High resolution printing technique by using a mask pattern adapted to the technique

Claim 2

A mask according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of pattern elements include at least a linear pattern having a longitudinal direction in a predetermined direction, and the pattern element line width is corrected on the design data such that a line width of the linear pattern at an end portion in the predetermined direction is larger than that of a central portion thereof.

Claim 3

A mask according to claim 1, wherein the pattern element line width on the design data is a mask line width converted from a desired line width of said mask element exposed and transferred onto said photosensitive substrate through a projection optical system.

Claim 4

A mask according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein when at least one edge of each pattern element is an edge having an adjacent predetermined region in which other pattern elements are not present, the pattern element line width on the design data is corrected to expand said at least one edge by the small amount.

Claim 5

A mask according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein when said other pattern elements are present near at least one edge of each pattern element, the pattern element line width on the design data is corrected to decrease the line width of said at least one edge by the small amount.

Claim 6

A mask according to claim 1, wherein said mask element is a transparent portion, and said background substrate is a light-shielding portion.

Claim 7

A mask according to claim 1, wherein said pattern element is a light-shielding portion, and said background substrate is a transparent portion.

Claim 8

An exposure method of illuminating a mask with light from an illumination system to project and expose a plurality of transparent or light-shielding pattern elements on a transparent or light-shielding background substrate, said mask being obtained such that said plurality of transparent or light-shielding pattern elements complementary with said transparent or light-shielding background substrate with respect to the light from said illumination system are two-dimensionally arranged on said transparent or light-shielding background substrates, comprising: using a mask in which a pattern element line width is corrected from a design value to increase or reduce at least one edge by a small amount in accordance with whether said at least one edge of said plurality of pattern elements is an isolated edge or an end portion; and defining the illumination light, passing through a plane of said illumination system which serves as a Fourier transform plane of said mask, to at least one local region having a center shifted from an optical axis of said illumination optical system.

Claim 9

A method according to claim 8, wherein the position of the local region is determined in accordance with a degree of micropatterning of said plurality of pattern elements and a periodic direction.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 8, a negative photoresist is used as a photosensitive agent of said background substrate.

Claim 11

A pattern forming method of forming a plurality of transparent or light-shielding pattern elements with respect to a predetermined energy beam on an original plate serving as a mask on the basis of design data defining shapes and layout of the pattern elements, comprising: testing whether a target pattern element of said plurality of pattern elements has a pattern end portion of not more than a predetermined width, and specifying an edge portion defining a widthwise direction of said pattern end portion as an edge portion near an end; and expanding a target outer edge portion outward from other outer edge portions by a predetermined small amount when said target outer edge portion of said target pattern element is said edge portion near the end.

Claim 12

A pattern forming method of forming a plurality of transparent or light-shielding pattern elements with respect to a predetermined energy beam on an original plate serving as a mask on the basis of design data defining shapes and layout of the pattern elements, comprising: specifying part of an outer edge portion defining a target pattern element of said plurality of pattern elements as a target outer edge portion; and resizing said target outer edge portion outward by a predetermined small amount with respect to an outer edge portion linearly continuous with said target outer edge portion when said target outer edge portion is spaced apart from other adjacent edge portions by a predetermined amount.

Claim 13

A pattern forming method of forming a plurality of transparent or light-shielding pattern elements with respect to a predetermined energy beam on an original plate serving as a mask on the basis of design data defining shapes and layout of the pattern elements, comprising: testing an entire circumference of a target outer edge whether said target outer edge of a target pattern element of said plurality of pattern elements is spaced apart from other pattern elements adjacent to said outer edge by not less than a predetermined distance, specifying an edge portion spaced apart by not less than the predetermined distance as an isolated edge portion, testing whether target pattern element has a pattern end portion of not more than a predetermined width, and specifying an edge portion defining a widthwise direction of said pattern end portion as an edge portion near an end; defining an amount for correcting said target outer edge portion outward from outer edge portions as a first small amount when said target outer edge portion of said target pattern element is said isolated edge portion, and defining an amount for correcting said target outer edge portion from said outer edge portions as a second small amount when said target outer edge portion is said edge portion near the end; and correcting an outer edge on design data in said target pattern element in accordance with one of the first and second small amounts or a sum of the first and second small amounts.

Claim 14

A pattern forming system for forming a plurality of transparent or light-shielding pattern elements with respect to a predetermined energy beam on an original plate serving as a mask on the basis of design data defining shapes and layout of the pattern elements, comprising: binary developing means for developing an image of a design pattern element generated within at least partial region on said original plate into a binary image consisting of a set of small pixels on the basis of the design data; first testing means for testing on the basis of information of the developed binary image whether a target edge portion of outer edges of said pattern elements is spaced apart from other pattern elements adjacent thereto by not less than a predetermined number of pixels and for outputting a first test signal when said target edge portion is spaced apart from other pattern elements adjacent thereto by not less than the predetermined number of pixels; second testing means for testing on the basis of the information of the developed binary image whether said target edge portion is an edge portion defining a widthwise direction near a pattern end portion of not more than a predetermined width and for outputting a second test signal when said edge portion is determined as said edge portion near said pattern end portion; and correcting means for correcting the binary image so that the target edge portion is expanded outward relative to other edge portions by a first small amount in units of pixels when the first test signal is output, correcting the binary signal so that the target edge portion is expanded outward relative to other edge portions by a second small amount in units of pixels when the second test signal is output, and correcting the binary signal so that the target edge is expanded outward relative to other edge portions by an amount determined by synthesis of the first and second small amounts when both the first and second test signals are output.

Claim 15

A pattern forming system for forming a plurality of transparent or light-shielding pattern elements with respect to a predetermined energy beam on an original plate serving as a mask on the basis of design data defining shapes and layout of the pattern elements, comprising: binary developing means for developing an image of a design pattern element generated within at least partial region on said original plate into a binary image consisting of a set of small pixels on the basis of the design data; testing means for testing on the basis of information of the developed binary image whether a target edge portion of outer edges of said plurality of pattern elements is an edge portion defining a widthwise direction near a predetermined end portion of not less than a predetermined width, and for outputting a test signal when said target edge portion is determined as said edge near said pattern end portion; and correcting means for correcting the binary image to expand said target edge portion from other edge portions outward by a predetermined small amount in units of pixels in response to the test signal.

Claim 16

A mask manufacturing method of manufacturing a lithographic mask by forming a plurality of transparent or light-shielding pattern elements with respect to a predetermined energy beam on an original plate serving as a mask on the basis of design data defining shapes and layout of the pattern elements, comprising: testing whether an outer edge of a specific pattern element of not less than a width in said plurality of pattern elements is spaced apart from other pattern elements adjacent thereof by not less than a predetermined distance, correcting the design data to expand said outer edge of said specific pattern element from said other outer edge portions outward by a small amount when said outer edge of said specific pattern element is spaced apart from said other outer edges by not less than the predetermined distance, and generating the plurality of pattern elements on said original plate on the basis of the corrected design data.

Claim 17

A mask manufacturing system for manufacturing a lithographic mask by forming a plurality of transparent or light-shielding pattern elements with respect to a predetermined energy beam on an original plate serving as a mask on the basis of design data defining shapes and layout of the pattern elements, comprising: binary developing means for developing an image of a design pattern element generated within at least partial region on said original plate into a binary image consisting of a set of small pixels on the basis of the design data; testing means for testing on the basis of information of the developed binary image whether an outer edge of a specific pattern of not more than a predetermined width in said plurality of pattern elements is spaced apart from other pattern elements adjacent thereof by not less than a predetermined distance; and correcting means for correcting the binary image to expand said outer edge portion of said specific pattern element from outer edge portions outward by a small amount in units of pixels when said testing means determines that said outer edge of said specific pattern is spaced apart from said outer pattern elements by not less than the predetermined distance, wherein said plurality of pattern elements are generated on said original plate on the basis of the binary image corrected by said correcting means.