BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a charged particle beam generator. The invention further relates to a charged particle beam lithography system.

2. Description of the Related Art

[0002] In the semiconductor industry, an ever increasing desire exists to manufacture smaller structures with high accuracy and reliability. Lithography is a critical part of such manufacturing process. Currently, most commercial lithography systems use a light beam and mask as a means to reproduce pattern data for exposing a target, such as a wafer with a coating of resist thereon. In a maskless lithography system, charged particle beamlets may be used to transfer a pattern onto such target. The beamlets may be individually controllable to obtain the desired pattern.

[0003] However, for such charged particle lithography systems to be commercially viable, they need to handle a certain minimum throughput, i.e. the number of wafer being processed per hour should not be too far below the number of wafers per hour that are currently processed with an optical lithography system. Furthermore, the charged particle lithography systems need to meet low error margins. The combination of a relatively high throughput in combination with the requirement to meet low error margins is challenging.

[0004] A higher throughput may be obtained by using more beamlets, and therefore more current. However, handling a greater number of beamlets results in the need for more control circuitry. Furthermore, an increase in the current results in more charged particles that interact with components in the lithography system. Both the circuitry and the impingement of charged particles onto components may cause heating of the respective components within the lithography system. Such heating may reduce the accuracy of the patterning process within the lithography system. In a worst case scenario, such heating may stop one or more components within the lithography system from functioning.

[0005] Furthermore, the use of a great number of beamlets increases the risk of unacceptable inaccuracy due to interaction between the beamlets, e.g. Coulomb interactions. Such risk may be reduced by shortening the path between source and target. The shortening may be achieved by using stronger electric fields along the charged particle path, which may be the result of applying higher voltages to certain electrodes in the charged particle lithography system. The use of high voltage induces the risk that components within the lithography system are accidentally charged, which would be a risk for the reliability of the system. [0006] Finally, an increase in the current that would be caused by increasing the number of beamlets in the lithography system would increase the demands with respect to the pressure in the electron optical column. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is an object of the invention to provide a charged particle multi-beamlet lithography system with a great number of beamlets having improved performance regarding pressure and high voltage management. For this purpose, the invention provides a charged particle lithography system and a charged particle beam generator as described in this specification and claimed in the appended claims.

[0008] It will be evident that the presently invented principle may be set into practice in various manners.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Various aspects of the invention will be further explained with reference to

embodiments shown in the drawings wherein:

[0010] FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic drawing of an embodiment of a charged particle multi- beamlet lithography system;

[0011] FIGS. 2A and 2B are simplified diagrams showing certain components of a projection column in a main vacuum chamber.

[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a charged particle lithography system with an intermediate vacuum chamber;

[0013] FIG. 4 schematically shows a charged particle beam generator;

[0014] FIG. 5 schematically shows an overview of the beam generator;

[0015] FIG. 6 shows the beam generator of FIG. 5 with a magnetic shielding arrangement provided therein;

[0016] FIG. 7 shows the beam generator of FIG. 6 with vacuum chamber separation;

[0017] FIG. 8 shows the beam generator of FIG. 6 with another way of vacuum chamber separation;

[0018] FIG. 9 shows a basic layout of a source chamber and a collimator together with a magnetic shielding arrangement;

[0019] FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a collimator system;

[0020] FIG. 11 shows an elevated cross-sectional view of the collimator of FIG. 10;

[0021] FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional top view of a possible connection between spring elements and a cavity within a cooling arrangement; [0022] FIG. 13 shows a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a collimator system; and

[0023] FIG. 14 shows a cross-sectional view of yet another embodiment of a collimator system.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0024] The following is a description of various embodiments of the invention, given by way of example only and with reference to the drawings. [0025] FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic drawing of an embodiment of a charged particle lithography apparatus 1. Such lithography systems are described for example in U.S. Patent Nos. 6,897,458 and 6,958,804 and 7,019,908 and 7,084,414 and 7,129,502, U.S. patent application publication no. 2007/0064213, and co-pending U.S. patent applications Serial Nos. 61/031,573 and 61/031,594 and 61/045,243 and 61/055,839 and 61/058,596 and 61/101,682, which are all assigned to the owner of the present invention and are all hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0026] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the lithography apparatus 1 comprises a beamlet generator 2 for generating a plurality of beamlets, a beamlet modulator 8 for patterning the beamlets to form modulated beamlets, and a beamlet projector for projecting the modulated beamlets onto a surface of a target 13. The beamlet generator 2 typically comprises a source 3 for producing a charged particle beam 4. In FIG. 1, the source 3 produces a substantially homogeneous, expanding charged particle beam 4. Hereafter, embodiments of the invention will be discussed with reference to an electron beam lithography system. Therefore, source 3 may be referred to as electron source 3 and beam 4 may be referred to as electron beam 4. It must be understood that a similar system as depicted in FIG. 1 may be used with a different type of radiation, for example by using an ion source for producing an ion beam.

[0027] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the beamlet generator 2 further comprises a collimator lens 5 for collimating the electron beam 4 produced by the electron source 3, and an aperture array 6 for forming a plurality of beamlets 7. The collimator lens 5 may be any type of collimating optical system. Before collimation, the electron beam 4 may pass a double octopole (not shown). Preferably, the aperture array 6 comprises a plate provided with a plurality of through holes. The aperture array 6 blocks part of the electron beam 4, whereas a portion of the electron beam 4 passes the aperture array 6 through the holes so as to produce the plurality of electron beamlets 7. The system generates a large number of beamlets 122, preferably about 10,000 to 1,000,000 beamlets. [0028] The beamlet modulator or modulation system 8 in the embodiment of FIG. 1 comprises a beamlet blanker array 9 and a beamlet stop array 10. The beamlet blanker array 9 comprises a plurality of blankers for deflecting one or more of the electron beamlets 7. The deflected and undeflected electron beamlets 7 arrive at beam stop array 10, which has a plurality of apertures. The beamlet blanker array 9 and beam stop array 10 operate together to block or let pass the beamlets 7. Generally, if beamlet blanker array 9 deflects a beamlet 7, it will not pass through the corresponding aperture in beam stop array 10, but instead will be blocked. However, if beamlet blanker array 9 does not deflect a beamlet 7, then it will pass through the corresponding aperture in beam stop array 10. Alternatively, beamlets 7 may pass the beamlet stop array 10 upon deflection by corresponding blankers in the beamlet blanker array 9 and be blocked by the beamlet stop array 10 if they are not deflected. To focus the beamlets 7 within the plane of the blanker array 9 the lithography system 1 may further comprise a condenser lens array 20.

[0029] The beamlet modulator 8 is arranged to provide a pattern to the beamlets 7 on the basis of pattern data input provided by a control unit 60. The control unit 60 comprises a data storage unit 61, a read out unit 62 and a data conversion unit 63. The control unit 60 may be located remotely from the rest of the system, for example outside the clean room. The pattern data may be transferred via optical fibers 64. The light transmitting ends of the optical fibers 64 may be assembled in one or more fiber arrays 15. The pattern data carrying light beams 14 are then projected onto corresponding light receiving elements, such as photodiodes, provided on the beamlet blanker array 9. Such projection may be done directly, or via projection system, in FIG. 1 schematically represented by projection lenses 65. One or more elements in such projections system, such as projection lenses 65, may be moveable under control of the control unit 60 via a positioning device 17 to enable proper alignment and/or focusing of the data carrying light beams 14 onto the corresponding light sensitive elements in the beamlet blanker array 9.

[0030] The light sensitive elements are coupled to one or more blankers and are arranged to convert the light signal into a different type of signal, for example an electric signal. A pattern data carrying light beam 14 may carry data for one or more blankers within the beamlet blanker array 9. The pattern data is thus sent via the pattern data carrying light beams towards the blankers to enable the blankers to modulate the charged particle beamlets 7 passing there through in accordance with a pattern.

[0031] The modulated beamlets coming out of the beamlet modulator 8 are projected onto a target surface of a target 13 by the beamlet projector. The beamlet projector comprises a beamlet deflector array 11 for scanning the modulated beamlets over the target surface and a projection lens arrangement 12 comprising one or more arrays of projection lenses for focusing the modulated beamlets onto the target surface. The target 13 is generally positioned on a moveable stage 24, which movement may be controlled by a control unit such as control unit 60.

[0032] For lithography applications, the target usually comprises a wafer provided with a charged-particle sensitive layer or resist layer. Portions of the resist film will be chemically modified by irradiation of the beamlets of charged particles, i.e. electrons. As a result thereof, the irradiated portion of the film will be more or less soluble in a developer, resulting in a resist pattern on a wafer. The resist pattern on the wafer can subsequently be transferred to an underlying layer, i.e. by implementation, etching and/or deposition steps as known in the art of semiconductor manufacturing. Evidently, if the irradiation is not uniform, the resist may not be developed in a uniform manner, leading to mistakes in the pattern. High-quality projection is therefore relevant to obtain a lithography system that provides a reproducible result.

[0033] The deflector array 11 and the projection lens arrangement 12 may be integrated into a single end module. Such end module is preferably constructed as an insertable, replaceable unit. The insertable, replaceable unit may also include the beamlet stop array 10.

[0034] The deflector array 11 may take the form of a scanning deflector array arranged to deflect each beamlet 7 that passes through the beamlet stop array 10. The deflector array 11 may comprise a plurality of electrostatic deflectors enabling the application of relatively small driving voltages. Although the deflector array 11 is drawn upstream of the projection lens arrangement 12, the deflector array 11 may also be positioned between the projection lens arrangement 12 and the target surface 13.

[0035] The projection lens arrangement 12 may thus be arranged to focus the beamlets 7 before or after deflection by the deflector array 11. Preferably, the focusing results a geometric spot size of about 10 to 30 nanometers in diameter. In such preferred embodiment, the projection lens arrangement 12 is preferably arranged to provide a demagnification of about 100 to 500 times, most preferably as large as possible, e.g. in the range 300 to 500 times. In this preferred embodiment, the projection lens arrangement 12 may be advantageously located close to the target surface 13.

[0036] The charged particle lithography apparatus 1 operates in a vacuum environment. A vacuum is desired to remove particles which may be ionized by the charged particle beams and become attracted to the source, may dissociate and be deposited onto the machine components, and may disperse the charged particle beams. A vacuum of at least 10 ^"6 bar is typically required. Preferably, all of the major elements of the lithography apparatus 1 are housed in a common vacuum chamber, including the beamlet generator 2 including the charged particle source 3, the beamlet modulator 8, the beamlet projector system, and the moveable stage 24. These major elements are also referred to as the electron-optical column, or simply as the column, and is schematically represented by the dashed box 18 in FIG. 1.

[0037] In an embodiment the charged particle source environment is differentially pumped to a considerably higher vacuum of up to 10 ^"10 mbar. In such embodiment, the source 3 may be located in a separate chamber, i.e. a source chamber. Pumping down the pressure level in the source chamber may be performed in the following way. First, the vacuum chamber and the source chamber are pumped down to the level of the vacuum chamber. Then the source chamber is additionally pumped to a desired lower pressure, preferably by means of a chemical getter in a manner known by a skilled person. By using a regenerative, chemical and so-called passive pump like a getter, the pressure level within the source chamber can be brought to a lower level than the pressure level in the vacuum chamber without the need of a vacuum turbo pump for this purpose. The use of a getter avoids the interior or immediate outside vicinity of the vacuum chamber being submitted to acoustical and/or mechanical vibrations as would be the case if a vacuum turbo pump or similar would be used for such a purpose.

[0038] FIGS. 2A and 2B are simplified diagrams showing certain components of a projection column in a main vacuum chamber. FIG. 2A indicates a preferred operating vacuum pressure in the system with the main chamber at about 2 x 10 ^"6 mbar, the intermediate chamber at about 4 x 10 ^"9 mbar, and the source chamber at about 10 ^"9 mbar. FIG. 2B shows a calculation of typical resulting partial pressure of hydrocarbon contaminants in the system, with hydrocarbon partial pressure in the main chamber of about 7 x 10 - ^" 8 mbar, in the intermediate chamber about 10 - ^" 10 mbar, and in the source chamber about 10 ^"11 mbar.

[0039] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B the source 3 is located in a separate source chamber 102, and in this embodiment the collimator 72 and aperture array elements from the first aperture array element (AA) to the multi- aperture array (MAA) are located in an intermediate chamber 103. An alternative embodiment also includes the beamlet blanker array element in the intermediate chamber 103, so that the much smaller apertures of the blanker array element form the opening between the intermediate chamber and the main chamber. In another embodiment the first aperture array element (AA) forms the opening between the intermediate chamber and the main chamber, with the remaining aperture array elements located in the main chamber.

[0040] FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a charged particle lithography system with an intermediate vacuum chamber. The lithography system is enclosed in a main vacuum chamber 101. The lithography system operates in a vacuum environment. A vacuum is desired to remove particles which may be ionized by the charged particle beams and become attracted to the source, may dissociate and be deposited onto the lithography system's components, and may disperse the charged particle beams. A vacuum of about 2 x 10 ^~6 mbar is preferred. In order to maintain the vacuum environment, the charged particle lithography system is located in a main vacuum chamber 101. Note that FIG. 3 is a simplified diagram and many components of the lithography system are not shown that are normally located in the main vacuum chamber, e.g. the short stroke and long stroke wafer stages etc.

[0041] The charged particle source 3 is located in a source vacuum chamber 102 which is in turn located in the main vacuum chamber 101. This enables the environment in the source chamber 102 to be differentially pumped to a considerably higher vacuum than the main chamber 101, e.g. up to 10 ^~10 mbar. Although only a single source 3 is shown in FIG. 3, the source chamber 102 may accommodate more than one source. The high vacuum within the source chamber 102 may promote the life time of the source 3, reduces the effects of gases in the source chamber interfering with the charged particle beam, and for some types of source may even be required for their functioning. The source is typically an electron source. A thermal dispenser type source may be used.

[0042] The high vacuum in the source chamber results in fewer free molecules circulating within the source chamber. Limiting free molecules in the source chamber limits contaminants from the main chamber such as water vapor and hydrocarbons outgassed from the resist-coated wafer being exposed can be limited, and reduces electron beam induced deposition (EBID) onto components in the source chamber.

[0043] The system of FIG. 3 also includes an intermediate chamber 103 located in the main chamber 101. In this embodiment, the intermediate chamber houses the collimating system 5 (which may be e.g. a single collimator electrode or one or more collimator lenses 5a, 5b, 5c as depicted in FIG. 3) and first aperture array element 6. Additional aperture array elements may be included in the intermediate chamber, such as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A.

[0044] The source and intermediate chambers may be constructed as a single vacuum chamber with a wall dividing the chamber into a top section for the source and bottom section comprising the intermediate chamber. Typical dimensions for the distance from the source 3 to the first aperture array 6 is about 300 mm.

[0045] The environment in the intermediate chamber 103 is differentially pumped to an intermediate pressure, between the vacuum level of the main chamber and the source chamber. For example, the system may be operated with the main chamber at about 2 x 10 ^"6 mbar, the intermediate chamber at about 4 x 10 ^"9 mbar, and the source chamber at about 10 ^"9 mbar.

Similarly to the source chamber, this high vacuum results in fewer free molecules circulating within the intermediate chamber, limiting contaminants from the main chamber such as water vapor and outgassed hydrocarbons, and reducing EBID on the components in the intermediate chamber.

[0046] The source chamber 102 is provided with an opening 105 in the wall of the source chamber 102 to permit transmission of the charged particle beam 4 into the intermediate chamber 103 and main chamber 101. The source chamber may be provided with a valve 106 for closing the opening 105 if needed, that is if the pressure level within the source chamber needs to be maintained at a much lower pressure level than the pressure level in the vacuum chamber. For example, the valve 106 may be closed if the vacuum chamber is opened, for example for servicing purposes. In such a case a high vacuum level is maintained within the source chamber, which may improve downtime of the lithography apparatus. Instead of waiting until the pressure level within the source chamber is sufficient, now only the vacuum chamber needs to be pumped down to a desired pressure level, which level is higher than the level needed in the source chamber. The valve 106 is controlled by an actuation unit 106a that may comprise a piezo- electric actuator, for example Physikinstrumente model N-214 or N-215 NEXLINE ^® .

[0047] The opening 105 in the source chamber 102 to permit transmission of the charged particle beam 4 needs to be relatively large to emit a large beam. The size of this opening amounts to a substantial fraction of the round beam needed for a 26mm x 26mm lithography system column, and this large opening is too large to maintain the large pressure drop from the main chamber 101 to the source chamber 102, i.e. a pressure differential from 10 ^"9 mbar in the source chamber to 2 x 10 ^"6 mbar in the main chamber. The intermediate vacuum chamber 103 creates an intermediate pressure environment which enables this large pressure differential to be maintained.

[0048] The intermediate chamber has an opening 107 corresponding to the source chamber opening 105, for admitting the charged particle beam, and an opening 108 between the intermediate chamber and the main chamber permitting transmission of the charged particle beamlets into the main chamber. A valve 109 may be provided for closing the opening 108 if needed, e.g. if the main vacuum chamber is opened for servicing purposes. A high vacuum level can be maintained within the intermediate (and source) chamber, which may improve downtime of the lithography apparatus by reducing pump down time because only the main vacuum chamber needs to be pumped down to the desired pressure level, which is higher than the level needed in the intermediate and source chambers. The valve 109 is controlled by an actuation unit 109a that may comprise a piezo-electric actuator.

[0049] The intermediate chamber 103 may be constructed so that the opening 108 between the intermediate chamber and the main chamber is formed by the first aperture array element. This can be achieved by forming a portion of the wall of the intermediate chamber to fit closely with the first aperture array element 6. For example, a recess may be formed in the intermediate chamber wall to accommodate the outer edge of the first aperture array. In this way, the size of the opening 108 is greatly reduced, the area of the opening comprising the plurality of very small apertures of the first aperture array. This greatly reduced size of the opening 108 permits a much larger differential pressure to be maintained between the intermediate chamber 102 and the main chamber 101.

[0050] The lithography system is preferably designed in a modular fashion to permit ease of maintenance. Major subsystems are preferably constructed in self-contained and removable modules, so that they can be removed from the lithography machine with as little disturbance to other subsystems as possible. This is particularly advantageous for a lithography machine enclosed in a vacuum chamber, where access to the machine is limited. Thus, a faulty subsystem can be removed and replaced quickly, without unnecessarily disconnecting or disturbing other systems. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, these modular subsystems may include a beam switching module including condenser lens arrays 74, multi-aperture array 75, beamlet blanker array 9, and a projection optics module including beam stop array 10 and projection lens arrays 12. The modules are designed to slide in and out from an alignment frame. Each module requires a large number of electrical signals and/or optical signals, and electrical power for its operation. The modules inside the vacuum chamber receive these signals from control systems which are typically located outside of the chamber. The vacuum chamber includes openings or ports for admitting cables carrying the signals from the control systems into the vacuum housing while maintaining a vacuum seal around the cables. Each module preferably has its collection of electrical, optical, and/or power cabling connections routed through one or more ports dedicated to that module. This enables the cables for a particular module to be disconnected, removed, and replaced without disturbing cables for any of the other modules.

[0051] The main vacuum chamber 101 is provided with an outlet and vacuum pumping system 111. The source chamber 102 may be provided with its own outlet 112 and pump 113, and intermediate chamber 103 may also be provided with an outlet 114 and pump 115. The pumps 113 and 115 are shown schematically exhausting externally of the main chamber. This may result in vibrations being fed through to the lithography system. Given the level of the vacuum in chambers 102 and 103, a chemical or getter pump may be used for catching molecules in these chambers without exhausting outside the main chamber. A cryogenic pump may also be used for these chambers, but may be precluded due to the small size of the chambers. [0052] Pumping down the pressure level in the system may be performed in the following way.

First, the main chamber 101 and intermediate chamber 103 and source chamber 102 are pumped down to the level of the main chamber 101. This may be accomplished completely or primarily by the pumping system 111 of the main vacuum chamber 101. The pumping system 111 may have one of more dedicated vacuum pumps for the main chamber, or one or more vacuum pumps may be shared between several main vacuum chambers for several separate lithography systems. Each main chamber may have a small vacuum pump, and share a larger vacuum pump. The ability to use more than one pump to realize a vacuum in the main vacuum chamber creates a vacuum pump redundancy that may improve the reliability of vacuum operation. If a vacuum pump malfunctions, another vacuum pump can take over its function.

[0053] The vacuum in the main vacuum chamber can be generated by turbo vacuum pumps, and a cryopump system may also be used. A water vapor cryopump, for example in the form of one or more cryopump shields 117, may be included in the main vacuum chamber 101 to capture water vapor in the main chamber to assist in forming the vacuum in the main chamber. This reduces the size of the vacuum pumps needed to produce an adequate vacuum and reduces pump down time, and uses no moving parts so that it does not introduce vibrations typically caused by other types of low temperature (< 4K) systems. Preferably, the vacuum pump(s) are activated first followed by activation of the cryopump system. Activation of the vacuum pump system prior to the cryopump system may lead to a more efficient vacuum pumping procedure, and to further enhance efficiency, the vacuum pump(s) may be isolated from the main vacuum chamber after a certain period, e.g. the time needed to obtain a pressure value below a certain

predetermined threshold value. After isolation of the vacuum pump(s), the cryopump system may continue to operate to complete generation of the vacuum.

[0054] Then the intermediate chamber and source chamber are additionally pumped to a desired lower pressure, preferably by means of a chemical getter in a manner known by a skilled person. By using a regenerative, chemical and so-called passive pump like a getter, the pressure level within the intermediate chamber and source chamber can be brought to lower levels than the pressure level in the main chamber without the need of a vacuum turbo pump. The use of a getter avoids the interior or immediate outside vicinity of the vacuum chamber being submitted to acoustical and/or mechanical vibrations as would be the case if a vacuum turbo pump would be used for this a purpose.

[0055] The main chamber is initially pumped down by pumping away the air inside the chamber. The pump down continues by catching as many as possible of the molecules left in the chamber using the cryopump shield or similar methods. This results in "catching" molecules circulating in the main chamber and preventing these molecules from entering the intermediate chamber and the source chamber. By using the apertures of one of the aperture arrays to form the opening between the main chamber and the intermediate chamber, thereby reducing the size of the opening, the chance of the (relatively many more) molecules in the main chamber from entering in the intermediate chamber is also reduced. In the same way the opening between source and intermediate chamber limits the chance of the further reduced amount of molecules from entering the source chamber. The use of an aperture array to separate the main chamber and the intermediate chamber permits a higher pressure differential between the chambers and reduces contaminant molecules moving from the main chamber into the intermediate chamber, and onwards to the source chamber.

[0056] The main chamber is much larger than the intermediate and source chambers, and contains many components that be a source of outgassing hydrocarbons, water and other contaminant molecules. The most intensive source of outgassing of hydrocarbons is from the resist-coated wafer exposed by the lithography system. These hydrocarbons interact with the charged particles and form EBID (electron beam induced deposition) deposits. The dominant growth of contamination is typically on the apertures, the contamination grown by an EBID process. The current density on the electrodes is much lower than on the apertures.

[0057] The intermediate chamber assists by limiting aperture deterioration due to contaminants and EBID growth, especially at the edges of apertures. Although the contamination problem, i.e. EBID growth in the apertures causing reduced aperture diameter, is more severe at the beam stop (which is closer to the source of the hydrocarbon outgassing) than at the aperture arrays, the effect of hydrocarbon partial pressure and EBID growth is also noticeable on the aperture array located further form the wafer, and may necessitate cleaning of the apertures. By having the opening 108 between the intermediate chamber 103 and the main chamber 101 formed by the apertures of one of the aperture array elements, a large pressure differential can be maintained between the source and intermediate chambers and the main chamber. Furthermore, the hydrocarbon partial pressure in the intermediate chamber is reduced very significantly to a very low level, and in the source chamber to an even lower level, as indicated in FIG. 2B. This lower hydrocarbon partial pressure greatly reduces EBID growth on the aperture arrays and other components located in these chambers.

[0058] The idea of the present invention is to combine the two aspects into one design, such that each of the two aspects meets a minimum specification, i.e. a maximum pressure. These two aspects are maintaining the required pressure differential between the source chamber and the main chamber, and reducing incidence of contaminants in the intermediate and source chambers, in particular by reducing the hydrocarbon partial pressure in these chambers and reducing EBID growth. With the use of the intermediate chamber, contamination of components in the intermediate and source chambers due to contaminants such as hydrocarbons is expected to drop by a factor of 100 according to preliminary calculations.

[0059] FIG. 4 schematically shows a charged particle beam generator. The beam generator comprises a charged particle source 3 for generating a diverging charged particle beam, a collimator system for refracting the charged particle beam, and an aperture array 6. The collimator system comprises an Einzel lens comprising three lenses 5a, 5b, 5c and a further lens 5d. The aperture array 6 is arranged for forming a plurality of charged particle beamlets from the beam generated by the source 3. Additionally, the beam generator comprises one or more openings of a pumping system, such as a pumping system as depicted in FIG. 3 with respect to the intermediate chamber 103. The opening may take the form of an inlet used as an outlet such as outlet 114 depicted in FIG. 3 for connection to a (vacuum) pump 115. The one or more openings s may form an integrated part of the pumping system, or the one or more openings may be connectible to one or more pumps within the pumping system. In some embodiments, such as the embodiment depicted in FIG. 4, the one or more openings are part of one or more pumps 220, the pumps 220 being included by the beam generator. The pumps may be getter pumps or sublimation pumps, such as titanium sublimation pumps. Hereafter, embodiments will be discussed in which one or more pumps 220 are included in the beam generator.

[0060] One or more lenses within the collimator system, typically lens 5b and 5d, operate at a high voltage, e.g. a voltage that is higher than 500 eV. Electrode 5b, i.e. the center electrode of the Einzel lens arrangement, may be used to refract the charged particle beam. A suitable voltage for this lens may be 15-25 kV, for example about 20 kV. Lenses 5a, 5c may be kept at 0V. Further lens 5d may be used to correct aberrations, as will be discussed later. Lens 5d may operate at a much lower voltage, for example about 1 kV.

[0061] The presence of high voltages on non-designated components within the system is undesired, for example because such voltages create additional fields that would influence the charged particle beam in an undesirable, and often unpredictable way. Therefore, the lenses 5a- 5d, and in this embodiment also the aperture array 6 are located within a high voltage shielding arrangement 201 for shielding components outside the arrangement 201 from high voltages that are present within the shielding arrangement 201. Furthermore, the charged particle beam that is present during use will be shielded from fields originating from locations outside the high voltage shielding arrangement 201, which may negatively influence the uniformity of the beam and/or may introduce additional aberrations. Preferably, the shielding arrangement 201

comprises a wire mesh structure. The use of a wire mesh structure instead of a closed structure with some small openings therein is that the volume within the shielding arrangement 201 can be more easily pumped down to obtain a suitable vacuum pressure.

[0062] The one or more pumps 220 are placed outside the shielding arrangement 201 to avoid that the one or more pumps would be charged. The charged particle beam generates heat, in particular as a result of charged particles back-scattering from the aperture plate 6. As a result, the one or more pumps 220 are heated as well, which could affect their efficiency. The operation of other components may also be negatively influenced by heating. Therefore, the beam generator further comprises a cooling arrangement 203 for removing heat, such as heat generated within the collimator system. The cooling arrangement 203 surrounds the high voltage shielding arrangement 201 and the one or more pumps 220. As a result, the one or more pumps 220 are located between the high voltage shielding arrangement 201 and the cooling arrangement 203. The cooling arrangement 203 may comprise one or more cooling channels 204 through which a cooling liquid, such as water, may flow. The use of active cooling by means of cooling channels with a cooling liquid flow therein enhances heat transfer as compared to a heat sink made of a heat conductive material.

[0063] Preferably, a magnetic shield arrangement 205 surrounds the cooling arrangement 203. The use of a magnetic shield arrangement 205 blocks external magnetic fields which could influence the charged particle beam. Preferably, the magnetic shield arrangement 205 comprises one or more walls comprising a magnetic shielding material with a magnetic permeability greater than about 20,000. Preferably, the magnetic shielding material has a magnetic permeability greater than about 300,000. Most preferably, the magnetic shielding material also has a low remanence. Examples of magnetic shielding materials, include, but are not limited to a type of mu-metal and Nanovate™-EM.

[0064] The magnetic shield arrangement 205 does not block magnetic fields generated by wiring within the arrangement 205 to interfere with the charged particle beam. Such wiring is for example present to charge the electrodes 5b, 5d. For this reason, the wires within the magnetic shield arrangement 205 are straight and oriented in a radial direction with respect to the center of the collimator system. Furthermore, the wiring may be in such a way that the magnetic fields of different wires cancel each other out as much as possible. Outside the magnetic shield arrangement 205, the orientation of the wires is of less importance, because magnetic fields generated by the wires at these locations may be blocked by the arrangement 205. Note that the magnetic shield arrangement 205 does not necessarily need to be a closed structure. In particular at the bottom, the arrangement 205 may be open, in FIG. 4 denoted by the dashed line.

[0065] All components including high voltage shield arrangement 201, cooling arrangement 203 and magnetic field shield arrangement 205 may be placed within a vacuum chamber 101. The use of a separate vacuum chamber for a portion of a lithography apparatus may be useful in a modular design. All components within the vacuum chamber may then for example be aligned with respect to each other and being tested prior to shipment towards a manufacturing environment.

[0066] FIG. 5 schematically shows an overview of the beam generator. Preferably, the source 3 is located in an area 102 with a higher vacuum than the area 103 in which the collimator resides. In FIGS. 5-8, the collimator is schematically depicted as a block with reference number 300. The collimator is supported by a support structure 230 with feet 231. Preferably, the support structures 230 take the form of so-called A-structures. The support structure 230 may be connected to a frame 240. To establish a vacuum, the beam generator comprises one or more ports 250, 251 for initial pump-down. Reference number 260 refers to a flange that may be arranged for coupling in cooling fluid and/or wiring. [0067] FIG. 6 shows the beam generator of FIG. 5 with a magnetic shielding arrangement 205 provided therein. The shielding arrangement 205 may take the form of a cylindrical box around the source 3 and the collimator 300, and may be closed at the top and open at the bottom. As can be seen, the mere use of a shielding arrangement 205 would form a blocking structure for more than just magnetic shielding. For example, wires and cooling fluid tubes may not be able to pass. Furthermore, the shielding arrangement 205 is preferably mounted in such a way that components can be easily replaced and/or maintained.

[0068] FIG. 7 shows the beam generator of FIG. 6 with vacuum chamber separation. In particular, a plate 310, preferably a metal plate, creates a first vacuum chamber 102 and a second vacuum chamber 103, where the first vacuum chamber 102 preferably contains a lower pressure than the second vacuum chamber 103. Port 250 may now be used to pump down vacuum chamber 102, whereas port 251 may be used to pump down vacuum chamber 103. The plate is supported by a ring 325. [0069] FIG. 8 shows the beam generator of FIG. 6 with another embodiment of vacuum chamber separation. In this case a structure 315 are mounted around the source 3 to create the first vacuum chamber 102. The structure 315 may also be supported by a ring 325.

[0070] In the embodiments of the beam generator shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the shielding structure of the magnetic shield arrangement 205 is interrupted. FIG. 9 shows a basic layout of the source chamber 102 and the collimator 300 together with the shielding arrangement 205 arranged in such a way that the vacuum leak between the first vacuum chamber 102 and the second vacuum chamber 103 is limited, i.e. its negative influence is acceptable. Note that the structure 315 now comprises a further wall 317 between first vacuum chamber 102 and the second vacuum chamber 103. Furthermore, at locations where the shielding is interrupted, the shielding plates are formed in such a way that they run parallel to each other over a certain distance.

[0071] FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a collimator system. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 10, the collimator system comprises a body with a cavity therein, wherein the cavity is structured in such a way that the surface of the cavity serves as the outer electrodes 5a, 5c of the Einzel lens. The center electrode 5b of the Einzel lens may be kept in position within the cavity by means of spacers, for example by means of three or more spring elements as will be discussed with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. Preferably, the body forms the cooling arrangement 203. In such case, preferably, the body comprises one or more cooling channels (shown in FIG. 11) for accommodating a flow of cooling fluid, e.g. water.

[0072] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 10, the upper electrode 5a is further shaped in such a way that the source 3 that is located upstream is effectively shielded from the electric field generated by the center electrode 5b of the Einzel lens. The center electrode 5b is used to refract the charged particle beam generated by the source.

[0073] The cross-sectional view further shows the presence of the high-voltage shield 201 and the one or more pumps 220. Finally, in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 10, at a lower position within the cavity, a further electrode 5d is present. This further electrode 5d may be used for aberration correction. The shown shape of this electrode 5d may further provide a repulsive force for low energy electrons that backscatter from the aperture array. Consequently, less electrons re-enter the cavity, which reduces EBID. Similar to the center electrode 5b of the Einzel lens, the further electrode 5d is connected to the cavity by means of spacers, for example by means three or more spring elements, as will be discussed with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. [0074] FIG. 11 shows an elevated cross-sectional view of the collimator system of FIG. 10.

The cooling arrangement 203 comprises one or more cooling channels 340 for accommodating a flow of cooling liquid. In the embodiment of FIG. 11, the cooling channels are grooves provided with a cover 345 using laser drilling and laser welding. Alternatively, cooling channels may be manufactured by one or more other techniques known in the art such as brazing. The cooling channels preferably also cool in a vertical direction, as denoted by the arrows. [0075] FIG. 11 further shows that the support structure 230 for supporting the collimator may be provided with feet 231 that match with balls 232 that are located at predetermined positions.

The use of such balls 232 enables alignment of different modules in a lithography system with respect to each other.

[0076] Furthermore, FIG. 11 shows spring elements 320 for connecting the center electrode 5b of the Einzel lens and the further electrode 5d with the surface of the cavity. A cross-sectional view of such arrangement showing a possible orientation of the spring elements 320 is schematically depicted in FIG. 12.

[0077] Preferably, as depicted in FIG. 11, the one or more pumps 220 are located downstream from the Einzel lens and upstream of the aperture array 6. Such location of the one or more pumps 220, or more generally, the one or more openings of a pumping system, provides sufficient space for the one or more pumps 220 to lower the pressure, and further helps to reduce ionization of residual gas molecules in close proximity of the Einzel lens.

[0078] FIGS. 13 and 14 show alternative embodiments of a collimator system. In these embodiments, instead of a single structure as depicted in FIG. 10, the collimator system comprises separate bodies 401 and 402, together forming a structure that is similar to the structure shown in and described with reference to FIG. 10. Additionally, at the bottom end of the structure, an aperture array 6 is present, similar to the aperture array depicted in FIG. 11.

[0079] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 13, the electrodes 5a, 5b and 5c of the Einzel lens are formed in a single body 401. Similarly, the further electrode 5d and aperture array 6 are part of a further body 402. The bodies 401 and 402 may be aligned with respect to each other.

[0080] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 14, the electrodes 5a, 5b and 5c of the Einzel lens and the further electrode 5d form a single body 401, whereas the aperture array 6 is represented as a further body 402. Again, the bodies 401, and 402 may be aligned with respect to each to obtain optimal results.

[0081] The invention has been described by reference to certain embodiments discussed above. It will be recognized that these embodiments are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms well known to those of skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, although specific embodiments have been described, these are examples only and are not limiting upon the scope of the invention, which is defined in the accompanying claims.