JP2012109482A - Charged particle beam drawing device and charged particle beam drawing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drawing device for detecting an abnormal condition of a recording device such as a hard disc before abnormal stop occurs.SOLUTION: A drawing device 100 comprises a hard disc device 142; a read-out processing portion 12 for carrying out the data read-out processing of the hard disc device 142; a read-out time computing portion 14 for computing data read-out time in the data read-out processing; a determining portion 16 for determining whether the data read-out time is not less than a threshold value or not; an output portion 18 for outputting information indicating that the hard disc device 142 is abnormal when the data read-out time is not less than the threshold value as a result of the determination; a drawing data processing portion 10 for carrying out the data processing of drawing data, by changing the hard disc device 142 to another hard disc device when the data read-out time is not less than the threshold value as a result of the determination, and using another hard disc device; and a drawing portion 150 for drawing a pattern on a specimen by using a charged particle beam, on the basis of a data processing result.

Description

  The present invention relates to a charged particle beam drawing apparatus and a charged particle beam drawing method, and for example, relates to a drawing apparatus and method for detecting an abnormality in a hard disk device mounted on the drawing apparatus.

  Lithography technology, which is responsible for the progress of miniaturization of semiconductor devices, is an extremely important process for generating a pattern among semiconductor manufacturing processes. In recent years, with the high integration of LSI, circuit line widths required for semiconductor devices have been reduced year by year. In order to form a desired circuit pattern on these semiconductor devices, a highly accurate original pattern (also referred to as a reticle or a mask) is required. Here, the electron beam (electron beam) drawing technique has an essentially excellent resolution, and is used for producing a high-precision original pattern.

FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the operation of a conventional variable shaping type electron beam drawing apparatus.
The variable shaped electron beam (EB) drawing apparatus operates as follows. In the first aperture 410, a rectangular opening for forming the electron beam 330, for example, a rectangular opening 411 is formed. Further, the second aperture 420 is formed with a variable shaping opening 421 for shaping the electron beam 330 having passed through the opening 411 of the first aperture 410 into a desired rectangular shape. The electron beam 330 irradiated from the charged particle source 430 and passed through the opening 411 of the first aperture 410 is deflected by the deflector, passes through a part of the variable shaping opening 421 of the second aperture 420, and passes through a predetermined range. The sample 340 mounted on a stage that continuously moves in one direction (for example, the X direction) is irradiated. That is, the drawing area of the sample 340 mounted on the stage in which the rectangular shape that can pass through both the opening 411 of the first aperture 410 and the variable shaping opening 421 of the second aperture 420 is continuously moved in the X direction. Drawn on. A method of creating an arbitrary shape by passing both the opening 411 of the first aperture 410 and the variable shaping opening 421 of the second aperture 420 is referred to as a variable shaping method (VSB method) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Here, a large number of hard disk devices are mounted on the electron beam drawing apparatus in order to process a large amount of data at high speed. At the time of drawing, since the hard disk device is frequently read and written, the load on the hard disk device increases. The increase in load leads to failure of the hard disk device. In the drawing apparatus, such a failure of the hard disk device has become one of the causes of abnormal stopping of the drawing process. Conventionally, it has been difficult for a drawing apparatus to find an abnormality in a hard disk device until an abnormal stop occurs.

JP 2007-043083 A

  As described above, the electron beam lithography system is equipped with a large number of hard disk devices in order to process a large amount of data at high speed. However, it is difficult to find an abnormality in the hard disk device until an abnormal stop occurs. It was. If the drawing apparatus stops abnormally, it takes time to recover, and during that time, the drawing apparatus cannot perform drawing processing, and production of a sample such as a mask stops. Therefore, it is desirable to detect an abnormality of the hard disk device before an abnormal stop occurs. However, a sufficient method for solving such a problem has not been established.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a drawing apparatus and method capable of overcoming such a problem and detecting an abnormality of a storage device such as a hard disk device before an abnormal stop occurs.

A charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention includes:
A storage device;
A read processing unit for performing data read processing of the storage device;
A read time calculation unit that calculates the data read time of the storage device using the start time and end time in the data read processing of the storage device;
A determination unit for determining whether the data read time is equal to or greater than a threshold;
As a result of the determination, an output unit that outputs information indicating that the storage device is abnormal when the data read time is equal to or greater than a threshold;
As a result of the determination, when the data read time is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the data processing unit that performs the data processing of the drawing data using another storage device after replacing the storage device with another storage device;
A drawing unit that draws a pattern on a sample using a charged particle beam based on the data processed result;
It is provided with.

The charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes:
A storage device;
A write processing unit for inputting test data and writing the test data to a storage device;
A writing speed calculation unit for calculating a writing speed in the writing process to the storage device;
A determination unit that determines whether the writing speed is equal to or lower than a threshold;
As a result of the determination, an output unit that outputs information indicating that the storage device is abnormal when the writing speed is equal to or lower than a threshold value;
As a result of the determination, when the writing speed is equal to or lower than the threshold, the data processing unit that performs the data processing of the drawing data using another storage device after replacing the storage device with another storage device;
A drawing unit that draws a pattern on a sample using a charged particle beam based on the data processed result;
It is provided with.

The charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes:
A storage device;
A data processing unit that performs data processing of drawing data using a storage device;
A drawing unit that draws a pattern on a sample using a charged particle beam based on the data processed result;
A data amount measuring unit for measuring a transfer data amount for transferring the processed data to the storage device;
A correction count measurement unit that measures the number of corrections due to an error in the transfer process to the storage device;
A correction rate calculator that calculates a correction rate using the amount of transfer data and the number of corrections;
A determination unit for determining whether the correction rate is equal to or higher than a threshold;
As a result of the determination, an output unit that outputs information indicating that the storage device is abnormal when the correction rate is equal to or greater than a threshold value;
It is provided with.

The charged particle beam drawing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes:
A storage device;
A data processing unit that performs data processing of drawing data using a storage device;
A drawing unit that draws a pattern on a sample using a charged particle beam based on the data processed result;
A transfer rate measuring unit for measuring a transfer rate for transferring the processed data to the storage device;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the transfer rate is equal to or less than a threshold;
As a result of the determination, an output unit that outputs information indicating that the storage device is abnormal when the transfer rate is equal to or lower than a threshold value;
It is provided with.

The charged particle beam drawing method of one embodiment of the present invention includes:
Performing a data read process of the storage device;
Calculating the data read time of the storage device using the start time and the end time in the data read processing of the storage device;
Determining whether the data read time is greater than or equal to a threshold;
As a result of the determination, a step of outputting information indicating that the storage device is abnormal when the data read time is equal to or greater than a threshold value;
As a result of the determination, when the data read time is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the process of processing the drawing data using another storage device after replacing the storage device with another storage device;
Drawing a pattern on the sample using a charged particle beam based on the data processed results;
It is provided with.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, an abnormality of a storage device can be detected before an abnormal stop occurs. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an abnormal stop due to a failure of the storage device during drawing.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration of a drawing apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing main steps of a method for calculating a determination threshold in the first embodiment. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a read time of the hard disk device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an average read time and a standard deviation of the hard disk device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing main steps of the drawing method according to Embodiment 1. 4 is a graph showing an example of a result of a follow-up investigation of a reading time of an abnormal hard disk device in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing main steps of a method for calculating a determination threshold in the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing main steps of a drawing method according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing main steps of a method for calculating a determination threshold in the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing main steps of a drawing method according to Embodiment 3. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating operation | movement of the conventional variable shaping type | mold electron beam drawing apparatus.

  Hereinafter, in the embodiment, a configuration using an electron beam will be described as an example of a charged particle beam. However, the charged particle beam is not limited to an electron beam, and a beam using charged particles such as an ion beam may be used. Further, a variable shaping type drawing apparatus will be described as an example of the charged particle beam apparatus.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration of a drawing apparatus according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, the drawing apparatus 100 includes a drawing unit 150 and a control unit 160. The drawing apparatus 100 is an example of a charged particle beam drawing apparatus. In particular, it is an example of a variable shaping type (VSB type) drawing apparatus. The drawing unit 150 includes an electron column 102 and a drawing chamber 103. In the electron column 102, there are an electron gun 201, an illumination lens 202, a blanking deflector (blanker) 212, a blanking aperture 214, a first shaping aperture 203, a projection lens 204, a deflector 205, and a second shaping aperture. 206, an objective lens 207, a main deflector 208, and a sub deflector 209 are disposed. An XY stage 105 that can move at least in the XY direction is disposed in the drawing chamber 103. On the XY stage 105, a sample 101 to be drawn on which a resist is applied is disposed. The sample 101 includes an exposure mask and a silicon wafer for manufacturing a semiconductor device. Masks include mask blanks.

  The control unit 160 includes control computers 110 and 120, memories 112 and 118, an interface (I / F) circuit 114, a monitor 116, a control circuit 130, and a plurality of hard disk devices (HD) 140 and 142 (a, b, c). , D,...) (An example of a storage device). The control computers 110 and 120, the memories 112 and 118, the I / F circuit 114, the monitor 116, the control circuit 130, and the plurality of hard disk devices 140 and 142 are connected to each other via the bus 113.

  Further, in the control computer 110, a drawing data processing unit 10, a setting unit 11, a reading processing unit 12, a reading time calculating unit 14, a determining unit 16, an output unit 18, a writing processing unit 20, a writing speed calculating unit 22, and a determination A unit 24, a data amount measurement unit 26, a correction rate calculation unit 28, a determination unit 30, a transfer rate measurement unit 32, a determination unit 34, and a recording unit 36 are arranged. Drawing data processing unit 10, setting unit 11, read processing unit 12, read time calculation unit 14, determination unit 16, output unit 18, write processing unit 20, write speed calculation unit 22, determination unit 24, data amount measurement unit 26, Each function such as the correction rate calculation unit 28, the determination unit 30, the transfer rate measurement unit 32, the determination unit 34, and the recording unit 36 may be configured by software such as a program. Alternatively, it may be configured by hardware such as an electronic circuit. Alternatively, a combination thereof may be used. The input data necessary for the control computer 110 or the calculated result is stored in the memory 112 each time.

  In the control computer 120, a hard disk device (HD) control unit 40, a start time measurement unit 42, an end time measurement unit 44, and a correction count measurement unit 46 are arranged. Each function such as the hard disk device (HD) control unit 40, the start time measurement unit 42, the end time measurement unit 44, and the correction count measurement unit 46 may be configured by software such as a program. Alternatively, it may be configured by hardware such as an electronic circuit. Alternatively, a combination thereof may be used. The input data necessary for the control computer 120 or the calculated result is stored in the memory 118 each time.

  In addition, drawing data is input from the outside and stored in the hard disk device 140.

  Here, FIG. 1 shows a configuration necessary for explaining the first embodiment. The drawing apparatus 100 may normally have other necessary configurations.

  Here, the pattern to be drawn is composed of a huge number of combinations of graphic patterns, and the data is composed of a huge amount of data such as the arrangement coordinates, size, and graphic code of the graphic pattern. And the amount of data is increasing year by year. Therefore, a large number of storage devices 142 such as hard disks are required to process such data at high speed. For example, several tens to one hundred or more hard disk devices are mounted. In addition, a database such as a drawing history and an apparatus operation history is also stored in the storage device 142 such as a hard disk, and since the drawing history and the apparatus operation history increase with the operation, it is one of the factors that put a burden on the hard disk apparatus. It has become. Here, if there is an abnormality in the storage device 142 such as a hard disk device, data read / write processing is affected. For example, the magnetic force of the magnetic material due to deterioration and wear of the magnetic material is weakened, making it difficult to read information, and the reading operation is repeated many times. This repeat takes time. For example, the head cannot move to the intended track (storage area) by a single operation due to deterioration of the servo mechanism. In the drawing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, the drawing operation proceeds in real time while performing the data processing. Therefore, the drawing operation stops when the data read / write processing is delayed to some extent as compared with the normal state. Therefore, in the first embodiment, an abnormality of the storage device 142 such as a hard disk device is detected at an earlier stage than the drawing operation is stopped by the following method. In the first embodiment, an abnormality of the storage device 142 such as a hard disk device is detected by reading data in a state where drawing is not performed (offline).

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing main steps of the method for calculating the determination threshold in the first embodiment. Here, a hard disk device in a stage before being mounted on the drawing apparatus 100 may be used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be after being mounted on the drawing apparatus 100.

  First, as a hard disk device (HD) setting step (S102), a hard disk device to be diagnosed is set. In such a hard disk device, some data may be stored or may not be stored yet.

  As the HD reading step (S104), the target hard disk device is read. Data is read by accessing the entire area of the hard disk device. For hard disk devices of the same model and the same storage capacity, the same reading time is obtained if the rotation speed is the same.

  As a read start time and end time measurement step (S106), the read start time and end time of the hard disk device that is reading data are measured.

  In the read time calculation step (S108), the read time of the hard disk device is calculated by subtracting the start time from the read end time of the hard disk device.

  While replacing the hard disk device, each process from the HD setting process (S102) to the read time calculation process (S108) is repeatedly executed. As described above, data of the read time is acquired once for each hard disk device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the read time of the hard disk device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 shows, as an example, read times of a plurality of hard disk devices of the same model having a storage capacity of 73 GB and a rotation speed of 10,000 min ⁻¹ (rpm). In the example of FIG. 3, all the hard disk devices have a read time of about 1 hour 18 minutes.

  In the average value and standard deviation calculation step (S110), the average read time m and the standard deviation σ are calculated using the obtained sample data of the read times of the plurality of hard disk devices.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the average read time and standard deviation of the hard disk device in the first embodiment. In FIG. 4, the average read time m and the standard deviation σ are calculated for each of a plurality of hard disk devices having the same storage capacity, rotation speed, and model. In the example of FIG. 4, the number of effective samples is also shown. The average read time m can be calculated by the following equation (1) using the data read time Xi in the hard disk device i and the number of samples n.
(1) m = Σ (Xi / n)

The standard deviation σ can be calculated by the following equation (2) using the average read time m, the data read time Xi, and the number of samples n.
(2) σ = √ {Σ (Xi−m) ² / (n−1))

  As a 3σ calculation step (S112), a value of 3σ of the readout time corresponding to three times the standard deviation σ is calculated for each of a plurality of hard disk devices having the same storage capacity, rotation speed, and model. In the first embodiment, a read time t0 (t0 = m + 3σ) corresponding to 3σ is used as a determination threshold value as a reference value. If the number of the drawing devices 100 produced increases, the number of hard disk devices to be mounted increases accordingly. Therefore, the number of samples for calculating the reference value increases, and a more accurate value can be obtained. Then, the obtained reference value t0 (threshold value a) is input to the drawing apparatus 100. Alternatively, the calculation may be performed in the drawing apparatus 100.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing main steps of the drawing method according to the first embodiment. 5, the drawing method according to the first embodiment includes a hard disk device (HD) setting step (S120), an HD read step (S122), a read start time and end time measurement step (S124), and a read time calculation step (S126). ), Determination step (S128), output and exchange step (S130), determination step (S132), drawing data processing step (S134), and drawing step (S136).

  As the HD setting step (S120), the setting unit 11 in the control computer 110 sets a hard disk device 142 to be diagnosed from a plurality of hard disk devices 142 (a, b, c, d,...). In such a hard disk device, some data may be stored or may not be stored yet.

  As the HD read process (S122), the read processing unit 12 in the control computer 110 performs a read process of the target hard disk device 142. Data is read by accessing the entire area of the target hard disk device. Upon receiving a command from the read processing unit 12, the HD control unit 40 in the control computer 120 (which is an example of an HD controller) executes the operation of the target hard disk device 142. Further, when an error occurs in such processing, the recording unit 36 records an error message.

  As the read start time and end time measurement step (S124), the start time measurement unit 42 in the control computer 120 measures the start time of the read processing of the target hard disk device 142. Then, the end time measuring unit 44 in the control computer 120 measures the read end time of the target hard disk device 142.

  As the read time calculation step (S126), the read time calculation unit 14 inputs the read start time and the read end time from the control computer 120, and subtracts the start time from the read end time of the hard disk device, so that the hard disk device 142 Read time t is calculated.

  As a determination step (S128), the determination unit 16 determines whether or not the read time t of the target hard disk device 142 is equal to or greater than a reference value t0 (read time t0 corresponding to 3σ).

  As an output and exchange process (S130), the output unit 18 indicates that the target hard disk device 142 is abnormal when the data read time t of the target hard disk device 142 is equal to or greater than the threshold t0 as a result of the determination. Information (NG information) is output. Also, when the recording unit 36 records an error message in the data reading process, information (NG information) indicating that the target hard disk device 142 is abnormal is output. For example, it is displayed on the monitor 116. Further, the data is output to the user side via the I / F circuit 114. Since the diagnosed hard disk device 142 is determined to be abnormal, it is replaced with another hard disk device.

  As a determination step (S132), it is determined whether or not the diagnosis in each step described above has been completed for all the hard disk devices 142 mounted on the drawing apparatus 100. Then, each process from the HD setting process (S120) to the output and replacement process (S130) is repeated until all the hard disk devices 142 are completed.

  As described above, the abnormal hard disk device 142 can be replaced with a normal hard disk device 142 before the drawing process is performed. As described above, since the drawing apparatus 100 performs data processing and drawing operations in real time, the hard disk device 142 is required to exhibit normal functions. Therefore, it is preferable to use a value that can be said to be normal, that is, a reading time t0 corresponding to 3σ. However, the determination threshold value is not limited to this, and the determination threshold value may be relaxed with a slight margin (slightly longer than t0) within a range that does not affect the operation of the drawing apparatus.

  In the drawing data processing step (S134), the drawing data processing unit 10 performs data processing of drawing data using a normal hard disk device 142. In other words, the drawing data processing unit 10 replaces the hard disk device 142 with another hard disk device 142 when the data read time is equal to or greater than the threshold as a result of the determination, and uses the other hard disk device 142 to change the drawing data. Perform data processing. If the data read time is shorter than the threshold, the drawing data is processed without being used as it is. The drawing data processing unit 10 reads drawing data from the hard disk device 140, performs a plurality of stages of data conversion processing, and generates device-specific shot data. The hard disk device 142 is used when performing such multi-stage data conversion processing. The generated shot data is also stored in the hard disk device 142.

  As the drawing step (S136), the control circuit 130 reads the generated shot data and controls the drawing unit 150 along the shot data. The drawing unit 150 draws a pattern on the sample 101 using the electron beam 200 based on shot data that is a result of data processing. Specifically, the drawing unit 150 operates as follows.

  When the electron beam 200 emitted from the electron gun 201 (emission unit) passes through the blanking deflector 212, it is controlled by the blanking deflector 212 so as to pass through the blanking aperture 214 in the beam ON state. In the beam OFF state, the entire beam is deflected so as to be shielded by the blanking aperture 214. The electron beam 200 that has passed through the blanking aperture 214 until the beam is turned off after the beam is turned off becomes one shot of the electron beam. The blanking deflector 212 controls the direction of the passing electron beam 200 to alternately generate a beam ON state and a beam OFF state. For example, the voltage may be applied to the blanking deflector 212 when the beam is OFF, without applying a voltage when the beam is ON. The irradiation amount per shot of the electron beam 200 irradiated on the sample 101 is adjusted with the irradiation time T of each shot.

  As described above, the electron beam 200 of each shot generated by passing through the blanking deflector 212 and the blanking aperture 214 illuminates the entire first shaping aperture 203 having a rectangular hole, for example, a rectangular hole, by the illumination lens 202. To do. Here, the electron beam 200 is first formed into a rectangle, for example, a rectangle. Then, the electron beam 200 of the first aperture image that has passed through the first shaping aperture 203 is projected onto the second shaping aperture 206 by the projection lens 204. The deflector 205 controls the deflection of the first aperture image on the second shaping aperture 206 and can change the beam shape and dimensions (variable shaping is performed). Such variable shaping is performed for each shot, and is usually shaped into different beam shapes and dimensions for each shot. The electron beam 200 of the second aperture image that has passed through the second shaping aperture 206 is focused by the objective lens 207, deflected by the main deflector 208 and the sub deflector 209, and continuously moved. The desired position of the sample arranged at 105 is irradiated. For example, a desired SF reference in a plurality of subfields (SF) in which the drawing region of the sample 101 is virtually divided in a size that can be deflected by the sub-deflector 209 while following the XY stage 105 moving by the main deflector 208. The electron beam 200 is deflected to a position. Then, the sub deflector 209 deflects the electron beam 200 to each desired irradiation position in the SF. When the drawing position of the electron beam 200 is set by such multi-stage deflection, it is preferable that the drift correction is performed by correcting the reference position of the SF deflected by the main deflector 208, for example. As described above, a plurality of shots of the electron beam 200 are sequentially deflected onto the sample 101 serving as the substrate by each deflector.

  FIG. 6 is a graph showing an example of the result of a follow-up survey of the reading time of the abnormal hard disk device in the first embodiment. The vertical axis represents the readout time, and the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time (in weeks). When the hard disk device having a reading time exceeding the above-described reference value is continuously used, the reading time becomes longer with the passage of time, and finally a failure is obtained. Therefore, it can be seen that the abnormality detection based on the readout time described in the first embodiment is effective.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, by measuring the readout time in a state where the drawing process is not performed, an abnormality of the storage device can be detected before an abnormal stop occurs. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an abnormal stop due to a failure of the storage device during drawing. In addition, it is desirable to perform such diagnosis periodically. For example, it is desirable to carry out every time before the drawing process, once every day, or once every week.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the second embodiment, a configuration will be described in which an abnormality of a hard disk device is detected not by reading time but by writing speed. The configuration of the drawing apparatus 100 is the same as that shown in FIG. Further, the contents not specifically described below are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the main steps of the method for calculating the determination threshold in the second embodiment. Here, a hard disk device in a stage before being mounted on the drawing apparatus 100 may be used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be after being mounted on the drawing apparatus 100.

  First, in the HD setting step (S202), a hard disk device to be diagnosed is set. In such a hard disk device, some data may be stored or may not be stored yet.

  As a test data writing step (S204), test data is written into the free space of the target hard disk device. For hard disk devices of the same model and the same storage capacity, the same writing speed can be achieved as long as the rotation speed is the same.

  In the writing speed measuring step (S206), the writing speed of the hard disk device that is writing the test data is measured.

  While replacing the hard disk device, the steps from the HD setting step (S202) to the writing speed measurement step (S206) are repeatedly executed. As described above, write speed data is acquired once for each hard disk device.

As the average value and standard deviation calculation step (S208), the average write speed Vm and the standard deviation σ are calculated using the obtained sample data of the write speeds of the plurality of hard disk devices. The average writing speed Vm and the standard deviation σ are calculated for each of a plurality of hard disk devices having the same storage capacity, rotation speed, and model. The average writing speed Vm can be calculated by the following formula (3) using the writing speed Vi in the hard disk device i and the number of samples n.
(3) Vm = Σ (Vi / n)

The standard deviation σ can be calculated by the following equation (4) using the average writing speed Vm, the writing speed Vi, and the number of samples n.
(4) σ = √ {Σ (Vi−Vm) ² / (n−1))

  In the 3σ calculation step (S210), a value of 3σ of the writing speed, which is three times the standard deviation σ, is calculated for each of the plurality of hard disk devices having the same storage capacity, rotation speed, and model. In the second embodiment, the writing speed V1 ′ (V1 ′ = Vm−3σ) corresponding to 3σ is used as a reference value as a determination threshold. If the number of the drawing devices 100 produced increases, the number of hard disk devices to be mounted increases accordingly. Therefore, the number of samples for calculating the reference value increases, and a more accurate value can be obtained. Then, the obtained reference value V <b> 1 ′ (threshold value b) is input to the drawing apparatus 100. Alternatively, the calculation may be performed in the drawing apparatus 100.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing main steps of the drawing method according to the second embodiment. 5, the drawing method according to the first embodiment includes a hard disk device (HD) setting step (S220), a test data writing step (S222), a writing speed measuring step (S224), a determining step (S228), and an output and replacement step. A series of steps such as (S230), determination step (S232), drawing data processing step (S234), and drawing step (S236) are performed.

  As the HD setting step (S220), the setting unit 11 in the control computer 110 sets a hard disk device 142 to be diagnosed from a plurality of hard disk devices 142 (a, b, c, d,...). In such a hard disk device, some data may be stored or may not be stored yet.

  As a test data writing step (S222), the write processing unit 20 in the control computer 110 performs a write process on the target hard disk device 142. Test data is written in the free space of the target hard disk device. In response to an instruction from the write processing unit 20, the HD control unit 40 in the control computer 120 (which is an example of an HD controller) executes the operation of the target hard disk device 142. Further, when an error occurs in such processing, the recording unit 36 records an error message.

  As the write speed measurement step (S224), the write speed calculator 22 in the control computer 110 calculates the write speed V1 of the target hard disk device 142.

  As a determination step (S228), the determination unit 24 determines whether or not the writing speed V1 of the target hard disk device 142 is equal to or lower than a threshold value V1 ′ (V1 ′ = Vm−3σ).

  As an output and exchange process (S230), the output unit 18 indicates that the target hard disk device 142 is abnormal when the write speed V1 of the target hard disk device 142 is equal to or lower than the threshold value V1 ′ as a result of the determination. Information (NG information) is output. Even when the recording unit 36 records an error message in the data writing process, information (NG information) indicating that the target hard disk device 142 is abnormal is output. For example, it is displayed on the monitor 116. Further, the data is output to the user side via the I / F circuit 114. Since the diagnosed hard disk device 142 is determined to be abnormal, it is replaced with another hard disk device.

  As a determination step (S232), it is determined whether or not the diagnosis in each step described above has been completed for all the hard disk devices 142 mounted on the drawing apparatus 100. Then, each process from the HD setting process (S220) to the output and replacement process (S230) is repeated until all the hard disk devices 142 are completed.

  As described above, the abnormal hard disk device 142 can be replaced with a normal hard disk device 142 before the drawing process is performed. As described above, since the drawing apparatus 100 performs data processing and drawing operations in real time, the hard disk device 142 is required to exhibit normal functions. Therefore, it is preferable to use a value that can be said to be normal, that is, the writing speed V1 'corresponding to 3σ as the determination threshold. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a determination threshold value having a slight margin may be used as long as it does not affect the operation of the drawing apparatus.

  Hereinafter, the contents of each step from the drawing data processing step (S234) to the drawing step (S236) are the same as those from the drawing data processing step (S134) to the drawing step (S136) of the first embodiment.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, an abnormality in the storage device can be detected before an abnormal stop occurs by measuring the writing speed without performing the drawing process. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an abnormal stop due to a failure of the storage device during drawing. In addition, it is desirable to perform such diagnosis periodically. For example, it is desirable to carry out every time before the drawing process, once every day, or once every week.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the first and second embodiments, the case where an abnormal hard disk device is detected in a state where the drawing operation is not performed (offline) is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the third embodiment, a case where an abnormal hard disk device is detected (online) while performing a drawing operation will be described. The configuration of the drawing apparatus 100 is the same as that shown in FIG. Further, the contents not specifically described below are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing main steps of the method for calculating the determination threshold in the third embodiment. Here, a hard disk device in a stage before being mounted on the drawing apparatus 100 may be used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be after being mounted on the drawing apparatus 100.

  First, as an HD setting step (S302), a hard disk device to be diagnosed is set. In such a hard disk device, some data may be stored or may not be stored yet.

  As a data transfer step (S304), test data is transferred to the target hard disk device.

  In the transfer amount measurement step (S306), the transfer amount to the hard disk device that is transferring the test data is measured.

  In parallel, as a transfer rate measurement step (S307), the transfer rate to the hard disk device that is transferring the test data is measured. For hard disk devices of the same model and the same storage capacity, all transfer speeds are comparable if the rotation speed is the same.

  In the correction count measurement step (S308), the number of corrections that resulted in an error with respect to data transfer is measured.

  In the correction rate calculation step (S310), a correction rate indicating the ratio of the number of corrections to the transfer amount is calculated. Correction rate = number of corrections / transfer amount.

  While replacing the hard disk device, the steps from the HD setting step (S302) to the correction rate calculation step (S310) including the transfer rate measurement step (S307) are repeatedly executed. As described above, transfer rate data and correction rate data are acquired once for each hard disk device.

As the average value and standard deviation calculation step (S312), the average correction rate Mm and the standard deviation σ are calculated using the obtained sample data of the correction rates of the plurality of hard disk devices. The average correction rate Mm and the standard deviation σ are calculated for each of a plurality of hard disk devices having the same storage capacity, rotation speed, and model. The average correction rate Mm can be calculated by the following equation (5) using the correction rate Mi in the hard disk device i and the number of samples n.
(5) Mm = Σ (Mi / n)

The standard deviation σ can be calculated by the following equation (6) using the average correction rate Em, the correction rate Ei, and the number of samples n.
(6) σ = √ {Σ (Mi−Mm) ² / (n−1))

Further, as the average value and standard deviation calculation step (S313), the average transfer rate Vm ′ and the standard deviation σ are calculated using the obtained sample data of the transfer rates of the plurality of hard disk devices. An average transfer speed Vm ′ and a standard deviation σ are calculated for each of a plurality of hard disk devices having the same storage capacity, rotation speed, and model. The average transfer rate Vm ′ can be calculated by the following equation (7) using the transfer rate Vi ′ in the hard disk device i and the number of samples n.
(7) Vm ′ = Σ (Vi ′ / n)

The standard deviation σ can be calculated by the following equation (8) using the average transfer rate Vm ′, the transfer rate Vi ′, and the number of samples n.
(8) σ = √ {Σ (Vi′−Vm ′) ² / (n−1))

  In the 3σ calculation step (S314), the value of 3σ of the correction rate, which is three times the standard deviation σ, is calculated for each of the plurality of hard disk devices having the same storage capacity, rotation speed, and model. In the third embodiment, a correction rate M0 (M0 = Mm + 3σ) corresponding to 3σ is used as a reference value as a determination threshold. If the number of the drawing devices 100 produced increases, the number of hard disk devices to be mounted increases accordingly. Therefore, the number of samples for calculating the reference value increases, and a more accurate value can be obtained. Then, the obtained correction rate M0 (threshold c) is input to the drawing apparatus 100. Alternatively, the calculation may be performed in the drawing apparatus 100.

  In the 3σ calculation step (S315), a value of 3σ of the transfer rate, which is three times the standard deviation σ, is calculated for each of a plurality of hard disk devices having the same storage capacity, rotation speed, and model. In the third embodiment, the transfer speed V2 ′ (V2 ′ = Vm′−3σ) corresponding to 3σ is used as a determination threshold value as a reference value. If the number of the drawing devices 100 produced increases, the number of hard disk devices to be mounted increases accordingly. Therefore, the number of samples for calculating the reference value increases, and a more accurate value can be obtained. The obtained transfer rate V2 '(threshold value d) is input to the drawing apparatus 100. Alternatively, the calculation may be performed in the drawing apparatus 100.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing main steps of the drawing method according to the third embodiment. 5, the drawing method according to the first embodiment includes a drawing data processing step (S320), a data transfer step (S322), a drawing step (S324), a transfer amount measurement step (S330), and a transfer rate measurement step. (S331), correction count measurement step (S332), correction rate calculation step (S334), determination step (S336), determination step (S337), NG output step (S338), and replacement step (S340) A series of steps are performed.

  In the drawing data processing step (S320), the drawing data processing unit 10 performs data processing of drawing data using a plurality of hard disk devices 142. The contents of the data processing are the same as in the first embodiment.

  As the data transfer step (S322), the drawing data processing unit 10 outputs the data processed data to at least one of the plurality of hard disk devices 142. Since there are a plurality of data processing steps, the data may be transferred to a different hard disk device 142 each time.

  In the drawing step (S324), the drawing unit 150 draws a pattern on the sample 101 using the electron beam 200 based on the data processed result.

  As the transfer amount measurement step (S330), the data amount measurement unit 26 measures the transfer amount (transfer data amount) when transferring the processed data to the hard disk device 142.

  In parallel, as the transfer rate measuring step (S331), the transfer rate measuring unit 32 measures the transfer rate V2 when transferring the processed data to the hard disk device 142.

  As the correction count measurement step (S 332), the correction count measurement unit 46 measures the number of corrections due to errors in the transfer process to the hard disk device 142.

  As the correction rate calculation step (S334), the correction rate calculation unit 28 calculates the correction rate M using the transfer amount (transfer data amount) and the number of corrections. The correction rate M indicates the ratio of the number of corrections to the transfer amount, and can be calculated by the correction rate M = the number of corrections / the transfer amount.

  As a determination step (S336), the determination unit 30 determines whether or not the correction rate M is equal to or higher than a threshold value M0 (M0 = Mm + 3σ).

  As a determination step (S337), the determination unit 34 determines whether or not the measured transfer rate V2 is equal to or less than a threshold value V2 '(V2' = Vm'-3σ).

  As an output step (S338), the output unit 18 determines that the target hard disk device 142 is abnormal when the correction rate M of the target hard disk device 142 is equal to or greater than the threshold M0 as a result of the determination (NG). Information). In addition, as a result of the determination, the output unit 18 outputs information (NG information) indicating that the target hard disk device 142 is abnormal when the transfer speed V2 of the target hard disk device 142 is equal to or less than the threshold value V2 ′. To do. Even when the recording unit 36 records an error message in the data writing process, information (NG information) indicating that the target hard disk device 142 is abnormal is output. For example, it is displayed on the monitor 116. Further, the data is output to the user side via the I / F circuit 114.

  As the replacement step (S340), after the drawing step (S324) ends, the hard disk device 142 determined to be abnormal is replaced with another hard disk device. Since the case where both threshold values are normal is used, it does not mean that a failure occurs immediately even if the threshold value is determined to be abnormal. Therefore, in the third embodiment in which abnormality detection is performed while performing drawing processing, after the drawing step (S324) is completed, the hard disk device 142 determined to be abnormal is replaced with another hard disk device.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, the abnormality of the storage device can be detected before the abnormal stop occurs by measuring the transfer error correction rate or the transfer speed while the drawing process is being performed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an abnormal stop due to a failure of the storage device during the subsequent drawing. In addition, it is desirable to perform such diagnosis periodically. For example, it is desirable to perform the drawing every time.

  In the third embodiment, both the transfer error correction rate and the transfer speed are measured, but either one may be measured. Then, the abnormality of the storage device may be detected before the abnormal stop occurs while being measured.

  The embodiments have been described above with reference to specific examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these specific examples.

  In addition, although descriptions are omitted for parts and the like that are not directly required for the description of the present invention, such as a device configuration and a control method, a required device configuration and a control method can be appropriately selected and used. For example, although the description of the control unit configuration for controlling the drawing apparatus 100 is omitted, it goes without saying that the required control unit configuration is appropriately selected and used.

  In addition, all charged particle beam writing apparatuses and methods that include elements of the present invention and that can be appropriately modified by those skilled in the art are included in the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Drawing data processing part 11 Setting part 12 Reading processing part 14 Reading time calculating part 16 Determination part 18 Output part 20 Writing processing part 22 Writing speed calculating part 24 Determination part 26 Data amount measuring part 28 Correction rate calculating part 30 Determination part 32 Transfer Speed measurement unit 34 Determination unit 36 Recording unit 40 HD control unit 42 Start time measurement unit 44 End time measurement unit 46 Correction frequency measurement unit 100 Drawing device 101 Sample 102 Electron barrel 103 Drawing chamber 105 XY stage 110, 120 Control computer 112, 118 Memory 113 Bus 114 I / F circuit 116 Monitor 130 Control circuit 140, 142 Hard disk device 150 Drawing unit 160 Control unit 200 Electron beam 201 Electron gun 202 Illumination lens 203 First shaping aperture 204 Projection lens 205 Deflector 206 Second Molding aperture 207 Objective lens 208 Main deflector 209 Sub deflector 212 Blanking deflector 214 Blanking aperture 330 Electron beam 340 Sample 410 First aperture 411 Opening 420 Second aperture 421 Variable shaping aperture 430 Charged particle source

Claims (5)

A storage device;
A read processing unit for performing data read processing of the storage device;
A read time calculation unit for calculating a data read time of the storage device using a start time and an end time in the data read processing of the storage device;
A determination unit for determining whether the data read time is equal to or greater than a threshold;
As a result of the determination, an output unit that outputs information indicating that the storage device is abnormal when the data read time is equal to or greater than a threshold value;
As a result of the determination, when the data read time is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the data processing unit that performs the data processing of the drawing data using the other storage device after replacing the storage device with another storage device;
A drawing unit that draws a pattern on a sample using a charged particle beam based on the data processed result;
A charged particle beam drawing apparatus comprising: A storage device;
A write processing unit that inputs test data and writes the test data to the storage device;
A writing speed calculation unit for calculating a writing speed in the writing process to the storage device;
A determination unit for determining whether the writing speed is equal to or lower than a threshold;
As a result of the determination, an output unit that outputs information indicating that the storage device is abnormal when the writing speed is equal to or lower than a threshold value;
As a result of the determination, when the writing speed is equal to or lower than a threshold value, a data processing unit that performs data processing of drawing data using the other storage device after replacing the storage device with another storage device;
A drawing unit that draws a pattern on a sample using a charged particle beam based on the data processed result;
A charged particle beam drawing apparatus comprising: A storage device;
A data processing unit that performs data processing of drawing data using the storage device;
A drawing unit that draws a pattern on a sample using a charged particle beam based on the data processed result;
A data amount measuring unit for measuring a transfer data amount for transferring data processed data to the storage device;
A correction count measuring unit that measures the number of corrections due to an error in the transfer process to the storage device;
Using the transfer data amount and the number of corrections, a correction rate calculation unit that calculates a correction rate;
A determination unit for determining whether the correction rate is equal to or higher than a threshold;
As a result of the determination, an output unit that outputs information indicating that the storage device is abnormal when the correction rate is equal to or higher than a threshold value;
A charged particle beam drawing apparatus comprising: A storage device;
A data processing unit that performs data processing of drawing data using the storage device;
A drawing unit that draws a pattern on a sample using a charged particle beam based on the data processed result;
A transfer rate measuring unit for measuring a transfer rate of transferring data processed data to the storage device;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the transfer rate is equal to or less than a threshold;
As a result of the determination, an output unit that outputs information indicating that the storage device is abnormal when the transfer rate is equal to or lower than a threshold value;
A charged particle beam drawing apparatus comprising: Performing a data read process of the storage device;
Calculating the data read time of the storage device using the start time and end time in the data read processing of the storage device;
Determining whether the data read time is greater than or equal to a threshold;
As a result of determination, outputting the information indicating that the storage device is abnormal when the data read time is equal to or greater than a threshold;
As a result of the determination, when the data read time is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the process of performing drawing data processing using the other storage device after replacing the storage device with another storage device;
Drawing a pattern on the sample using a charged particle beam based on the data processed results;
A charged particle beam drawing method comprising:

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