Nuflare Technology, Inc.

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Shigehiro Hara

Hitoshi Higurashi

Kenichi Yasui

Akihito Anpo

Shinji Sakamoto

Yasuo Kato

Soichi Inoue

Iwao Higashikawa

Kazuko Yamamoto

Yoji Ogawa

Eiji Murakami

Jun Kasahara

Noriaki Nakayamada

Shuichi Tamamushi

Toshio Yamaguchi

Kiyomi Koyama

Kazuto Matsuki

Souji Koikari

Katsuya Okumura

Koji Hashimoto

Shinichi Ito

Yusuke Sakai

Takayuki Abe

Hideo Tsuchiya

Takashi Kamikubo

Jun Yashima

Hironobu Matsumoto

Yoshihiro Okamoto

Hiroshi Yamashita

Susumu Oogi

Kazuko Oi

Hayato Shibata

Saori Gomi

Takao Tamura

Kazuyuki Okuzono

A drawing data generating method according to an embodiment is a method for generating drawing data input to a drawing apparatus that draws a plurality of figure patterns on an object using a charged particle beam. The method includes generating the drawing data in accordance with a data format that not only defines a plurality of pieces of figure information, but also sequentially defines dose information of each figure before or after the plurality of pieces of figure information. The dose information of each of the second and succeeding figures is converted to a representation based on the dose information of any preceding figure, and a data length of the dose information is made variable for each figure. For example, the dose information of each of the second and succeeding figures is converted to a difference representation between a dose of the figure and a dose of the preceding figure, and a data length of the difference representation is changed in accordance with the magnitude of a difference value.

Drawing data generating method

In one embodiment, a method is for creating writing data used in a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus. The method includes partitioning a polygonal figure included in design data into a plurality of trapezoids that each include at least one pair of opposite sides parallel along a first direction and that join so as to be continuous in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction while a side parallel to the first direction serves as a common side, and creating the writing data by, when a first trapezoid, a second trapezoid, and a third trapezoid join along the second direction, representing a position of a common vertex shared by the second trapezoid and the third trapezoid using displacements in the first direction and the second direction from a position of a common vertex shared by the first trapezoid and the second trapezoid. In at least one of the plurality of trapezoids, different dose amounts are defined in the first direction.

Method of creating writing data

In one embodiment, a generating method of drawing data includes generating a pixel map that includes dose amount information on each of pixels obtained by dividing a drawing area on an object into a mesh, extracting, from the pixel map, an island-shaped pixel map which is a group of multiple pixels in which the dose amount information is not zero, determining an order of definition of the dose amount information on the pixels in the island-shaped pixel map, and generating a compressed pixel map including a size of the pixels, information indicating the order of definition, coordinates of a pixel which is first in the order of definition in the island-shaped pixel map, and the dose amount information on the pixels in the island-shaped pixel map, the dose amount information being continuously defined based on the order of definition.

Generating method of drawing data and charged particle beam drawing method

In one embodiment, a drawing data creation method includes inputting correction-map-including drawing data having a correction map to a converter, the correction map including dose amount information for each mesh area obtained by dividing a drawing area on a target drawn by a charged particle beam drawing apparatus, the drawing area being divided in a mesh shape, converting dose amount information in a second mesh area adjacent to a first mesh area to a representation based on dose amount information in the first mesh area to compress data of the dose amount information in the second mesh area, and outputting compressed-correction-map-including drawing data having a compressed correction map to a controller, the compressed correction map including dose amount information in which data in each of the plurality of mesh areas has been compressed.

Drawing data creation method and charged particle beam drawing apparatus

In one embodiment, a data processing method is for creating write data from design data, and registering the write data into a writing apparatus. The method includes applying, to a plurality of pieces of first frame data into which first chip data of the design data is divided, a plurality of conversion processes to create the write data, and applying a plurality of pre-processes to a plurality of pieces of second frame data into which second chip data of the write data is divided, and registering the second chip data into the writing apparatus. The plurality of conversion processes and the plurality of pre-processes are each performed in a pipeline processing on a per-frame basis. The write data is registered into the writing apparatus on a per-chip basis, on a per-virtual chip basis, or on a per-frame basis. The virtual chip includes a plurality of chips combined together.

Data processing method, charged particle beam writing method, and charged particle beam writing apparatus

A method for generating writing data to be input to a writing apparatus, which writes a figure pattern on a target object by using a charged particle beam, includes generating the writing data, based on a data format that sequentially defines figure information on a figure pattern, and dose information which is defined before or after the figure information and indicates one of a dose and a dose modulation rate for modulating a dose, for a position of each of corner points of the figure pattern.

Method for generating writing data

In one embodiment, a charged particle beam drawing apparatus includes a drawing unit that draws a pattern in a drawing area on a substrate and a control processing circuitry that controls the drawing unit via a process including receiving drawing data with a hierarchical correction map input to the control processing circuitry. The drawing data with the hierarchical map includes a plurality of files in which division maps are respectively described in files in units of subframes. Each division map includes dose correction information associated with corresponding one of blocks of the drawing area. The process further includes generating shot data by performing a data conversion process on the drawing data, reading a division map corresponding to a block in the area to be drawn from the hierarchical correction map, calculating a dose, and controlling the drawing unit based on the shot data and the calculated dose.

Charged particle beam drawing apparatus and drawing data generation method

In one embodiment, a method of generating write data generates write data for a multi charged particle beam writing apparatus. The method includes dividing a polygonal figure included in design data into a plurality of figure segments including trapezoids each having a pair of parallel opposite sides extending in a first direction, the trapezoids being connected in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction such that adjacent trapezoids share the side extending in the first direction as a common side, and generates the write data including position information of a common vertex of a first trapezoid and a second trapezoid next to the first trapezoid expressed by a displacement in the first and second directions from a position of a common vertex of the second trapezoid and a third trapezoid next to the second trapezoid.

Method of generating write data, multi charged particle beam writing apparatus, and pattern inspection apparatus

An inspection method of pattern writing data includes creating an area map of a figure pattern written on a target object for each modulation rate for modulating a dose by using modulation rate data to modulate the dose in a case that a plurality of figure patterns is written on the target object by using a charged particle beam, and layout data in which the plurality of figure patterns is defined; converting the layout data into pattern writing data to be input into a lithography apparatus; and inspecting an amount of electric charge for each predetermined region by using the area map when a pattern is written on the target object by using the pattern writing data.

Charged particle beam lithography apparatus, inspection apparatus and inspection method of pattern writing data

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 figure data verification apparatus includes an operation part configured to input design data and writing data converted from the design data and perform an exclusive OR operation between data of a figure included in the design data and data of a figure included in the writing data, a sorting part configured to sort figures produced as a result of the exclusive OR operation to at least one arbitrary-angle figure having at least one angle not being an integral multiple of 45 degrees and to at least one non-arbitrary-angle figure all angles of which are integral multiples of 45 degrees, a first removal part configured to remove a figure of a size smaller than a first allowable error value from the arbitrary-angle figure, and a second removal part configured to remove a figure of a size smaller than a second allowable error value from the non-arbitrary-angle figure.

Figure data verification apparatus and method therefor

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.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Shigehiro Hara