Patent ID: 8796644

Claim:
A charged particle beam lithography system ( 1 ) comprising: a charged particle optical column ( 4 ) arranged in a vacuum chamber for writing a charged particle beam ( 2 ) on a wafer, wherein the column comprises deflecting means ( 41 ) for deflecting the charged particle beam ( 2 ) in a deflection direction (Y), a target positioning device ( 5 ) comprising a carrier ( 51 , 54 ; 844 ) for carrying the wafer ( 3 ), which carrier ( 51 , 54 ; 844 ) is provided with opposite side faces, said target positioning device further comprising a stage ( 52 ; 84 ) comprising opposing sidewalls ( 521 ), wherein said opposite side faces of said carrier ( 51 , 54 ; 844 ) are arranged between and facing said opposing sidewalls ( 521 ) of said stage and parallel to said sidewalls, wherein said stage is adapted for carrying and moving the carrier supported by a linear bearing along a first direction (X), wherein the first direction (X) is different from the deflection direction (Y), wherein the target positioning device ( 5 ) comprises a first actuator ( 53 ) for moving the stage ( 52 ; 84 ) in the first direction (X) relative to the charged particle optical column ( 4 ) over a length that extends over the whole length of the wafer, wherein the carrier ( 51 , 54 ; 844 ) is displaceably arranged on the stage ( 52 ; 84 ), and is displaceable relative to said stage along a second direction which is different from said first direction and parallel to said sidewalls, and wherein the stage, at the opposing side walls comprises clamping means ( 541 ) comprising two opposed piezoelectric elements for releasably clamping said opposite side faces of the carrier ( 51 , 54 ; 844 ) therebetween such that the position of the carrier is locked with respect to the stage ( 52 ; 84 ) in a first relative position, wherein the clamping means ( 541 ; 91 , 92 , 91 ′, 92 ′) are arranged for being activated for locking the carrier ( 51 , 54 ; 844 ) in said first relative position with respect to the stage ( 52 ; 84 ) before writing the charged particle beam ( 2 ) on the wafer ( 3 ), wherein the carrier is at least one of interposed and restrained between said two opposed piezoelectric elements ( 541 ; 91 , 91 ′).