Patent ID: 7425713

Claim:
A multi-beam synchronous raster scanning lithography system comprising: a) a processor that generates electrical signals representing a desired exposure pattern at an output; b) a multi-beam source of exposing radiation that generates a plurality of exposure beam; c) a beam modulator having control inputs that are electrically connected to the output of the processor, the beam modulator receiving the electrical signals generated by the processor and modulating the plurality of exposing beams according to the desired exposure pattern; d) a beam deflector that deflects the plurality of exposure beams by a predetermined distance along a first axis, thereby exposing a plurality of pixels along the first axis with the desired exposure pattern; and e) a translation stage that supports a substrate to be exposed, the translation stage moving the substrate a predetermined distance along a second axis to position the substrate for a subsequent exposure of pixels along the first axis that results in a desired overlapping exposure dose profile, wherein a cycle time T C is inversely proportional to the square of a spot resolution R min and is independent of a positional grid of the multi-beam synchronous raster scanning lithography system.