Multi e-beam direct write: what are the options for the future?

Electron beams have been used for lithography since the 1970s. Resolution was never the limitation, but the throughput was. When the so-called next-generation lithography (NGL) solutions were adopted in the 1990s, electron beam and nano-imprint technology were considered alternatives for optical lithography. However, since ASML brought its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography on the market, the NGL of choice seemed to be clear. Two issues remained unsolved: how to make the reticles and, second, how to serve the market for low-volume semiconductor wafer manufacturing for which the EUV solution does not give a commercial viable solution. As multi e-beam has proven to be a successful solution for the reticle writing issue, the question is whether it could also address the second issue. The two main e-beam candidate technologies are compared here in terms of their throughput claims, LWR, and addressing grid as well as their scalability (LEEPL, low-energy electron beam proximity-projection lithography, is not considered, as it is not a maskless technology).