Patent ID: 8361699

Claim:
A method for performing electron beam lithography (EBL), the method comprising: providing a substrate with an energy sensitive resist on a surface of the substrate, the resist having a threshold dose/energy, providing an electron beam source (EBS) capable of emitting an electron beam towards the energy sensitive resist, relatively displacing the electron beam across the substrate a first plurality of times so as to form a first pattern (P 1 ) on the substrate, the first pattern defining a first direction (D 1 ) on the substrate, relatively displacing the electron beam across the substrate a second plurality of times so as to form a second pattern (P 2 ) on the substrate, the second pattern defining a second direction (D 2 ) on the substrate, the second direction (D 2 ) being non-parallel to the first direction (D 1 ), wherein the energy and/or dose delivered to the energy sensitive resist during the exposure of the first and the second pattern is dimensioned so that the said threshold dose/energy of the energy sensitive resist is reached on the overlapping portions of the first and the second patterns (P 1 , P 2 ), wherein the electron beam during passage of an overlapping portion of the first and the second patterns (P 1 , P 2 ) has a substantially unchanged beam intensity and/or energy, as compared to the beam intensity and/or the energy of the electron beam immediately before the said passage, and wherein the first and/or the second pattern (P 1 , P 2 ) are/is a plurality of parallel lines, the direction (D 1 , D 2 ) of the first and/or second patterns being defined by the direction of the lines.