Abstract: An exposure method is disclosed, which comprises preparing a first mask in which a size of a mask pattern is measured in advance, calculating a first exposure quantity to be applied to the first mask to provide a first resist pattern by using the first mask, simulating optical intensity distributions on a wafer in a case where the first mask is used and an optical intensity distribution on the wafer in a case where a second mask is used, a size of a mask pattern of the second mask being measured in advance, calculating a difference in optical intensity between the first mask and the second mask from the simulated optical intensity distributions, and calculating a second exposure quantity to be applied to the second mask to provide a second resist pattern, from the first exposure quantity and the difference in optical intensity.

Abstract: A method of forming a contact hole on a substrate by using a projection aligner comprising a lighting system including a light source, an aperture, and a condenser lens, a photo mask on which light from the lighting system is incident, and a projection lens for projecting the light from the photo mask onto the substrate, comprises forming a first photosensitive resist film on the substrate; exposing the first photosensitive resist film by using a photo mask in which mask patterns are cyclically arranged in a first direction and a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction and a first aperture having light transmission parts arranged symmetrically with respect to a center point in the first direction; developing the exposed first photosensitive resist film to form first lines and linear spaces; forming a second photosensitive resist film on the substrate; exposing the second photosensitive resist film by using the photo mask and a second aperture having light transmission parts arranged symmet

Abstract: An exposure method is disclosed, which comprises preparing a first mask in which a size of a mask pattern is measured in advance, calculating a first exposure quantity to be applied to the first mask to provide a first resist pattern by using the first mask, simulating optical intensity distributions on a wafer in a case where the first mask is used and an optical intensity distribution on the wafer in a case where a second mask is used, a size of a mask pattern of the second mask being measured in advance, calculating a difference in optical intensity between the first mask and the second mask from the simulated optical intensity distributions, and calculating a second exposure quantity to be applied to the second mask to provide a second resist pattern, from the first exposure quantity and the difference in optical intensity.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a photo mask comprising preparing mask data for a mask pattern to be formed on a mask substrate, calculating edge moving sensitivity with respect to each of patterns included in the mask pattern using the mask data, the edge moving sensitivity corresponding to a difference between a proper exposure dose and an exposure dose to be set when a pattern edge varies, determining a monitor portion of the mask pattern, based on the calculated edge moving sensitivity, actually forming the mask pattern on the mask substrate, acquiring a dimension of a pattern included in that portion of the mask pattern formed on the mask substrate which corresponds to the monitor portion, determining evaluation value for the mask pattern formed on the mask substrate, based on the acquired dimension, and determining whether the evaluation value satisfies predetermined conditions.

Abstract: An exposure analyzing system includes a microscope measuring CDs in resist patterns, each of the resist patterns being formed by specific defocus and dose conditions, an exposure condition calculator calculating functions of the specific defocus and dose conditions, each of the functions giving one of the CDs, an image arranger arranging images of the resist patterns in a matrix having a first coordinate axis arranging the defocus conditions and a second coordinate axis arranging the dose conditions, and a graphic controller displaying the images and the functions in a coordinate plane implemented by the first and second coordinate axes.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of designing a pattern comprising: preparing a first design pattern containing a first hole pattern, obtaining a distance between the first hole pattern and a pattern adjacent to the first hole pattern, obtaining an enlarged amount of the first hole pattern based on the distance and a reduction amount of a hole pattern formed in a photoresist film when the photoresist film is heated, and generating a second design pattern containing a second hole pattern which are obtained by enlarging the first hole pattern by the enlarged amount.

Abstract: There is disclosed an exposure method for correcting a focal point, comprising: illuminating a mask, in which a mask-pattern including at least a set of a first mask-pattern and a second mask-pattern mutually different in shape is formed, from a direction in which a point located off an optical axis of an exposure apparatus is a center of illumination, and exposing and projecting an image of said mask-pattern toward an image-receiving element; measuring a mutual relative distance between images of said first and second mask-patterns exposed and projected on said image-receiving element, thereby measuring a focal point of a projecting optical system of said exposure apparatus; and moving said image-receiving element along a direction of said optical axis of said exposure apparatus on a basis of a result of said measurement, and disposing said image-receiving element at an appropriate focal point of said projecting optical system.

Abstract: Setting values of a light exposure and a focus position are set in an exposure process for forming a pattern on a substrate. Pseudo measured dimensions of the pattern are calculated with respect to each of the combinations of the setting values. ED-trees and a plurality of margin curves are calculated based on the pseudo measured dimensions with respect to each of the combinations. A dispersion of a tolerance of the light exposure of the margin curves is calculated at a depth of focus corresponding to a maximum difference in height of the substrate.

Abstract: An exposure system includes a simulator speculating first and second calculated doses to project first and second reference marks onto first and second resist films, respectively, an exposure tool projecting the first reference mark onto the first resist film at test doses to form test resist patterns, a choose module choosing an optimum pattern among the test resist patterns and choosing a first optimum dose used for the optimum pattern, and a dose calculator calculating a second optimum dose for the second reference mark by correcting the first optimum dose based on the first and the second calculated doses.

Abstract: There is here disclosed a method for inspecting an exposure apparatus, comprising illuminating a mask, in which a mask-pattern including at least a set of a first mask-pattern and a second mask-pattern mutually different in shape is formed, from a direction in which a point located off an optical axis of an exposure apparatus is a center of illumination, and exposing and projecting an image of the mask-pattern toward an image-receiving element, and measuring a mutual relative distance between images of the first and second mask-patterns exposed and projected on the image-receiving element, thereby inspecting a state of an optical system of the exposure apparatus.

Abstract: A mask pattern data producing method is disclosed, which comprises preparing design pattern data in which contact holes are arranged on part of the grid points in matrix, preparing first mask pattern data in which first opening patterns are arranged on all of the grid points, and designing second mask pattern data in which second opening patterns and third opening patterns are arranged, the second opening patterns being arranged on the grid points at which the contact holes are arranged in the design pattern data to include the first opening patterns, the third opening patterns being arranged on a pair of grid points, which is a pair of diagonal grid points only on which the contact holes are arranged in a unit grid formed by four grid points, to include the first opening patterns arranged on the pair of grid points, in place of the second opening patterns.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a mask data correction method used when forming a photomask used in a photolithography process, comprising correcting mask data on the basis of simulation performed by using information including nonuniformity of an illumination luminance distribution in an exposure apparatus which uses the photomask formed by using the mask data obtained by the correction result.

Abstract: A simulator of a lithography tool includes a correcting parameter memory storing a correcting scaling value to correct a focus error of a projection optical system in the lithography tool and a correcting bias to correct a critical dimension error gene rated in the lithography tool. A model simulation engine simulates an image formation under a corrected focus calculated by multiplying a defocus of the projection optical system by the correcting scaling value to model a calculated critical dimension of an image. A bias corrector adds the correcting bias to the calculated critical dimension to correct the image.

Abstract: According to a aspect of the present invention, there is provided a critical pattern extracting method which extracts critical patterns from mask data for manufacturing a photomask used in a lithography step, comprising at least: extracting mask data of a peripheral region within a predetermined range from an interested portion to be decided in the mask data; defining portions constituting the peripheral region as reference portions and calculating process generation amounts generated from the each reference portion in the lithography step by simulation; performing a predetermined arithmetic operation by using the process generation amounts and distances between the interested portion and the each reference portion; performing multiple integral of an arithmetic operation value obtained by the predetermined arithmetic operation in the peripheral region or an arithmetic operation equivalent to the multiple integral to calculate a process affecter amount; and comparing the process affecter amount with a predeter

Abstract: A method of forming a contact hole on a substrate by using a projection aligner comprising a lighting system including a light source, an aperture, and a condenser lens, a photo mask on which light from the lighting system is incident, and a projection lens for projecting the light from the photo mask onto the substrate, comprises forming a first photosensitive resist film on the substrate; exposing the first photosensitive resist film by using a photo mask in which mask patterns are cyclically arranged in a first direction and a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction and a first aperture having light transmission parts arranged symmetrically with respect to a center point in the first direction; developing the exposed first photosensitive resist film to form first lines and linear spaces; forming a second photosensitive resist film on the substrate; exposing the second photosensitive resist film by using the photo mask and a second aperture having light transmission parts arranged symmet

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of designing a pattern comprising: preparing a first design pattern containing a first hole pattern, obtaining a distance between the first hole pattern and a pattern adjacent to the first hole pattern, obtaining an enlarged amount of the first hole pattern based on the distance and a reduction amount of a hole pattern formed in a photoresist film when the photoresist film is heated, and generating a second design pattern containing a second hole pattern which are obtained by enlarging the first hole pattern by the enlarged amount.

Abstract: An exposure method is disclosed, which comprises preparing a first mask in which a size of a mask pattern is measured in advance, calculating a first exposure quantity to be applied to the first mask to provide a first resist pattern by using the first mask, simulating optical intensity distributions on a wafer in a case where the first mask is used and an optical intensity distribution on the wafer in a case where a second mask is used, a size of a mask pattern of the second mask being measured in advance, calculating a difference in optical intensity between the first mask and the second mask from the simulated optical intensity distributions, and calculating a second exposure quantity to be applied to the second mask to provide a second resist pattern, from the first exposure quantity and the difference in optical intensity.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for development profile simulation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes calculating optical intensities in a photosensitive resist, calculating a spatial average value of the optical intensities, reading a measured changing ratio of a dissolution rate of the photosensitive resist relating to an alkaline concentration changed by at least one of exposure dose on the photosensitive resist, a position in the thickness direction of the photosensitive resist and an alkaline concentration of developer for the photosensitive resist, obtaining a calculated dissolution rate by using the spatial average value and the measured changing ratio, and predicting a pattern shape of the photosensitive resist from the calculated dissolution rate.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a photo mask comprising preparing mask data for a mask pattern to be formed on a mask substrate, calculating edge moving sensitivity with respect to each of patterns included in the mask pattern using the mask data, the edge moving sensitivity corresponding to a difference between a proper exposure dose and an exposure dose to be set when a pattern edge varies, determining a monitor portion of the mask pattern, based on the calculated edge moving sensitivity, actually forming the mask pattern on the mask substrate, acquiring a dimension of a pattern included in that portion of the mask pattern formed on the mask substrate which corresponds to the monitor portion, determining evaluation value for the mask pattern formed on the mask substrate, based on the acquired dimension, and determining whether the evaluation value satisfies predetermined conditions.

Abstract: A method for evaluating a photo mask comprises preparing a photo mask including a unit drawing pattern, finding a dimensional variation relating to the photo mask, the dimensional variation including first and second dimensional variations, the first dimensional variation occurring due to a positional displacement and size mismatch of the unit drawing pattern in the photo mask and the second dimensional variation occurring due to etching and development relating to a manufacturing of the photo mask, estimating a deteriorated amount of an exposure latitude occurring due to the dimensional variation of the photo mask using the dimensional variation and a degree of influence of the dimensional variation for the exposure latitude, and judging quality of the photo mask by comparing the deteriorated amount of the exposure latitude and an allowable deteriorated amount of the exposure latitude.