Charged particle beam exposure system and beam manipulating arrangement

1. A beam manipulating arrangement for deflecting a plurality of charged particle beams, the arrangement comprising:

a first plate having a central portion defining a plurality of apertures, and a frame portion outside of the central portion, the first plate carrying a plurality of deflectors positioned in the central portion of the first plate and a switching circuitry positioned in the central portion of the first plate, wherein each of the plurality of apertures has a deflector associated therewith, the deflector being electrically connected to the switching circuitry and configured to deflect a charged particle beam traversing the aperture;

a second plate disposed opposite to the first plate such that a gap is formed between the second plate and the first plate, the second plate having a central portion defining a plurality of apertures and a frame portion outside of the central portion,

wherein the apertures of the second plate are registered relative to the apertures of the first plate such that the beams of charged particles may traverse the second plate and the first plate; and

at least one heater thermally coupled to the frame portion of the first plate.

2. The beam manipulating arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the heater has a body having a heat emitting surface opposite to a heat receiving surface portion of the second plate such that a gap is formed there between.

3. The beam manipulating arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising a heat sink having at least one inner heat receiving surface oriented transversely to directions of extension of the first plate and the second plate.

4. The beam manipulating arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one heat receiving surface of the heat sink extends away from one of the frame portion of the first plate and the frame portion of the second plate.

5. The beam manipulating arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein the heat sink is free of any direct mechanical contact with one of the frame portion of the first plate and the frame portion of the second plate.

6. The beam manipulating arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein the heat sink has an outer surface facing towards the heater and wherein a thermal emissivity of the heat receiving surface is higher than a thermal emissivity of the outer surface.

7. The beam manipulating arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein the heat sink comprises at least one liquid pipe.

8. The beam manipulating arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the heater comprises at least one resistor having terminals for supplying a heating current.

9. A charged particle beam system, comprising:

a charged particle source for generating at least one beam of charged particles;

the beam manipulating arrangement according to claim 1 disposed in a beam path of the beam of charged particles;

a stage for mounting a substrate surface in a target plane relative to the beam manipulating arrangement; and

a charged particle optics configured to direct beams of charged particles traversing apertures of the beam manipulating arrangement onto the target plane.

10. The beam manipulating arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one heater is thermally coupled to the frame portion of the first plate, such that heat generated by the heater increases a temperature of the frame portion of the first plate relative to the temperature of the central portion of the first plate.

11. The beam manipulating arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one heater is thermally coupled to the frame portion of the second plate, such that heat generated by the heater increases a temperature of the frame portion of the second plate relative to the temperature of the central portion of the second plate.

12. The beam manipulating arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one heater is thermally coupled to the frame portion of the first plate, such that heat generated by the heater maintains the frame portion of the first plate at a temperature which is substantially equal to the temperature of the central portion of the first plate.

13. A beam manipulating arrangement for deflecting a plurality of charged particle beams, the arrangement comprising:

a first plate having a central portion defining a plurality of apertures, and a frame portion outside of the central portion, the first plate carrying a plurality of deflectors positioned in the central portion of the first plate and a switching circuitry positioned in the central portion of the first plate, wherein each of the plurality of apertures has a deflector associated therewith, the deflector being electrically connected to the switching circuitry and configured to deflect a charged particle beam traversing the aperture; and

a second plate disposed opposite to the first plate such that a gap is formed between the second plate and the first plate, the second plate having a central portion defining a plurality of apertures and a frame portion outside of the central portion,

wherein the apertures of the second plate are registered relative to the apertures of the first plate such that the beams of charged particles may traverse the second plate and the first plate,

wherein the switching circuitry comprises a plurality of circuit device elements,

wherein the central portion of the first plate has a first region in which a number of circuit device elements per unit area of the first plate has a first value,

wherein the central portion of the first plate has a second region in which the number of circuit device elements per unit area of the first plate has a second value greater than the first value;

wherein at least one of first and second surfaces of the second plate has a first region opposite the first region of the first plate having a first heat emissivity, and a second region opposite the second region of the first plate having a second heat emissivity greater than the first heat emissivity.

14. The beam manipulating arrangement according to claim 13 , wherein the circuit device elements include memory cells and shift registers.

15. The beam manipulating arrangement according to claim 13 , wherein a density of apertures per unit area of the first plate in the first region of the central portion of the first plate is higher than in the second region thereof.

16. The beam manipulating arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein the beam manipulating arrangement comprises three balls disposed at a distance from each other and each engaging corresponding grooves provided in the first plate and second plate respectively.

17. The beam manipulating arrangement according to claim 16 , wherein two grooves provided in the first plate extend in different directions.

18. A beam manipulating arrangement for deflecting a plurality of charged particle beams, the arrangement comprising:

a first plate having a central portion defining a plurality of apertures, and a frame portion outside of the central portion, the first plate carrying a plurality of deflectors positioned in the central portion of the first plate and a switching circuitry positioned in the central portion of the first plate,

wherein each of the plurality of apertures has a deflector associated therewith, the deflector being electrically connected to the switching circuitry and configured to deflect a charged particle beam traversing the aperture;

a second plate disposed opposite to the first plate such that a gap is formed between the second plate and the first plate, the second plate having a central portion defining a plurality of apertures and a frame portion outside of the central portion,

wherein the apertures of the second plate are registered relative to the apertures of the first plate such that the beams of charged particles may traverse the second plate and the first plate, and

at least one ball disposed between the first plate and the second plate,

wherein the ball is engaged with a groove formed in the frame portion of the first plate and with a groove formed in the frame portion of the second plate.