Particle-optical systems and arrangements and particle-optical components for such systems and arrangements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10504681-B2
Application number	US-201715608229-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2017
Priority date	Sep 5, 2003
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

A particle-optical arrangement comprises a charged-particle source for generating a beam of charged particles; a multi-aperture plate arranged in a beam path of the beam of charged particles, wherein the multi-aperture plate has a plurality of apertures formed therein in a predetermined first array pattern, wherein a plurality of charged-particle beamlets is formed from the beam of charged particles downstream of the multi-aperture plate, and wherein a plurality of beam spots is formed in an image plane of the apparatus by the plurality of beamlets, the plurality of beam spots being arranged in a second array pattern; and a particle-optical element for manipulating the beam of charged particles and/or the plurality of beamlets; wherein the first array pattern has a first pattern regularity in a first direction, and the second array pattern has a second pattern regularity in a second direction electron-optically corresponding to the first direction, and wherein the second regularity is higher than the first regularity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A particle-optical component comprising:
at least one multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures formed therein, each for manipulating particles of a charged particle beamlet passing therethrough;
wherein the multi-aperture plate comprises plural conductive layer portions arranged substantially in a single plane, the portions including a plurality of concentric ring-shaped portions, with adjacent ring-shaped portions being electrically insulated from one another,
wherein plural apertures are formed in each of the plural conductive layer portions, and wherein a resistant gap is formed between adjacent conductive layer portions.

2. The particle-optical component according to claim 1 , wherein the component is configured such that adjacent conductive layer portions are at different electric potentials.

3. The particle-optical component according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one voltage source for supplying predetermined voltages to the plural conductive layer portions.

4. The particle-optical component according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one resistor electrically coupling different conductive layer portions.

5. The particle-optical component according to claim 4 , wherein a resistance of a first resistor connecting a first pair of adjacent conductive layer portions located at a first distance from a center of the concentric ring-shaped portions is higher than a resistance of a second resistor connecting a second pair of adjacent conductive layer portions located at a second distance smaller than the first distance from the center of the first pattern.

6. The particle-optical component according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of conductive layer portions comprises a first conductive layer portion substantially surrounding a second conductive layer portion.

7. The particle-optical component according to claim 1 , wherein a radial width of the ring-shaped conductive layer portions decreases with an increasing distance from a center of the concentric ring-shaped portions.

8. A particle-optical arrangement, the arrangement comprising:
at least one charged-particle source for generating at least one beam of charged particles, or a plurality of charged particle beamlets; and
at least one particle-optical component; wherein the at least one particle-optical component comprises:
at least one multi-aperture plate having a plurality of apertures formed therein, each for manipulating particles of a charged particle beamlet passing therethrough;
wherein the multi-aperture plate comprises plural conductive layer portions arranged substantially in a single plane, the portions including a plurality of concentric ring-shaped portions, with adjacent ring-shaped portions being electrically insulated from one another,
wherein plural apertures are formed in each of the plural conductive layer portions, and wherein a resistant gap is formed between adjacent conductive layer portions.

9. The particle-optical arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein a plurality of charged-particle beamlets is formed from the at least one beam of charged particles downstream of the multi-aperture plate, and wherein a plurality of beam spots is formed in an object plane of the particle-optical arrangement by the plurality of charged-particle beamlets;
the arrangement further comprising at least one first focusing lens arranged in a beam path of the at least one beam of charged particles upstream of the multi-aperture plate and at least one second focusing lens arranged in a beam path of the plurality of charged-particle beamlets downstream of the multi-aperture plate;
wherein the arrangement is configured such that adjacent conductive layer portions are at different electric potentials for compensating a field curvature of at least one of the first and second focusing lenses.

10. The particle-optical arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein a focusing effect performed by the apertures on a respective beamlet decreases with increasing distance from a center of the first pattern.

11. A multi-electron-beamlet inspection system, comprising:
a stage for mounting an object to be inspected;
at least one electron source for generating at least one electron beam;
a multi-aperture plate comprising a pattern of multiple apertures substantially in a plane perpendicular to the at least one electron beam, the multi-aperture plate dividing the at least one electron beam into an array of electron beamlets;
an objective lens for focusing the array of electron beamlets on the object to be inspected; and
a detector arrangement for detecting secondary electrons from the object generated by the array of electron beamlets, to produce an array of signals corresponding to the secondary electrons generated by substantially a single electron beamlet in the array of electron beamlets;
wherein the multi-aperture plate comprises plural conductive layer portions arranged substantially in a single plane, the portions including a plurality of concentric ring-shaped portions, with adjacent ring-shaped portions being electrically insulated from one another,
wherein plural apertures are formed in each of the plural conductive layer portions, and wherein a resistant gap is formed between adjacent conductive layer portions.

12. A method of multi-electron-beamlet inspection of a substrate, the method comprising:
generating at least one electron beam;
illuminating at least one multi-aperture plate with the at least one electron beam using at least one first electron optical component;
dividing the at least one electron beam into an array of beamlets with the multi-aperture plate comprising a pattern of multiple apertures substantially in a plane perpendicular to the at least one electron beam; and
forming an array of electron beam spots with the array of beamlets on the substrate using at least one second charged-particle optical component;
wherein the multi-aperture plate comprises plural conductive layer portions arranged substantially in a single plane, the portions including a plurality of concentric ring-shaped portions, with adjacent ring-shaped portions being electrically insulated from one another,
wherein plural apertures are formed in each of the plural conductive layer portions, and wherein a resistant gap is formed between adjacent conductive layer portions.

13. A charged-particle multi-beamlet lithography system for writing a pattern on a resist coated object, the system comprising:
a stage for mounting the object;
at least one charged-particle source for generating at least one charged-particle beam;
a multi-aperture plate comprising a pattern of multiple apertures substantially in a plane perpendicular to the at least one charged-particle beam, the multi-aperture plate dividing the at least one charged-particle beam into an array of charged-particle beamlets; and
an objective lens for focusing the array of charged-particle beamlets on the object; and
wherein the multi-aperture plate comprises plural conductive layer portions arranged substantially in a single plane, the portions including a plurality of concentric ring-shaped portions, with adjacent ring-shaped portions being electrically insulated from one another,
wherein plural apertures are formed in each of the plural conductive layer portions, and wherein a resistant gap is formed between adjacent conductive layer portions.

14. A method of writing a pattern on a resist coated object, the method comprising:
generating at least one electron beam;
illuminating at least one multi-aperture plate with the at least one electron beam using at least one f

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Microscopy Gmbh
• Applied Materials Israel Ltd

Inventors

• Knippelmeyer Rainer
• Kienzle Oliver
• Kemen Thomas
• Mueller Heiko
• Uhlemann Stephan
• Haider Maximilian
• Casares Antonio
• Rogers Steven

Classifications

• H01J37/3177

  Multi-beam, e.g. fly's eye, comb probe · CPC title

• H01J2237/0435

  Multi-aperture · CPC title

• H01J37/28

  with scanning beams {(H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H01J2237/04756

  with electrostatic means · CPC title

• H01J37/14

  magnetic · CPC title