Abstract: A method of generating reticle data for producing a reticle, a pattern of the reticle including a main pattern, a first auxiliary pattern, and a second auxiliary pattern, the first auxiliary pattern and the second auxiliary pattern being patterns not to resolve, light having passed through the first auxiliary pattern and light having passed through the main pattern being in phase, and light having passed through the second auxiliary pattern and light having passed through the main pattern having a phase difference of 180° from each other, the method comprising the step of deleting either of the first auxiliary pattern and the second auxiliary pattern or deforming at least either of the first auxiliary pattern and the second auxiliary pattern when the first auxiliary pattern and the second auxiliary pattern overlap each other.

Abstract: A computer readable storage medium stores a program for generating reticle data for producing a reticle used in an exposure apparatus, the program including the steps of classifying target patterns to be formed on a substrate into a plurality of direction groups, extracting, for each of the plurality of direction groups, a region suited to resolution of a target pattern belonging to the direction group from an effective light source distribution formed on a pupil of a projection optical system by an illumination optical system, thereby determining the extracted region as a partial light source, executing, for each of a plurality of partial light sources determined in the step of extracting a region, processing of determining a pattern to be placed on a reticle when each partial light source is used as an illumination condition, and merging patterns determined in the step of executing processing.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method including generating mask data to be used in an exposure apparatus including an illumination optical system and a projection optical system which projects a pattern of the mask onto a substrate, and fabricating a mask based on the generated mask data.

Abstract: An exposure method includes the steps of illuminating a mask that has a contact hole pattern using an illumination light, and projecting, via a projection optical system, the contact hole pattern onto a substrate to be exposed, wherein three lights among diffracted lights from the contact hole pattern interfere with each other, wherein said mask is an attenuated phase shift mask, and wherein said illumination light forms a radial polarization illumination.

Abstract: An exposure method includes the steps of illuminating a mask that has a contact hole pattern using an illumination light, and projecting, via a projection optical system, the contact hole pattern onto a substrate to be exposed, wherein three lights among diffracted lights from the contact hole pattern interfere with each other, wherein said mask is an attenuated phase shift mask, and wherein said illumination light forms a radial polarization illumination.

Abstract: An exposure method includes the step of illuminating a mask having a contact hole pattern that includes a hybrid pattern using an illumination light that forms an effective source that has plural poles, and projecting an image of the mask onto a plate through a projection optics. The hybrid pattern includes a matrix pattern in which plural contact holes are arranged in a matrix shape, and a checker pattern in which plural contact holes are arranged in a checker shape. Three or four diffracted lights from the contact hole pattern interfere with each other.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of a mask onto a plate to be exposed. A pupil filter has a first area arranged on a light axis of the projection optical system and a second area formed outside of the first area. The mask is one of an alternating phase shift mask and a chromeless phase shift mask, and the pattern of the mask satisfies (p/?)·NA?0.65, where p is a half pitch of the pattern, ? is a wavelength of light illuminating the mask, and NA is an image-side numerical aperture of the projection optical system, and in which, at most, 1st order light of diffracted light, which is diffracted by the pattern satisfying (p/?)·NA?0.

Abstract: The invention provides a generation method of generating data of a mask, comprising a calculation step of calculating an aerial image formed on an image plane of a projection optical system, an extraction step of extracting a two-dimensional image from the aerial image, a determination step of determining a main pattern of the mask based on the two-dimensional image, an extraction step of extracting, from the aerial image, a peak portion at which a light intensity takes a peak value in a region other than a region in which the main pattern is projected, a determination step of determining an assist pattern based on the light intensity of the peak portion, and a generation step of inserting the assist pattern into a portion of the mask, which corresponds to the peak portion, thereby generating, as the data of the mask, pattern data including the assist pattern and the main pattern.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system for illuminating a predetermined mask, a projection optical system for projecting light from the mask to a predetermined exposure region, a first exposure device for illuminating the mask with a first sigma and for projecting light from the mask to the exposure region at a first spatial frequency passage spectrum of the projection system, so that the exposure region is exposed with a first pattern, and a second exposure device for illuminating the mask with a second sigma, different from the first sigma, and for projecting light from the mask to the exposure region at a second spatial frequency passage spectrum of the projection system, different from the first spatial frequency passage spectrum, so that the exposure region is exposed with a second pattern. A first exposure by the first exposure device and a second exposure by the second exposure device are carried out prior to a development process.

Abstract: A phase shift mask includes a substrate including first and second transmissive regions alternately disposed, and absorbers disposed on a surface of the substrate such that each absorber is sandwiched between the first and second transmissive regions. A phase shifter is defined by a difference between a surface height of the first transmissive region and a surface height of the second transmissive region. At least the first transmissive region among the first and second transmissive regions has a trench. An aperture portion formed between opposite side walls of respective adjacent absorbers has a width that increases along a depth direction of the substrate. Each trench has a width that increases along the depth direction of the substrate.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system for illuminating a predetermined mask, a projection optical system for projecting light from the mask to a predetermined exposure region, a first exposure device for illuminating the mask with a first sigma and for projecting light from the mask to the exposure region at a first spatial frequency passage spectrum of the projection system, so that the exposure region is exposed with a first pattern, and a second exposure device for illuminating the mask with a second sigma, different from the first sigma, and for projecting light from the mask to the exposure region at a second spatial frequency passage spectrum of the projection system, different from the first spatial frequency passage spectrum, so that the exposure region is exposed with a second pattern. A first exposure by the first exposure device and a second exposure by the second exposure device are carried out prior to a development process.

Abstract: There is provided an exposure method that includes the steps of forming a phase shift mask having a desired pattern and a cyclic dummy pattern overlaid onto the desired pattern, a part of the desired pattern to be resolved by effects of the dummy pattern being thicker than the dummy pattern's line width, illuminating the phase shift mask by using illumination light having a peak near or on an optical axis in an intensity distribution to transfer the desired pattern onto the exposure plane by projecting light having passed through the phase shift mask onto the exposure plane.

Abstract: An exposure method includes the steps of illuminating a mask that has a contact hole pattern using an illumination light, and projecting, via a projection optical system, the contact hole pattern onto a substrate to be exposed, wherein three lights among diffracted lights from the contact hole pattern interfere with each other, wherein said mask is an attenuated phase shift mask, and wherein said illumination light forms a radial polarization illumination.

Abstract: An exposure method includes the step of illuminating a mask having a contact hole pattern that includes a hybrid pattern using an illumination light that forms an effective source that has plural poles, and projecting an image of the mask onto a plate through a projection optics. The hybrid pattern includes a matrix pattern in which plural contact holes are arranged in a matrix shape, and a checker pattern in which plural contact holes are arranged in a checker shape. Three or four diffracted lights from the contact hole pattern interfere with each other.

Abstract: An exposure method immerses, in liquid, a surface of an object to be exposed, and a surface of a projection optical system closest to the object, and projects a repetitive pattern formed on a mask via the projection optical system onto the object. The exposure method may direct exposure light having a wavelength ? through a projection optical system that is at least partially immersed in liquid and has a numerical aperture of no·sin ?NA greater than 0.9 in order to transfer a pattern formed on a mask onto an object to be exposed, wherein no is a refractive index of the liquid, ?n is the fluctuation of the refractive index of the liquid, ?NA is the largest angle common to the liquid and a resist material applied to the object to be exposed, and d is a thickness of the liquid in an optical-axis direction of the projection optical system which satisfies d?(0.03?) cos ?NA/?n.

Abstract: An exposure method for exposing an image of a pattern of a mask onto a plate while immersing, in liquid, a space between a final lens of a projection optical system and the plate includes the steps of obtaining temperature information of the liquid, determining a correction amount for correcting a focus position of the image based on the temperature information, and correcting the focus position of the image in synchronization with a scan position for one shot based on the correction amount.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of a mask onto a plate to be exposed, and a pupil filter that includes a first area and a second area formed outside of the first area, the first area being formed as a circular area upon which a low order diffracted light that has passed the pattern of the mask is incident, the second area being formed as an annular area upon which a high order diffracted light that does not contain the low order diffracted light is incident and which inverts a phase of half of the high order diffracted light incident and cancels out the high order diffracted light.

Abstract: An exposure method immerses, in liquid, a surface of an object to be exposed, and a surface of a projection optical system closest to the object, and projects a repetitive pattern formed on a mask via the projection optical system onto the object. The exposure method forms on a pupil of the projection optical system an effective light source that emits, from an axis orthogonal to an optical axis of the projection optical system, light that is parallel to a repetitive direction of the repetitive pattern and has an incident angle ? upon the object, wherein the light includes only s-polarized light in an area of an incident angle ? that satisfies 90°-?NA?0??NA, where ?NA is the largest value of the incident angle ?.

Abstract: An exposure method that transfers a pattern formed on a mask onto an object to be exposed via a projection optical system that is at least partly immersed in liquid. The exposure method forms on a pupil of the projection optical system an effective light source that emits, from an axis orthogonal to an optical axis of the projection optical system, light that has an incident angle ? upon the object, wherein the light includes only s-polarized light in an area of an incident angle ? that satisfies 90°??NA????NA, where ?NA is the largest value of the incident angle ?.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus including a first exposure device for illuminating a predetermined mask with light of a predetermined wavelength under a first mask-illumination condition, to print a first pattern on a predetermined exposure region, and a second exposure device for illuminating the predetermined mask with light of the predetermined wavelength under a second mask-illumination condition, different from the first mask-illumination condition, to superposedly print a second pattern on the predetermined exposure region where the first pattern has been printed. A first exposure by the first exposure device and a second exposure by the second exposure device are carried out simultaneously, prior to a development process.