Nuflare Technology, Inc.

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Hitoshi Higurashi

Shigehiro Hara

Akihito Anpo

Eiji Murakami

Shinji Sakamoto

Susumu Oogi

Jun Kasahara

Takayuki Abe

Takashi Kamikubo

Shuichi Tamamushi

Kazuto Matsuki

Yusuke Sakai

Jun Yashima

Toshio Yamaguchi

Tomohiro Iijima

Kiyomi Koyama

Toshiro Yamamoto

Akira Toriumi

Yoshihiro Okamoto

Hirohito Anze

Ken-Ichi Murooka

Kiyoshi Kawamura

Souji Koikari

Hayato Shibata

Saori Gomi

Yoshiaki Hattori

Mitsuko Shimizu

Kazuyuki Okuzono

Alfred Hubler

Fumiko Yamaguchi

A charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a circuitry to set, when a charged particle beam is deflected to move between plural small regions by a deflector, plural first mesh regions obtained by virtually dividing a chip region into regions by length and width sizes same as those of each of the plural small regions; determine whether a shot figure having been assigned exists in each of the plural first mesh regions; a circuitry to perform, for the plural first mesh regions, merging of two or more adjacent first mesh regions; a circuitry to measure, for each of plural second mesh regions each obtained by merging, the number of first mesh regions each having been determined that an assigned shot figure exists therein; and a circuitry to generate a map for each chip, where measured number of first mesh regions with the shot figure is defined as a map value.

Charged particle beam writing apparatus and charged particle beam writing method

An apparatus for inspecting overlapping figures includes a chip overlap inspection unit configured to input a data file on each chip of a plurality of chips arranged in a writing pattern, and inspect an existence of an overlap between a plurality of chips, based on arrangement data on each region of the plurality of chips, a setting unit configured to set, with respect to the plurality of chips, a plurality of hierarchies and a plurality of cell regions of each of the plurality of hierarchies, an extraction unit configured to extract, with respect to a plurality of chips where the overlap occurs, a cell region where the overlap is located, from a higher hierarchy level to a lower hierarchy level in order, a figure overlap judging unit configured to judge an existence of an overlap between a figure in the cell region extracted and a figure in the other cell region extracted, and an output unit configured to output data on a plurality of figures overlapping.

Apparatus and method for inspecting overlapping figure, and charged particle beam writing apparatus

A charged particle beam drawing apparatus forms a map having meshes, forms representative figures, area of each representative figure in each mesh being equal to gross area of figures in each mesh, and calculates a proximity effect correction dose of the charged particle beam in each mesh on the basis of area of each representative figure in each mesh. If it is necessary to change the proximity effect correction dose of the charged particle beam for drawing at least one pattern corresponding to at least one figure, the charged particle beam drawing apparatus changes area of the at least one figure before the representative figures are formed by a representative figure forming portion, and changes the proximity effect correction dose of the charged particle beam for drawing the at least one pattern corresponding to the at least one figure, calculated by a proximity effect correction dose calculating portion.

Charged particle beam drawing apparatus and proximity effect correction method thereof

A charged particle beam drawing apparatus for drawing patterns corresponding to figures in a drawing data, has a portion for dividing a drawing area on the workpiece into block frames, a portion for combining at least a first block frame and a second block frame into a virtual block frame, and a portion for transferring a data of the virtual block frame from an input data dividing module to a common memory of a first converter and a second converter. The first converter converts a data of a first figure included in the first block frame into a first drawing apparatus internal format data. The second converter converts a data of a second figure included in the second block frame into a second drawing apparatus internal format data. The first figure and the second figure are included in a cell extending over the first block frame and the second block frame.

Charged particle beam drawing method and apparatus

A charged particle beam writing apparatus includes an input unit configured to input writing data for writing a plurality of cell patterns including at least one cell pattern in which an identifier is added to each of data defining the at least one cell pattern extending over at least two small regions in a plurality of small regions obtained by virtually dividing a writing region, an extraction unit configured to extract the at least one cell pattern to which the identifier is added from the plurality of cell patterns, an output unit configured to output an error result when only one cell pattern is extracted, and a writing unit configured to write the plurality of cell patterns by irradiating a target workpiece with a charged particle beam, based on the writing data for which the error result is not output.

Data verification method, charged particle beam writing apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium with program

A charged-particle beam writing apparatus includes first and second storage devices, a transfer processor for sequentially sending to the first storage several design data files per pattern layout-defined region, a first data processor which sequentially reads design data files from the first storage and converts each data file's design data into draw data for storage in the second storage while being pipelined with the transfer processing, second to n-th data processors which sequentially read data files from the second storage and apply mutually different ones of second to n-th data processings to each draw data in a way that the first to n-th data processings are pipelined and store the processed draw data in the second storage, and a pattern-writing unit for writing a pattern on a workpiece by using a beam that is controlled based on each n-th data processing-completed data being stored in the second storage.

Charged-particle beam pattern writing method and apparatus with a pipeline process to transfer data

A charged particle beam lithography apparatus includes a first block area divider configured to divide a pattern forming area into a plurality of first block areas in order to make a number of shots when forming a pattern substantially equal; an area density calculator configured to calculate, using a plurality of small areas obtained by virtually dividing the pattern forming area into mesh areas of a predetermined size smaller than all of the first block areas, a pattern area density of each small area positioned therein for each of the first block areas; a second block area divider configured to re-divide the pattern forming area divided into the plurality of first block areas into a plurality of second block areas of a uniform size, which is larger than the small area; a corrected dose calculator configured to calculate, using the pattern area density of each small area, a proximity effect-corrected dose in each corresponding small area positioned inside the second block area for each of the second block areas; a beam dose calculator configured to calculate, using the proximity effect-corrected dose of each small area, a beam dose of a charged particle beam in each corresponding small area; and a pattern generator configured to form a predetermined pattern on a target object by irradiating a charged particle beam of the beam dose calculated for each of the small areas.

Charged particle beam lithography apparatus and charged particle beam lithography method

A generation apparatus of writing error verification data for a pattern writing apparatus includes a data extraction part configured to extract, from layout data including a figure pattern to be written, part of the layout data required for an operation of a function having a writing error occurred after starting writing by the pattern writing apparatus which performs writing on a target workpiece based on the layout data, and a verification data generation part configured to perform a merge process based on extracted part of the layout data, and to generate writing error verification data, for which the merge process has been performed, for verifying the writing error of the pattern writing apparatus.

Writing error verification method of pattern writing apparatus and generation apparatus of writing error verification data for pattern writing apparatus

A creation method of charged particle beam writing data for writing a pattern using a charged particle beam based on design data of circuits includes creating, based on the design data, a location data file including location data, as part of the writing data, the location data being defined for locating one of a plurality of pattern data composed of one or more elementary patterns in each block area of a plurality of block areas, the plurality of block areas being made by virtually dividing a writing area, creating, based on the design data, a pattern data file including pattern data composed of one or more elementary patterns, as part of the writing data, and creating, based on the design data, a link file including link data for linking each of the location data and each of the pattern data, as part of the writing data.

Creation method and conversion method of charged particle beam writing data, and writing method of charged particle beam

A method of forming pattern writing data to write a predetermined pattern from layout data of a circuit by using a charged particle beam while deflecting the charged particle beam, includes inputting the layout data including a pattern ranging over a plurality of deflection regions, generating a partial pattern which can be deflected in a self region in the ranging pattern for each of the plurality of deflection regions on the basis of the input layout data, and converting layout data including a partial pattern for each of the deflection regions into charged particle beam pattern writing data to output the charged particle beam pattern writing data.

Method of forming pattern writing data by using charged particle beam

A charged beam exposure system has a movable stage for supporting a specimen; a charged beam generator; a main deflector for deflecting the charged beam; a stage moving unit for moving the movable stage in a scanning direction; a pattern writing time calculation unit, and writing speed calculation unit and controller for performing pattern writing using the writing speed. For multi pass writing, a plurality of stripes cover one frame. The writing speed is obtained, for blocks which are partitioned into a fixed or arbitrary number of segments taking a pattern density within a frame (stripe) field.

Charged beam exposure system

A pattern lithography system for lithographing a pattern with reference to a pattern data by deflecting an electron beam includes a controller, an extracting unit, a dividing unit, and an expansion unit. The controller analyzes the pattern data and determines stripes of the pattern to be successively lithographed. The extracting unit extracts parts of the pattern data corresponding to stripes of the pattern in response to commands from the controller and sends the data to the dividing unit. The dividing unit divides the part of the pattern data into a plurality of sub-patterns. The sub-patterns are sized smaller than a minimum deflection range of the electron beam. The expanding unit expands the sub-patterns in accordance with a command from the controller to produce stripe data for driving a lithographing unit to lithograph the stripe. Stripes may have at least one sub-pattern in common such that multiple lithography is performed.

Electron beam exposure apparatus

A charged beam lithography system includes a charged particle gun for generating charged beams, a main deflecting system and a sub-deflecting system for deflecting the charged beams generated by the charged particle gun, and a control computer. The charged beam lithography system is designed to cause the surface of a substrate to be irradiated with the charged beams from the charged particle gun while continuously moving a stage, to write a desired pattern for each of stripes defined by the maximum deflection widths of the main deflecting system and the sub-deflecting system. The charged beam lithography system further comprises: a real time proximity effect correcting circuit for calculating an optimum dosage for each of the stripes by correcting the dosage of the electron beams in view of the influence of the proximity effect; and a cash memory for storing the optimum dosage data for at least two of the stripes. Thus, the charged beam lithography system is designed to shift a divided form of the whole written region using the stripes at each wiring number of times, by a predetermined distance from a predetermined reference position in a direction perpendicular to a stage continuous moving direction, while selectively extracting the optimum dosage data from the cash memory so as to correspond to each of written stripes at each writing number of times, to write patterns. During the writing operation, the optimum dosage data corresponding to the next region to be written are transferred from the real time proximity effect correcting circuit to the cash memory, and the real time proximity effect correcting circuit calculates optimum dosages for the stripes corresponding to regions to be written after next and thereafter.

Charged beam lithography system

The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a circuit element which includes a step of performing first exposure for transferring a pattern having a narrowed portion for forming a particular pattern, onto an exposure-target substrate, and a step of moving the pattern in a direction not parallel to a segment forming an outer circumference of the narrowed portion and performing second exposure for transferring the pattern onto the exposure-target substrate.

Manufacturing a circuit element

In a method of generating from design data the exposure data necessary for a multistage-deflection charged beam exposure device that has a main deflector and a sub-deflector and forms a pattern, before a shape larger than the size of a minimum subfield area is divided during the generation of subfield exposure data, the process of dividing the shape into shapes equal to or smaller than the size of a subfield area and restructuring the shape is performed. Moreover, after the overlapping cell arrays in the design data are changed into a cell array structure preventing the cell arrays from overlapping, the resulting cell arrays are subjected to a hierarchical shape data operation process and a formatting process, including compression, subfield division, and frame division. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of data supplied without increasing the time required to converting the design data into exposure data supplied to the charged beam exposure device.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Hitoshi Higurashi