Abstract: According to one embodiment, a light exposure method includes irradiating light on a reflective projection light exposure mask and irradiating an object to be exposed to light with reflected light by reflecting the light by the reflective projection light exposure mask. The reflective projection light exposure mask includes a substrate and a pattern portion. The substrate has a first surface. The pattern portion has a multilayer reflective film provided on the first surface of the substrate. The pattern portion includes a plurality of protruding patterns and depression patterns. The depression patterns are provided between the plurality of protruding patterns.

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 diffraction pattern by the exposure is irradiated on the resist layer.

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 phase shift mask having a plurality of mask patterns or mask data thereof is prepared, and an overlapped focus range in each of the mask patterns in a case where a result of exposure to each of the mask patterns, obtained by an exposure experiment or a lithography simulation, meets a desired dimension is obtained. A digging depth is determined at discretion based on the obtained overlapped focus range.

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.