Method for optimizing charged particle beams formed by shaped apertures

1. A method for optimizing a shaped beam, comprising:

emitting ions from an ion source to form an ion beam extending through an optical column having optical components extending along an axis;

directing the ion beam through a reference aperture to form a reference beam having a reference beam shape;

optimizing the reference beam onto a target plane using selected optical component parameters so that the reference beam is aligned with the axis of the optical column and focused to have a profile that produces a sharp edge resolution with an associated reference current;

directing the ion beam through a working aperture to form a working beam for use in a processing application having a working beam shape; and

optimizing the working beam onto the target plane using the selected optical component parameters for optimizing the reference beam so that the working beam is aligned with the axis of the optical column and focused to have a profile that produces a sharp edge resolution with an associated working current, wherein the working beam has a shape different from the shape of the reference beam and wherein the working current is greater than the reference current.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reference aperture is round and the working aperture is non-round.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the working aperture is elliptical.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the reference aperture has a diameter that corresponds to at least one dimension of the working aperture.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the optical components include a first lens, a second lens, and a stigmator.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the edge resolution of the working beam profile substantially corresponds to the edge resolution of the reference beam profile.

7. A method of processing a sample in a beam system by directing a beam at a substantial normal angle to a surface of the sample and moving the beam along a path to produce a feature that is substantially normal to the surface of the sample, comprising:

directing the beam through an optical column having optical components extending along an axis;

providing a reference aperture through which the beam extends to form a reference-shaped beam;

optimizing the reference-shaped beam onto a target plane using selected optical component parameters so that the reference-shaped beam is aligned with the axis of the optical column and focused to have a profile forming a sharp edge and having an associated reference current;

providing a working aperture through which the reference-shaped beam extends to form a working-shaped beam, the reference-shaped beam having a shape different from the shape of the working-shaped beam; and

optimizing the working-shaped beam onto the target plane with the selected optical component parameters used for optimizing the reference-shaped beam so that the working-shaped beam is aligned with the axis of the optical column and focused to have a profile forming a sharp edge and having an associated working current that is greater than the reference current.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the reference aperture is round and the working aperture is non-round.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the working aperture is elliptical.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the reference aperture has a diameter that corresponds to at least one dimension of the working aperture.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the selected set of optical component parameters is associated with a first lens, a second lens, and a stigmator.

12. A beam system for producing a shaped beam, comprising:

an ion source for producing a beam,

an optical column including a first lens, a second lens, and a stigmator through which the beam extends, and

an aperture plate positioned between the first and second lenses, the aperture plate having a reference-shaped aperture configured to form a reference beam with an associated current onto a plane of a sample and a working-shaped aperture configured to form a working beam with an associated current onto the plane of the sample, the current associated with the working beam greater than the current associated with the reference beam, wherein the working beam has a shape different from the shape of the reference beam, the reference beam has at least one dimension that corresponds to at least one dimension of the working beam.

13. The beam system of claim 12 , wherein the reference-shaped aperture is round and the working-shaped aperture is non-round.

14. The beam system of claim 13 , wherein the working-shaped aperture is elliptical.

15. A method for optimizing a shaped beam through an optical column having optical components, comprising:

directing an ion beam through a first aperture to form a beam having a first beam shape and a first beam current;

optimizing the first-shaped beam using selected parameters of the optical components;

directing the ion beam through a second aperture to form a beam having a second beam shape different from the first beam shape and a second beam current greater than the first beam current; and

optimizing the second-shaped beam using the selected parameters of the optical components.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first aperture is round and the second aperture is elliptical.