Patent ID: 7329881

Claim:
A charged-particle beam system for processing semiconductor devices and the like in which processing can begin after a step change in workpiece stage position to a new stop position without waiting until oscillation about the stop position completely ceases comprising: a workpiece stage on which a workpiece irradiated with a charged-particle beam is placed; a laser metrology system for measuring the amount of movement of the stage to a stop position; and first calculation means for calculating the difference between the amount of movement of the stage measured by the laser metrology system and a second stop position, wherein a signal corresponding to the amount calculated by said first calculation means is supplied to a beam deflection system, wherein there is provided second calculation means for calculating the amount of movement of the stage produced between the instant when the difference is calculated and the instant when the beam deflection system is started to be operated in response to a signal corresponding to the difference wherein said second calculation means comprises a first register for storing the difference calculated by the first calculation means, a second register which, when a new difference is placed into the first register, holds the difference stored immediately previously in the first register, a subtractor for producing the difference between an output from the first register and an output from the second register, a multiplier for producing the product of an output from the subtractor and Td/Ts, Td being a time between the instant when the difference is calculated and the instant when the beam deflection system starts to operate in response to the signal corresponding to the difference and Ts is a sampling time of the laser metrology system, an adder for producing the sum of an output from the multiplier and the output from the first register, and a third register for storing an output from the adder, and wherein a signal corresponding to the calculated amount of movement is supplied to the beam deflection system to compensate for the oscillation about the stop position.