Patent ID: 8759787
Filing Date: 2014-06-24
Classification: B82Y,H01J

Abstract:
1. A charged particle lithography system for transferring a pattern onto the surface of a target, comprising: a beam generator for generating a plurality of charged particle beamlets, the plurality of beamlets defining a column; a beam stop array having a surface for blocking beamlets from reaching the target surface and an array of apertures in the surface for allowing the beamlets to reach the target surface; and a modulation device for modulating the beamlets to prevent one or more of the beamlets from reaching the target surface or allow one or more of the beamlets to reach the target surface, by deflecting or not deflecting the beamlets so that the beamlets are blocked or not blocked by the beam stop array, the modulation device comprising: a substrate provided with a plurality of apertures arranged in arrays for letting the beamlets pass through the modulation device; and a plurality of modulators arranged in arrays, each modulator provided with electrodes extending on opposing sides of an aperture for generating a voltage difference across the aperture; wherein the modulators are arranged in groups, each group of modulators for directing a group of beamlets towards a single aperture in the beam stop array; wherein individual modulators within each group of modulators have an orientation such that, during generation of a voltage difference across the aperture of the individual modulator for blocking a beamlet onto the blocking surface of the beam stop array, a passing beamlet is directed to a blocking position onto the beam stop array; and wherein the blocking positions of beamlets of the group of beamlets are substantially homogeneously spread around the corresponding single aperture in the beam stop array.