Electron beam control method, electron beam drawing apparatus and method of fabricating a semiconductor device

An electron beam drawing apparatus, comprising:

• a blanking electrode which controls a path of an electron beam not to irradiate a sample with the electron beam;
• a character beam electrode having a plurality of electrode units, which selects one of a plurality of pattern openings formed on an aperture mask to allow the electron beam to pass through the selected pattern opening;
• and
• a deflected control unit which controls voltages or currents applied to the blanking electrode and the character beam electrode,
• wherein the deflected control unit includes:
• a synchronization error determination unit which determines whether or not a synchronization error of the deflected operation of the electron beam performed by the plurality of electrode units is equal to or less than a predetermined tolerance;
• a beam irradiation determination unit which selects in sequence the plurality of pattern openings by the character beam electrode in a state of driving the blanking electrode when determined that the synchronization error is equal to or less than the tolerance, to determine whether or not the electron beam is irradiated with the sample;
• and
• a tolerance control unit which decreases the tolerance when determined that the electron beam is irradiated with the sample by the beam irradiation determination unit.

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising:

• selecting one of a plurality of pattern openings by a character beam electrode having a plurality of electrode units to allow an electron beam to pass through any pattern opening on an aperture mask on which the plurality of pattern openings are formed;
• determining whether or not a synchronization error of deflected operation of the electron beam performed by the plurality of electrode units is equal to or less than a tolerance;
• determining whether or not the electron beam is irradiated with a sample by selecting the pattern openings in sequence by the character beam electrode in a state of controlling a path of the electron beam by a blanking electrode not to irradiate the sample with the electron beam, when determined that the synchronization error is equal to or less than the tolerance;
• decreasing the tolerance when determined that the electron beam is irradiated with the sample;
• and
• performing a fabrication of the semiconductor device after adjusting the synchronization error of the deflected operation of the electron beam to be equal to or less than the tolerance.