# US 7,608,844 B2 · Charged particle beam drawing apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,608,844 B2 - Document ID: US7608844B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/136,703 - Filed: 2005-05-25 - Published: 2005-12-29 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2004-05-26 - Assignees: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation; Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Yuji Inoue; Haruo Yoda; Kimiaki Ando; Yoshikiyo Yui - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7608844B2 ## CPC - H01J 37/3026: {Patterning strategy} - B82Y 10/00: Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic - B82Y 40/00: Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures - G21K 1/08: Deviation, concentration or focusing of the beam by electric or magnetic means (electron-optical arrangements in electric discharge tubes H01J29/46; {details, e.g. electric or magnetic deviating means for direct voltage accelerators or in accelerators using single pulses H05H5/02; arrangements for injecting particles into orbits H05H7/08; arrangements for ejecting particles from orbits H05H7/10}) - H01J 37/3174: {Particle-beam lithography, e.g. electron beam lithography} - H01J 2237/31762: Computer and memory organisation - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) - B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES - G21K: HANDLING OF PARTICLES OR IONISING RADIATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; IRRADIATION DEVICES; GAMMA RAY OR X-RAY MICROSCOPES ## Abstract In the present invention, vector data developing unit, ends separating unit, overlap removing unit and bitmapped data generating unit are sequentially connected in order to make pipeline processing. In addition, data of each raster is orderly arranged as a unit so that each processor can process data of each raster at a time. Each processor can make the pipeline processing to fast generate data. In addition, small-scale circuits can be used to realize the system because each raster can be processed as a unit of processing. Moreover, since data is orderly arranged before being processed, multi-valued bitmapped data can be generated in the order of drawing. Therefore, the drawing operation and data generating operation can be performed in parallel without use of any large-scale storage device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A charged particle beam drawing apparatus for drawing an integrated circuit pattern on a semiconductor sample, comprising: segment vector developing means that converts designed data of a polygon expressed in vectors to converted segment vector data, and said converted segment vector data contains attribute data which indicates on what sides segments of said converted segment vector data are located and segment data which indicates a start-point and end-point, wherein said designed data serves as a basis to draw said integrated circuit pattern on said semiconductor sample; ends separating means that separates two end data of the start-point and end-point from the segment data of said converted segment vector data; bitmapped data generating means that generates multi-valued bitmapped data except for two-valued bitmapped data, by calculating from said end data, without generating the two-valued bitmapped data; exposure control means that controls a charged particle beam according to said multi-valued bitmapped data; and an optical system that irradiates said charged particle beam to expose said semiconductor sample by a raster scanning of said charged particle beam while said beam is being controlled by said exposure control means; wherein segments perpendicular to the raster scanning direction are omitted in said converted segment vector data. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said segment vector data developing means, said ends separating means and said bitmapped data generating means processes unit data of each of rasters at a time that are sequentially repeated to scan for said exposure irradiation. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said designed data includes a pattern shape for a semiconductor device or other purposes, said raster scanning is made in an X-axis direction, said rasters are repeated in a Y-axis direction, said segment vector developing means sequentially reads raster units of said designed data in the Y-axis direction, and said designed data to be read is also arranged in the raster scanning direction, or the X-axis direction. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said segment vector developing means has repetition-compressed data restoring means that restores repetition-compressed segment data to segment data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said repetition-compressed data restoring means includes: output-data generating means that processes said repetition-compressed data in the order of smaller raster-scanning direction (X-axis) coordinate; remaining-data processing means that redefines the remaining repetition-compressed vector data except output data as repletion-compressed vector data; temporarily-storing/arranging means that arranges said redefined repetition-compressed vector data in the order of said smaller X-axis coordinate, and stores said arranged vector data; and comparing means that compares said X-axis coordinate data of said repetition-compressed vector data produced from said temporarily-storing/arranging means with said X-axis coordinate data of the next input data, and supplies the resulting smaller one to said output-data generating means and the other data to the remaining-data processing means. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said converted segment vector data as input data to said repetition-compressed data restoring means is composed of attribute data representing the type of segment, segment data formed of the start-point and end-point or the start-point and length, and repetition information data for use in the restoration processing, and said converted segment vector data has a data structure capable of expressing a plurality of pieces of data by rewriting the produced segment data while referring to said repetition information data and said segment data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said segment vector developing means has slant decomposing means that develops slant vector data into segment data approximately of a plurality of segments parallel in said raster scanning (X-axis) direction. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said slant decomposing means is constructed to have: output-data generating means that processes said segment data in the order of smaller raster scanning direction (X-axis) coordinate; remaining-data generating means that redefines the remaining slant-vector data as slant vector data; intra-raster judging means that judges whether said redefined slant vector data is included within the current raster; first temporarily-storing/arranging means that arranges intra-raster data judged to include within said current raster in the order of smaller X-axis coordinate, and stores said arranged data; second temporarily-storing/arranging means that arranges extra-raster data judged not to include within said current raster in the order of smaller X-axis coordinate, and stores said arranged data; and comparing means that compares input data, output data from said first temporarily-storing/arranging means, and output data from said second temporarily-storing/arranging means to select data of smaller raster number (Y-axis direction) and smaller raster scanning direction (X-axis) coordinate, and supplies said selected data to said output-data generating means and to said remaining slant data generating means. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said slant decomposing means has arranging means constructed to arrange so that the slant-decomposed data produced from slant vector data by said output-data generating means that processes data in the order of smaller X-axis coordinate can be produced in the order of said smaller X-axis coordinate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said slant decomposing means receives input data formed of attribute data indicating type of segment vector, segment data formed of the start-point and end-point of segment vector and decomposition information data for decomposition processing, and produces output data of a data structure capable of expressing a plurality of slant decomposed data by rewriting segment data while referring to said decomposition information data. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said ends separating means has: end producing means that decomposes said converted segment vector data formed of the start-point and length and parallel in the raster scanning direction (X-axis direction) into end data of two start-point and end-point; and arranging means that arranges said separated end data in the order of said smaller X-axis direction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 3) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said segment-vector developing means has repetition-compressed data restoring means that restores repetition-compressed data to segment data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said repetition-compressed data restoring means includes: output-data generating means that processes said repetition-compressed data in the order of small X-axis coordinate; remaining-data processing means that redefines the remaining repetition-compressed vector data except said produced output data as repetition-compressed vector data; temporarily-storing/arranging means that arranges said redefined repetition-compressed vector data in the order of said smaller X-axis coordinate, and stores said arranged data; and comparing means that compares X-axis coordinate data of said repetition-compressed vector data produced from said temporarily-storing/arranging means with that of the next input data to selectively supply the resulting smaller one to said output-data generating means and the remaining one to said remaining-data processing means. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said repetition-compressed data restoring means receives said converted segment vector data as input data formed of attribute data indicating type of segment vector, segment data formed of the start-point and end-point or the start-point and length and repetition information data for decomposition processing, and produces output data of a data structure capable of expressing a plurality of pieces of data by rewriting produced segment data while referring to said repetitive information data and segment data. ### Claim 15 A charge particle beam drawing apparatus for drawing an integrated circuit pattern on a semiconductor sample, comprising: segment vector developing means that converts designed data of a polygon expressed in vectors to converted segment vector data, and said converted segment vector data contains attribute data which indicates on what sides segments of said converted segment vector data are located and segment data which indicates a start-point and end-point, wherein said designed data is used as a basis to draw said integrated circuit pattern on said semiconductor sample; ends separating means that separates two end data of the start-point and end-point from the segment data of said converted segment vector data; bitmapped data generating means that generates multi-valued bitmapped data greater than two-valued bitmapped data, by calculating from said end data, without generating the two-valued bitmapped data; exposure control means that controls a charged particle beam according to said multi-valued bitmapped data; and an optical system that irradiates said charged particle beam to expose said semiconductor sample by a raster scanning of said charged particle beam while said beam is being controlled by said exposure control means; wherein segments perpendicular to the raster scanning direction are omitted in said converted segment vector data. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein each of said segment vector data developing means, said ends separating means and said bitmapped data generating means processes unit data of each of rasters at a time that are sequentially repeated to scan for said exposure irradiation. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said designed data includes a pattern shape for a semiconductor device or other purposes, said raster scanning is made in an X-axis direction, said rasters are repeated in a Y-axis direction, said segment vector developing means sequentially reads raster units of said designed data in the Y-axis direction, and said designed data to be read is also arranged in the raster scanning direction, or the X-axis direction. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said segment-vector developing means has repetition-compressed data restoring means that restores repetition-compressed data to segment data. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said repetition-compressed data restoring means includes: output-data generating means that processes said repetition-compressed data in the order of small X-axis coordinate; remaining-data processing means that redefines the remaining repetition-compressed vector data except said produced output data as repetition-compressed vector data; temporarily-storing/arranging means that arranges said redefined repetition-compressed vector data in the order of said smaller X-axis coordinate, and stores said arranged data; and comparing means that compares X-axis coordinate data of said repetition-compressed vector data produced from said temporarily-storing/arranging means with that of the next input data to selectively supply the resulting smaller one to said output-data generating means and the remaining one to said remaining-data processing means. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said repetition-compressed data restoring means receives said converted segment vector data as input data formed of attribute data indicating type of segment vector, segment data formed of the start-point and end-point or the start-point and length and repetition information data for decomposition processing, and produces output data of a data structure capable of expressing a plurality of pieces of data by rewriting produced segment data while referring to said repetitive information data and segment data. ### Claim 21 A charged particle beam drawing apparatus for drawing an integrated circuit pattern on a semiconductor sample, comprising: segment vector developing means that converts designed data of a polygon expressed in vectors to converted segment vector data, and said converted segment vector data contains attribute data which indicates on what sides segments of said converted segment vector data are located and segment data which indicates a start-point and end-point, wherein said designed data serves as a basis to draw said integrated circuit pattern on said semiconductor sample; ends separating means that separates two end data of the start-point and end-point from the segment data of said converted segment vector data; bitmapped data generating means that generates multi-valued bitmapped data except for two-valued bitmapped data, by calculating an area rate from said end data, without generating the two-valued bitmapped data; exposure control means that controls a charged particle beam according to said multi-valued bitmapped data; and an optical system that irradiates said charged particle beam to expose said semiconductor sample by a raster scanning of said charged particle beam while said beam is being controlled by said exposure control means; wherein segments perpendicular to the raster scanning direction are omitted in said converted segment vector data.