Patent Number: 
Section: abstract

An electron beam device includes an electron beam source, plural spaced plates having aligned apertures through which an electron beam is directed, an electrostatic focusing arrangement, and plural electrostatically charged deflection plates for deflecting the beam and displacing it over a target surface. The apertures in the spaced plates are of deceasing size in the direction of travel of the electron beam for intercepting the outer periphery of the beam and providing a beam of reduced cross section. The electron beam is simultaneously deflected by the deflection plates and focused by the electrostatic focusing arrangement. The electrostatic focusing arrangement includes first and second focusing elements through which the beam is directed which are disposed along the beamline and adjacent the upper and lower end portions, respectively, of the beam deflection plates. The electron beam device is of small size, permitting plural devices to be arranged in two- and three-dimensional compact matrix arrays for dense electron beam lithography arrangements such as for use in the simultaneous manufacture of large numbers of semiconductor devices to boost the throughput in integrated circuit manufacture inexpensively.