Abstract: A lithographic process for device fabrication in which a pattern is transferred from a mask into an energy sensitive material by projecting charged particle (e.g. electron beam) radiation onto the mask is disclosed. The pattern on the mask is divided into segments. The radiation transmitted through the mask and incident on the layer of energy sensitive material transfers a continuous image of the segmented mask pattern into the energy sensitive material. The images of each segment are joined together to form the continuous image by seam blending techniques. The seam blending techniques employ duplicate pattern information on segments for which the images are joined together. The image of the duplicate pattern information from a first segment is overlapped with the image of the duplicate pattern information from the second segment to blend the seams together.

Abstract: An optical lithographic process and system for fabricating devices which includes an optical subsystem for reducing the rate of damage to the system's optics caused by exposure to energy pulses from an exposure source. The optical subsystem transforms a primary energy pulse from the exposure source into N secondary pulses, where N is .gtoreq.2 with a delay provided between each secondary pulse so as to reduce the peak intensity of the energy pulse being transmitted through the optical system. The subsystem redirects the secondary pulses spatially to satisfy source requirements for appropriate lithographic illuminators. Furthermore, the subsystem may be an intrinsic design feature of the illuminator or exposure source.