JP4528325B2 - Charged particle beam exposure method and exposure apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus using a charged particle beam such as an electron beam or an ion beam, and an exposure method thereof. More specifically, the present invention relates to an exposure apparatus that performs exposure while continuously moving a stage on which a document is placed, and an exposure method thereof.

  Charged particle beam exposure using an electron beam or the like (hereinafter simply referred to as electron beam exposure) is used when a fine pattern such as an LSI chip is formed. In the electron beam exposure method, an enormous number of fine patterns must be irradiated onto a material such as a wafer, and the throughput is inferior to that of a conventional stepper. In particular, when a fine pattern is exposed at a desired position on a document, the electron beam is deflected to generate a desired pattern, and the electron beam is deflected to a desired position. However, since the range in which the electron beam is deflected is limited, it is necessary to move the stage on which the material is mounted when exposing to a position on the material exceeding the range.

  However, in the method in which the stage is moved and stopped and exposure of the deflection range is performed in that state, a settling time until the stage is stopped after the stage is moved is involved. Since the movement of the stage involves a mechanical movement, the settling time becomes long. Therefore, for example, when the document is a semiconductor wafer, if there are 100 deflectable areas in one chip, for example, the exposure time for one chip requires 100 times the settling time of the above stage. As a result, the exposure time for one wafer becomes enormous.

  Therefore, a method of irradiating the material with an electron beam while continuously moving the stage is proposed instead of the method of repeating the movement and stationary of the stage. This method is called a stage scanning method. In this stage scanning method, exposure is performed while moving the stage at a constant scanning speed. Accordingly, if the moving speed of the stage is set to be high, the exposure position of the material is out of the exposure possible area before the exposure process is completed, resulting in an exposure failure. Conversely, if the stage moving speed is set to a low speed that does not cause the above-mentioned exposure failure even in the part where the exposure time is the longest because the shot density in the exposure pattern is high, the overall exposure processing time become longer.

This problem can be solved by an exposure method using variable speed scanning. That is, it is a method of scanning the sample while changing the moving speed of the stage.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-272995 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-183516 JP-A-1-205421

  However, this variable speed scanning exposure method has many problems to be solved. The reason for this is that when the stage moving speed is made as high as possible within the range where exposure failure does not occur and the overall exposure time is shortened, an area that requires a long exposure time while moving the stage at high speed is exposed. This is because the deceleration is not in time and the exposure is not possible. Control of the moving speed of this stage cannot always be solved simply.

  As an example of means for solving this problem, the present applicant has proposed speed control by feedback as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-272995. In this method, the optimum speed in the scanning area is given as an initial value, whether exposure is progressing or lagging during actual exposure is constantly monitored, and the moving speed is changed by feedback. However, with this method, as described above, it is not possible to suddenly decelerate and it is expected that an exposure failure will occur.

  As another solution, it has been proposed to calculate the time required for exposure from the exposure pattern data to obtain the stage velocity distribution. However, the pattern data itself has an enormous amount of information as LSI is highly integrated. If the exposure time is calculated directly from the pattern data, the calculation time is longer than the exposure time. In addition, the characteristics such as the beam current value and the deflection area are different for each exposure apparatus, or the characteristics change with time even in the same exposure apparatus, and the velocity distribution once calculated cannot be reused in many cases.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a variable speed scan exposure method and an exposure apparatus thereof that solve the above problems.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a charged particle beam exposure apparatus capable of exposing a document in a shortest exposure time without exposure failure and an exposure method thereof.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a charged particle beam exposure method in which a region of an exposure pattern is exposed by irradiating the sample with a charged particle beam while moving the sample. Generating velocity data having a velocity distribution in the moving direction of the sample according to secondary data having at least density information of the exposure pattern, and at least according to the obtained velocity data. Irradiating a charged particle beam on the sample according to the pattern data while moving the sample at a variable speed.

  The secondary data is generated from pattern data and includes at least exposure pattern density information. An example of the density information is the number of beam irradiations. For example, by having the number of times of irradiation of the beam in the small block area divided in the scanning direction of the scanning area by the movement of the sample as secondary data, the product of the number of times of irradiation and the exposure time is accumulated, The exposure time in the block area can be obtained. As a result, the maximum moving speed that can be exposed can be determined according to the size of the small block area. This maximum moving speed becomes the speed data in each small block area.

  Further, the secondary data may include data of the number of times of changing the beam deflection position. An electrostatic deflector is provided to deflect to a predetermined position on the transmission mask, and is also provided to deflect to a predetermined position on the sample. The time required for exposure can be obtained from the settling time of these deflectors, or the product of the waiting time and the number of changes of the deflection position. Furthermore, by including the frequency distribution according to the amount of change in the deflection position in the secondary data, the time required for exposure can be obtained more accurately.

  One characteristic point is that the secondary data does not include information on the characteristics of the exposure apparatus, and can be used universally even for different exposure apparatuses and exposure apparatuses with changes over time. it can. Since the secondary data is obtained in advance, the stage speed distribution can be obtained quickly during exposure, and the exposure speed is not impaired.

  Another aspect of the invention for achieving the above object is a charged particle beam exposure method in which a charged particle beam is deflected and irradiated on the sample while moving the sample to expose an exposure pattern region, and the deflection is possible. A moving speed corresponding to each of the small block areas having a width within a range and extending in the scanning direction of the sample by the movement and dividing the frame area in the scanning direction. The charged particle beam while moving the sample at a variable speed that does not exceed the moving speed of each of the small block regions, and the moving speed varies according to the moving speed. And the step of deflecting and irradiating the sample.

  In the present invention, for example, the maximum speed for each small block area is obtained from the secondary data, and the servo control of the moving speed is performed using the maximum speed as a clue. Control as close to the maximum speed as possible and keep the actual speed from exceeding the maximum speed in each region. By doing so, an exposure process can be performed in the shortest time while avoiding exposure failure. This is different from general servo control performed so as to reach the target position again in a short time.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, such an embodiment does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can be applied to an exposure apparatus using a charged particle beam. Here, an electron beam exposure apparatus will be described as an example.

  [Overall Configuration of Charged Particle Beam Apparatus] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a lens barrel portion of an electron beam exposure apparatus. The electron beam generated by the electron gun 14 which is an electron beam generation source is applied to the rectangular aperture 15 via an alignment coil for axis alignment (not shown) and the lens L1a. The resulting rectangular electron beam is incident on a slit deflector (deflector) 17 through a lens L1b. The slit deflector 17 is controlled by a correction deflection signal (not shown) and used to correct a minute position.

  In order to shape the electron beam into a desired pattern, a transmission mask 20 having a plurality of transmission holes such as a rectangular opening or a block mask having a predetermined pattern is used. The transmission mask 20 is mounted on a mask stage 19 that can move in the horizontal direction. In order to deflect the electron beam to a desired block mask position, electromagnetic lenses L2a and L2b and deflectors 21-24 are provided above and below the transmission mask 20. An astigmatism corrector 11 and a field curvature corrector 12 are provided above the transmission mask 20.

  As described above, the blanking electrode 25 controls the irradiation and non-irradiation (on / off) of the electron beam shaped by the transmission pattern in the transmission mask 20. The electron beam turned on by the blanking electrode 25 further passes through the lens L3 and passes through the round aperture 27. The round aperture 27 is a kind of diaphragm, and the degree of opening thereof can be controlled. This limits the convergence angle of the electron beam. Then, the beam shape is finally adjusted by the refocal coil 28 and the electromagnetic lens L4. Then, an electron beam is focused on the surface of the wafer 36 that is an exposure target surface by a focus coil (not shown) provided near the lens L4, and astigmatism and the like are corrected by a sting coil (not shown).

  In the final stage, the electron beam is reduced to the exposure size by the projection lens L5, and the main deflector (main deflector) 33 and sub-deflector (sub-deflector) 34 which are controlled by an exposure position determination signal (not shown) are used for the wafer 36. The correct position on the surface is irradiated. The main deflector 33 is an electromagnetic deflector, and the sub deflector 34 is an electrostatic deflector. The sample wafer 36 is mounted on a stage 35 that can be moved continuously. This stage movement control will be described in detail later.

  Actuators such as deflectors, electromagnetic lenses, and stages in the lens barrel of the electron beam exposure apparatus described above are driven by a control signal from the control unit. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a control unit of the electron beam exposure apparatus. In this figure, control means for a part of the actuator is shown.

  An arrangement data file 52, a pattern data file 53, a secondary data file 54, a device data file 55, a speed file 56, and the like are connected to the CPU 51 via a bus. Further, the pattern data memory 57 reads pattern data to be exposed by the CPU 51 from the pattern data file 53, for example. Then, the pattern generation means 58 generates data about which pattern in the transmission mask 20 is used (irradiated) and which position on the wafer 36 is irradiated with the electron beam. Among these data, for example, irradiation pattern data is given to the mask deflection control unit 62 in the actuator control unit 61. The deflection drive digital signal generated by the control unit 62 is converted into a drive analog signal by the corresponding digital / analog conversion means and amplifier 63 and supplied to the mask deflectors 21 to 24.

  The sequence control unit 59 controls the electron beam drawing processing sequence in the exposure process. Accordingly, the irradiation pattern data, irradiation position data, and the like generated by the pattern generating means are received and the entire drawing process is controlled. Specifically, synchronous control between the actuator control unit 62 and the stage control unit 60 is performed. Further, each deflection position data is given to the main deflection control unit 64, the sub deflection control unit 65, etc. according to the irradiation position data. In the main deflection control unit 64 and the sub deflection control unit 66, a deflection digital signal corresponding to the irradiation position is generated and converted into a deflection analog signal by the digital / analog converter and the amplifiers 65 and 67. 34.

  The sequence control unit 59 also provides data necessary for stage movement to the stage control unit 60. For example, data such as the position of the pattern currently being exposed. The stage moving unit 60 gives a driving signal to the stage driving unit 68 and receives data of the current stage position from the stage position detecting unit 69 configured by a laser interference measuring device or the like.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the moving speed of the stage is variably controlled. The moving speed is set, for example, according to speed data formed by the CPU 51 based on data in the secondary data file. In this example, the CPU 51 temporarily stores the speed data generated based on the secondary data file in the speed data file 56, and the speed data is given to the stage controller 60 from the file. The stage control unit 60 obtains the actual stage moving speed by servo control based on the speed data, generates an optimum movement control signal, and supplies it to the stage driving means 68.

  Although not shown in FIG. 2, the actuator control unit 61 includes a mask stage movement control unit, a blanking deflector control unit, and the like in addition to the above. Also, various correction values generated according to the exposure pattern data generated by the pattern generating means 58 in the figure are drive control units (not shown) such as the astigmatism corrector 11, the field curvature corrector 12, and the refocal lens. Given to.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the pattern data, the arrangement data, and the frame indicating the scan area on the wafer 36 that is the sample. In the pattern data file 53 shown in FIG. 2, for example, pattern data for exposure in the chip area 37 as shown in FIG. There are various methods for configuring the pattern data, and a data configuration generally adopted by those skilled in the art is applicable.

  FIG. 3B illustrates the arrangement data in the arrangement data file 52 in FIG. That is, the pattern data for each chip in FIG. 3A is exposed to a position 38 arranged in the wafer 36 as shown in FIG. As a result, an electron beam having an exposure pattern according to each pattern data is irradiated onto a plurality of chip regions on the wafer 36 as shown in FIG. That is, an area corresponding to the exposure pattern of the resist layer formed on the surface of the wafer 36 is exposed by the electron beam.

  FIG. 3C shows an example of the relationship between the wafer 36, the chip area 37, and the frame 39 that is the scan area when the wafer 36 is exposed while being continuously moved. That is, the frame area 39 is a band-like area obtained by dividing the surface of the wafer 36 into stripes. In other words, since the deflectable range of the electron beam is, for example, a range of several millimeters, when the wafer 36 is exposed, it is divided into frame regions 39 having a width of several millimeters and arranged in parallel. For example, one chip area 37 is covered by a plurality of frame areas 39. In the example of FIG. 3C, one chip area 37 is covered by three frame areas 39.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing that the exposure area of the electron beam is scanned by moving the stage on which the wafer is mounted. The stage is controlled to move so that the exposure area moves along the frame area 39 described above. Then, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 4, when the exposure of one frame region 39 is completed, the exposure region moves in the reverse direction along the adjacent frame region.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the deflection area in the frame area. The main deflector shown in FIG. 1 is usually composed of an electromagnetic deflector, and can be deflected to a relatively large range, for example, several millimeters. However, an electromagnetic deflector has a slow response due to its inductance. The sub-deflector is usually composed of an electrostatic deflector, and can deflect only within a range of several hundred microns, for example. However, in the case of an electrostatic deflector, the response is fast. Usually, the main field deflectable by the main deflector is divided into subfields deflectable by the sub deflector. Then, the electron beam having a pattern shaped by the block mask is deflected to a desired position by a combination of the main deflector and the sub deflector.

  A portion 40 of the frame 39 shown in FIG. 4 shows an area that can be deflected by the main deflector. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of subfields SF that can be deflected by the sub deflector are included in the deflectable region 40. A plurality of subfields SF are arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the wafer along the frame 39. A region where the subfields SF are arranged in a line is referred to as a band B. In FIG. 5, the stage moving speed is controlled so that the exposure process in the band Bi ends while the hatched band Bi is positioned in the deflectable region 40, for example. In the figure, bp0 to bpn indicate the boundary lines of the band B.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the frame in the chip area and the deflectable range of the main deflector. As is apparent from FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, in this example, the chip area 37 is covered by three frames, and each frame is divided into a plurality of small block areas 41. The small block area 41 is composed of a plurality of bands B, and corresponds to a main field by a main deflector as an example.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the pattern data in the pattern data file 53. The pattern data includes at least data of the pattern P that is the shape of the beam to be irradiated and the position (x, y) at which the pattern P is irradiated. Specifically, the shape of the beam is data regarding which aperture in the transmission mask 20 is used when the block mask method is used. When the blanking aperture method is used, pattern number data such as a pattern table prepared separately and recorded in a file is used.

  This pattern data includes, for example, data in one chip area. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, one chip region has a plurality of main field regions, and each main field region has a plurality of subfield regions. Accordingly, the pattern data is also divided into a plurality of main fields MF1 to MFn as shown in FIG. Each main field is divided into a plurality of subfields SF1 to SFm. Then, pattern data (P1, x1, y1) to (Pk, xk, yx) to be exposed are given to each subfield SF.

  Thus, it is preferable in the variable speed control of the sample that the pattern data in the pattern data file is divided into the main field and the subfield. That is, the situation relating to the time required for exposure, such as the density of the exposure pattern in the subfield, is different in each subfield. Accordingly, the time required to expose one band composed of a plurality of subfields is naturally different. As shown in FIG. 5, when the exposure is performed while continuously moving along the frame 39, it is necessary to control the moving speed according to the time required to expose each band. Alternatively, it is necessary to control the moving speed in that portion according to the time required for exposure in units of a plurality of bands. Therefore, it is important that the pattern data is divided for each subfield which is a component of the band.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data configuration of the secondary data in the secondary data file 54. In the embodiment of the present invention, the secondary data includes information necessary for calculating the moving speed distribution of the stage. Such secondary data is created in advance before exposure. Therefore, the velocity distribution of each frame can be calculated from the secondary data and the arrangement data.

  The first example of the secondary data includes data on the irradiation density (shot density) of the electron beam composed of the pattern P. In order to perform exposure by irradiating one pattern of electron beams, it is necessary to chemically change the resist film on the sample. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, it is necessary to deflect the electron beam to a desired position in the transmission mask 20 and deflect it again to the desired position of the sample by the main and sub deflectors 33 and 34. Although there are some differences depending on the degree of change of each deflection position, for example, the time required for exposure by irradiation with an electron beam of one pattern can be averaged mainly from the exposure time and the like. Therefore, by storing the shot density distribution in the scan direction of the frame in the chip as a secondary data in advance as a file, when the arrangement data of the chip in the wafer 36 is determined, the speed in the scan direction in the frame of the entire wafer 36 is determined. Distribution can be easily obtained.

  In the example of the secondary data shown in FIG. 8, the shot density data DE is divided for each subfield SF. That is, in the subfield SF1 in the main field MF1, the shot count data in the subfield is stored as DE11. In this example, since it is already divided into subfields, the number of shots in that area is substantially equivalent to the shot density. Therefore, the shot density for each band can be easily obtained by using this secondary data. Further, the respective shot densities in the small block 41 composed of a plurality of bands can be easily obtained.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another data configuration example of secondary data having shot density data. In this example, shot density data DE is obtained and stored for each band B composed of a plurality of subfields SF. With this configuration, the time required for exposure for each band can be roughly determined from the product of the shot density and the average exposure time of one shot. Since the exposure time required for one shot has apparatus dependency and process dependency such as an apparatus and a resist, such data is stored in the apparatus data file 55, for example. It can be acquired by reading these data.

  The second example of the secondary data includes the frequency distribution of the number of times the deflection position is changed (the number of jumps) and the amount of change in the changed position, in addition to the number of shots per predetermined area. The deflectors are mainly electrostatic deflectors 21 to 24 that change the deflection position in the transmission mask 20, an electromagnetic deflector 33 that is a main deflector, and an electrostatic deflector 34 that is a sub-deflector. When the deflection position of the electron beam is changed by the deflector, a different deflection signal is given to each deflector. Therefore, when the deflection position is changed, a waiting time for settling is required at the deflection position. In particular, the settling time by the electromagnetic deflector is considerably longer than that of the electrostatic deflector. In addition, although the electrostatic deflector is relatively short, the number of times is large, and similarly, a settling time is required.

  Therefore, the actual exposure time distribution can be obtained by adding the number of times of changing the deflection position to the shot density.

  Furthermore, when the deflection position is changed, the settling time tends to be longer as the change amount is larger. Therefore, by including the frequency distribution of the deflection position change amount composed of the change count (jump count) for each change amount (jump distance) in the secondary data, a more accurate settling time can be calculated.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the frequency distribution of the amount of change in the deflection position. In this example, the number of deflection position changes (jumps) in which the deflection position change amounts are in the range of 0 to DL1, DL1 to DL2,... DL4 to DL5 are N1, N2,. This is a frequency distribution. Therefore, by obtaining the settling times t1, t2,... T5 shown above from the device file data, the total settling time Ts is obtained as Ts = N1 * t1 + .. + N5 * t5. Can do.

  Therefore, by having such a frequency distribution as a part of secondary data for each subfield, for each band, or for a unit length of a frame for setting a speed distribution, for example, for each small block area 41 or main field. The time required for more accurate exposure can be obtained. This frequency distribution is given to, for example, the electromagnetic deflector 33 and the electrostatic deflectors 21 to 24 and 34, respectively.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of the frequency distribution of the amount of change in the deflection position. While the example of FIG. 10 is a one-dimensional frequency distribution, the example of FIG. 11 is a two-dimensional frequency distribution. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the main electrostatic deflectors are the deflectors 21 to 24 that deflect the electron beam in the transmission mask 20 and the sub deflector 34 that deflects the wafer 36. Since the settling time of the electromagnetic deflector 33 is very long, even if the change of the deflection position by the electrostatic deflector occurs simultaneously with the change of the deflection position of the electromagnetic deflector, the settling time at that time is the settling time of the electromagnetic deflector. Be bound. However, in the case where the change in the deflection position by the mask deflectors 21 to 24 and the change in the deflection position by the sub deflector 34 occur simultaneously in the main field, the settling times of the two are equal. Counting twice results in a settling time longer than the actual settling time. In that case, it is desirable to count only the longer settling time.

  Therefore, in the example of FIG. 11, a two-dimensional frequency distribution having a horizontal axis that is a change amount of the deflection position by the sub deflector 34 that is a sub deflector and a vertical axis that is a change amount of the deflection position by the mask deflector is adopted. Therefore, the frequency distribution has the respective times N11 to N55 in the two-dimensional matrix. In this example, for example, for the number N15, the total settling time is calculated mainly according to the settling time by the sub-deflector 34. At the number N51, the total settling time is calculated mainly according to the settling times of the mask deflectors 21 to 24. These settling times are stored in the device data file 55 as described above.

  Further, when this idea is expanded, the amount of change in the drive current of these electromagnetic coils can be considered in consideration of the settling time generated in the electromagnetic coils such as the astigmatism corrector 11 and the field curvature corrector shown in FIG. By adding a distribution and obtaining an N-dimensional frequency distribution in advance, a more accurate total settling time can be obtained.

  Therefore, the most detailed example of the secondary data is the number of shots, the frequency distribution of the electromagnetic deflector as shown in FIG. 10, and the two-dimensional frequency distribution as shown in FIG. 11 for the two electrostatic deflectors. Have. Furthermore, when the computer has high processing capability, an N-dimensional frequency distribution can be used.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the velocity distribution for each small block 41 obtained from the secondary data and the arrangement data. The horizontal axis indicates the small blocks 41 arranged in the scanning direction of the frame 39, and the vertical axis indicates the respective speeds. In this example, the small block 41 is the same as the main field. Thus, when the speed (v ₁ ..v _{n + 4} ) in a small block (MF ₁ ... MF _{n + 4} ...) Composed of a plurality of bands is obtained, the speed data is shown in FIG. It is stored in the speed data file 56. The speed data is calculated by the CPU 51 based on the data in the arrangement data file 52 and the secondary data file 54. That is, the time required for exposure for each small block is obtained from both data, and the stage speed in the small block is obtained from the relationship with the deflectable area 40.

  The speed data for each small block shown here means the maximum speed there. Therefore, moving the stage at a speed exceeding the maximum speed may cause exposure failure. Therefore, the stage control unit 60 controls the movement of the stage so that the speed is within the range of the speed data.

  Such movement control of the stage can be realized by some kind of servo control. As shown in FIG. 2, the stage control unit 60 gives a drive signal to the stage drive unit 68 and simultaneously monitors the speed of the stage by the stage position detection unit 69. Accordingly, the stage speed can be controlled so as to match the speed distribution of FIG. 12 as much as possible while monitoring the stage speed by the stage control unit 60. Servo control with such feedback control is performed by servo control means obvious to those skilled in the art of servo control.

  Since the secondary data described above is, for example, the shot density for each subfield, the data amount is extremely small compared to the pattern data. Further, the amount of data can be further reduced by providing secondary data for each band or each small block area.

  Further, it is preferable that the step of calculating the velocity data from the secondary data and the arrangement data is performed before entering the exposure step and the velocity data is stored in the file 56. However, since the calculation itself is not so complicated, the speed data may be generated at the same time as the drive data is generated from the pattern data by the pattern generating means.

  Since the secondary data is data that depends only on the pattern data, it can be used for different exposure apparatuses and exposure conditions.

  [Speed Control] In the electron beam exposure apparatus, the point to be noted in the above-mentioned stage movement control is that the speed control is as close to the distribution as shown in FIG. 12 as long as the stage moving speed does not exceed the speed v in FIG. There is a point that must be done. That is, if a state where the stage speed exceeds the speed v occurs, the exposure area goes out of the deflectable area 40 in that state, and an exposure failure occurs. This is different from general servo control in which a desired position is moved in a short time.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of speed control in which such exposure failure may occur. In this example, when each small block area MF _n, the rate data determined with respect to MF n + _{1 ...} are in accordance with v _1, v _{2 ....,} stage speed is controlled by the stage control unit 60 The actual speed V is shown. In this example, the stage control unit 60 simply performs acceleration and deceleration according to speed data along the frame scanning direction. As described above, since the moving speed of the stage needs to be slower than the speed data v, acceleration and deceleration are performed at the boundary point of the small block area that is the speed change point. The change in speed requires a certain time due to the inertia due to the movement of the stage. Therefore, the actual stage speed V changes from the boundary point toward the target speed according to the acceleration and deceleration (negative acceleration).

In the example of FIG. 13, when moving from the region MF _n to the region MF _{n + 1} , a state occurs in which the actual speed CV is temporarily lower than the target maximum speed v _{n + 1} due to the limit of acceleration. Such a state is preferably not ideal, but at least does not cause exposure failure. However, in the example of FIG. 13, when moving from the area MF n _{+ 2} in the region MF n _{+ 3} means that the exposure pattern density is moved from a low area MF n _{+ 2} in the high region MF n _{+ 3.} In this case, since there is a limit on the deceleration, when deceleration is started at the boundary point between the two areas, the actual speed CV becomes higher than the target maximum speed v _{n + 3} as indicated by 80. A similar phenomenon occurs when moving from the region MF _{n + 3} to the region MF _{n + 4} . When such a phenomenon 80 occurs, an exposure target area appears outside the deflectable area 40, resulting in an exposure failure.

  Therefore, in the speed control, it is necessary to prevent the actual stage speed from exceeding the target maximum speed of the speed data particularly when the vehicle is decelerated as described above.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing speed control that can prevent the phenomenon 80 described above. Similarly to FIG. 13, the horizontal axis indicates the frame scanning direction and the vertical axis indicates the maximum speed v in each small block MF. Dashed line CV1 is an example of improved speed control. In this example, the speed change point at the boundary of the small block MF is defined as a speed set point. Then, at the speed set point, the slower speed of the speed data v of the small blocks MF on both sides is given as the set speed at the speed set point. In the figure, the speed set point C _n, the small blocks MF _n and MF n _{+ 1} of the target speed v _n and v target speed v _n of the slower of the _{n + 1} is given as the set speed V _n. Similarly, the set speeds V _{n + 1} V _{n + 2} V _{n + 3} V _{n + 4} of the speed set points C _{n + 1} , C _{n + 2} , C _{n + 3} , C _{n + 4} are given as shown. It is done.

Then, as indicated by the broken line CV1 in the figure, the speed control is performed along the speed V of the speed set point C. Accordingly, when moving from the region MF _{n + 2} to the region MF _{n + 3} , the next speed set point at the right end in advance from the speed V _{n + 1} of the speed set point C _{n + 1} at the left end of the region MF _{n + 2} deceleration is made to C n _{+ 2} of the velocity V _{n + 2.} Therefore, the phenomenon that the speed CV1 exceeds the maximum speed v _{n + 3} as shown in FIG. 13 does not occur. The same applies when moving from the region MF _{n + 3} to the region MF _{n + 4} .

  A speed control curve indicated by a one-dot chain line CV2 in the figure is an example in which the method using the speed set point C is further improved. In this example, performing speed control along the speed V of the speed set point C is the same as above, but when accelerating, the acceleration starts as soon as possible immediately after passing through the speed set point C, and when decelerating. Deceleration is started as late as possible before the next speed set point C. By doing so, the speed control curve CV2 can be as close as possible to the line of the maximum speed v (solid line).

Incidentally, it should be noted in this improved example is that the actual stage speed CV2 by the moment of inertia of the first acceleration during acceleration to the way does not exceed the maximum speed v _n and v _{n + 1.} Thus, for example when accelerating from the speed V _n after passing through the speed setpoint C _n when moving from the area MF _n in the region MF n _{+ 1} is the acceleration from the front position of the next speed setpoint C _{n + 1} In order to eliminate the vibration, the vibration does not occur around the maximum speed v _{n + 1} . In simple feedback control, such vibrations occur, but such vibrations can be avoided by appropriately adding well-known fade forward control.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example in which the speed control of FIG. 14 is further improved. In this example, it is the same as in FIG. 14 to give the speed setting point C at the boundary point of the region MF to the lower speed among the maximum speeds v of the regions on both sides. In the example of FIG. 15, the speed Vx is further added with the intermediate point of the region MF as the speed set point Cx. Then, a speed curve CV3 is generated along the speeds V and Vx of the speed set points C and Cx. That is, the broken line CV3 in FIG. 15 is the speed control curve. In this example, when the exposure density is lower than the areas MF _{n + 1} MF _{n + 3} on both sides, such as the area MF _{n + 2} , the stage can be moved at a sufficiently high speed, so that the exposure throughput is further improved. .

  The speed control curve CV4 indicated by a one-dot chain line is such that acceleration is started as early as possible and deceleration is started as late as possible with respect to the speed control curve indicated by the broken line CV3. By adding such an improvement, the exposure time can be further shortened and the exposure throughput can be increased.

  The speed control curve is generated by the stage control unit 60 in the configuration of the control unit shown in FIG. A speed control curve is generated while reading the speed data of each small block area MF stored in the speed data file 56. Or when calculating the speed data from the secondary data while moving the stage, the speed control curve is generated along with the generation of the speed data. Any calculation may be performed by the CPU 51, or when the stage control unit 60 has high calculation processing capability, the calculation is performed by the stage control unit 60.

  In the case of the method described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15, after the actual speed controlled in the region where the small block regions MF having a very low exposure density are continuous becomes very high, the small block region having a suddenly high exposure density. When the MF is scanned, there may be a case where deceleration is not in time. That is, even if the vehicle is decelerated from the speed V at the start point of the area MF toward the speed V of the next area MF, it is not in time. As a solution in that case, there is a method of resetting the speed V of the speed set point to be lower according to the speed V of the next speed set point. That is, it is a method of returning to the direction opposite to the scanning direction and setting the speed V at the speed set point again to the speed Vz that can be decelerated to the speed V at the next speed set point. If this method is adopted, it may be necessary to reset the speed V of the previous speed set point again by resetting the speed. In such a case, there is a method of resetting the software program that determines the speed of the speed set point by providing recursion.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a case where the speed V needs to be reset. In this example, a speed set point C is provided at the boundary of the small block MF as in FIG. 14, and the slow speed among the speeds v on both sides thereof is set as the speed V of the speed set point C. Accordingly, the speed control curve CV1 indicated by the broken line in the figure is generated by the stage control unit 60.

In this example, relatively exposure density that low in the region MF _n ~MF _n + _1, area MF n _{+ 4} is suddenly exposed density increases. In that case, the stage moving speed v is controlled to be high in the regions MF _{n to} MF _{n + 1} . But when decelerating toward the velocity V _{n + 2} of the speed set point _{n + 2} to C _{n + 3} of the velocity V _{n + 3,} the difference of both speed V is more moderation (or lower than the lower limit of the negative acceleration Therefore, in the speed control curve CV1, the speed at the boundary between the area MF _{n + 3} and the area MF _{n + 4} greatly exceeds the speed V _{n + 3} of the speed set point C _{n + 3} . For this reason, the speed CV1 in the area MF _{n + 4} exceeds the maximum speed v _{n + 4} in that area, and all the exposure patterns cannot be exposed. It is necessary to prevent such exposure failure.

A method for solving the above problem is shown in a speed control curve CV5 of a one-dot chain line in FIG. That is, if it can not be the maximum deceleration from the speed V _{n + 2} of the speed set point C _{n + 2} reaches the speed setting point C _{n + 3} of the velocity V _{n + 3,} the speed setting point C _{n + 3} A new speed Vz _{n + 2} that can reach the speed V _{n + 3} of the speed set point C _{n + 3} at the maximum deceleration with respect to the speed set point C _{n + 2 in} the direction opposite to the scan direction. To reset. Then, it is determined whether or not the re-set speed Vz _{n + 2} can be reached when the maximum speed is reduced from the speed V _{n + 1 at} the previous speed set point C _{n + 1} . If this is not possible, the speed V _{n + 1} at the speed set point C _{n + 1} is again set to a new speed Vz _{n + 1} that can reach the speed Vz _{n + 2} when the vehicle is decelerated at maximum. Set. Then, it is determined again whether or not the reset speed Vz _{n + 1} can be reached when the maximum speed is reduced from the speed V _{n at the} previous speed set point C _n . In the example of FIG. 16, that is possible. Therefore, a new speed control curve CV5 indicated by the alternate long and short dash line is generated.

  Thus, in order to scan the speed setting point once set in the reverse direction and reset it, a recursive method known in the computer program is effective.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining speed resetting when the speed V at the speed setting point C is set and the speed V at the next speed setting point cannot be reached even after maximum acceleration. In this example, scanning is performed from the region MF _n to the regions MF _{n + 1} , MF _{n + 2} , and MF _{n + 3} and regions having low exposure densities. Can not be the maximum acceleration from the speed V _n of the speed set point C _n reach speeds V _{n + 1} of the speed set point C _{n + 1} of the next boundary. In that case, a new speed Vz _{n + 1} indicated by a white circle in the figure is reset. This speed Vz _{n + 1} is a speed that can be reached when maximum acceleration is performed from the speed V _{n at} the speed set point C _n . Similarly, the speed of the speed setpoint C _{n + 2} is again set to Vz n _{+ 2.}

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart of speed set point generation according to the above algorithm. FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a part having recursiveness.

From the state already stored secondary data in the secondary data file 54, to generate velocity data v _n in the small block area MF _n on the basis of the secondary data. This speed v _n is the maximum speed in a range where no exposure failure occurs when the stage is moved at a constant speed in the small block area MF _n . That is, the exposure speed is the maximum speed within the range in which the exposure position can be located in the deflectable area 40 of the exposure apparatus during exposure in the small block (step S1). This speed data is stored in the speed data file 56.

Next, the boundary point of the small block area is defined as a speed setting point C _n, and the speed V _{n is set} to the slower one of the maximum speeds v _n−1 and v _n of the areas on both sides (min (v _{n− 1,} v _n )) (step S2). By performing speed control along the set speed V _n of the speed set point C _n , it is possible to considerably prevent the controlled stage speed from exceeding the maximum speed in each small block area. When the center point of the small block area shown in FIG. 15 is also added as a speed set point, the speed at the additional speed set point is further set to the maximum speed in the small block area to which it belongs.

Step S3 is a step that is not described is a step of velocity V _n set to check whether does not exceed the maximum value V _max of the stage speed of the exposure apparatus. If so, it will be reset to the maximum value for that device.

When the speed V _n is given to each speed set point C _n (n = 0 to N−1) in the scanning direction of the frame 39, the speed is increased by the maximum acceleration or the maximum deceleration of the apparatus described with reference to FIGS. When it is changed, it is checked whether or not it is possible to change from the set speed V _n to V _{n + 1} between the adjacent speed set points C _n and C _{n + 1.} Settings are made. This process is performed by steps S4 to S13 and the recursive subroutine of FIG.

First, V a n value because in this example scanned toward the end from the starting point to set the initial value of 0 (step S4), and the set speed V _n between the speed setpoint and C _n and C _{n + 1 It} is checked whether or not it can be changed to _{n + 1} (step S5). In this step, it is calculated whether or not the speeds V _n can be changed from V _n to V _{n + 1} by the maximum acceleration and the maximum deceleration of the stage of the exposure apparatus. If acceleration / deceleration is possible, the n value is incremented (step S7) and continued until the final speed set point C _N-1 is reached (step S6).

If it is determined in step S5 that acceleration / deceleration is impossible, if acceleration is impossible (V _n <V _{n + 1} ), the speed V _{n + 1} is reset to a new speed Vz _{n + 1} that can be accelerated. (Step S11). This point has been described with reference to FIG. Alternatively, if the deceleration is not (V _n> V _{n + 1)} is re-set the speed V _n to the new speed Vz _n possible deceleration from the speed V _{n + 1} (step S12).

If it is determined that deceleration is not possible and the speed V _n is reset to Vz _n , it is necessary to check whether deceleration from the previous speed set point C _n-1 is possible. Therefore, in step S13, the k value is set to the n value at that time, and the recursive subroutine 100 is called. The subroutine 100 is configured by the flowchart shown in FIG. In subroutine 100, repeat steps S17, S18, S19 calls his subroutine 100 to reach the first speed set point C ₀ (step S16). Until the first speed set point C ₀ is reached, the speed V _k-1 at the previous speed set point C _k-1 and the reset speed Vz _k at the current speed set point C _k are determined in step S17. A check is made as to whether acceleration / deceleration is possible. If acceleration / deceleration is possible, the subroutine 100 ends and returns to the original routine. If acceleration / deceleration is impossible, the speed V _k-1 is reset to a new acceleration / deceleration speed Vz _k-1 . Then, the k value is decremented (k = k-1) (step S18), and the subroutine 100 is further called.

  By using the above-described recursive subroutine method, the speed is reset to a speed that allows acceleration / deceleration between all speed set points. Returning to FIG. 18, the speed control curve CV is generated along the speed V set last, and the speed of the stage is controlled accordingly.

  In the above flowchart, the change of the set speed from the speed set point Cn to Cn + 1 adjacent to the scan start point (n = 0) in the frame 39 in accordance with the scan direction is a deceleration (negative) exceeding the upper limit of the deceleration. If a negative acceleration smaller than the lower limit of the acceleration is required), the set speed of the speed set point Cn is reset to a low value. Then, next, the acceleration investigation point is returned to determine whether it is possible to change the set speed between the speed set points Cn-1 and Cn.

  According to a similar algorithm, it may be investigated whether or not the set speed of the adjacent speed set points Cn to Cn + 1 can be changed in the reverse direction of the scan direction from the scan end point in the frame 39. In that case, it is determined whether or not the change of the set speed from the speed set point Cn to Cn + 1 requires an acceleration exceeding the upper limit value of the acceleration (positive acceleration). And when it passes, the setting speed of speed setting point Cn + 1 is reset low. Then, the next investigation point of acceleration is returned to the speed setting points Cn + 1 and Cn + 2. Also in this case, the above-described recursive subroutine method is used.

  After setting the set speed Vn at each speed set point Cn as described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 19, the servo of the speed along the set speed Vn at each speed set point Cn is set as shown in FIGS. Control is performed. In this case, it is preferable that acceleration is performed immediately after the speed set point and deceleration is performed before the next speed set point, as indicated by a dashed line in FIGS.

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart of the speed servo control. In the servo control shown in this figure, the distance Lv required for acceleration or deceleration from the current speed to the speed of the next speed set point is obtained, and in the case of acceleration, the position where acceleration is finished is defined as the acceleration change position Chv. To do. In the case of deceleration, the position where deceleration should start is defined as the acceleration change position Chv. Then, the speed is accelerated or decelerated with the acceleration change position Chv as a target. The control of this flowchart is performed by the stage control unit 60.

  First, the start point, end point, parameters, etc. are read as initial values (S20). Then, the current position PP is set to the starting point position, and the current stage speed Vs is set to 0 (S21). Then, the set speed vn of the first speed set point Cn is read (S22), and the distance Lv necessary for acceleration is calculated (S23). Then, the acceleration change position Chv is set to a position obtained by adding the acceleration distance Lv to the current position PP as a position where the acceleration is stopped after the acceleration is started from the current position (S24). In step S25, the stage is moved while accelerating the speed in step S34 until the current value PP reaches the acceleration change position Chv.

  Eventually, when the current position PP reaches the acceleration change position Chv in step 25, unless the next speed set point is the final set point (S27), acceleration is performed as soon as possible in the loop of steps S28 to S35, S25 to S27, Control is performed to decelerate as late as possible.

  In step S28, the set speed vn at the next speed set point Cn is read, and it is determined whether the speed is decelerating, accelerating, or equal speed by comparing the current speed with the set speed vn (S29, 31). In the case of deceleration, the distance Lv necessary for deceleration is obtained, and the next acceleration change position Chv is reset to the next speed set point Cn-Lv. In the case of acceleration, a distance Lv necessary for acceleration is obtained, and a new acceleration change position Chv (= PP + Lv) is set as a position that reaches the target speed when accelerating immediately after that. Further, in the case of constant speed, the next speed set point is set as the acceleration change position Chv.

  In the case of deceleration, deceleration does not begin until the next acceleration change position Chv. In the case of acceleration, acceleration is started immediately thereafter and the acceleration is terminated at the next acceleration change position Chv. In the case of constant speed, acceleration / deceleration is not performed until the next acceleration change position. Setting of a new speed for acceleration / deceleration is performed in step S34.

  Then, the loop of steps S25, S34, and S35 is repeated until the next acceleration change position Chv is reached.

  When the next is the final speed set point, the position obtained by subtracting the distance Lv required for deceleration from the end point after the final speed set point is set as the acceleration change position Chv (S36), and the current position PP becomes the final speed set point. When it reaches (S26), the acceleration change point Chv is reset as the end point (S37), and when the end point is reached (S35), the stage control is terminated.

  According to the servo control described above, the stage speed can be set at a speed as fast as possible without necessarily exceeding the set speed Vn of the speed set point Cn.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform drawing with a beam as soon as possible in a range where no exposure failure occurs in variable-speed charged particle beam exposure, and it is possible to shorten the throughput of the exposure process.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, since secondary data relating to the exposure time obtained from the pattern data is generated, the velocity distribution in the scanning direction can be obtained from the secondary data even in the case of different exposure apparatuses.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the moving speed is controlled from the speed data including the speed distribution in the scanning direction of the exposure material so that the moving speed does not exceed the maximum exposure speed, the throughput is short and the exposure failure is not caused. Does not occur.

It is a block diagram of the lens-barrel part of an electron beam exposure apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram of the control part of an electron beam exposure apparatus. It is a figure which shows the relationship with the frame which shows the scanning area | region on the wafer which is pattern data, arrangement | positioning data, and the sample. It is a figure which shows that the exposure area | region of an electron beam is scanned by the movement of the stage which mounts a wafer. It is a figure shown about the example of the deflection | deviation area | region in a flame | frame area | region. It is a figure which shows the example of a relationship between the flame | frame in a chip | tip area | region, and the deflection possible range of a main deflector. It is a figure which shows the example of the data structure of pattern data. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of the secondary data in a secondary data file. It is a figure which shows the other data structural example of secondary data. It is a figure which shows the example of frequency distribution of the amount of deflection | deviation position change. It is a figure which shows the other example of the frequency distribution of the variation | change_quantity of a deflection position. It is a figure which shows the example of the velocity distribution for every small block. It is a figure which shows the example of speed control which may generate | occur | produce an exposure defect. It is a figure which shows the speed control which can prevent the phenomenon 80. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example which improved further the speed control of FIG. It is a figure shown about the case where the reset of a speed is needed. It is a figure shown about another case where the reset of a speed is needed. It is a flowchart figure of speed set point generation. It is a figure of the flowchart (the 2) of speed set point generation. It is a flowchart figure of the servo control of speed.

Explanation of symbols

20 Transmission masks 21 to 24 Mask deflector 33 Main deflector 34 Sub deflector 36 Sample (wafer)
35 Stage 53 Pattern data file 54 Secondary data file 56 Speed data file 60 Stage control unit

Claims (24)

In the charged particle beam exposure method of exposing a region of an exposure pattern by irradiating the sample with a charged particle beam while moving the sample,
Obtaining, in advance, secondary data having at least density information of the exposure pattern for different exposure apparatuses in general from pattern data having at least the exposure pattern data and exposure position data;
In each exposure apparatus, generating velocity data having a velocity distribution in the moving direction of the sample according to the secondary data;
Irradiating a charged particle beam on the sample according to the pattern data while moving the sample at a variable speed according to the obtained velocity data.   2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the secondary data has the density information of a small block area obtained by dividing the exposure pattern at least for each small block area or for each area obtained by dividing the small block area. In the data generation step, the velocity data having the moving velocity of the sample for each small block region is generated.   3. The charged particle beam irradiation step according to claim 1, wherein the charged particle beam shaped into a predetermined shape is irradiated onto the sample a plurality of times, and the secondary data has at least the number of times of irradiation. A charged particle beam exposure method.   4. The speed data generation step according to claim 3, wherein the speed data is generated based on an exposure time distribution according to a cumulative value of a product of the number of times of irradiation of the secondary data and the respective irradiation times. A charged particle beam exposure method.   3. The charged particle beam irradiation step according to claim 1, wherein in the charged particle beam irradiation step, the charged particle beam shaped into a predetermined shape is deflected to a predetermined position of the sample and irradiated to the sample, and the secondary data is the deflection position. A charged particle beam exposure method characterized by having at least the number of times of change.   6. The velocity data generating step according to claim 5, wherein the step of generating the velocity data is based on a distribution of exposure time according to a product of the number of changes in the deflection position of the secondary data and the deflection time required for changing the deflection position of the deflector of the exposure apparatus. The charged particle beam exposure method, wherein the velocity data is generated. In the charged particle beam exposure method of exposing a region of an exposure pattern by deflecting and irradiating a charged particle beam to a predetermined position of the sample while moving the sample,
Secondary data having at least density information of the exposure pattern is generated in general for different exposure apparatuses in advance from pattern data having at least the exposure pattern data and exposure position data for each of a plurality of deflection areas. Process,
In each exposure apparatus, generating velocity data having a velocity distribution in the moving direction of the sample according to the secondary data;
Irradiating a charged particle beam on the sample according to the pattern data while moving the sample at a variable speed according to the obtained velocity data.   8. The charged particle beam exposure method according to claim 7, wherein the secondary data includes at least the number of irradiation times of the charged particle beam.   8. The charged particle beam exposure method according to claim 7, wherein the secondary data includes at least the number of changes in the deflection position of the charged particle beam. In a charged particle beam exposure apparatus that irradiates a sample with a charged particle beam and exposes the sample to an exposure pattern,
A pattern data file storing pattern data including at least an irradiation pattern and an irradiation position of the exposure pattern;
A secondary data file for storing secondary data generated from the pattern data for different exposure apparatuses in general and having density information of exposure patterns for at least a plurality of areas;
Exposure means for deflecting and irradiating the charged particle beam to a predetermined position of the sample according to the pattern data, and exposing the sample to an exposure pattern;
A charged particle beam exposure apparatus comprising: sample movement control means for continuously moving the sample at a variable speed according to the secondary data.   11. The charged particle beam exposure apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the secondary data includes at least the number of irradiation times of the charged particle beam.   11. The charged particle beam exposure apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the secondary data includes at least the number of changes in the deflection position of the charged particle beam. In a charged particle beam exposure method of exposing an exposure pattern region by deflecting and irradiating a charged particle beam to the sample while moving the sample,
Secondary data having at least density information of the exposure pattern is generated in general for different exposure apparatuses in advance from pattern data having at least the exposure pattern data and exposure position data for each of a plurality of deflection areas. Process,
In each exposure apparatus, each of the small block regions having a width within the range in which the deflection is possible and extending in the scanning direction of the sample by the movement and dividing the frame region in the scanning direction Obtaining a moving speed corresponding to the following in accordance with the density information of the exposure pattern of the secondary data in the small block area;
A step of deflecting and irradiating the charged particle beam to the sample while moving the sample at a variable speed that does not exceed the moving speed of each of the small block regions and according to the moving speed. The charged particle beam exposure method characterized by the above-mentioned.   14. The charged particle beam exposure method according to claim 13, wherein the moving speed of each small block area is a maximum moving speed at which the small block area can be exposed while moving the sample at a constant speed.   The step of further defining a boundary of the small block area as a speed set point and setting a slow speed among the moving speeds of the small block areas on both sides of the speed set point as a speed of the speed set point. In the beam irradiation step, the charged particle beam exposure method is characterized in that the sample is moved at a variable speed according to a set speed of the speed set point.   16. The charged particle beam exposure method according to claim 15, wherein the moving speed of each small block area is a maximum moving speed at which the small block area can be exposed while moving the sample at a constant speed.   The method according to claim 15, further comprising defining a predetermined position in the small block area as an additional speed set point, and setting a maximum moving speed of the area as the speed of the additional speed set point, In the beam irradiation step, the charged particle beam exposure method is characterized in that the sample is moved at a variable speed according to a set speed of the speed set point and an additional speed set point.   18. The charged particle beam exposure method according to claim 15 or 17, wherein a set speed of the speed set point is set so as not to exceed a speed upper limit value at which the sample of the exposure apparatus can move.   18. If the difference between the set speeds of two adjacent speed set points is greater than the positive upper limit value or less than the negative lower limit value of the acceleration of the exposure apparatus, the two speed set points are set. The charged particle beam exposure method further comprising a step of changing a large set speed among the speeds to a speed that can be controlled within the acceleration range.   20. The speed changing step according to claim 19, wherein the speed changing step sequentially extracts two speed setting points adjacent to each other in accordance with a scanning direction from a scan start point of the frame and changes the set speed. When the change in the set speed at the next speed set point n + 1 requires an acceleration smaller than the negative lower limit value of the acceleration, the set speed at the speed set point n is changed to be small and the speed to be extracted A charged particle beam exposure method, wherein the set point is returned to determine whether or not the change in the set speed of the speed set point n-1 and the speed set point n is within the upper and lower limits of the acceleration.   20. The speed changing step according to claim 19, wherein the speed changing step sequentially extracts two speed setting points adjacent to each other according to a direction opposite to a scanning direction from a scan end point of the frame, and changes the set speed. When the change in the set speed at the set point n and the next speed set point n + 1 requires an acceleration larger than the positive upper limit value of the acceleration, the set speed at the speed set point n + 1 is changed to be small, A charged particle beam exposure method comprising: returning a speed set point to be extracted and determining whether a change in set speed of the speed set point n + 1 and the speed set point n + 2 is within the upper limit and lower limit of the acceleration.   In Claim 15 or 17, in the beam irradiation step, the sample is moved at the set speed at the speed set point, and in the region between the speed set points, the set speeds of the speed set points on both sides are set. A charged particle beam exposure method characterized by being performed at a speed between.   18. The beam irradiation step according to claim 15 or 17, wherein in the beam irradiation step, when the set speed at the next speed set point is larger than the set speed at the current speed set point, the movement of the sample passes the current speed set point. A charged particle beam exposure method characterized in that acceleration is started immediately after, and when it is small, deceleration is started after passing the current speed set point and before the next speed set point. In a charged particle beam exposure apparatus that irradiates a sample with a charged particle beam and exposes the sample to an exposure pattern,
A pattern data file storing pattern data including at least an irradiation pattern and an irradiation position of the exposure pattern;
A secondary data file for storing secondary data generated from the pattern data for different exposure apparatuses in general and having density information of exposure patterns for at least a plurality of areas;
Exposure means for deflecting and irradiating the charged particle beam to a predetermined position of the sample according to the pattern data, and exposing the sample to an exposure pattern;
Movement within the frame area extending in the scanning direction of the sample by the movement and having a width within a range in which the beam can be deflected, corresponding to each of the small block areas obtained by dividing the frame area in the scanning direction A charged particle beam exposure apparatus comprising: a sample movement control means for obtaining a speed according to the sparse density information of the secondary data and moving the sample at a variable speed according to the movement speed.

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