Nuflare Technology, Inc.

Seiichi Tsuchiya

Hayato Kimura

Seiji Wake

Yujin Handa

Takuya Matsukawa

Yoshikuni Goshima

Chising Lai

Yoshimasa Sanmiya

John William Kay

Akinori Mine

The charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a position deflection control circuit. First digital data that is to be used for circuit diagnosis is transmitted from the position deflection control circuit to the DAC amplifier unit at the same rate as a rate of writing on a product reticle and stored in a first maintenance memory. Second digital data is output from a digital section included in the DAC amplifier unit in response to the first digital data and stored in a second maintenance memory. A maintenance clock generator generates a clock signal and reads the first digital data stored in the first maintenance memory and the second digital data stored in the second maintenance memory. The first digital data thus read is compared with the second digital data thus read for each bit to diagnose the digital section.

Charged particle beam writing apparatus and method for diagnosing DAC amplifier unit in charged particle beam writing apparatus

A digital-to-analog converter (DAC)/amplifier testing system for use in an electron-beam (e-beam) mask writer, the e-beam mask writer including a plurality of DAC/amplifier circuits to output analog voltage signals, each DAC/amplifier circuit having a first output terminal and a second output terminal, the first output terminals of the plurality of DAC/amplifier circuits being respectively coupled to deflection plates of the e-beam mask writer to provide the output analog voltages as deflection voltages, is provided. The testing system including a summation circuit to sum voltage signals and to output a summation signal indicating the sum of the received analog voltage signals and an analyzer circuit to digitize the summation signal and to detect to compare the digitized summation signal with an error tolerance range to detect whether at least one of the DAC/amplifier circuits is experiencing an operating error.

Methods and systems for testing digital-to-analog converter/amplifier circuits

A pattern writing circuit self-diagnosis method for a charged beam photolithography apparatus and a charged beam photolithography apparatus which enable to maintain normality of the charged beam photolithography apparatus are provided. The pattern writing circuit self-diagnosis method for a charged beam photolithography apparatus is a pattern writing circuit self-diagnosis method for a charged beam photolithography apparatus which irradiates a charged beam on a target sample to write a desired pattern. Layout information and a pattern writing conditions which is prepared in advance are input to the pattern writing circuit, and processing result data of the pattern writing circuit output as a result of the inputting is collected. The collected processing result data of the pattern writing circuit is compared with correct data. The charged beam photolithography apparatus has means which realizes the pattern writing circuit self-diagnosis method.

Pattern writing circuit self-diagnosis method for charged beam photolithography apparatus and charged beam photolithography apparatus

A writing error diagnosis method for a charged beam photolithography apparatus and a charged beam photolithography apparatus which can specify an error cause within a short period of time in occurrence of a pattern writing error are provided. The writing error diagnosis method for a charged beam photolithography apparatus is a writing error diagnosis method for a charged beam photolithography apparatus which irradiates a charged beam on a target object to write a desired pattern. Processing result data of a pattern writing circuit at a position where a pattern writing error occurs is collected after the pattern writing error occurs, and the collected processing result data of the pattern writing circuit is compared with correct data. The charged beam photolithography apparatus has means which realizes the diagnosis method.

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Shizuoka, Japan

Seiichi Tsuchiya