Patent ID: 7495245

Claim:
A workpiece processing apparatus comprising: an exposure chamber comprising: a charged particle source configured to generate a stream of charged particles; a collimator configured to collimate and direct the stream of charged particles from the charged particle source along an axis of propagation; a beam digitizer downstream of the collimator, the beam digitizer configured to create temporally and spatially resolved digital flashes comprising groups of at least one charged particle by adjusting longitudinal spacing between the charged particles along the axis of propagation; a deflector downstream of the beam digitizer, the deflector configured to deflect said digital flashes transversely and longitudinally to the direction of propagation; an objective lens assembly downstream of the deflector, the objective lens assembly configured to demagnify said digital flashes or one or more groups of said digital flashes; and a workpiece stage downstream of the deflector, the workpiece stage configured to hold a workpiece; and a pattern data transfer system configured to receive a pattern to be written on the workpiece and to produce a format usable by the exposure chamber to generate and deflect the digital flashes into the pattern.