JP2501976B2 - Charged particle beam exposure apparatus and charged particle beam control method - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[Table of Contents] Industrial Application Field of the Prior Art (FIGS. 11 and 12) Problem to be Solved by the Invention (FIG. 13) Means for Solving the Problem (FIGS. 1 to 3) Action Example (1) Description of the first embodiment (FIGS. 4 to 8) (2) Description of the second embodiment (FIGS. 9 and 10)

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a charged particle beam exposure apparatus and a control method therefor. More specifically, the present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit (hereinafter The present invention relates to an apparatus for performing pattern drawing processing of an LSI and a control method thereof.

In recent years, with high integration and high density of LSI, fine pattern exposure is being replaced with a method using a charged particle beam, for example, pattern exposure by an electron beam or an ion beam, instead of photolithography.

Incidentally, a stage continuous movement exposure system has been developed in order to speed up the pattern drawing process and improve the processing efficiency of the apparatus. According to this, when the electron beam is moved from an arbitrary deflection region of the exposure target to be moved by the continuous stage to another deflection region, and the drawing process is continued,
The main deflection data having the same bit length calculated based on the position deviation data between the stage position data having the same bit length and the stage position reading data is corrected and set in the main deflection amplifier.

However, in order to speed up the exposure processing and improve the throughput of the apparatus, a method of reducing the output bit length of the main deflection data as much as possible to speed up the data processing related to the correction is considered. To be

If the output bit length of the main deflection data is shortened, there is a possibility that the electromagnetic deflector may malfunction due to overflow of data or loss of data in the correction arithmetic circuit. This causes a situation in which pattern exposure processing is performed at the wrong position on the exposure target.

Therefore, even when the bit length of the main deflection data is made shorter than the bit length of the stage position data or the like, the electron beam can be accurately deflected to the writing start position by accurately detecting the drawable range. Therefore, there is a demand for an apparatus and method capable of increasing the speed of the exposure process of the stage continuous movement system.

[0008]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 11 to 13 are explanatory views of a conventional example. FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of an electron beam exposure apparatus according to a conventional example.

In FIG. 11, an apparatus for drawing an LSI pattern on an object to be exposed 8 such as a continuously moving semiconductor wafer by an electron beam 1a is an electron gun 1, an electrostatic deflector 2, an electromagnetic deflector 3, The sub deflection driving circuit 4, the main deflection driving circuit 5, the laser length measuring device 6A, the stage moving device 6B, the stage control circuit 6C, the stage position correcting circuit 6D, the stage 6E, the CPU (central processing unit) 7, and the like.

The main deflection drive circuit 5 includes a main differential data buffer 5A, a main differential position setting circuit 5B, and an addition / addition circuit.
It comprises an output circuit 5C, a second correction operation circuit 5D, a waiting time circuit 5E, a main deflection amplifier 5F, a field memory 5G and other processors DAC2, DAC3, AMP2, AMP3.

Further, the function of the exposure apparatus is that the exposure target 8 placed on the stage 6E is continuously moved by the stage moving device 6B, and at the same time, the exposure target 8 from the electron gun 1 is moved.
When the electron beam 1a is emitted to the electron beam deflector 2, the electrostatic deflector 2 and the electromagnetic deflector 3 deflect the electron beam 1a.

FIG. 12 shows a control flowchart of an electron beam according to a conventional example. In FIG. 12, for example, when the electron beam 1a is moved between the sub-deflection exposure areas of the exposure target 8 that is continuously moved by the stage to perform the pattern drawing processing on the other sub-deflection exposure areas, first, the step P
At 1, the reading processing of the stage positions P1, P2 ... Pn of the exposure target 8 is performed.

Then, in step P2, the main deflection data MD1
Perform the correction process of 1. At this time, in the main deflection drive circuit 5, the main differential position setting circuit 5 is based on the main deflection exposure data MD input to the main differential data buffer 5A.
The deflection destination position of the electromagnetic deflector is set by B. Also,
Position deviation data Dε which is the difference between the main deflection data MD1 relating to the deflection destination, the stage position data STD subtracted by the stage control circuit 6C, and the stage position read data SPD.
And are calculated by the adder / output circuit 5C.

The correction value such as the deflection distortion in the main deflection area read from the field memory 5G is corrected by the second correction arithmetic circuit 5D based on the main deflection data MD11.

The corrected main deflection data MD12 is signal-processed by the main deflection amplifier 5F, and the main deflection signal S21 is output to the electromagnetic deflector 3. As a result, the electron beam 1a is subjected to main deflection processing.

Next, waiting time processing is performed based on the main deflection data MD12 corrected in step P3. At this time, the waiting time circuit 5E generates a signal according to the deflection amount (jump amount) of the electron beam 1a based on the main deflection data MD12 from the second correction calculation circuit 5D.

This signal defines the time until the main deflection amplifier 5F is settled, that is, the waiting time from the main deflection of the electron beam 1a in the blanking state to the stabilization.

In step P4, the electron beam 1a is irradiated and deflected on the object 8 to be exposed to perform pattern drawing processing.
At this time, in the sub-deflection drive circuit 4, based on the sub-deflection exposure data SD input to the sub-def data buffer 4A, the sub-def pattern generation circuit 4B, the first correction arithmetic circuit 4C, and the D / A converter DAC1. The signal is processed by the sub deflection amplifier 4D and the sub deflection signal SSD is output to the electrostatic deflector 2.

As a result, the electron beam 1a is subjected to sub-deflection processing. The start timing of the pattern drawing processing in the sub deflection area is performed by the drawing start signal S31 from the waiting time generation circuit 5E of the main deflection drive circuit 5.

In this way, the electron beam 1a is deflected and irradiated onto the exposure target 8 that moves continuously, and the LSI pattern drawing process can be performed.

[0021]

By the way, according to the conventional example, when the electron beam 1a is moved from an arbitrary deflection area of the exposure target 8 that moves continuously to another deflection area, the stage position data is obtained in step P2. Position deviation data Dε which is the difference between STD and stage position read data SPD
And main deflection data MD11 calculated based on the main deflection data MD1 output from the main differential position setting circuit 5B.
Is further corrected by the second correction operation circuit 5D to the main deflection data MD12, which is set in the main deflection amplifier 5F, and the main deflection signal S21 is output to the electromagnetic deflector 3.

After the waiting time for the electromagnetic deflector to stabilize, the electron beam 1a is moved to the sub-deflection start position (drawing start position) of the exposure target 8 based on the drawing start signal S31 output from the waiting time generation circuit 5E. ) Is irradiated.

Further, according to the conventional example, in the continuous stage movement exposure method, the main deflection position Dx of the electromagnetic deflector is given by the following equation: Dx = movement target position ST−actual movement position PX + center position O ... (1) To be

However, the movement target position ST is the in-wafer cell target position and is the stage position data STD set in the target value setting register. The actual movement position PX is a stage laser length measurement value, which is stage position read data SPD measured by the laser length measuring device 6A. The center position O is the center position of the subfield in the cell, and is the main deflection data MD1 output from the main differential position setting circuit 5B.

For example, when the object 8 to be exposed that moves on the continuous stage is a 4-inch semiconductor wafer, the moving distance is 1
When the least significant bit is 0.01 [μm], the stage position data S of 25 [bit] length is 0.16 [cm].
TD required. In addition, the stage position read data SPD also has a bit length of 25 [bits].

The main deflection position Dx of the electromagnetic deflector 3 is of course composed of main deflection data MD1 of 25 [bit] length. However, in order to speed up the exposure process and improve the throughput of the apparatus, a method of reducing the output bit length of the main deflection data MD1 as much as possible to speed up the data process related to the correction can be considered. For example, it is a method of reducing the output bit length of the electromagnetic deflector to about 20 [bit] with a signature. In this case, when the least significant bit LSB is 0.01 [μm], the deflection range based on the in-cell subfield center position of the above formula (1) is -5242.88 to +.
It is 5242.87 [μm].

By this, 25 bits-25 bits + 2
As a result of 0 bits ≧ 20 bits, the output bit related to the electromagnetic deflector 3 is reduced by 5 [bits]. As a result, for example, there is a possibility that the electromagnetic deflector 3 malfunctions due to overflow of data or lack of data in the correction arithmetic circuit 5D. .

This is because before the stage 6E reaches the drawable range, the electromagnetic deflector 3 is erroneously operated or is operated in a state where its operation timing is missed.
That is, when the above calculation result is +5242.87 μm, -52
Electromagnetic deflector (main deflection coil) determined to be 42.88 μm
Is deflected in the opposite direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the main deflection exposure area C where the target stage position is Px
Before the stage 6E reaches, the electron beam 1a may be erroneously irradiated to the exposure target 8 or may be irradiated after passing the target stage position.

Further, when the correction process is performed based on the main deflection data MD1 and the position deviation data Dε, since the moving direction (+, −) of the stage is not included in the calculation process, the drawing start position A [x, The main deflection to [y] causes the electromagnetic deflector 3 to be erroneously moved to the drawing non-starting position A [-x, -y], that is, to move it in the opposite direction.

In particular, it becomes remarkable when a pattern-excluded area that does not require pattern drawing is included. For example, as a result of deleting the output bit of the electromagnetic deflector 3 by 5 [bits], it is inevitable that the same main deflection position Dx exists in the main deflection region and another main deflection region.
When the pattern drawing density is high, the malfunction of the electromagnetic deflector 3 can be avoided, but when the pattern removal area is included, a control error or the like is likely to occur.

Therefore, there is a problem in that the pattern exposure process is performed at the wrong position on the object 8 to be exposed, resulting in a decrease in production yield and a decrease in reliability of the exposure process according to the continuous stage moving method. .

The present invention was created in view of the problems of the conventional example, and the drawing range is accurate even if the bit length of the main deflection data is shorter than the bit length of the stage position data. PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charged particle beam exposure apparatus and a charged particle beam control method capable of accurately detecting the electron beam and accurately deflecting the electron beam to a drawing start position to speed up an exposure process of a stage continuous movement system. With the goal.

[0033]

FIGS. 1 and 2 are principle views (Nos. 1 and 2) of a charged particle beam exposure apparatus according to the present invention, and FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) show the present invention. The principle diagrams of the method for controlling the charged particle beam are shown.

The charged particle beam exposure apparatus of the present invention is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.
Charged particle generating means 11 for emitting the light and the exposure target 1
8, a stage drive / control means 16 for controlling movement / position reading, and a first for sub-deflecting the charged particle beam 11a.
Deflection means 12 and second deflection means 13 for mainly deflecting the charged particle beam 11a, and drawing range setting means (control means 17) for outputting range setting data AD for setting the drawing range of the charged particle beam 11a. , A first deflection drive means 14 for controlling the amount of deflection by the first deflection means 12
And the movement target of the exposed object 18 and the exposed object 18
Drawable detection means 1 for detecting whether or not drawing is possible based on the difference from the actual movement position of the above and the range setting data AD.
2A based on the detection result.
The second deflection driving means 15 for controlling the amount of deflection by the deflection means 13 of FIG.

In the charged particle beam exposure apparatus, as shown in FIG. 2, the stage drive / control means 16 includes stage position data STD relating to the movement target of the object to be exposed 18 and the object to be exposed 18. The second deflection driving means 15 has an error calculating means 15B for detecting the position deviation data Dε based on the position read data SPD related to the actual movement position, and the second deflection driving means 15 has the charged particle beam based on the position deviation data Dε. Main deflection data MD1 for main deflection of 11a
And a drawable detection signal S based on the range setting data AD and the corrected main deflection data MD12.
2 is output.

In the charged particle beam exposure apparatus, the second deflection means 13 causes the drawable detection signal S2.
The main deflection of the charged particle beam 11a is based on

Further, in the charged particle beam exposure apparatus, the range setting data AD for setting the drawing range of the charged particle beam 11a is variably set according to the deflection performance of the second deflecting means 13.

The first method of controlling a charged particle beam according to the present invention is, as shown in FIG. 3A, a charged particle beam for deflecting and irradiating a continuously moving object to be exposed 18 with the charged particle beam 11a. In the control method, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3B, first, in step P1, the movement target values ST1, ST2 ... STx ... STn of the exposure target 18 and the actual movement positions P1, P2 ... Px ... Pn are set. The main deflection position Dx is corrected based on the position deviation ε, and then the step P2A is performed.
The exposed object 18 has reached the drawable range in which the charged particle beam 11a can be deflected based on the corrected main deflection position Dx [ε] and the actual moving direction ± of the exposed object 18. It is characterized in that a first judgment processing for judging whether or not it is carried out is carried out, and thereafter, in step P3, a main deflection processing of the charged particle beam 11a is carried out based on the first judgment processing.

The second control method of the charged particle beam is, as shown in the flowchart of the first control method of the charged particle beam of FIG. 3B, carried out in the step P2B after the step P2A. A second step of determining whether or not the charged particle beam 11a has reached the drawable range based on the result of the determination process 1 and the actual movement position Px of the exposed object 18 immediately before the main deflection of the charged particle beam 11a It is characterized by performing the judgment processing of.

In the first and second control methods of the charged particle beam, the first determination process is the actual movement positions P1, P2 ... Pn of the exposure target 18 that moves continuously.
Of the main deflection data MD1 for main deflection of the charged particle beam 11a based on the stage position read data SPD obtained by the read process and the stage position data STD which is the movement target value of the exposure target 18. Correction processing is performed, and detection processing of the drawable range in which the charged particle beam 11a can be deflected is performed based on the corrected main deflection data MD12 and the range setting data AD that sets the drawing range of the charged particle beam 11a. It is characterized by doing.

Furthermore, the first and second charged particle beam
In the above control method, as a result of the detection process, the actual movement positions P1, P2 ... Pn of the exposure target 18 are charged particle beams.
When the drawable range of 11a is not reached, at least the actual movement positions P1, P2, ...
n reading processing is continued, and the actual movement positions P1, P
When Pn reaches the drawable range of the charged particle beam 11a, the main deflection processing of the charged particle beam 11a is performed, and the actual moving positions P1, P2 ... Pn are the drawable range of the charged particle beam 11a. When it exceeds the above, the main deflection processing of the charged particle beam 11a is not performed, and the above object is achieved.

[0042]

In the charged particle beam exposure apparatus of the present invention,
The drawing possibility detection means detects whether or not the exposure target has reached the movement target based on the difference between the actual movement position of the exposure target and the movement target, and further defines the drawing range of the charged particle beam. By taking into account the setting data, it is detected whether or not the exposure target has reached the drawable range.
That is, the charged particle beam exposure apparatus of the present invention is, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, charged particle generation means 11, first and second deflection means 12 and 13, first and second deflection drive means 14,
15, the stage driving / controlling means 16 and the control means 17 having the drawing range setting means for outputting the range setting data are provided, and the second deflection driving means can deflect / irradiate the charged particle beam 11a. Drawability detecting means 15 for judging whether or not the exposure target 18 has reached the drawable area.
A is provided.

For example, when the charged particle beam 11a is emitted from the charged particle generating means 11 toward the object to be exposed 18,
The charged particle beam 11 a is blanked and deflected by the first deflection means 12 via the first deflection drive means 14. In this state, the movement control of the exposure target 18 is performed by the stage drive / control means 16 via the control means 17, and the actual movement position is read.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the position is determined based on the stage position data STD relating to the movement target of the exposure target 18 and the stage position reading data SPD relating to the actual movement position of the exposure target 18. The deviation data Dε is detected by the error calculating means 15B. Further, the position deviation data D
Main deflection data MD1 for main deflection of the charged particle beam 11a is corrected by the data calculation means 15C based on ε.

Further, based on the main deflection data MD12 calculated in relation to the main deflection of the charged particle beam 11a and the actual moving direction ± of the object to be exposed 18, the deflection /
The drawability detection means 15A determines whether or not the exposure target 18 has reached the drawable area where irradiation is possible, and as a result, the drawable detection signal S2 is output.

Here, the content of the drawable detection signal S2 is 3
Shows two states. The first is a state in which the stage on which the object to be exposed 18 is placed has not yet reached the drawable area capable of performing the main deflection processing of the charged particle beam 11a, and the second is the state in which it has reached the drawable area. The state, the third, shows a state in which it reaches the drawable area but exceeds the drawable area.

The drawable detection signal S2 is supplied from the drawable detection means 15A to the second deflection drive means on the basis of the range setting data AD for setting the drawing range of the charged particle beam 11a and the corrected main deflection data MD1. 15 is output to the output unit.

As a result, the charged particle beam 11a is mainly deflected by the second deflecting means 13 based on the drawable detection signal S2. Therefore, even when the bit length of the main deflection data MD1 is set shorter than the bit length of the stage position data SPD, the drawing range can be set without deflecting the charged particle beam to the wrong position of the exposure target 18. It is possible to detect the charged particle beam with high accuracy, and it is possible to accurately perform the main deflection of the charged particle beam to the drawing start position.

As a result, pattern exposure processing at the wrong position of the exposure target 18 due to the main deflection malfunction is avoided, the production yield of semiconductor devices is improved, and the stage continuous movement method is concerned. It is possible to speed up the exposure process.

The range setting data AD for setting the drawing range of the charged particle beam 11a is variably set according to the deflection performance of the second deflecting means 13. As a result, it becomes possible to perform the pattern exposure processing suitable for the deflection performance of the second deflecting means 13.

Further, according to the first control method of the charged particle beam of the present invention, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3B, the movement target values ST1, ST2, ... Of the object to be exposed 18 in steps P1 and P2A. STx ... STn and actual movement positions P1, P2 ...
The main deflection position Dx [ε] corrected based on the position deviation ε from Px ... Pn and the actual movement direction ± of the exposure target 18
Based on the above, the first judgment processing for judging whether or not the exposed object 18 has reached the drawable range in which the charged particle beam 11a can be deflected is performed.

For example, the actual movement positions P1, P2 ... Pn of the exposure target 18 that moves continuously by the stage are read, and the stage position read data SPD obtained by the reading process and the movement target value of the exposure target 18 are set. Main deflection data MD1 for mainly deflecting the charged particle beam 11a is corrected based on the stage position data STD, and the corrected main deflection data MD1 and range setting data AD for setting a drawing range of the charged particle beam 11a are corrected. The drawable range in which the charged particle beam 11a can be deflected is detected based on the above.

Further, as a result of the detection processing, the exposure target 18
The actual moving positions P1, P2 ... Pn of the charged particle beam 11a
When the drawable range of 18 is not reached, the exposure target 18
Pn of the actual moving positions P1, P2, ... Pn is continued, and when the actual moving positions P1, P2, ... Pn reach the drawable range of the charged particle beam 11a, the main deflection processing of the charged particle beam 11a is performed. To the actual movement position P
When 1, P2 ... Pn exceed the drawable range of the charged particle beam 11a, the main deflection processing of the charged particle beam 11a is not performed.

Therefore, in order to speed up the exposure process and improve the throughput of the apparatus, the output bit length of the main deflection data MD1 is reduced as much as possible to speed up the data process related to the correction. For example, even when the output bit length of the second deflection means 13 is reduced from the conventional 25 [bit] length to about 20 [bit] with a sign, the center position of the subfield in the cell is used as a reference. The deflection range is -5242.88 to +5242.87 [μm] when the least significant bit LSB is 0.01 [μm], but the first drawing process is performed in step P2 to set the target drawing start position. The charged particle beam 11a can be mainly deflected.

Therefore, before the object to be exposed 18 reaches the drawable range, the second deflecting means 13 is erroneously operated or the operation timing is missed and the charged particle beam is lost.
Irradiation with 11a also disappears.

As a result, even when the bit length of the main deflection data MD1 is set shorter than the bit length of the stage position data STD, the drawable range is accurately detected and the charged particle beam 11a is accurately set at the drawing start position. It is possible to perform the main deflection and to speed up the exposure process of the stage continuous movement method.

According to the second control method of the charged particle beam of the present invention, as shown in the flowchart of the first control method of the charged particle beam of FIG. 3B, after the step P2A, the step In P2B, it is judged whether or not the charged particle beam 11a has reached the drawable range based on the result of the first judgment processing and the actual movement position Px of the exposed object 18 immediately before the main deflection of the charged particle beam 11a. The judgment process of 2 is performed.

Therefore, in order to speed up the exposure processing and improve the throughput of the apparatus, the output bit length of the main deflection data MD1 is made shorter than the bit length of the stage position data STD, Even if a large number of pattern-removed areas that do not require pattern drawing of the target 18 are included, the second determination processing is performed, so that control errors and the like can be reduced.

As a result, as compared with the first control method of the present invention, the drawable range can be detected more accurately, and the charged particle beam 11a can be accurately deflected to the drawing start position. It will be possible. This makes it possible to speed up the exposure process of the continuous stage movement method.

[0060]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. 4 to 10 are views for explaining a charged particle beam apparatus and a charged particle beam control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(1) Description of First Embodiment FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an electron beam exposure apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 5 and 6 show supplementary explanatory views thereof. .

In FIG. 4, an electron beam exposure apparatus using an electron beam 21a, which is an example of the charged particle beam 11a, includes an electron gun 21, an electrostatic deflector 22, an electromagnetic deflector 23, a sub-deflection driving circuit 24, Main deflection drive circuit 25, laser length measuring device
26A, stage moving device 26B, stage control circuit 26C,
The stage position correction circuit 26D and the stage 26E are included.

That is, the electron gun 21 is one embodiment of the charged particle generating means 11 and emits the electron beam 21a toward the semiconductor wafer 28 which is an example of the exposure target 18. The electrostatic deflector 22 is an example of the first deflecting means 12 and performs a sub-deflection process for the electron beam 21a. The electromagnetic deflector 23 is an embodiment of the second deflecting means 13 and performs the main deflection processing of the electron beam 21a based on the main deflection signal S3.

The sub-deflection drive circuit 24 is an embodiment of the first deflection drive means 14 and includes the sub-deflection data buffer 24A,
Sub differential pattern generation circuit 24B, first correction arithmetic circuit 24
It comprises a C, D / A converter DAC1 and a sub-deflection amplifier 24D.

The function of the sub-deflection drive circuit 24 is that when the sub-deflection data buffer 24A receives the sub-deflection exposure data SD, the sub-deflection pattern generation circuit 24B, the first correction arithmetic circuit 24C, and the D / A conversion are performed. DAC1, Field memory
25I, signal processing is performed by the sub-deflection amplifier 24D, and the sub-deflection signal SSD is output to the electrostatic deflector 22 (electron beam 21
Sub-deflection processing of a)).

The start timing of the pattern drawing process in the sub deflection area is based on the drawing start signal S4 obtained by the waiting time generation circuit 25D of the main deflection drive circuit 25. Further, the drawing start signal S4 is subjected to data transfer processing via the DSP 27B.

The main deflection drive circuit 25 is an embodiment of the second deflection drive means 15 and includes a main differential data buffer 25.
A, main diff position setting circuit 25B, adder 25C, drawable check circuit 25D, waiting time generation circuit 25E, main diff position reset circuit 25F, correction calculation circuit 25G, main deflection amplifier
25H and field memory 25I.

The main differential data buffer 25A is a CPU 27
Based on A, the main deflection data MD1 is output to the main differential position setting circuit 25B. Main differential position setting circuit
25B is for setting the deflection position of the electromagnetic deflector 23 based on the DSP 27B and the main deflection data MD1. The output bit length of the main deflection data MD1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is 25 [bit] in the conventional example, and 20 [bit] with a sign.
Has been reduced to.

The adder 25C is an example of the data calculation means 15C, and the main deflection data MD12 corrected by adding the main deflection data MD1 and the position deviation data D [ε] is added to the main differential position resetting circuit 25F and drawable. This is output to the check circuit 25D.

The drawable check circuit 25D is an embodiment of the drawability detecting means 15A, and it is based on the main deflection data MD1 calculated for the main deflection of the electron beam 21a and the actual moving direction ± of the semiconductor wafer 28. It is to judge whether or not the semiconductor wafer 28 reaches a drawable area where the electron beam 21a can be deflected / irradiated. The configuration of the drawable check circuit 25D will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The waiting time generation circuit 25E is the correction calculation circuit 25E.
Based on the corrected main differential correction signal MD2 from G and the drawable detection signal S2 from the drawable check circuit 25D, a waiting time corresponding to the deflection amount (jump amount) of the electron beam 21a is generated. This waiting time defines the time until the main deflection amplifier 25H is settled, that is, the time until the electromagnetic deflector 23 subjected to the main deflection processing becomes stable.

The main differential position resetting circuit 25F resets the deflection position of the electromagnetic deflector 23 based on the main deflection data MD12. The correction calculation circuit 25G corrects the main deflection data MD12 based on the correction value read from the field memory 25I and outputs the main differential correction signal MD2.

The main deflection amplifier 25H receives the main deflection signal S3 based on the main differential correction signal MD2 and the drawable detection signal S2.
Is output. Thus, when the main deflection signal S3 is input to the electromagnetic deflector 23, the electron beam 21a is mainly deflected, and the electron beam 21a can be moved between the deflection exposure areas of the semiconductor wafer 28 that moves continuously. Main deflection processing of the beam 21a).

The field memory 25I stores correction values such as dynamics focus, dynamics stig, distortion amount, and gain rotation of the electrostatic deflector 22.

The laser length measuring device 26A, the stage moving device 26B and the stage control circuit 26C constitute the stage driving / control means 16, and the laser length measuring device 26A is moved to the stage 26E by the stage moving device 26B. The positions P1, P2, ... Pn are measured.

Further, the stage moving device 26B moves the stage 26E on which the semiconductor wafer 28 is mounted in the X and Y directions. The stage control circuit 26C includes a laser counter 61, an offset register 62, an adder 63, a stage reading register 64, a target value setting register 65, and subtractors 66 and 67.

The laser counter 61 counts the displacement pulses measured by the laser length measuring device 26A. The offset register 62 and the adder 63 remove the offset contained in the displacement pulse. The stage read register 64 sets the stage position read data SPD.

The target value setting register 65 is for setting the stage position data STD related to the movement target of the semiconductor wafer 28. The bit length of the stage position data STD according to the embodiment of the present invention is 25 [bits].

The subtractor 66 is an embodiment of the error calculating means 15B, and is based on the stage position data STD relating to the movement target of the semiconductor wafer 28 and the position reading data SPD relating to the actual movement position of the semiconductor wafer 28. The position deviation data Dε is detected. The subtractor 67 outputs a third stage position correction signal S1 based on the stage position detection pulse SP1 from which the offset is removed and the position read data SPD.
Output to the correction calculation circuit 68.

Further, the stage position correction circuit 26D has a third
The correction calculation circuit 68 and the D / A converter DAC4.
The function of the stage position correction circuit 26D is that the subtractor 67
The stage position correction signal S1 output by (1) is corrected, D / A converted, and output to the sub deflection amplifier 24D.

The CPU 27A is a central processing unit which constitutes a part of the control means 17, and includes the electron gun 21, the sub-deflection data buffer 24A of the sub-deflection drive circuit 24, the main-deflection data buffer 25A of the main deflection drive circuit 25, and the stage. It controls the input / output of the moving device 26B and the like.

The DSP 27B is a digital signal processor which constitutes another part of the control means 17, and is provided to speed up the stage position reading process and the data transfer process such as the drawing start signal. Reference numeral 29 is another deflector, such as a focus adjustment coil and a distortion correction coil.

FIG. 5 is a supplemental configuration diagram for explaining the electron beam control method according to the first embodiment of the present invention, which shows a configuration diagram in which the peripheral portion of the drawable check circuit 25D is extracted. ing.

In FIG. 5, the drawability check circuit 25D, which is an embodiment of the drawability detection means 15A, comprises an absolute value calculation circuit 51 and first to third comparators 52 to 54. The absolute value calculation circuit 51 calculates the absolute value of the corrected main deflection data (for example, X deflection position) MD12 from the adder 25C. The first comparator 52 compares the main deflection data MD12 whose absolute value has been calculated with the main differential drawable range setting data (hereinafter simply referred to as range setting data) AD from the CPU 27B. The range setting data AD sets the drawing range of the electron beam 21a and is variably set according to the deflection performance of the electromagnetic deflector 23.

The second comparator 53 compares the corrected main deflection data MD12 with the stage moving direction flag (+,-). Further, the third comparator 54 has the first and second
Based on the comparison result of the comparators 52 and 53 of FIG.
Is output to

As a result, the drawable detection signal S2 can be output based on the range setting data AD for setting the drawing range of the electron beam 21a and the corrected main deflection data MD12. As a result, the stage position P that moves continuously
It is possible to detect the drawable area in which the main deflection processing of the electron beam 21a can be performed from 1, P2 ... Pn.

As described above, according to the electron beam exposure apparatus of the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the main differential data buffer 25A, the main differential position setting circuit 25B, and the adder 25C are added. , Drawable check circuit 25D, waiting time generation circuit 25E, main diff position reset circuit 25F,
Second correction operation circuit 25G, main deflection amplifier 25H, DAC2, D
A main deflection drive circuit 25 composed of AC3, AMP2, and AMP3 is provided, and the deflection of the electron beam 21a is determined based on the main deflection data MD12 calculated for the main deflection of the electron beam 21a and the actual movement direction ± of the semiconductor wafer 28. A drawable check circuit 25D for determining whether or not the semiconductor wafer 28 has reached a drawable area where irradiation is possible is provided.

For example, in FIG. 4, the semiconductor wafer 28
When the electron beam 21a is emitted from the electron gun 21 in the direction of, the electron beam 21a is blanked and deflected by the electrostatic deflector 22 via the sub deflection driving circuit 24. In this state, the stage moving device 26B is passed through the CPU 27A.
Thus, the movement control of the semiconductor wafer 28 is performed.

Further, the actual movement position is read.
For example, in the operation time chart of the main deflection drive circuit shown in FIG. 6, the stage position of the semiconductor wafer 28 continuously moved by the stage moving device 26B is the reference clock C.
It shall be read based on LK.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, position deviation data is obtained based on stage position data STD relating to the movement target of the semiconductor wafer 28 and stage position reading data SPD relating to the actual movement position of the semiconductor wafer 28. Dε is detected by the subtractor 66. Further, the position deviation data Dε
Main deflection data M for main deflection of the electron beam 21a based on
D1 is corrected by the adder 25.

Further, based on the main deflection data MD12 calculated for the main deflection of the electron beam 21a and the actual stage movement direction flag ± of the semiconductor wafer 28, the electron beam 21
It is possible to determine whether or not the semiconductor wafer 28 has reached the drawable area where the deflection / irradiation of a is possible.
And the drawable detection signal S2 is output as a result.

Here, the content of the drawable detection signal S2 is 3
Shows two states. The first is the semiconductor wafer 28.
The stage 26E on which is mounted has not reached the drawable area capable of performing the main deflection processing of the electron beam 21a, the second is the drawable area, and the third is the drawable area. This shows a state in which the area reaches the feasible area but exceeds the drawable area.

The drawable detection signal S2 is output from the drawable check circuit 25D to the main deflection amplifier 25H based on the range setting data AD for setting the drawing range of the electron beam 21a and the corrected main deflection data MD12. It

As a result, the electron beam 21a is mainly deflected by the main deflection signal S3 output from the main deflection amplifier 25H based on the main differential correction signal MD2 and the drawable detection signal S2.

Therefore, the bit length of the main deflection data MD1 is 5 [bits] longer than the bit length of the stage position data SPD.
Even when the length is shortened, the drawable range can be accurately detected without deflecting the charged particle beam to the wrong position on the semiconductor wafer 28, and the electron beam 21a is accurately deflected to the drawing start position. It becomes possible to

As a result, pattern exposure processing at the wrong position of the semiconductor wafer 28 due to the main deflection malfunction is avoided as much as possible, the production yield of the semiconductor device is improved, and the stage continuous movement method is concerned. It is possible to speed up the exposure process.

Since the range setting data AD for setting the drawing range of the electron beam 21a is variably set according to the deflection performance of the electromagnetic deflector 23, the drawable detection signal S2 suitable for the deflection performance of the deflector 23 is set. Drawable check circuit 25D
Can be set to the main deflection amplifier 25H.

Next, a method of controlling the electron beam according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described, supplementing the operation of the apparatus. FIG. 7 is a control flowchart of the electron beam according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 shows its supplementary explanatory diagram.

For example, the semiconductor wafer 28 which is continuously moved.
In the case where the electron beam 21a is moved from an arbitrary deflection area to another deflection area for writing processing, as shown in FIG. 8, with respect to the origin [0, 0] of the electron optical system XY axis, hand,
Set the stage position in the drawable range from P7 [0, Y7] to P10
[0, Y10], and the stage movement direction is assumed to be UP (+).

Further, the current stage position related to the stage position reading process is from the origin [0,0] to P6 [0, Y
6], the stage positions P1, P2 ... P of the semiconductor wafer 28 are first determined in step P1.
Read process 13 At this time, the semiconductor wafer 28
The stage 26E on which is mounted the movement target values ST1, ST2 ... STx
… Move based on STn.

In the stage control circuit 26C, the stage position read data SPD is read based on the stage position detection pulse SP1, and in the main deflection drive circuit 25, the main deflection data MD1 for electromagnetically deflecting the electron beam 21a.
And movement target values ST1, ST2 ... STx ... STn of the stage 26E
Between the actual movement positions P1, P2 ... Px ... Pn and ε
The position deviation data D [ε] based on the above is output to the adder 25C.

Next, in step P2, based on the main deflection data MD1 and the position deviation data D [ε], the main deflection data M
Correct D1. At this time, if the main deflection data MD1 and the position deviation data D [ε] are input to the adder 25C,
These are subjected to data calculation processing, and the corrected main deflection data MD12 as the calculation result are output to the drawable check circuit 25D and the main differential position resetting circuit 25F, respectively.

Further, based on the main deflection data MD12 and the range setting data AD corrected in step P3, the process for detecting the drawable range is performed. At this time, in the drawable check circuit 25D, first, the absolute value calculation circuit 51 causes the adder 25
The absolute value of the corrected main deflection data MD12 output from C is calculated, and the absolute value calculated main deflection data MD12 is calculated.
And the range setting data AD from the CPU 27B are compared by the first comparator 52.

In the second comparator 53, the corrected main deflection data MD12 and the stage movement direction flag (+,
-) Is further compared with the main deflection amplifier 25H, and the third comparator 54 outputs the drawable detection 2 signal S2 which becomes the drawable check flag based on the comparison result of the first and second comparators 52 and 53. Is output to. As a result, the drawable range P7 [0, Y7] to P where the deflection irradiation of the electron beam 21a is possible is performed.
10 [0, Y10] is detected.

The contents of the drawable detection signal S2 are shown in Table 1.
, The stage movement direction is UP (+),
The calculated value obtained by subtracting the stage position Pi from the target position of the semiconductor wafer 28 (simply referred to as a cell position) is within the drawable range P7 [0, Y7] to P10 [0, Y10], and the sign bit code of the main deflection data MD1 (hereinafter S is the code
= O or S = 1 indicates a drawable state.

Further, when the stage moving direction is DOWN (-), the cell position of the semiconductor wafer 28 is changed to the stage position P.
The calculated value obtained by subtracting i is the drawable range P7 [0, Y7]
Up to P10 [0, Y10], the code is S = O or S = 1
Also becomes a drawable state.

[0107]

[Table 1]

Further, as shown in Table 2, the contents of the drawable detection signal S2 are such that the stage moving direction is UP (+) and the cell position of the semiconductor wafer 28 is changed to the stage position Pi.
The value obtained by subtracting is the drawable range P7 [0, Y7] to P10
If it is smaller than [0, Y10] and the drawable detection signal S = O, it means that the stage position Pi has not reached the drawable range yet.

It should be noted that the stage moving direction is UP (+) and the cell position of the semiconductor wafer 28 is changed to the stage position Pi.
The calculated value after subtracting is the drawable range P7 [0, Y7]
When P10 [0, Y10] is exceeded and the code is S = 1, the stage position Pi exceeds the drawable range, and the pattern drawing stop [OFF] is entered.

Further, when the stage moving direction is DOWN (-) and the cell position of the semiconductor wafer 28 is changed to the stage position P.
The calculated value obtained by subtracting i is the drawable range P7 [0, Y7]
~ P10 [0, Y10] and the code is S = O, it indicates that the stage position Pi exceeds the drawable range, and the pattern drawing stop [OFF] is entered. Become.

Note that the stage moving direction is DOWN (-) and the cell position of the semiconductor wafer 28 is changed to the stage position P.
The calculated value obtained by subtracting i is the drawable range P7 [0, Y7]
When P10 [0, Y10] is exceeded and the code is S = 1, it means that the stage position Pi has not reached the drawable range yet.

[0112]

[Table 2]

As a result, a drawable area in which the electron beam 21a can be subjected to the electromagnetic deflection processing is detected at the continuously moving stage positions P1, P2 ... P13. Here, returning to the flowchart of FIG. 7, in addition to step P3, the main deflection data MD12 corrected in step P4 is corrected.
The main differential position resetting process and its correction process are performed. At this time, the main diff position reset circuit 25F resets the deflection position of the electromagnetic deflector 23 based on the main deflection data MD12, and the correction calculation circuit 25G performs the main deflection based on the data read from the field memory 25I. The data MD12 is corrected and the corrected main differential correction signal MD2 is output to the main deflection amplifier 25H and the waiting time generation circuit 25E.

Then, in step P5, the stage position P
1, P2 ... P13 is the drawable range P7 [0, Y7] to P10
It is determined whether [0, Y10] has been reached (first determination processing). At this time, the stage positions P1, P2 ... P13
Is not within the drawable range of the electron beam 21a (NO), the process of reading the stage positions P1, P2 ... P13 of the semiconductor wafer 28 is continued in step P1.

In step P5, the stage position P1,
When P2 ... P13 reach the drawable range of the electron beam 21a (YES), the process proceeds to step P6, and it is determined whether or not the drawable range is exceeded. For example, in step P6, the stage positions P1, P2, ...
If the drawable range of 21a is not exceeded (NO), the process moves to step P7.

Therefore, in step P7, the waiting time is processed based on the main differential correction signal MD2. At this time, the waiting time generation circuit 25E outputs the drawing start signal S4 based on the corrected main differential correction signal MD2 and the drawable detection signal S2. This drawing start signal S4
Is output to the sub deflection drive circuit 24.

If the electron beam 21a exceeds the drawing range of the electron beam 21a (YES), the pattern drawing process is not started and the exposure process is stopped. Then, in step P8, the electron beam 21a is irradiated and deflected on the semiconductor wafer 28 to perform pattern drawing processing. At this time, in the main deflection amplifier 25H,
A main deflection signal S3 is output to the electromagnetic deflector 23 based on the main differential correction signal MD2 and the drawable detection signal S2. Further, the output of the electromagnetic deflector 23 is controlled by the main deflection signal S3, and after the waiting time ends, the output of the electrostatic deflector 22 is controlled via the sub-deflection driving circuit 24, and the electron beam 21a is subjected to electrostatic deflection processing. It

As described above, according to the electron beam control method of the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, the movement target value ST1, The main deflection position Dx [ε] is corrected based on the position deviation ε between ST2 ... STx ... STn and the actual movement positions P1, P2 ... Px ... Pn, and steps P5, P
Based on the main deflection position Dx [ε] corrected in 6 and the actual movement direction ± of the semiconductor wafer 28, it is determined whether or not the semiconductor wafer 28 has reached the drawable range in which the electron beam 21a can be deflected. The first determination process is performed.

Therefore, as a result of the detection processing in step P3, the actual movement positions P1, P2 ... Pn of the semiconductor wafer 28 are detected.
, Does not reach the drawable range of the electron beam 21a, the process returns to step P1 to continue reading the actual movement positions P1, P2 ... Pn of the semiconductor wafer 28, and the actual movement positions P1, P2 ... Pn. Is the electron beam 21a
Pn, the actual deflection position P1, P2, ... Pn exceeds the electron beam 21a writable range. Therefore, the main deflection processing of the electron beam 21a is not performed.

Thus, in order to speed up the exposure process and improve the throughput of the apparatus, the main deflection data MD1
In order to reduce the output bit length of the data as much as possible and speed up the data processing related to the correction, for example, the electromagnetic deflector 2
Even when the output bit length of 3 is reduced from the conventional 25 [bit] length to about 20 [bit] with signature,
The deflection range based on the center position of the subfield in the cell is 0.01 [μm] for the least significant bit LSB,
Although −5242.88 to +5242.87 [μm], the electron beam 21a can be mainly deflected to the target drawing start position by performing the first determination process in steps P5 and P6.

In the continuous stage moving exposure system, this is because the main deflection position Dx of the electromagnetic deflector 23 is the formula (1), that is, Dx = moving target position ST-actual moving position PX + center position O ... (1) When given by the formula, the bit lengths of the stage position data STD and the stage position read data SPD are both set to 25 [bits], and the output bit length of the main deflection data MD1 of the electron beam 21a is set to 20 [bits]. Even if the output bit related to the electromagnetic deflector 23 is deleted by 5 bits, the influence of the data overflow of the adder 25C and the data loss will be caused. By performing the first determination process, the electron beam 21a can be mainly deflected to the target drawing start position in step P3 without causing the electromagnetic deflector 23 to malfunction. And it serves as a performance.

Therefore, the semiconductor wafer 28 is placed within the drawable range.
The electromagnetic deflector 23 is erroneously operated or the operation timing is missed before the electron beam 21a
Is no longer emitted.

That is, in step P2, the main deflection data M
When the correction processing is performed based on D1 and the position deviation data Dε, since the movement direction (+, −) of the stage is included in the calculation processing, the calculation result is obtained by identifying the actual movement direction ± of the semiconductor wafer 28. -52 when +5242.87 μm
The electromagnetic deflector 23 is not deflected in the opposite direction without being judged as 42.88 μm.

As a result, even when the bit length of the main deflection data MD1 is made shorter than the bit length of the stage position data STD, the drawable range is accurately detected and the electron beam 21a is accurately set at the drawing start position. It is possible to perform the main deflection and increase the speed of the exposure process of the stage continuous movement method.

(2) Description of Second Embodiment FIGS. 9 and 10 are views for explaining an electron beam exposure apparatus and an electron beam control method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the main parts of an electron beam exposure apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 9, the difference from the first embodiment is that in the second embodiment, the result of the first determination process described above and the actual movement position Px of the semiconductor wafer 28 immediately before the main deflection of the electron beam 21a are shown. Based on the above, it is determined whether or not the electron beam 21a has reached the drawable range (second determination processing).

That is, the DSP 27B has a laser counter 6
The stage position read data SPD output from 1 is monitored, and the set permission signal S1 which is the monitoring result is
It is output to the two-input AND circuit AND1. In addition,
It may be a two-input NAND circuit.

Here, the set permission signal S1 can deflect / irradiate the electron beam 21a based on the main deflection data MD1 calculated for the main deflection of the electron beam 21a and the actual moving direction ± of the semiconductor wafer 28. The drawable check circuit 25D indicates that the semiconductor wafer 28 has reached the drawable area
After the above judgment, the control system of the CPU 27A or DSP 27B is output at the time of the final check as to whether or not the actual stage target value originally intended.

Further, the two-input logical product circuit AND1 activates the main deflection amplifier 25H by the result signal of the two-input logical product of the drawable detection signal S2 and the set permission signal S1 output from the drawable check circuit 25D. To do. For example, when the signal S1 is "0", the output is invalid and the main differential (electromagnetic deflector 23) is not deflected. When the signal S1 is "1" and the drawable detection signal S2 is "1", the drawable range is reached and the main differential is deflected.

When the signal S1 is "1" and the drawable detection signal S2 is "0", it is outside the drawable range and the main differential is not deflected. Further, the other structure is similar to that of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Next, a method of controlling an electron beam according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described by supplementing the operation of the apparatus. FIG. 10 shows an electron beam control flowchart according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Note that, in FIG. 10, steps P1 to P6 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the second determination process is, for example, step P
After the waiting time process of 7, the judgment is made as to whether or not the stage position is correct. Note that this may be performed at the same time as the waiting time process.

That is, in step P5, the stage position P
When P1, P2, ... P13 reach the drawable range of the electron beam 21a (YES) and the stage positions P1, P2, ... P13 do not exceed the drawable range of the electron beam 21a in step P6 (NO). Moves to Step P7.

In step P7, waiting time processing is performed based on the corrected main differential correction signal MD2. At this time, in the waiting time generation circuit 25E, the main differential correction signal MD2 and the drawable detection signal S2, which have been subjected to the correction calculation processing, are performed.
The drawing start signal S4 is output to the sub-deflection drive circuit 24 based on the above.

Then, in step P8, it is determined whether or not the stage position is correct (second determination processing). At this time, if the stage position is correct (YES), the process proceeds to step P9, and if it is not correct (NO), the pattern drawing process is not performed and the exposure process is stopped.

The stage position read data SPD relating to the actual movement position Px of the semiconductor wafer 28 immediately before the main deflection of the electron beam 21a is transferred via the laser counter 61 to the DSP.
The set permission signal S1 which is recognized by 27B and becomes the monitoring result is output to the two-input NAND circuit NAND1. Further, the drawable detection signal S2 output from the drawable check circuit 25D and the set permission signal S output from the DSP 27B.
Based on 1, the two-input NAND circuit NAND1 activates the main deflection amplifier 25H.

As a result, in the main deflection amplifier 25H as in the first embodiment, the main deflection signal S3 is changed to the electromagnetic deflector 23 based on the main differential correction signal MD2 and the drawable detection signal S2.
Is output to Further, the output of the electromagnetic deflector 23 is controlled by the main deflection signal S3, and after the waiting time ends, the output of the electrostatic deflector 22 is controlled via the sub-deflection driving circuit 24, and the electron beam 21a is subjected to electrostatic deflection processing. It

As described above, according to the electron beam control method of the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10, after step P7, step P8 is performed.
Second judgment processing for judging whether or not the electron beam 21a has reached the drawable range based on the result of the first judgment processing and the actual movement position Px of the semiconductor wafer 28 immediately before the main deflection of the electron beam 21a. Are doing

Therefore, in order to speed up the exposure process and improve the throughput of the apparatus, the output bit length of the main deflection data MD1 is set shorter than the bit length of the stage position data STD. Since the pattern-excluded area that does not require the pattern drawing of the target 18 is included and the pattern-excluded area is separated by the output bit length of the main deflection data MD1 or more, the high-order bit is not determined.
The deflection process of the electromagnetic deflector 23 cannot be performed at the correct position only by the determination process of. However, since the second determination process is performed, it is possible to reduce control errors and the like even when many pattern-excluded regions are included.

As a result, as compared with the first embodiment of the present invention, the drawable range can be detected more accurately, and the electron beam 21a can be accurately deflected to the drawing start position. Becomes This makes it possible to speed up the exposure process of the continuous stage movement method.

In the charged particle beam exposure apparatus according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the electron beam exposure apparatus in which the charged particle beam is the electron beam 21a has been described as an example. Can also be applied to an exposure apparatus that uses an ion beam.

[0142]

As described above, according to the charged particle beam exposure apparatus of the present invention, the charged particle generating means, the first and the second
Is provided with the deflecting means, the first and second deflection driving means, the stage driving / controlling means, and the controlling means, and whether the exposure target has reached the drawable region where the charged particle beam can be deflected / irradiated. Drawability detecting means for determining whether or not there is provided.

Therefore, the charged particle beam is deflected / irradiated based on the main deflection data calculated in relation to the main deflection of the charged particle beam and the actual moving direction of the object to be exposed, in the drawable area. Whether or not the exposure target has arrived is determined by the drawability detection means.

Therefore, even if the bit length of the main deflection data is set shorter than the bit length of the stage position data, the drawable range of the exposure target can be detected with high accuracy, and the charged particle beam It is possible to accurately perform the main deflection to the drawing start position.

As a result, it is possible to avoid pattern exposure processing at the wrong position on the object to be exposed due to the main deflection malfunction due to the speeding up of data processing, and to improve the production yield of semiconductor devices. It is possible to plan.

Since the range setting data for setting the drawing range of the charged particle beam is variably set according to the deflection performance of the second deflecting means, it is possible to perform pattern exposure processing with high resolution.

According to the first control method of the charged particle beam of the present invention, the first judgment for judging whether or not the object to be exposed has reached the drawable range in which the charged particle beam can be deflected. It is processing.

Therefore, even if the output bit length of the second deflecting means is reduced as compared with the conventional example, the first bit
By carrying out the judgment processing of, it becomes possible to accurately main deflect the charged particle beam to a target drawing start position.

According to the second control method of the charged particle beam of the present invention, the charged particle beam is based on the result of the first judgment processing and the actual moving position of the exposed object immediately before the main deflection of the charged particle beam. A second determination process is performed to determine whether the beam has reached the drawable range.

Therefore, even if a pattern-extracted area that does not require pattern drawing is included between the sub-deflection areas to be exposed, a malfunction of the second deflecting means may occur. It is possible to avoid as much as possible and reduce control errors and the like as much as possible.

This greatly contributes to the provision of a charged particle beam exposure apparatus capable of speeding up the exposure processing, as compared with the conventional stage continuous movement type exposure apparatus.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a principle diagram (1) of a charged particle beam exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a principle diagram (No. 2) of the charged particle beam exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a principle diagram of a charged particle beam control method according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an electron beam exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram for supplementarily explaining the electron beam exposure apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an operation time chart of the main deflection drive circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a control flowchart of an electron beam according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a supplementary explanatory diagram of a control flowchart according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a main part of an electron beam exposure apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a control flowchart of an electron beam according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of an electron beam exposure apparatus according to a conventional example.

FIG. 12 is a control flowchart of an electron beam according to a conventional example.

[Fig. 13] Fig. 13 is a positional relationship diagram illustrating a problem in the conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... Charged particle generation means, 12, 13 ... First and second deflection means, 14, 15 ... First and second deflection drive means, 11a ... Charged particle beam, 16 ... Stage drive / control means, 17 ... Control means, 15A ... drawable detection means, 15B ... error detection means, 15C ... data calculation means, MD1, MD12 ... main deflection data, corrected main deflection data, STD ... stage position data, SPD ... stage position reading data, AD ... Range setting data, S2 ... Possible drawing detection signal, S3 ... Main deflection signal, S4 ... Drawing start signal, CLK ... Reference clock, ± ... Actual movement direction, ε ... Position deviation, ST ... Movement target value, Dx [ε ] ... Main deflection position, P1, P2 ... Px ... Pn ... Actual movement position (stage position).

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kiichi Sakamoto 1015 Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Fujitsu Limited (56) Reference JP 62-150716 (JP, A) JP 58- 114431 (JP, A) JP-A-64-11328 (JP, A) Actual Kaihei 1-183819 (JP, U)

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A charged particle generating means for emitting a charged particle beam to an object to be exposed, a stage drive / control means for controlling movement / position reading of the object to be exposed, and a first sub-deflection for the charged particle beam. Deflection means and second deflection means for mainly deflecting the charged particle beam, drawing range setting means for outputting range setting data for setting the drawing range of the charged particle beam, and deflection amount by the first deflecting means. A first deflection drive means for controlling the drawing, and a drawing possibility detection for detecting whether or not drawing is possible based on the difference between the movement target of the exposure target and the actual movement position of the exposure target and the range setting data. A charged particle beam exposure apparatus further comprising: a second deflection driving unit that controls the amount of deflection by the second deflection unit based on the detection result. 2. The stage driving / control means detects position deviation data based on stage position data relating to a movement target of the exposure target and position reading data relating to an actual movement position of the exposure target. The second deflection drive means has a data calculation means for correcting main deflection data for main deflection of the charged particle beam based on the position deviation data, and the drawable detection means has the The charged particle beam exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a drawable detection signal is output based on the range setting data and the corrected main deflection data. 3. The charged particle beam exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second deflecting means mainly deflects the charged particle beam based on the drawable detection signal. 4. The charged particle beam exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the range setting data is variably set according to the deflection performance of the second deflecting means. 5. A method of controlling a charged particle beam, wherein a continuously moving object to be exposed is deflected and irradiated with a charged particle beam, wherein a main deflection position is determined based on a positional deviation between a target movement value and an actual moving position of the object to be exposed. Whether or not the exposure target has reached the drawable range in which the charged particle beam can be deflected based on the corrected main deflection position and the actual movement direction of the exposure target. A method of controlling a charged particle beam, comprising: performing a first determination process for determining the above, and performing a main deflection process of the charged particle beam based on the first determination process. 6. A judgment is made as to whether or not the charged particle beam has reached a drawable range based on the result of the first judgment processing and the actual movement position of the exposure target immediately before the main deflection of the charged particle beam. The method for controlling a charged particle beam according to claim 5, further comprising a second determination process for performing the determination. 7. The first determination process is a process of reading an actual movement position of an exposure target that moves continuously,
Main deflection data for main deflection of the charged particle beam is corrected based on the stage position read data obtained by the reading process and the stage position data that is the movement target value of the object to be exposed, and the corrected main beam is corrected. 7. The process for detecting the drawable range in which the charged particle beam can be deflected is performed based on the deflection data and the range setting data for setting the drawing range of the charged particle beam. Control method for charged particle beam. 8. As a result of the process of detecting the drawable range, if the actual movement position of the exposure target does not reach the drawable range of the charged particle beam, the reading process of the actual movement position of the exposure target is continued. However, when the actual movement position reaches the drawable range of the charged particle beam, the process proceeds to the main deflection processing of the charged particle beam, and when the actual movement position exceeds the drawable range of the charged particle beam, The method for controlling a charged particle beam according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein does not shift to the main deflection processing of the charged particle beam.