively corresponding apertures of the successive columns of each of the plurality of stages being successively spaced and off-set in the column direction and the respective blanking apertures of the respective, first and successive columns of each of the plural stages being aligned in respective rows of a row alignment pattern, the row alignment pattern thereby including plural sets, each set comprising a number of first and successive alignment rows equal to the common number of the columns of apertures in each of the plural stages;
• defining potential target positions to be exposed on the object, the target positions being arranged in a two-dimensional configuration of parallel rows and transverse, parallel columns corresponding to the two-dimensional configuration of the array and including plural, adjacent target positions in each of plural columns and arranged in respectively corresponding target position rows, the rows being grouped in plural sets, each set of plural rows, the plural sets of target position rows respectively corresponding the plural sets of blanking aperture alignment rows and the first and successive target position alignment rows of each set respectively corresponding to the respective blanking apertures of the first and successive columns of blanking apertures of each stage thereof, of the array;
• moving the object relative to the blanking aperture array in a succession of steps, each step including a set of plural substeps comprising a first and successive substeps, equal in number to the number of first and successive columns in each stage of plural columns of the blanking aperture array, and thereby in a first step and associated first substep, scanning the blanking aperture array with the beam to expose a desired pattern of first target positions in the corresponding first row alignment position of the plural sets thereof and in a first column of target positions on the object, in accordance with selectively enabling the corresponding apertures of the first alignment row of apertures of the first column thereof, of the blanking aperture array;
• in a second subset of the first step, moving the object relative to the array in the first direction and so as to position the second alignment row, of each of the plural sets thereof, of potential target positions of the first column thereof on the object with the respective blanking apertures of the second columns of the first stage and of the second alignment rows of the sets thereof of the array, and selectively individually enabling the aligned blanking apertures the array in accordance with the desired pattern of the first target positions of the first row of the object, and repeating the second substep for each of the successive columns and alignment rows of the first stage of the array;
• in each of second and successive steps and, for each step, in each of the associated first and successive substeps, moving the object relative to the array in the first direction and scanning the array to expose a desired pattern of the target positions on the object, for each of the plural columns of each of the plural and successive respective stages of plural columns of blanking apertures in each of the successive steps and for each of the first and successive respective alignment rows of blanking apertures and target positions of the plural sets thereof in each of the respective, successive substeps of each successive step.

A charge particle beam exposure system for producing a pattern on a surface of an object, comprising:

• charge particle beam generating beams for generating a charge particle beam;
• blanking aperture array means, having a plurality of selectively and individually controllable blanking apertures arranged in a two-dimensional configuration of parallel rows and transverse, parallel columns to form a blanking aperture array, for shaping the charge particle beam generated by the charge particle beam generating means;
• scanning means for repeatedly scanning the blanking aperture array means with the beam and for selectively controlling and thereby enabling the individual apertures thereof thereby to permit the scanning beam to pass through the individual, selectively enabled apertures of the array;
• holding means for holding an object to be exposed;
• deflecting means for deflecting the scanning beam, after passing through a selectively enable aperture of the blanking aperture array means to scan the object in a corresponding position thereon;
• means for defining potential target positions to be exposed on the object, the target positions are arranged in a two dimensional configuration of parallel rows and transverse, parallel columns corresponding to the two-dimensional configuration of the blanking apertures of the blanking aperture array means;
• means for moving the object, as held by the holding means, relative to the blanking aperture array means and in a first direction parallel to the respective columns of the blanking aperture array and of the target positions and for performing:
• a first step of scanning the blanking aperture array to expose a desired pattern of first target positions in a first row on the object with the beam in accordance with selectively enabling the corresponding apertures of the first row of apertures of the blanking aperture array means, and
• a second step of moving the object relative to the blanking aperture array means in the first direction so as to position the first potential target positions on the object in correspondence with a second, next excessive row of apertures of the array and thereby to position a second row of potential target positions on the object with the first row of apertures of the array and selectively and individually enabling the blanking apertures of the second row of the blanking aperture array in accordance with the desired pattern of the first target positions of the first row of the object and, simultaneously, selectively and individually enabling the apertures of the first row of the array in accordance with a desired pattern of second target position in a second row on the object, and scanning the blanking aperture array with the beam so as to expose the desired pattern of first target positions in the first row and the second target positions in the second row of the object with the beam, in accordance with the selectively enabled and corresponding apertures of the respective, second and first rows of apertures of the blanking aperture array.

An apparatus for exposing an object by a charged particle beam exposure system having means for generating a charge particle beam, a blanking aperture array comprising a plurality of selectively and individually controllable blanking apertures arranged in a two-dimensional configuration of parallel rows and transverse, parallel columns, and means for repeatedly scanning the blanking aperture array with the beam and for selectively controlling and thereby enabling the individual apertures thereof thereby to permit the scanning beam to pass through the individual, selectively enabled apertures of the array, means for holding an object to be exposed and deflecting means for deflecting the beam, after passing through a selectively enabled aperture of the array, to scan the object in a corresponding target position thereon, said method comprising:

• means for defining the respective positions of the blanking apertures within the blanking aperture array and in accordance with two-dimensional configuration of parallel rows and transverse, parallel columns, the columns being grouped in parallel stages and each stage comprising a set of a common number of plural columns including a first and successive columns, the respectively corresponding apertures of the set of successive columns of each of the plurality of stages being successively spaced and off-set in the column direction and the respective blanking apertures of the respective, first and successive columns of sets thereof, of the plural stages, being aligned in respective rows of a row alignment pattern, the row alignment pattern thereby including plural sets, each set comprising a number of first and successive alignment rows equal to the common number of the columns of apertures in each of the plural stages;
• means for defining potential target positions to be exposed on the object, the target positions being arranged in a two-dimensional configuration of parallel rows and transverse, parallel columns corresponding to the two-dimensional configuration of the array and including plural, adjacent target positions in each of the plural columns arranged in respectively corresponding target position rows and grouped in sets of, each of plural rows, the plural sets of target position rows respectively corresponding the plural sets of blanking aperture alignment rows and the first and successive target position rows of each set respectively corresponding to the first and successive alignment rows of the array;
• and
• means for moving the object relative to the blanking aperture array in a succession of steps, each step including a set of plural substeps comprising a first and successive substeps equal in number to the number of first and successive columns in each stage of plural columns of the blanking aperture array and thereby in a first step and associated first substep, scanning the blanking aperture array to expose a desired pattern of first target positions in the corresponding first row alignment position of the plural sets thereof and in a first column of target positions on the object with the beam, in accordance with selectively enabling the corresponding apertures of the first alignment row of apertures of the first column thereof, of the blanking aperture array and for moving:
• in a second substep of the first step, the object relative to the array in the first direction in so as to position the second alignment row of each of the plural sets thereof of potential target group positions of the first column on the object with the target column of potential target positions respectively of the second alignment rows of the sets of the array, and selectively individually enabling the aligned blanking apertures of the array in accordance with the desired pattern of the first target positions of the first row of the object, and repeating the second substeps for each of the successive columns and alignment rows of the first stage of the array, and
• in each of second and successive steps and, for each step, in each of the associated first and successive steps, moving the object relative to the array in the first direction and scanning the array to expose a desired pattern of the target positions on the object, for each of the plural columns of each of the plural and successive respective stages of plural columns of blanking apertures in each of the successive steps and for each of the first and successive respective alignment rows of blanking apertures and target positions of the plural sets thereof in each of the respective successive substeps of each successive step.