CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM WRITING APPARATUS AND CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM WRITING METHOD

• US 20160005569A1
• Filed: 06/09/2015
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc. (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc. (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: MATSUMOTO, Hironobu
• Granted Patent: US 9,721,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31762 Computer and memory organisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31764 Dividing into sub-patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3174 Particle-beam lithography, e.g. electron beam lithography

Abstract

A charged particle beam writing apparatus includes a storage unit to store writing data of a region to be written in a target object, a first dividing unit to read the writing data and divide the region to be written into at least one first data processing region that overlaps with at least a first region where a pattern has been arranged, and at least one second data processing region that overlaps with a second region where no pattern is arranged without overlapping with the first region, a data processing unit to perform data processing of predetermined data processing contents for at least one first data processing region without performing the data processing for at least one second data processing region, and a writing unit to write a pattern on the target object, based on processed data.

Claims

1. A charged particle beam writing apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store writing data of a region to be written in a target object;

a first dividing unit configured to read the writing data and divide the region to be written into at least one first data processing region that overlaps with at least a first region where a pattern has been arranged, and at least one second data processing region that overlaps with a second region where no pattern is arranged without overlapping with the first region;

a data processing unit configured to perform data processing of predetermined data processing contents for the at least one first data processing region without performing the data processing for the at least one second data processing region; and

a writing unit configured to write a pattern on the target object, based on the data processed.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first dividing unit successively performs dividing the region to be written, advancing in a predetermined dividing direction, and when going into the second region from the first region, sets a dividing position in the second region such that the first data processing region is formed partly overlapping with the second region.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when going into the first region from the second region, the first dividing unit sets a dividing position in the second region such that the first data processing region is formed partly overlapping with the second region.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when dividing the region to be written so that the first data processing region is formed partly overlapping with the second region, the first dividing unit sets a dividing position in the second region in order to have a predetermined margin width from an end of the first region to inside the second region.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a second dividing unit configured to divide the region to be written into a plurality of mesh regions each of which is smaller than the first data processing region and the second data processing region; and

a shot number estimation unit configured to estimate a number of shots for each mesh region of the plurality of mesh regions,

wherein the first dividing unit performs dividing into the first data processing region and the second data processing region, by using an estimated shot number being the number of shots having been estimated.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first data processing region includes a mesh region where the estimated shot number is not zero and a mesh region where the estimated shot number is zero.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second data processing region includes the mesh region where the estimated shot number is zero, and excludes the mesh region where the estimated shot number is not zero.

8. A charged particle beam writing method comprising:

reading writing data of a region to be written in a target object, and dividing the region to be written into at least one first data processing region that overlaps with at least a first region where a pattern has been arranged, and at least one second data processing region that overlaps with a second region where no pattern is arranged without overlapping with the first region;

performing data processing of predetermined data processing contents for the at least one first data processing region without performing the data processing in the at least one second data processing region; and

writing a pattern on the target object, based on the data processed.

9. A charged particle beam writing apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store writing data of a region to be written in a target object;

a dividing unit configured to read the writing data and divide the region to be written into a plurality of stripe regions each being in a strip shape;

a pattern existence determination unit configured to determine, for each of the plurality of stripe regions, whether a pattern is arranged in a stripe region concerned in the plurality of stripe regions;

a combining unit configured to combine successive stripe regions which have been determined to be without any pattern, as one no-pattern stripe region in the plurality of stripe regions;

a data processing unit configured to perform data processing of predetermined data processing contents for stripe regions which are not combined, without performing the data processing for the no-pattern stripe region; and

a writing unit configured to write a pattern on the target object, based on processed data.

10. A charged particle beam writing method comprising:

reading writing data of a region to be written in a target object, and dividing the region to be written into a plurality of stripe regions each being in a strip shape;

determining, for each of the plurality of stripe regions, whether a pattern is arranged in a stripe region concerned in the plurality of stripe regions;

combining successive stripe regions which have been determined to be without any pattern, as one no-pattern stripe region in the plurality of stripe regions;

performing data processing of predetermined data processing contents for stripe regions which are not combined, without performing the data processing for the no-pattern stripe region; and

writing a pattern on the target object, based on processed data.