Abstract: A method for generating, via a computer, a mask pattern to be used for an exposure apparatus that exposes an image of the mask pattern on a substrate by irradiating a mask includes obtaining data of a main pattern to be formed on the substrate, and data of a pattern of a lower layer of a layer to which the main pattern is transferred, setting a generation condition for an auxiliary pattern with respect to the main pattern using data of the pattern of the lower layer, determining the auxiliary pattern using the generation condition, and generating data of the mask pattern including the main pattern and the determined auxiliary pattern.

Abstract: The present invention provides a determination method of determining a light intensity distribution to be formed on a pupil plane of an illumination optical system in an exposure apparatus, the method including a step of setting a cut line used to evaluate an image of a pattern of a mask, which is formed on an image plane of a projection optical system, and a target value of a dimension of the image, and a step of obtaining the dimension of the image of the pattern on the cut line, and determining a weight to be applied to each of a plurality of element light sources such that the obtained dimension comes close to the target value of the dimension, thereby determining, as the light intensity distribution, light sources obtained by combining the plurality of element light sources applied with the weights.

Abstract: The present invention provides a determination method of determining exposure conditions of an exposure apparatus including an illumination optical system which illuminates a mask, and a projection optical system which projects a pattern of the mask onto a substrate, the method including a step of setting an illumination parameter for a light intensity distribution formed on a pupil plane of the illumination optical system, and an aberration parameter for an aberration of the projection optical system, and a step of determining a value of the illumination parameter and a value of the aberration parameter so that an image performance of an optical image of the pattern of the mask satisfies an evaluation criterion set for a target pattern to be formed on an image plane of the projection optical system.

Abstract: The present invention provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that causes a computer to decide an exposure condition in an exposure apparatus, the program causing the computer to execute a step of selecting an evaluation item of interest from a plurality of evaluation items to be used to evaluate an image formed on an image plane of a projection optical system in correspondence with the exposure condition, a step of selecting, as an auxiliary evaluation item, an evaluation item which is different from the evaluation item of interest and changes a value in the same direction as that of a change in a value of the evaluation item of interest upon changing parameter values included in the exposure condition, and a step of setting an evaluation function including the evaluation item of interest and the auxiliary evaluation item as values.

Abstract: The present invention provides an exposure method including the steps of generating a plurality of element light sources formed on a pupil plane of an illumination optical system, setting a plurality of aberration states which are expected to exist in a projection optical system, calculating, for each of all combinations of the plurality of aberration states and the plurality of element light sources, an optical image of a pattern of a mask, which is formed in an evaluation area when one aberration state among the plurality of aberration states is produced in the projection optical system, and the pattern of the mask is illuminated with one element light source among the plurality of element light sources, determining, based on the calculated optical images, as a light intensity distribution to be formed on the pupil plane, a light source obtained by combining the plurality of element light sources applied with weights.

Abstract: The present invention provides a determination method of determining a light intensity distribution to be formed on a pupil plane of an illumination optical system in an exposure apparatus, the method including a step of setting a cut line used to evaluate an image of a pattern of a mask, which is formed on an image plane of a projection optical system, and a target value of a dimension of the image, and a step of obtaining the dimension of the image of the pattern on the cut line, and determining a weight to be applied to each of a plurality of element light sources such that the obtained dimension comes close to the target value of the dimension, thereby determining, as the light intensity distribution, light sources obtained by combining the plurality of element light sources applied with the weights.

Abstract: The present invention provides a determination method of determining a light intensity distribution to be formed on a pupil plane of an illumination optical system in an exposure apparatus, the method including a step of setting a cutline used to evaluate an image of a pattern of a mask, which is formed on an image plane of a projection optical system, and a target position of the image, and a step of determining an intensity of an element light source such that the position of a midpoint between edges of the image of the pattern of the mask on the cutline from a calculated image comes close to the target position, thereby determining the light intensity distribution.

Abstract: The present invention provides a decision method of causing a computer to decide an exposure condition to be set in an exposure apparatus including an illumination optical system that illuminates a pattern including a plurality of pattern elements, and a projection optical system that projects the pattern onto a substrate, including a step of obtaining a distance between intersections of a first line, used to evaluate dimensions of images of the pattern elements, and contours of the images of the pattern elements by obtaining the image of the pattern formed on the image plane of the projection optical system, and a step of determining whether there exist intersections of a second line, used to evaluate whether the images of the pattern elements are resolved, and the contours of the images of the pattern elements to evaluate whether the images of the pattern elements are resolved.

Abstract: A computer readable storage medium is provided, storing a computer-executable program for causing a computer to determine at least one of mask pattern and exposure condition of an exposure apparatus having an illumination optical system for illuminating a mask with light from a light source and a projection optical system for projecting the mask pattern onto a substrate. The program causes the computer to perform calculation of an image of a pattern on an object plane of the projection optical system using information about lateral shift of an image caused by the exposure apparatus, and determination of at least one of the exposure condition and the mask pattern based on a calculation result.