PATTERN FORMING APPARATUS AND PATTERN FORMING METHOD

• US 20100072403A1
• Filed: 08/26/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc. (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc. (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: TOMIYOSHI, Rikio, NOZUE, Hiroshi, ABE, Takayuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,153,996 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/492.220
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/0453 multiple apertures
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/045 Beam blanking or chopping, i.e. arrangements for momentarily interrupting exposure to the discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3026 Patterning strategy
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3174 Particle-beam lithography, e.g. electron beam lithography

Abstract

A pattern forming apparatus using lithography technique includes a stage configured to allow a target object to be placed thereon; a plurality of columns configured to form patterns on the target object by using a charged particle beam while moving relatively to the stage; a pattern forming rule setting unit configured to set a pattern forming rule depending on a position of broken one of the plurality of columns; a region setting unit configured to set regions so that unbroken ones of the plurality of columns respectively form a pattern in one of the regions; a plurality of control circuits each configured to control any one of the plurality of columns different from others of the plurality of columns controlled by others of the plurality of control circuits; and a pattern forming data processing unit configured to perform a converting process on pattern forming data for the regions set to output a corresponding data generated by the converting process to the control circuit of a corresponding one of the unbroken ones of the plurality of columns respectively.

Claims

1. A pattern forming apparatus using lithography technique comprising:

a stage configured to allow a target object to be placed thereon;

a plurality of columns configured to form patterns on the target object by using a charged particle beam while moving relatively to the stage;

a pattern forming rule setting unit configured to set a pattern forming rule depending on a position of broken one of the plurality of columns;

a region setting unit configured to set regions so that unbroken ones of the plurality of columns respectively form a pattern in one of the regions;

a plurality of control circuits each configured to control any one of the plurality of columns different from others of the plurality of columns controlled by others of the plurality of control circuits; and

a pattern forming data processing unit configured to perform a converting process on pattern forming data for the regions set to output a corresponding data generated by the converting process to the control circuit of a corresponding one of the unbroken ones of the plurality of columns respectively.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the pattern forming rule setting unit, in a case that one of the plurality of columns located at an end is broken when the plurality of columns form patterns on the target object in parallel in a predetermined direction, sets a pattern forming rule such that,

as an n-th pattern forming operation, unbroken ones of the plurality of columns form patterns on the target object in parallel in the predetermined direction, and

as an (n+1)-th pattern forming operation, the unbroken ones of the plurality of columns form patterns on the target object in parallel in the predetermined direction in such a manner that unbroken one of the plurality of columns located at an end opposite to the broken one of the plurality of columns forms a pattern in a region located at a position of the broken one of the plurality of columns in the n-th pattern forming operation.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the pattern forming rule setting unit, in a case that one of the plurality of columns located at a position which is not an end is broken when the plurality of columns form patterns on the target object in parallel in the predetermined direction, sets a pattern forming rule such that,

as an n-th pattern forming operation, unbroken ones of the plurality of columns form patterns on the target object in parallel in the predetermined direction, and

as an (n+1)-th pattern forming operation, unbroken one of the plurality of columns forms a pattern in a region located at a position of the broken one of the plurality of columns in the n-th pattern forming operation, and unbroken one of the plurality of columns located in a region in which a pattern is formed in advance in the n-th pattern forming operation stops a pattern forming operation while moving relatively to the stage.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

each of the plurality of columns, when a pattern is formed on the target object, has first and second shaping aperture plates and leads a charged particle beam having passed through the first shaping aperture plate to pass through a part of a shaping opening of the second shaping aperture plate to shape the charged particle beam, and

an unbroken column located in a region in which the pattern is formed in advance blocks an entire charged particle beam having passed through the first shaping aperture plate by using the second shaping aperture plate.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein,

each of the plurality of columns has a blanking aperture plate arranged on a downstream side of the second shaping aperture plate and a deflector which deflects a charged particle beam, and

in the unbroken column located in the region in which the pattern is formed in advance, an amount of deflection for the deflector is controlled such that the blanking aperture plate blocks the entire charged particle beam.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

each of the plurality of columns has a beam source which emits a charged particle beam, and

a voltage is not applied to the beam source in the broken one of the plurality of columns to stop emission of a charged particle beam from the broken one of the plurality of columns.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

as the plurality of columns, first to fourth columns arranged in (2×

2) array having two horizontal lines and two vertical lines are provided,

the pattern forming rule setting unit, in a case that the fourth column of the first to fourth columns is broken, sets a pattern forming rule such that

the first column forms a pattern in a small pattern forming region at coordinates (i, j), the second column forms a pattern in a small pattern forming region at coordinates (i, j+1), and the third column forms a pattern in a small pattern forming region at coordinates (i+2, j+1) at almost a same time, respectively, the small pattern forming regions at coordinates (i, j), (i, j+1), and (i+2, j+1) being included in a plurality of small pattern forming regions obtained by virtually dividing a pattern forming region of the target object into meshed regions, and

the first column forms a pattern in a small pattern forming region at coordinates (i+1, j+1), the second column forms a pattern in a small pattern forming region at coordinates (i+1, j+2), and the third column forms a pattern in a small pattern forming region at coordinates (i+3, j+2) at almost a same time, respectively.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the first to fourth columns are arranged such that the first and second columns are arranged in this order in a y direction, the fourth and third columns are arranged in this order in the y direction, the fourth column is arranged in a x direction from the first column, and the third column is arranged in a x direction from the second column.

9. A pattern forming method using lithography technique comprising:

setting a pattern forming rule depending on a position of a broken column in a pattern forming apparatus including a plurality of columns;

setting regions so that unbroken ones of the plurality of columns respectively form a pattern in one of the regions;

performing a converting process on pattern forming data for the regions set to output a corresponding data generated by the converting process to a control circuit of a corresponding one of the unbroken ones of the plurality of columns; and

forming patterns on a target object by using charged particle beams obtained and by using the unbroken ones of the plurality of columns while the plurality of columns is moved relatively to a stage on which the target object is placed.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein

in a case that one of the plurality of columns located at an end is broken when the plurality of columns form patterns on the target object in parallel in a predetermined direction,

as an n-th pattern forming operation, unbroken ones of the plurality of columns form patterns on the target object in parallel in the predetermined direction, and

as an (n+1)-th pattern forming operation, the unbroken ones of the plurality of columns form patterns on the target object in parallel in the predetermined direction in such a manner that unbroken one of the plurality of columns located at an end opposite to the broken one of the plurality of columns forms a pattern in a region located at a position of the broken one of the plurality of columns in the n-th pattern forming operation.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein

in a case that one of the plurality of columns located at a position which is not an end is broken when the plurality of columns form patterns on the target object in parallel in the predetermined direction,

as an n-th pattern forming operation, unbroken ones of the plurality of columns form patterns on the target object in parallel in the predetermined direction, and

as an (n+1)-th pattern forming operation, unbroken one of the plurality of columns forms a pattern in a region located at a position of the broken one of the plurality of columns in the n-th pattern forming operation, and unbroken one of the plurality of columns located in a region in which a pattern is formed in advance in the n-th pattern forming operation stops a pattern forming operation while moving relatively to the stage.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein

as the plurality of columns, first to fourth columns arranged in (2×

2) array having two horizontal lines and two vertical lines are provided,

in a case that the fourth column of the first to fourth columns is broken,

the first column forms a pattern in a small pattern forming region at coordinates (i, j), the second column forms a pattern in a small pattern forming region at coordinates (i, j+1), and the third column forms a pattern in a small pattern forming region at coordinates (i+2, j+1) at almost a same time, respectively, the small pattern forming regions at coordinates (i, j), (i, j+1), and(i+2, j+1) being included in a plurality of small pattern forming regions obtained by virtually dividing a pattern forming region of the target object into meshed regions, and

the first column forms a pattern in a small pattern forming region at coordinates (i+1, j+1), the second column forms a pattern in a small pattern forming region at coordinates (i+1, j+2), and the third column forms a pattern in a small pattern forming region at coordinates (i+3, j+2) at almost a same time, respectively.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein

in a case that two of four columns are broken when the four columns form patterns on the target object in parallel in a predetermined direction,

as an n-th pattern forming operation, two unbroken columns of the four columns form patterns in two adjacent regions of the target object in parallel in the predetermined direction at almost a same time, and

as an (n+1)-th pattern forming operation, one of the two unbroken columns forms a pattern in a region located at a position where one of the broken columns at an end is located in the n-th pattern forming operation and an other of the two unbroken columns forms a pattern in a region located at a position where an other of the broken columns is located in the n-th pattern forming operation at almost a same time.