US 5,962,859 AGranted

Multiple variable shaped electron beam system with lithographic structure

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsTimothy R. Groves, Rodney A. Kendall

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Abstract

A multiple beam direct write e-beam system employs a set of miniature beam writing modules acting in parallel, each of which employs the combination of a uniform magnetic field and a uniform parallel electric field to form an image of a low-brightness electron emitting surface and also to modify the shape of an initially square beam, thereby producing a set of separately and independently modified beams, in which emitters, beamshaping deflection electrodes and fine-deflection electrodes are formed by microlithographic techniques.

Claims33

Dependent claims

A distributed direct-write shaped-beam e-beam system for writing in parallel a set of subfields extending along an x-axis on a workpiece comprising:

means for establishing a substantially uniform magnetic field parallel to a z-axis, extending from a source plane perpendicular to said z-axis to a workpiece plane perpendicular to said z-axis, said source and workpiece planes being separated along said z-axis by a distance of less than twenty cm;
an emitter array comprising at least one row of at least two electron emitting sources disposed in said source plane at an emitter location on said z-axis and at source locations separated by source intervals along a y-axis perpendicular to said z-axis and said x-axis, said source locations extending along said y-axis by at least a chip width distance, for generating at least one set of at least two electron beams directed along a set of at least two beam axes parallel to said z-axis toward said workpiece plane, whereby said set of subfields covering at least said chip width distance is written in a single pass over said workpiece;
a shaping array of at least one row of at least two beam shaping apertures disposed in a beam shaping plane at a shaping location along said z-axis, said beam shaping apertures being disposed along said y-axis at said source intervals and aligned with corresponding sources in said emitter array;
first electric field means for generating an accelerating electric field parallel to said z-axis and extending between said source plane and said beam shaping plane thereby establishing an accelerating voltage distribution along said z-axis, said parallel electric field and said magnetic field having magnitudes related to one another and to said emitter location and said shaping location such that said set of parallel beams forms a set of images of said emitting sources at said beam shaping plane;
a beam shaping deflector array of at least one row of at least two deflector modules disposed in a beam shaping deflector region between said source plane and said beam shaping plane, having beam shaping deflector apertures therein, disposed along said y-axis at said source intervals and aligned with corresponding sources in said emitter array, each of said deflector modules having deflector electrodes therein that are electrically connected to a set of beam shaping deflector driver means for deflecting individual ones of said set of electron beams independently of others of said set of electron beams, whereby deflection of members of said set of electron beams with respect to corresponding beam shaping apertures forms an array of shaped beams;
each of said beam shaping deflector modules comprising two pairs of lithographically defined deflection electrodes, a first pair of said two pairs of lithographically defined deflection electrodes and a first pair of lithographically defined connection members being disposed along a first direction in a first electrode plane, said first pair of connection members being connected between said first pair of lithographically defined deflection electrodes and a first set of electrode voltage driver means and a second pair of said lithographically defined deflection electrodes disposed in a second electrode plane along said z-axis along with a second set of lithographically defined connection members disposed along a second direction in said second electrode plane, said second pair of lithographically defined connection members being connected between said second pair of lithographically defined deflection electrodes and a second set of electrode voltage driver means, said first and second directions being at a right angle with respect to one another;
said beam shaping modules further comprising at least three insulating layers, a first insulating layer being disposed above said first electrode plane, a second insulating layer being disposed between said first and second electrode planes and a third insulating layer being disposed below said second electrode plane, all of said first second and third insulating layers, said first and second pairs of electrodes and said first and second pairs of connection members being bonded together in a beam shaping deflector composite structure and having said one of said set of beam shaping apertures lithographically defined therein;
a deflector array of at least one row of at least two parallel deflector electrodes disposed along said z-axis between said beam shaping plane and said workpiece plane, parallel to said y-axis and bracketing at least two of said set of electron beams in a first row of said at least one row of said set of electron beams along said x-axis;
second electric field means, electrically connected to said deflector array, for establishing a set of at least one deflection electric field parallel to said x-axis for deflecting said at least two of said set of electron beams in said first row in parallel within a deflection range along said y-axis, said deflection electric field and said magnetic field having magnitudes related to one another and to said shaping location and a workpiece location on said z-axis of said workpiece plane, such that said set of parallel beams forms a set of images of said emitting sources at said workpiece plane, said set of images intersecting said workpiece plane at substantially uniform image intervals along said y-axis, whereby all of said at least two of said set of electron beams travel in parallel paths, said parallel paths being parallel to said z-axis between said source plane and said beam shaping plane and said parallel paths having a common angle with respect to said z-axis between said beam shaping plane and said workpiece plane;
stage means for supporting and moving said workpiece in said workpiece plane under said set of electron beams;
and
system control means for controlling said set of electron beams in synchronism with said stage means to write in parallel a set of subfields on said workpiece.

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A system according to 2, in which said deflection module further comprises:

a first set of at least two lithographically defined shielding electrodes connected to said bias means and disposed in said first electrode plane on opposite sides of said first pair of said two pairs of lithographically defined deflection electrodes and said first pair of lithographically defined connection members disposed along said first direction;
and
a second set of at least two lithographically defined shielding electrodes connected to said bias means and disposed in said second electrode plane on opposite sides of said second pair of said two pairs of lithographically defined deflection electrodes and said second pair of lithographically defined connection members disposed along said second direction;
in which
said first set of lithographically defined shielding electrodes are isolated from said first lithographically defined deflection electrode and connected to said bias means and biased at said first electrode bias voltage;
said second set of lithographically defined shielding electrodes are isolated from said lithographically defined second electrode and connected to said bias means and biased at said second electrode bias voltage, whereby interference from deflection signals applied to said lithographically defined deflection electrodes is reduced.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A distributed direct-write shaped-beam e-beam system for writing in parallel a set of subfields extending along an x-axis on a workpiece comprising:

means for establishing a substantially uniform magnetic field parallel to a z-axis, extending from a source plane perpendicular to said z-axis to a workpiece plane perpendicular to said z-axis, said source and workpiece planes being separated along said z-axis by a distance of less than twenty cm;
an emitter array comprising at least one row of at least two electron emitting sources disposed in said source plane at an emitter location on said z-axis and at source locations separated by source intervals along a y-axis perpendicular to said z-axis and said x-axis, said source locations extending along said y-axis by at least a chip width distance, for generating at least one set of at least two electron beams directed along a set of at least two beam axes parallel to said z-axis toward said workpiece plane, whereby said set of subfields covering at least said chip width distance is written in a single pass over said workpiece;
a shaping array of at least one row of at least two beam shaping apertures disposed in a beam shaping plane at a shaping location along said z-axis, said beam shaping apertures being disposed along said y-axis at said source intervals and aligned with corresponding sources in said emitter array;
first electric field means for generating an accelerating electric field parallel to said z-axis and extending between said source plane and said beam shaping plane thereby establishing an accelerating voltage distribution along said z-axis, said parallel electric field and said magnetic field having magnitudes related to one another and to said emitter location and said shaping location such that said set of parallel beams forms a set of images of said emitting sources at said beam shaping plane;
a beam shaping deflector array of at least one row of at least two deflector modules disposed in a beam shaping deflector region between said source plane and said beam shaping plane, having beam shaping deflector apertures therein, disposed along said y-axis at said source intervals and aligned with corresponding sources in said emitter array, each of said deflector modules having deflector electrodes therein that are electrically connected to a set of beam shaping deflector driver means for deflecting individual ones of said set of electron beams independently of others of said set of electron beams, whereby deflection of members of said set of electron beams with respect to corresponding beam shaping apertures forms an array of shaped beams;
each of said beam shaping deflector modules comprising two pairs of lithographically defined deflection electrodes, a first pair of said two pairs of lithographically defined deflection electrodes and a first pair of lithographically defined connection members being disposed along a first direction in a first electrode plane, said first pair of connection members being connected between said first pair of lithographically defined deflection electrodes and a first set of electrode voltage driver means and a second pair of said lithographically defined deflection electrodes disposed in a second electrode plane along said z-axis along with a second set of lithographically defined connection members disposed along a second direction in said second electrode plane, said second pair of lithographically defined connection members being connected between said second pair of lithographically defined deflection electrodes and a second set of electrode voltage driver means, said first and second directions being at a right angle with respect to one another;
said beam shaping modules further comprising at least three insulating layers, a first insulating layer being disposed above said first electrode plane, a second insulating layer being disposed between said first and second electrode planes and a third insulating layer being disposed below said second electrode plane, all of said first second and third insulating layers, said first and second pairs of electrodes and said first and second pairs of connection members being bonded together in a beam shaping deflector composite structure and having said one of said set of beam shaping apertures lithographically defined therein;
a deflector array of at least one row of at least two parallel deflector electrodes disposed along said z-axis between said beam shaping plane and said workpiece plane, parallel to said y-axis and bracketing at least two of said set of electron beams in a first row of said at least one row of said set of electron beams along said x-axis;
second electric field means, electrically connected to said deflector array, for establishing a set of at least one deflection electric field parallel to said x-axis for deflecting said at least two of said set of electron beams in said first row in parallel within a deflection range along said y-axis, said deflection electric field and said magnetic field having magnitudes related to one another and to said shaping location and a workpiece location on said z-axis of said workpiece plane, such that said set of parallel beams forms a set of images of said emitting sources at said workpiece plane, said set of images intersecting said workpiece plane at substantially uniform image intervals along said y-axis, whereby all of said at least two of said set of electron beams travel in parallel paths, said parallel paths being parallel to said z-axis between said source plane and said beam shaping plane and said parallel paths having a common angle with respect to said z-axis between said beam shaping plane and said workpiece plane;
stage means for supporting and moving said workpiece in said workpiece plane under said set of electron beams;
and
system control means for controlling said set of electron beams in synchronism with said stage means to write in parallel a set of subfields on said workpiece.

9 more elements