Abstract: According to one embodiment, on a substrate, a resist layer is laminated on an upper side of a pattern formation layer on which a desired pattern is formed. A diffraction pattern that diffracts exposure light irradiated on the substrate is formed further on the upper side than the resist layer. Overall exposure is performed from above the diffraction pattern using a deformed light having illumination light source shape determined according to the desired pattern. Diffracted light diffracted on the resist layer.

Abstract: A parameter adjustment method for a plurality of manufacturing devices to form a pattern of a semiconductor device on a substrate using the manufacturing devices includes: adjusting a parameter adjustable for a manufacturing device serving as a reference manufacturing device; obtaining a first shape of a pattern of a semiconductor device to be formed on a substrate; defining an adjustable parameter of another to-be-adjusted manufacturing; obtaining a second shape of the pattern formed on the substrate; calculating a difference amount between a reference finished shape and a to-be-adjusted finished shape; repeatedly calculating the difference amount by changing the to-be-adjusted parameter until the difference amount becomes equal to or less than a predetermined reference value; and outputting as a parameter of the to-be-adjusted manufacturing device the to-be-adjusted parameter.

Abstract: A resist pattern (5) is formed in a dimension of a limitation of an exposure resolution over a hard mask material film (4) over a work film (3). The material film (4) is processed using the resist pattern (5) as a mask. A hard mask pattern (6) is thereby formed. Thereby a resist pattern (7), over a non-selected region (6b), having an opening (7a) through which a selection region (6a) in the mask pattern is exposed is formed. Only the mask pattern (6a) exposed through the opening (7a) is slimmed by performing a selection etching, the work film (3) is etched by using the mask pattern (6). A work film pattern (8) is thereby formed, which include a wide pattern section (8a) of a dimension width of the limitation of the exposure resolution and a slimmed pattern section (8a) of a dimension that is not more than the limitation of the exposure resolution.

Abstract: According to the embodiments, each of a main pattern of a mask to be transferred onto a substrate by using a lithography process, a first assist pattern that improves a resolution of an on-substrate pattern obtained by transferring the main pattern onto the substrate, and a second assist pattern that suppresses a transfer property of the first assist pattern onto the substrate is placed as a mask pattern.

Abstract: A pattern evaluating method includes generating a proximity pattern that affects a resolution performance of a circuit pattern around a lithography target pattern of the circuit pattern to be formed on the substrate, generating distribution information on a distribution of an influence degree to the resolution performance of the circuit pattern by using the lithography target pattern, calculating the influence degree to the resolution performance of the circuit pattern by the proximity pattern as a score by comparing the distribution information with the proximity pattern, and evaluating whether the proximity pattern is placed at an appropriate position in accordance with the circuit pattern based on the score.

Abstract: A resist pattern (5) is formed in a dimension of a limitation of an exposure resolution over a hard mask material film (4) over a work film (3). The material film (4) is processed using the resist pattern (5) as a mask. A hard mask pattern (6) is thereby formed. Thereby a resist pattern (7), over a non-selected region (6b), having an opening (7a) through which a selection region (6a) in the mask pattern is exposed is formed. Only the mask pattern (6a) exposed through the opening (7a) is slimmed by performing a selection etching, the work film (3) is etched by using the mask pattern (6). A work film pattern (8) is thereby formed, which include a wide pattern section (8a) of a dimension width of the limitation of the exposure resolution and a slimmed pattern section (8a) of a dimension that is not more than the limitation of the exposure resolution.

Abstract: A mask defect inspecting method comprises preparing detection sensitivities of defects on a plurality of portions of a mask pattern on a photomask, the detection sensitivities being determined according to influences of the defects upon a wafer, and inspecting defects on the plurality of portions based on the detection sensitivities.

Abstract: To provide a pattern forming method comprising: laminating a resist layer on a substrate; forming a diffraction pattern having an opening opened at a predetermined pitch p for diffracting exposure light on an upper layer side of the resist layer; performing whole image exposure with respect to the diffraction pattern in which a refractive index with respect to the exposure light is n, with diffracted light acquired by irradiation of exposure light having a wavelength ? from above the diffraction pattern, which is then diffracted by the diffraction pattern; and forming a desired pattern on a lower layer side of the resist pattern by using a resist pattern formed by developing the resist layer, wherein the predetermined pitch p, the wavelength ?, and the refractive index n satisfy a condition of p>?/n.

Abstract: A mask-pattern correcting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a pattern-shape variable mask, transmittance or reflectance of which can be changed; a light-receiving element unit that detects an optical image of a mask pattern formed by light irradiated on the pattern-shape variable mask; and a control unit that controls the pattern-shape variable mask to form a mask pattern according to a shape of a design layout and determines a correction amount of the mask pattern such that a difference between an optical image obtained by the light-receiving element unit and the design layout is within a predetermined range.

Abstract: A pattern correcting method for correcting a design pattern to form a desired pattern on a wafer is disclosed, which comprises defining an allowable dimensional change quantity of each of design patterns, defining a pattern correction condition for the each design pattern based on the allowable dimensional change quantity defined for the each design pattern, and correcting the each design pattern based on the pattern correction condition defined for the each design pattern.

Abstract: A pattern data correction method is disclosed, which comprises preparing an integrated circuit pattern, setting a tolerance to the pattern that is allowable error range when the pattern is transferred on a substrate, creating a target pattern within the tolerance, and making correction for the target pattern to make a first correction pattern under a predetermined condition.

Abstract: A resist pattern (5) is formed in a dimension of a limitation of an exposure resolution over a hard mask material film (4) over a work film (3). The material film (4) is processed using the resist pattern (5) as a mask. A hard mask pattern (6) is thereby formed. Thereby a resist pattern (7), over a non-selected region (6b), having an opening (7a) through which a selection region (6a) in the mask pattern is exposed is formed. Only the mask pattern (6a) exposed through the opening (7a) is slimmed by performing a selection etching, the work film (3) is etched by using the mask pattern (6). A work film pattern (8) is thereby formed, which include a wide pattern section (8a) of a dimension width of the limitation of the exposure resolution and a slimmed pattern section (8a) of a dimension that is not more than the limitation of the exposure resolution.

Abstract: A resist pattern (5) is formed in a dimension of a limitation of an exposure resolution over a hard mask material film (4) over a work film (3). The material film (4) is processed using the resist pattern (5) as a mask. A hard mask pattern (6) is thereby formed. Thereby a resist pattern (7), over a non-selected region (6b), having an opening (7a) through which a selection region (6a) in the mask pattern is exposed is formed. Only the mask pattern (6a) exposed through the opening (7a) is slimmed by performing a selection etching, the work film (3) is etched by using the mask pattern (6). A work film pattern (8) is thereby formed, which include a wide pattern section (8a) of a dimension width of the limitation of the exposure resolution and a slimmed pattern section (8a) of a dimension that is not more than the limitation of the exposure resolution.

Abstract: A graph in which patterns are each regarded as nodes and nodes of patterns adjacent to each other at a first distance are connected with each other by an edge is produced, each of the patterns is classified into two types so that the two patterns corresponding to the nodes at both ends of the edge are types different to each other, a classification result is corrected by grouping the patterns in each node cluster connected by the edge or each node cluster connected via the node by the edge, and by inverting each of types of a pattern belonging to a same group as that of one pattern, out of a pair of patterns that are classified into a same type and that belong to respectively different groups adjacent to each other at a second distance, and a pattern layout diagram is created based on the corrected classification result.

Abstract: A pattern correcting method for correcting a design pattern to form a desired pattern on a wafer is disclosed, which comprises defining an allowable dimensional change quantity of each of design patterns, defining a pattern correction condition for the each design pattern based on the allowable dimensional change quantity defined for the each design pattern, and correcting the each design pattern based on the pattern correction condition defined for the each design pattern.

Abstract: An evaluation pattern generating method including dividing a peripheral area of an evaluation target pattern into a plurality of meshes; calculating an image intensity of a circuit pattern when the evaluation target pattern is transferred onto a wafer by a lithography process in a case where a mask function value is given to a predetermined mesh; calculating a mask function value of the mesh so that a cost function of the image intensity, in which an optical image characteristic amount that affects a transfer performance of the evaluation target pattern to the wafer is set to the image intensity, satisfies a predetermined reference when evaluating a lithography performance of the evaluation target pattern; and generating an evaluation pattern corresponding to the mask function value.

Abstract: A light intensity distribution simulation method for predicting an intensity distribution of light on a substrate when photomask including a pattern is irradiated with light in which a shape distribution of an effective light source is defined includes extracting plural point light sources from a shape distribution of the effective light source, entering the light emitted from each of the plural point light sources onto the pattern of the photomask, calculating an effective shape for each of the plural point light sources, the effective shape being a pattern obtained by excluding a part which is not irradiated with the light directly due to a sidewall of a pattern film including the pattern from a design shape of an aperture of the pattern, and calculating a distribution of diffraction light generated in the pattern for each of the plural point light sources by using the effective shape.

Abstract: A method of forming a mask pattern comprises the following steps. A second cell library is prepared by making process proximity effect correction with respect to cell patterns stored in a first cell library. The second cell library stores corrected cell patterns. A first corrected cell pattern and a second corrected cell pattern of the corrected cell patterns are placed so that an edge of the first corrected cell pattern and an edge of the second corrected cell pattern contact or come close to or overlap each other. A boundary pattern at the boundary neighborhood between the first corrected cell pattern and the second corrected cell pattern is extracted. Process proximity effect correction is made with respect to the boundary pattern.

Abstract: A method for designing a semiconductor integrated circuit is provided which comprises compacting a design layout of a semiconductor integrated circuit on the basis of a given design rule to obtain a compacted pattern, predicting a pattern to be formed at a surface area of a wafer for forming the semiconductor integrated circuit on the basis of the compacted pattern, obtaining an evaluated value by comparing the predicted pattern with the compacted pattern, deciding whether the evaluated value satisfies a predetermined condition, and modifying the design rule when the evaluated value is decided as not satisfying the predetermined condition.

Abstract: A method for designing a semiconductor integrated circuit is provided which comprises compacting a design layout of a semiconductor integrated circuit on the basis of a given design rule to obtain a compacted pattern, predicting a pattern to be formed at a surface area of a wafer for forming the semiconductor integrated circuit on the basis of the compacted pattern, obtaining an evaluated value by comparing the predicted pattern with the compacted pattern, deciding whether the evaluated value satisfies a predetermined condition, and modifying the design rule when the evaluated value is decided as not satisfying the predetermined condition.