Patent ID: 7786453

Claim:
A charged particle beam writing apparatus comprising: first and second storage devices; a transfer processing unit operative to sequentially transfer to the first storage device a plurality of design data files per prespecified region having a pattern layout defined therein; a first data processor unit operative to sequentially read respective design data files from said first storage device and perform, in a pipeline processing way with the transfer processing, first data processing for converting design data within each data file into draw data of a predetermined format and then store the draw data processed in the second storage device, said first data processor unit performing said first data processing for converting design data within a design data file of the plurality of design data files into draw data of the predetermined format while said transfer processing unit performing said transfer processing for a next design data file of the plurality of design data files in said pipeline processing way; a set of second to n-th data processor units operative to sequentially read respective data files from said second storage device and perform mutually different ones of second to n-th data processing operations against each draw data in a way that the first to n-th data processing operations become a pipeline processing and then store the draw data processed in said second storage device; and a pattern writing unit operative to write a specified pattern on a workpiece by use of a charged particle beam which is controlled based on each data with the n-th data processing applied thereto, said each data being stored in said second storage device.