Optical switching in lithography system

Abstract

A maskless lithography system for transferring a pattern onto the surface of a target. At least one beam generator for generating a plurality of beamlets. A plurality of modulators modulate the magnitude of a beamlet, and a control unit controls of the modulators. The control unit generates and delivers pattern data to the modulators for controlling the magnitude of each individual beamlet. The control unit includes at least one data storage for storing the pattern data, at least one readout unit for reading out the data from the data storage, at least one data converter for converting the data that is read out from the data storage into at least one modulated light beam, and at least one optical transmitter for transmitting the at least one modulated light beam to the modulation modulators.

1 . A maskless lithography system for transferring a pattern onto the surface of a target, comprising:
 a beam generator for generating a charged particle beam;   an optical system shaping said beam into a parallel beam;   a splitter for generating a plurality of individual beamlets from said beam;   which system comprises a modulator comprising an array of modulators, effecting an individual deflection of beamlets to the effect that these are either stopped or passed in the system;   the system thereto comprising a beamlet stopping means letting through or stopping such modulated beamlets, and   in which said passed beamlets are projected on to a target by means of projection lenses;   wherein said beamlet stopping means is composed as a beam stop array, and   wherein said modulator array and said beam stop array are included in between said splitter and said projection lenses;   
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a modulation array which comprises an array of modulators, wherein each modulator is adapted for either deflecting a beamlet away from its optical axis or letting a beamlet pass undeflected. 
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 2 , in which undeflected beamlets pass towards a deflector array for deflection of a beamlet in a first writing direction. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein a deflected beamlet is prevented from reaching the target. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 4 , wherein a beam stop is included for stopping deflected beamlets. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 2 , further comprising a beam stop array between said modulation array and said deflector array for deflection in a first writing direction. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said modulator array is controlled using modulated light beams, wherein each light beam holds part of the pattern data for controlling one or more modulators. 
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 7 , wherein said light beams are projected on said modulator array using an optical system. 
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 7 , wherein modulated light beams from an optical fiber end is projected on a light sensitive element of a modulator. 
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 9 , wherein said light sensitive elements are located in the vicinity of one or more individual modulators, and wherein said light beams, are directed into the virtual space column defined by said plurality of parallel beamlets. 
     
     
         11 . The system according to  claim 9 , wherein said optical fiber end is part of an optical fiber for transmitting pattern data from a control unit comprising said pattern data, towards said modulator array. 
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said beam generating means comprising a beam generator, a system for shaping the same into a parallel beam, and a beam splitter for generating a plurality of substantially parallel beamlets. 
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 1 , comprising a system for shaping said generated charged particle beam into a parallel beam, and a beam splitter ( 53 ) for generating a plurality of substantially parallel beamlets, which beamlets are directed to said modulation array ( 24 ). 
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said beam generator comprises an electron beam generating means. 
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 1 , in which the cross section of said passed beamlets is reduced using projection lenses in the system. 
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 1 , in which the cross section of each passed beamlet is reduced using projection lenses in the system. 
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said deflector array and said projection lenses are positioned in mutually close vicinity. 
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said deflector array and projection lenses are positioned in the system in close vicinity to said target surface. 
     
     
         19 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein during writing, the target surface moves with respect to the system in a second writing direction. 
     
     
         20 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein in which system parallel beamlets pass towards a writing deflector array, said deflector array individually deflecting said passed beamlets in a first writing direction.