1. Helpfully, the machine will now ignore presses of the LOAD/UNLOAD button when it is not green.

   1. Pressing LOAD/UNLOAD at the wrong time (when there is not a cassette on the stage at the ORG position, or when no cassette is on the stage and cassette is in the load lock) will no longer trigger an error that requires Bill or I reset via Manager mode.

   2. HOWEVER, you can still cause vacuum problems if you press the EVAC/VENT button when a cassette is on the stage.

   3. ONLY press EVAC/VENT if the “Cassette on Stage” light is off!

2. Due to changes in the underlying software, any “old” MGN files that you would like to re-expose will need to be remade “fresh” for future exposures.

   1. This can be done as normal with the purple SCHD square (or by re-creating in Job Maker, if you do it the old way).

   2. Contact me if you have any questions.

3. There is now an “Origin” button to move the stage+cassette to the ORG/Origin position.

   1. This is instead of the old method of selecting ORG from the Fixed Position drop down, and clicking the MOVE button.

   2. Annoyingly, it is very close to, and looks very similar to, the MOVE button. Be sure to tell them apart:
      
      

      Open

      

   3. There is no longer an ORG position under the ‘Fixed Position’ drop down:
      
      

      Open

      

   4. I have added an “Origin (ORG)” entry to the ‘User Def. Position’ drop down in case it’s needed…but you should just use the new Origin button:
      
      

      Open

      

4. The new “Origin” button has a major bug.

   1. If the HEI button is clicked and height measurement fails, the Origin button will be stuck greyed out.
      
      

      Open

      

   2. To un-grey it:

      1. In the Fixed Position drop down, select BE.

      2. Click the MOVE button.

      3. Click the HEI button to successfully measure the height of the BE mark.

      4. Unclick the HEI button to stop height measurement.

      5. The Origin button will be un-greyed and is then usable again.

5. There is now a “Pause” button in the Exposure page, but it’s not useful to us as far as I can tell.
   
   

   Open

   

   1. The Pause button pauses exposure after an entire Layer is complete, which means it will not pause in the middle of a V30, in the middle of an array of the same V30, or in the middle of an array of different V30s. We usually put all the files in the same Layer (unless maybe if you’re exposing on different windows within the same MGN?).

   2. If you do use it, I also can’t tell the difference between the “Do not unload” and “Unload” options.

6. When loading/unloading the cassette with LOAD/UNLOAD, previously both IV2 and IV3 were closed. Now only IV3 closes.

   1. Per JEOL, this is intentional and will not cause problems on the system.

   2. The Manual Loader Viewer window will look different when you’re loading/unloading a cassette:
      
      

      Open

      

These changes have not yet been updated in the SOP, I will integrate them as soon as I'm able.

Questions on the materials? Send a Teams chat to Justin and Bill

The training materials linked below require Purdue credentials for access. Email jcwirth@purdue.edu if you are outside Purdue and are interested in the information.

1 Intro to EBL Presentation

2 Intro to the JEOL JBX-8100FS Presentation

3 Hardware Overview Video (8 mins)

4 Hardware Behind the Scenes Video (6 mins, Background Info) ( Do not interact with anything you see in this video)

5 Hardware Detail Presentation

6 Jbxwriter (Software) Overview Video (54 mins)

7 Jbxwriter (Software) Detail Presentation

8 Watch and Skim Read SOP Section: 2 Data Preparation (45 mins). Do not worry about reading the text in the Beamer sections in detail at this point, it will later be useful as a step by step when you have the software open. Do watch the Tracer videos as background information.

9 Watch and Skim Read SOP Section: 3 Machine Operation

10 Read SOP Section: 5 Frequently Asked Questions

11 Review: Review all previous material as necessary until you feel comfortable with the flow of the operation of the system.

12 Preliminary User Test: Download and fill out the 8100 Preliminary User Quiz - User Copy.docx (this may be done while you complete the previous steps). Once finished, submit your quiz in the iLab JEOL JBX-8100FS E-Beam Writer Training Request for Step 2: Preliminary User Quiz.

Have a layout in GDS, OAS, DXF, CIF, etc (OAS is far superior to other other formats but it is underutilized). These can be created with a variety of programs:

• KLayout: A free and simple editor. Recommended as a good way to view files and create simple structures.

  • A great tutorial is available online here: https://maebl.slab.com/posts/k-layout-75duvt74.

• LayoutEditor: Can be downloaded for free, but exports are limited. Beamer comes with a full version of Layout Editor (the EDIT module). See online manual here: https://www.layouteditor.org/

• GdsPy: A python scripting language for GDS export. Documentation here: https://gdspy.readthedocs.io/en/stable/

  • Optional as more information: See intro video by NSAC's Sam Peana here: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/23c9cd89-301a-41bc-aa67-cf77dab5e10b

The 8100calculator.xlsx file is meant to help you select your current, shot pitch, beam step size, ensure your required clock speed is under the maximum clock speed of the tool, and estimate the write time of your pattern.

8100 Calculator video notes - Since the video was recorded, the file has been updated to:

• Fix a bug in the calculation of the max. clock speed. The predicted max. clock speed from 8100calculator now matches that on the 8100 software.

• The number of points that the beam steps has been clarified to be the "shot pitch" (as in Beamer) and the size of the beam step in nanometers has been clarified to be the "beam step size". This is now consistent with the rest of the materials.

Video 2.2: 8100calculator.xlsx

1. Download and open 8100calculator.xlsx or use a previously downloaded copy.

   1. If it opens in Protected View, click Enable Editing.

   2. White boxes can/should be edited, grey boxes are locked (and can be unlocked with the password specified in the file), and the Shot Pitch and Req. Clock Speed boxes will be green if acceptable values are input, or red if unacceptable values are input.

2. Use the file to help pick a good Shot Pitch and ensure your exposure parameters will not exceed the maximum clock speed of 125 MHz.

   1. In the Beam Current box, use the drop down to select the write current

      1. The theoretical minimum beam diameter is displayed directly below the current.

   2. In the Minimum Dose box, input your planned minimum dose for your exposure.

      1. For PEC exposures, this will be the smallest dose multiplier times your base dose. For dose arrays, this will be your smallest dose (accounting for PEC adjustments, if necessary), and for non-PEC and non-dose array exposures, this will just be your base dose.

   3. In the Pattern Unit box, by default leave this at 0.5 nm (needs to equal the value used in the Beamer Export module used to create your V30 file).

      1. This can be changed if necessary, but typically should be left at 0.5 nm and the Beam Scan Step/Shot Pitch should be varied.

   4. In the Beam Scan Step box, input your Scan Step (in points or pixels) to match your selected value in the Beamer Export module used to create your V30 file.

   5. The resulting Shot Pitch (Pattern Unit (nm) x Beam Scan Step (pts) = Shot Pitch (nm)) is shown, and is highlighted in green if less than the minimum beam diameter, and red if greater than the minimum beam diameter.

      1. Ideally, the shot pitch should be ~3-4x smaller than your minimum feature size.

      2. For small features: The larger the shot pitch, the larger the edge roughness and feature size non-uniformity.

      3. A shot pitch larger than the beam diameter will usually give poor features, hence the red highlighting. It would be good to use a shot pitch at least 1/2 your beam diameter, but doesn't need to be smaller than 1/4 your beam diameter.

   6. The required clock speed will also be shown, and needs to be ≤125 MHz.

      1. This will be highlighted in green when ≤125 MHz, and red if > 125 MHz.

      2. This absolutely needs to be < 125 MHz or the machine will not be able to expose the pattern, and will throw an error.

3. You can also use the file to very roughly estimate your write time

   1. In Pattern area per chip, enter your pattern area from Beamer.

      1. Write time is proportional to pattern area.

   2. In Average Dose, enter your base dose, or a more appropriate dose estimate if available.

      1. Write time is proportional to dose.

   3. In Fields in each chip, enter the number of write fields in each chip (as shown by Beamer for your V30 file)

      1. Motion between fields takes ~0.25 s on the 8100.

   4. In Number of chips, enter the total number of chips in the exposure.

      1. For exposure of a single pattern/chip, this will be 1.

   5. In the lower section, you will see estimates for E-beam write time and stage motion time, and the total write time.

      1. Here, the estimated write time is based only on beam on time (the necessary time for the beam to be on to achieve the average dose on your pattern area). In reality, there are additional time components due to subfield settling, polygon placement settling, beam blanking, etc., which are not included in this estimate. PEC may increase the write time due to these effects.

      2. The stage motion time is just 0.25 s x Total Fields. This may be large for large chip area but small exposure area (sparse) patterns and small field sizes (e.g. 100 μm by 100 μm).

      3. Total write time is the addition of the E-beam write time and Stage motion time.

4. If desired, save the file for your own later use.

Tracer can optionally be used to create a point spread function of your exposure for use in Beamer with Proximity Effect Correction. This is not mandatory, but is a good idea when you're starting out to get a feel for scattering and start using PEC on your patterns. You will have a much easier time finding doses when your patterns change if you have been using PEC and know the base dose for your patterns/substrate/etc. If you're interested in learning about advanced PEC, refer to the Genisys Beamer PEC Webinars. 

Video 2.3a: Tracer - Scattering vs. Vacc

Video 2.3b: Tracer - PSF Creation

1. Open Beamer

2. Go to File → Properties

3. In the Properties window that pops up, go to the Directories tab

4. In the bottom section titled Custom Module Configuration Directories, locate the Global parameter.

5. Set the Global parameter to: C:\Users\Public\Documents\.GenISys\Repository

6. Click OK, then restart Beamer.

7. After restarting, click the black triangle in the bottom right of the Export Module. Click and drag the 8100 Export module to your Beamer flow and use as normal.

We use Genisys Beamer to convert files from standard formats (GDS, OAS, etc.) into a format that can be understood by the 8100. Beamer is incredibly powerful, and the steps below just scratch the surface of what it's capable of.
If you're interested, it's suggested that you read the manual for more information (in Beamer, via Help > Download Documents, and Help > Formatter Notes > JEOL) or refer to the Beamer Training Videos accessible on the Beamer PC.
If you try to open Beamer and get an error that "All licenses are in use", some else is logged into the PC and still has Beamer open. You can restart the computer to clear their open session.

A video of simple V30 conversion can be seen in the 3.7 VisualJob (Beamer) and Magazine File section. A more extensive video will be added in the section in the future.

Convert your layout file into a V30 file (converted design usable by the JEOL) with Beamer. This is just an example of a beginner's flow.

1. Open Beamer on the JEOL Beamer PC or the Remote Beamer PC by searching for "Beamer" in Windows.

   1. Usually the most up to date version of Beamer is the only one installed. This is not always the case though.

2. Import your layout

   1. Drag the Import module into the flow space

   2. Most modules we'll use will be in the Layout Operation section.

   3. Select and open your layout file.

   4. In the Import Layout window, you may want to specify which layers to import using the format #(#) (e.g. 0(0), 1(0) ).

      1. Note that this will redefine the boundaries of your file to the maximum extent of your imported layers. In general, it's a good idea to put 4 very small (~10 nm) squares at the edges of all of your layout layers so that extent changes are not a problem.

   5. Click OK.

3. View your imported layout with VIEWER

   1. Click the Run to Icon (Play button with a Line) to execute the flow until that step.

   2. Then click the View icon (Box in a box).

   3. This will open up VIEWER, Beamer's built in layout viewer.

   4. Inspect your pattern, an ensure it was properly imported.

      1. Some VIEWER tips:

         1. Recenter the view: Left click.

         2. Zoom In: Click and hold, and then drag right to specify an area. Or mouse scroll wheel, which zooms based on the pointer position.

         3. Zoom Out: Click and hold, and then drag left to specify an area. Or mouse scroll wheel, which zooms based on the pointer position.

         4. Measure a distance: Right click, move the specified distance, and then right click again. By default, this measures on horizontal, vertical, and 45 degree lines, and will try to snap to your shape edges.

   5. When finished, click the X in the upper right to close VIEWER.

4. Heal any layout overlaps

   1. Drag the Heal module under your Import module, and get close enough that the two automatically connect with a grey line. Once, they're connected, release the mouse.

   2. Heal will eliminate overlaps in the design (which would otherwise be double exposed) and closes boundaries prior to fracturing. It's usually a good idea to do this on all of your patterns, unless you have specific reasons to not.

   3. Double click on the Heal module to open up its property window.

      1. The default options are good for now, but check the Beamer manual for more information on what these mean and what they do.

      2. Once satisfied, click the OK button.

   4. On the Heal module, click the Run to Icon, and then the View icon.

      1. Inspect the healed pattern as needed in Viewer, and exit with the X in the upper right when finished.

5. Optional: Run PEC

   1. In the Process Correction section, drag in the PEC module, and connect it to your Heal module.

   2. PEC isn't necessary to use with every pattern, but it's a good idea to use it when you're getting started to see the effect of scattering and proximity effects. These are an ever present fact of life at high kV EBL.

   3. Under the PSF Representation, click the Numerical PSF radio button.

   4. Under PSF File Name, click the Browse... button and open your lpsf file from the Tracer.

   5. There are a number of important parameters in PEC, but for now we'll just do some long range dose correction, which account for backscattered electrons.

   6. Click the OK button.

   7. On the PEC module, click the Run To icon, and then the View icon.

   8. In the VIEWER window that pops up:

      1. You'll see that your pattern is now sliced into a bunch of pieces.

      2. Click the Doses tab (two left of the Layer tab in the upper right). This will display the relative doses of your pattern compared to a base dose.

      3. Click the "Color by Dose button" in the second layer of icons (Looks like 3 nested blue U's). This will color your pattern by the dose received by each feature.

      4. Explore your pattern and note the effects of backscattered doses. Typically, isolated features will receive ~1.5x the base dose, and features with a lot of nearby features may receive a dose of <1.

      5. Exit with the X in the upper right when finished.

6. Insert the export module

   1. In the Layout Operation section, drag in the Export module, and connect it to your PEC module.

   2. In the Save File popup window, enter a name for your V30 file.

      1. In general, I suggest names that begin with a letter, don't have too many special characters, and aren't too long, because sometime the Linux machine can have issues.

      2. After you've entered a name, click the Save button.

7. Set Export JEOL window parameters

   1. Ensure that Machine Type is set to JBX-8100FS

   2. Ensure EOS mode is set to 3.

   3. Ensure Pattern Units (nm) are 0.5 nm.

      1. You can change this to 1 nm if you'd prefer (or something bigger, though there's no real need), though we'll assume 0.5 for this document.

   4. Set the Beam Scan Step (a integer number of points or pixels) from 8100calculator.xlsx. For this training example, we'll use 10.

      1. The Beam Scan Step (called Shot Pitch integer in Beamer) x Pattern Unit = Shot Pitch (nm). The Shot Pitch is the distance in nm that each shot will be placed apart, and which ideally your pattern will be on an evenly divisible grid of.

   5. Leave Size (um) at 1000 and 1000 (this is the field size)

      1. Size (um) is the field size, by default it's set to the maximum of 1000 um by 1000 um. You can make this smaller to fit your pattern and your needs. It does not need to be square.

   6. In Fracturing mode, leave LRFT.

      1. LRFT is a good default. Curved may be helpful if you have a lot of curved structures.

   7. Leave unchecked Shot Pitch Fracturing, Slim Trapezoids to Single Lines, and Symmetric Fracturing.

      1. These can be very useful in relevant situations, read up on them in the Beamer manual.

   8. Leave Feature Order at ArrayCompaction (for this example)

      1. This section is very important, it determines how your features are exposed within the write field. Different Feature Order methods will be ideal for different situations. You'll want to read about the different options for Feature Order in the Beamer Manual.

      2. NoCompaction doesn't change the feature sorting, and isn't usually the most useful.

      3. ArrayCompaction is good for the reducing the size of the V30 file for large array.

      4. WritingOrder tries to reduce beam jumps by exposing nearest neighbors. 

      5. FollowGeometry tries to expose contiguous patterns at once, which is great for waveguides. Regional Traversal is not applicable here.

      6. Layer order allows you to specify a specific order exposure to the layers. If none is selected, it is first in, first out.

      7. Region Size: From the Beamer Manual (v5.8): Region Size [μm] reduces the area in which features are exposed successively. Selecting this will preserve existing Arrays and also run an additional compression step to detect arrays. This command allows to significantly reduce the file size and fracturing time of large, homogenous arrays

   9. Click the OK button.

8. Export V30

   1. On the Export module, click the Run To icon. Your V30 is now created and saved.

   2. Save your Beamer flow by going to the File menu, then Save As. It will be saved as a .ftxt file. This can be reused for future writes.

9. Optional: View V30

   1. We can get a good amount of information from viewing the V30 file.

   2. On the Export module, click the View icon.

   3. Click the Doses tab, and Color by Dose button. This will show the patterns by their relative dose multipliers.

   4. Under the E-Beam drop down, click Show Traversal path. This will show the order of the fields to be written.

      1. If the fields or the field traversal plan looks problematic or sub-optimal, you can go back into the Export module, under the Advanced tab, and use more advanced Field Ordering. Selecting Floating and checking Center to Field may be useful for many patterns.

   5. Under the E-Beam drop down, click Show Writing order. This will show the order of the fractured primitives will be written.

      1. If the beam is going all over the place in this, you may want to go back and change the selected Feature Order in the Export Module, and then re-export the V30.

   6. Under the E-Beam drop down, click Subfields.

      1. This will show individual writing subfields where the beam will settle. These generally add overhead time, but are necessary for PEC.

   7. Zoom far into a feature. Then under the E-Beam drop down, click Show shots.

      1. This shows how Beamer thinks the individual shots will be distributed within each primitive.

   8. Exit with the X in the upper right when finished.

10. Optional: Re-export V30

    1. If inspection of the V30 file after export encouraged you to make changes to your setup, double click the Export module (now re-named Out JEOL52).

    2. Make the needed changes (including changing the File Name, if desired) and click OK when finished.

11. Exit Beamer

    1. To close Beamer, exit with the X in the upper right when finished.

    2. This is critical to do, as other users will not be able to use Beamer while you have it open.

A video of simple visual-Job use for both aligned and unaligned writes can be seen in the 3.7 VisualJob (Beamer) and Magazine File section. A more extensive video will be added in the section in the future.

1. While DAILYCAL, runs (or whenever), on the Beamer PC, launch Beamer and open visual-Job.

   1. It is recommended that you use visual-Job to create your SDF and JDF files while the machine completes the DAILYCAL batch calibration, but this may be done prior to this, or any time before needing a magazine file for exposure.

   2. In general, the mouse-over tool tips are very useful in VisualJob.

   3. After Beamer is loaded, Open visual-Job with either the visual-Job button (right of the Detach button) or with the visual-Job module under Layout Operation.

2. With the visual-Job window open, create a New Jobdeck.

   1. This can be done in multiple ways: Ctrl+N on the keyboard, the New Jobdeck button, or File > New Jobdeck.

3. Save the new Jobdeck file in a new folder with a name that begins with a letter, and contains only letters and numbers.

   1. It's recommended that you make a new folder for your Jobdeck, JDF, and SDF files. Copy your V30 and JDI files into this folder. Using this method will keep all of your information together. 

   2. By default, the name of the Jobdeck file will be the name of the schedule file and the schedule name. There are restrictions on the types of names that can be used on the Linux PC for SDF files. Because of these, please save the Jobdeck project with a name that begins with a letter, and contains only numbers and letters. If you do not do this, after saving, rename your Schedule File and Schedule Name appropriately.

   3. The Jobdeck Project (.Jobdeck) is a file that visual-Job will use to save your information. It is not needed on the JEOL Linux PC.

4. Once you've saved the new Jobdeck file, ensure the names of the Schedule File and Schedule Name are appropriate.

5. On the left menu, under visual-Job Project and under your Jobdeck project name on the left, click the Substrate listing to bring up the Holder and Substrate page.

   1. Set the Type, Size (in), and Window for the holder to be used for the exposure. Refer to the 4.1 Cassette Window Identifiers table for more information.

   2. By default, leave the 'When Creating Jobs' drop down at "Write all chips / Ignore substrate boundaries"

      1. This may need to be changed to either "Only write chips all or partially within the substrate" or "Only write chips entirely within the substrate" if you are executing an aligned write. For aligned writes, if the machine cannot measure the height at a mark, or cannot detect the mark, it may cause the exposure to fail, or may write the chip with significant misalignment.  

6. Click the Global mark listing in the menu on the left to bring up the Global Mark page.

   1. If not using physical marks for alignment, set Mode to NONE(C).

      1. When NONE(C) is selected, the status of the Measure Height box is ignored.

   2. If using physical global marks, select Semi-Automatic(S) and check Measure Height.

      1. Input the design mark positions of your marks into the table. Note that you may either use 1 mark (P), 2 marks (P and Q), or 4 marks (P, Q, R, and S), but 4 marks are recommended. 

      2. Then set the Width (um), Length (um), Type, and Rotation (deg) of the P mark and the Q mark.

      3. Type will be + for a cross mark, or L for an L-shaped mark. Cross marks are recommended.

      4. Rotation (deg) really only applies to L-shaped marks. This should be left at 0 for cross marks.

7. Click the Layers listing in the left menu.

   1. Each Layer will become a unique JDF file.

      1. Layers may share patterns with the same EOS (Current), PATH (exposure calibration), Shot Pitch, Base Dose, type of Local Alignment marks, and substrate origin offset.

      2. If you have patterns in which one of these parameters changes between layouts, you will need to create a new layer. Use the Insert and Delete buttons to add/remove layers, and use the Enable box to enable/disable layers if needed. You can right click a layer name in the left menu and select "Duplicate Layer" if needed.

   2. Click the layer name (e.g. Layer_1) in the left menu

   3. Layer properties should be edited from the Layer Parameters window, found by clicking the layer name (e.g. Layer_1) in the left menu.

      1.  The JDF File Name and JOB Name default to the name of the SDF file, with the Layer ID changing. You may edit the JDF File Name or JOB Name if you desire, but this is not required.

      2. Set the EOS drop down to your desired current (Condition File).

      3. Warning: The drop down here can be changed with the mouse scroll wheel. It is easy to change the EOS, then click, and then try to scroll down the page with the scroll wheel. This will change the EOS (e.g. scrolling up from the Purdue_30nA that you selected up to Purdue_2nA). So be sure to double check this setting after you're finished in the Layer Parameters window.

      4. Set the PATH, which should almost always be DIRE20. If you are doing a write that will take less than 20 minutes, you can select DIRE00 to omit drift correction.

      5. Set the Shot Pitch to the same value you used to create your V30. (JCW note - I don't know what happens if you select a different shot pitch than the V30 used). The Beam Step Size in nm is displayed to the right, and should also match what you used for your V30.

      6. Set the Area Base Dose to your chosen exposure dose, or the base dose if you're using PEC.

      7. If not using single lines, you may leave the Line Base Dose at 1000 nC/cm (it will not cause problems). If using single lines, set this to your desired dosage in either nC/cm or µC/cm².

      8. Set Local Align to correspond with your plan for chip alignment marks:

         1. 1-Mark(1) for a single M1 physical mark.

         2. 4-Mark(4) for four physical chip marks: M1, M2, M3, and M4. This is recommended if you want the best possible alignment.

         3. Height Only -1(v1) for a single virtual mark. This will be the default for unaligned writes.

         4. Height Only-4(V4) for four virtual marks. This is good for larger V30 files on substrates that are potentially bowed. It will measure the height at 4 points (usually we'll specify the corners), take the average, and apply it to the entire V30.

         5.  You should never select NONE(0) or SEM(S). You MUST do some form of local mark to perform height detection and get proper focus of the beam. Unaligned writes should always use V1 or V4. If you have physical global marks but no physical chip marks, you can use the global marks as chip marks (mode 1 or 4) to get a better alignment than using V1 or V4. Or just use V1 or V4 to get reasonable good alignment accuracy and also have proper focus.

      9. Substrate Origin Offset X/Y corresponds with the OFFSET line in the SDF. When the magazine file is made, the SDF OFFSET will be where the center of the pattern is written, in substrate coordinates. It must be updated either after you are done with VisualJob via the SDF file itself, or can be set here in VisualJob if you already know it. Either method is fine.

      10. Advanced settings usually do not need to be changed, but have useful settings for those doing aligned writes.

          1. The first drop down will select the behavior of the exposure if a chip alignment mark location fails. It can be set to "Always write this chip" or "Skip this chip".

          2. The lower box sets when to abort the exposure of the layer entirely, after the set number of consecutive chips have failed detection.

          3. The Measure Height box should always be checked.

      11. If desired, you can right click on the Layer_# identifier and select Duplicate Layer.

      12. Typically, you'll only use one Layer per SDF file. The exception would be if you had different shot pitches in V30 files in the same SDF (or other weird things, which probably aren't good ideas but could be if you've thought it through). While you could create different layer with different base doses, it's much easier to modify this in the Arrays listing to come.

      13. If you're interested in a dual current write, talk to BNC Staff. There is currently not a standard way to do this, and it's usually just easier to pick an intermediate current. But there could be good reasons to do a dual current write.

8. Click on the Arrays listing in the left menu.

   1. Click the Add Array button in the top right.

   2. Under the Data to place drop down, select Chip.

   3. Click the Browse... button. Select your V30 and click Open.

   4. The array will default to a 1 by 1 array centered at the Origin with a Pitch equal to the V30 dimensions.

   5. Leave the array settings as they are for exposing a single chip.

   6. To expose an array here, modify the position, repetition, and pitch as desired.

   7. If performing a dose array, leave enough room for back scattering between chips (3*Beta, usually 100 µm will be enough).

   8. The Position Mode sets which chip in the array will be placed at the Position location: the upper left chip, the center chip, or the lower left chip.

   9. If you would like to do a dose array, click the Assign Dose... button:

      1. This is by far the best way to perform a dose array.

      2. Chose an array based on entering absolute doses (e.g. 800 µC/cm², 1300 µC/cm², etc) or relative doses (multiples of the base dose previously specified in the Layer Parameters window, e.g., x0.8, x1.3, etc.).

      3. Fixed Dose will set the same dose to every chip in the array. 

      4. Individual Dose will let you enter in the dose for each chip.

      5. But what you should use for a dose array is the Dose Series. Click Dose Series, and :

         1. Assign the starting and ending dose values (or starting and step, if you'll use a Linear Step Step Mode).

         2. Set the Step Mode: Linear Range or Logarithmic, as preferred if a start and end dose will be specified. Or pick Linear Step and assign the starting dose and dose step.

         3.  Pick whichever deploy mode makes the most sense to you.

         4. You should take a picture or screen shot of the dose array display to later remember what you assigned.

      6. Click OK.

   10. Add in a Comment to remember significant info if you desire. This will only be stored for viewing in VisualJob.

   11. Click OK

   12. Inspect the position of the array and of your patterns in the Viewer window in the bottom half of the screen.

       1. You can measure distances here by right clicking at the start and end of the measurement.

   13. The assigned dose will be displayed on each chip.

   14. If your pattern is very complex, you can press the "Show Chip Outline Only" button to turn off viewing the pattern in each chip.

   15. You can press the Toggle Mode button to toggle between Pick/Measuring in the Layout and Edit Jobdeck mode.

       1. In the Edit mode, you can left click a chip to select it, and then right click to view useful options.

       2. Assign Dose... will let you change the dose of that chip.

       3. To remove a chip from the array, select Clear Chip(s). Cleared chips will not be exposed.

       4. You can re-insert a cleared chip with the Insert Chip: Filename option.

   16. You may want to edit the Array Positions to remove a subset of chips or adjust doses, if that is easier than in Toggle Mode.

   17. You can adjust the position, repetition, pitch, and position mode in the Arrays listing. You can also delete an array, or add additional arrays.

9. Next we'll need to assign chip mark locations to each chip. Click the Data to Place expand button in the left menu.

   1. Click the name of a chip.

   2. Enter in the design location (relative to the chip coordinate system) of the chip marks. If using virtual marks:

      1. In V1, it's customary to place M1 at the chip origin (0,0)

      2. In V4, it's customary to place the marks at the edges of the chip. M1: -X/+Y, M2: +X / +Y, M3: +X / -Y, M4: -X / -Y.

   3. Also enter the width and lengths of the marks.

      1. If using virtual marks, these values are place holders. Just pick reasonable values (e.g. Width = 1 or 10, Length = 10 or 100).

   4. Chip mark (and global mark) locations will be visible in the Viewer.

10. Double check the viewer to ensure the alignments are set as expected, the marks are where they should be, etc. Make any needed adjustments to positions before proceeding.

    1. Remember: The patterns will be offset in the exposure by the OFFSET you'll put in, or what you placed in Substrate Origin Offset. The Substrate Origin Offset is not reflected in the Viewer position, but will be reflected after the MGN is made and loaded into the exposure tab.

11. Save the Jobdeck with Save icon, or File → Save.

    1. Jobdeck files may be modified and reused for later writes. If changing too much, it's recommended to just start fresh though.

12. Press the Generate Jobdeck button (red play arrow into a vertical line, right of the Save icon) to create the job files.

    1. You should have the jdi file for each V30 file or an error may occur.

    2. The JDF and SDF files will be created in the folder the Jobdeck file was saved in. The location of the V30 (if not in the same place, which is recommended) will be displayed in the Generate Jobdeck Log.

13. You can view the JDF and SDF files if desired, they are text files.

Video 3.1: Starting

1. Enable the JEOL JBX-8100FS in the BRK Lithography Core iLab Kiosk.

2. Open jbxwriter software.

   1. It may be minimized or on a different desktop tab (check the boxes in the lower right).

   2. Never try to open a new instance of jbxwriter, this may cause tool communication problems.

   3. Bring up the jbxwriter software, which should already be running. If you can't find it or it's not running, submit a support ticket.

3.  When you arrive at the tool, there should not be a cassette on the stage or in the load lock (LL), and the load lock should be evacuated. But always check if a cassette is already on the stage

   1. In jbxwriter, in the upper right corner, go to the Manual Loader Viewer tab.

   2. Observe the image. The IV values should be closed (X's) and the stage and load lock positions should both be white.

   3. If there is a cassette in the machine, either the stage or LL position will be will be a medium blue

      1. Confusingly, the 'Cassette Present' medium blue is not labeled. It is a blue in between the labeled Evacuation/Venting light blue and Atmosphere dark blue.

   4. If a cassette is on the stage or in the LL, proceed to the 3.9 Unload Cassette from Machine section.

4. Check the currently set condition file

   1. In jbxwriter, under Information > Cond. Name, check the loaded Condition File

      1. The condition file sets the write current, and automatically loads the appropriate column settings and objective aperture.

      2. The currently offered currents are 2, 10, 30, and 100 for HT/4^th Lens/EOS 3. A 0.5 nA file is offered for HR/5^th Lens/EOS 6, but you this mode requires significant settling time to change to from EOS 3, and you should email jcwirth@purdue.edu if you are interested in using HR/5^th Lens/EOS 6.

      3. These are listed as Purdue_2nA, for example.

      4. Only use condition files that begin with Purdue. Other files are not maintained.

      5. Lower currents (2, 10 nA) should be loaded at least ~20 minutes before calibrating. ~40 minutes of settling time is required before the machine fully stabilizes. Higher currents (100 nA) may not require quite so much time.

5. Change the condition file if necessary before proceeding

   1. Under Condition page > Condition Setting tab > Condition File Loading section, press the Select… button.

   2. Choose the current for your exposure (remember, only use condition files that begin with Purdue). Click OK, and then OK.

   3. Ensure ‘Restore’ and ‘Demag’ are checked, click the Execute button, and OK to execute EOSSET.

      1. 'Demag' executes a degaussing on the column lenses. Changing currents usually changes setting on Lenses 2&3 (Zoom lenses, which set the current), the objective aperture (which also helps to set the current), and Lens 4 (the focusing lens). 

      2. If changing between 2 nA and 10 nA, or vice versa, you may leave 'Demag' unchecked because these files are setup to use the same Lens 2/3 values and similar Lens 4 values, only changing the aperture. But if you do this, be sure to recheck it after loading the current so it is checked for the next user.

   4. This will take ~2 minutes, wait until software is un-greyed and proceed.

Video 3.2.1: Cassette Reminders

1. Put on a clean pair of latex gloves.

2. Determine appropriate cassette for loading in the cassette stack:

   1. Piece cassettes: There are two piece cassettes, these are identical.

      1. For pieces, you can load onto any of the three mounting areas. While you can put multiple pieces on the same mounting area (if sample thicknesses are the same), you won't be able to adjust their rotation independently. It's best to put each piece on its own window.

   2. Wafer cassettes:

      1. 3"

      2. 4"

      3. 6"

3. Continue with care! The cassettes have many sensitive pieces, and are themselves sensitive. They are precision machined, costing up to $30,000 each. Be gentle and careful with them, and be sure not to roughly bump or drop them.

Video 3.2.2: Wafer Cassette Mounting

1. Place cassette upside down on cleanroom wipe

2. Remove backside holder, and place it top side up to ensure grounding pins are not damaged

   1. For 4" and 6" cassettes: First rotate the lock at the top of the holder ~120° counter clockwise (CCW).

   2. With two fingers, press down towards the edges of the V wing spring and rotate until it's free of the cassette overhang.

   3. Carefully lift the backside holder up and place it top side up on a cleanroom wipe.

      1. There are two grounding pins on the backside holder which ensure the wafer backside has an electrical connection to ground. These are necessary for charge dissipation and are also very sensitive, and will be damaged if the backside holder is placed face down on a hard surface.

3. With the cassette wafer grounding clip held slightly back, place the wafer in holder with the topside towards the table

   1.  The wafer will drop slightly when placing it. Fragile substrates may require the use of plastic tipped wafer tweezers to let the wafer down gently.

   2. Ensure the wafer flats align with the guide pins of the holder so rotation is minimal

   3. Release pressure on the wafer clip, and check to ensure good contact is maintained. If not, hold the clip slightly back and adjust the wafer and clip as necessary.

   4. Ensure the wafer is flush with guide pins and flat around edge

4. Replace backside holder, ensuring that guide pins align with holder holes

5. Check that backside holder is flush against wafer.

6. With two fingers, press down towards the edges of the V wing spring and rotate until it is appropriately centered into the cassette overhang.

7. For 4" and 6" cassettes: Rotate the lock at the top of the holder ~120° clockwise (CW) to secure the backside holder to the cassette.

8. Place cassette right side up on the table.

   1. Inspect wafer to cassette contact.

   2. Ensure no loose particles are present on the wafer or cassette. Remove these with N2 gun next to table if necessary.

Video 3.2.3a: UPDATE - Better 0/0 Reference: Lower Left Zero Landmark

Video 3.2.3b: Alignment Microscope Overview

Video 3.2.3c: Piece Cassette Use

Note: This video describes the previous method of mounting, which required the center screw be visible to the alignment microscope. A better, newer improved method uses the Lower Left Zero Landmark as described in the video above. Using the Lower Left Zero Landmark, the center screw does not need to be visible to the microscope. You may still use the old method, but the new method is better in every way.

1. Use of pieces on the 8100 is more complicated than wafers due to the way pieces are loaded. If you can use wafers rather than pieces, it will likely be much cheaper for you due to the time saved. If you are using pieces, you should not use pieces smaller than 10 mm by 10 mm, or you will likely have a hard time with a number of things. Be aware that using pieces smaller than this is usually a bad idea.

2. With pieces, we will need to:

   1. Use a spacer ring to offset the holder by an appropriate amount for your chip. You will need to check the spacer ring before each write to ensure the proper one for your chip is present, and will need to change the rings if the one you need is not currently loaded.

   2. Affix your chip to the top of the holder using at least two clips (and screws) on the piece. You'll generally want to mount the pieces in the X direction so the machine's laser height sensor is not blocked. The height laser being blocked by the clip is a common problem for both new and experienced users, and is due to either the clips not being placed in mostly the X direction, or due to the piece being too small, or due to the global or chip marks being too close to the clip.

   3. Adjust rotation of the piece by loosening the rotation adjustment screws, manually changing the rotation, and then tightening the screws once the rotation is set. Since we need rotation accuracy of <1 degree for aligned writes, and want accuracy of <0.2 degrees, we will need to do this with the help of the alignment microscope. Their is a Vernier scale on each holder which will assist with this.

   4. After rotation is set, use the alignment find the center of the piece or the P mark, in either case using the alignment microscope. We'll calculate the offset of the piece from the holder origin, which is roughly the position of the center screw in each holder. 

3. Use appropriate spacer rings for sample thickness.

   1.  A spacer ring is required for pieces! You must check if a ring is already on the holder, and if it’s the proper thickness for your sample. If not, change it.

   2. Spacer rings are precision machined aluminum, and may be damaged (scratched, bent) very easily! They are critical to achieving good flatness with pieces, and they are expensive (~$1k/ea) to replace, so be very careful with them and store them carefully!

   3. Spacer rings come in two diameters (82mm OD x 65mm ID for the 3” holder, 56mm OD x 46mm ID for the 2” holders) at 3 different thicknesses:

      1. 2”/3” = 325 µm

      2. 4” = 525 µm

      3. 6”/8”/12” = 700 µm

      4. Combinations of these can be stacked up to 1.5 mm

      5. Open

         

4. Determine a suitable holder and mounting location.

5. Check/place the appropriate spacer ring

   1. Place cassette upside down on cleanroom wipe

   2. Remove holder: With two fingers, press down towards the edges of the V wing spring and rotate until it's free of the cassette overhang.

   3. Lift the holder out by holding each side of the wing with two finger (requires two hands to do) and gently lift out, being mindful of the set pin keeping the rotation in place.

   4. Then place the holder top side up on a cleanroom wipe to ensure holder surface is not damaged (this not as critical as with the wafer cassette holder, which ABSOLUTELY must be placed top side up).

   5. Check the thickness of the current spacer ring (if any), and replace with proper thickness ring if needed. Use the provided non-metal tipped tweezers and delicately handle the ring, if needed.

   6. Replace holder, ensuring that guide pins align with holder holes.

      1.  Ensure the clips on the front do not get stick between the holder and cassette.

   7. Check that holder is flush against cassette, then clamp holder into the cassette and flip cassette right side up. on a cleanroom wipe

6. Place the piece on the holder.

   1.  Be sure the piece clips do not block the height laser, which comes from the upper right of the holder (corner between hook and 3” area) and leaves towards the opposite corner (the corner between the end without the hook and the 2” area) at 56° from the hook, and 18° above the XY plane. If height cannot be measured at your sample, the electron beam will write your pattern out of focus. If height cannot be measured at your marks, the detected mark positions will be wrong, the detected rotation will be wrong, and the electron beam may be out of focus during the write. None of these are good from your write.

   2. For most pieces, place the holder clips in the X axis to avoid blocking the laser

      1. To ensure this for very small pieces (which don’t need alignment), place them diagonally, use the clips to secure them. Then adjust the rotation of the holder to align them with the clips on the sides

      2. Very small pieces that do need alignment should have the clips places upside down on the top left and lower right corners.

7. Tighten one piece clip, slide chip against it, then tighten the other.

8. To adjust angular offset, loosen the two screws (inner, centered screw in the cluster of 3) around edges, adjust rotation as needed, then tighten.

   1. Pieces for aligned writes need to be within 1°, and ideally within 0.2°. While the machine compensates for rotation, this is imperfect, and also can't compensate for stitching between fields. A smaller angle will give you a better quality alignment.

   2. Each wafer holder has a vernier scale. This is extremely useful for precision adjustment of the alignment.

9. Place the holder on the alignment microscope:

   1. First ensure the microscope base plate is centered on the two back pins, and flush against them.

   2. Then gently slide the cassette into the holder place.

10. Prepare the microscope:

    1. Turn on the LED, select a different source pattern if needed.

    2. Adjust the interpupillary distance adjustment and objective fine focus so you can see well. 

    3. Focus on your sample position.

11. For determining mark/chip positions with high accuracy (repeatability <5 µm, offset < 100 µm)

    1. Adjust rotation:

       1. Loosen the side screws

       2. Find the location of an alignment mark or your chip corner. Zero Xo and Yo.

       3. Move the stage to another mark (or corner).

       4. Note the Xo and Yo values. Calculate the rotation (Google on WolframAlpha the Beamer PC, or your phone) by taking the tangent of Yo/Xo, in degrees. Example for a 70 micron Yo for marks 20000 microns apart in Xo.

       5. Manually adjust the rotation of the ring. Use the vernier scale for high accuracy changes!

       6. Refind the initial mark/corner, zero Xo and Yo, and continue.

       7. Repeat until the proper rotation is achieved.

       8. Tighten the screws

       9. Remeasure the rotation angle to ensure it was not changed by the screws being tightened.

    2. Offset determination, aligned write:

       1. At maximum zoom, move to and focus on the Lower Left Zero Landmark.