Mask and charged particle beam exposure method using the mask

A particle beam exposure method for exposing a desired exposure pattern on a substrate by a charged particle beam of a beam source and deflection system, said charged particle beam exposure method comprising:

• providing a mask having formed therein a plurality of exposure patterns defining desired patterns to be selectively exposed on the substrate and arranged in pattern groups and a plurality of position matching patterns, each of said position matching patterns having a predetermined, fixed positional relationship with respect to at least an adjacent pattern group in the mask;
• exposing, in succession, a desired number of the plural position matching patterns in the mask at a predetermined position on the substrate by directing the charged particle beam, in succession, through each of said desired number of position matching patterns in the mask and onto the predetermined position on the substrate;
• for each said exposure of the substrate at said predetermined position for the corresponding, desired number of position matching patterns, detecting the irradiating position of the charged particle beam on the substrate;
• based on the detected, irradiated positions for said desired number of position matching patterns, calculating an error value and, from the error value, calculating a correction amount for controlling the deflection system thereby to reduce the error to approximately zero;
• and
• determining a correction amount for the desired exposure pattern in the mask, based on the correction amount calculated for said desired number of position matching patterns.

A charged particle beam exposure apparatus comprising:

• emitting means for emitting a charged particle beam;
• a mask for use in exposure and comprising a plurality of pattern groups respectively including a plurality of patterns within an approximately rectangular region and a plurality of position matching patterns formed at positions different from those of said pattern groups, positional relationships of each of said pattern groups and said position matching patterns being predetermined and fixed;
• a substrate on which an image of said pattern groups and said position matching patterns is exposed;
• first deflection means for selectively deflecting the charged particle beam from said emitting means and thereby directing the beam onto a selected one of said exposure pattern groups and said position matching patterns of said mask;
• second deflection means for deflecting the charged particle beam, as transmitted through the selected one of said exposure pattern groups and said position matching patterns and thus imaged thereby, and thereby directing the imaged beam onto a predetermined position on said substrate;
• detection means for detecting a position on said substrate irradiated by the imaged charged particle beam, as directed by said second deflection means, and for outputting position data indicative of the detected position;
• first error obtaining means for obtaining a first error for an irradiated position on said substrate produced by transmission of the charged particle beam through a first one of said position matching patterns, based on the position data output from said detection means, and for outputting first error data indicative of the first error;
• and
• second error obtaining means for obtaining a second error for an irradiated position on said substrate produced by transmission of the charged particle beam through a second one of said position matching patterns, based on the position data output from said detection means, and for outputting second error data indicative of the second error;
• and
• determining means for determining a correction amount for an irradiated position on said substrate produced by transmission of the charged particle beam through one of said pattern groups, based on said first error data output from said first error obtaining means and said second error data output from said second error data obtaining means.