Abstract: A method of manufacturing a photomask including the steps of providing a photomask blank, inspecting the photomask blank to determine presence of one or more defects in the photomask blank, wherein the one or more defects comprise one or more photomask substrate defects, and compensating for the one or more photomask substrate defects by roughening one or more surface portions of the photomask substrate.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a photomask including the steps of receiving initial photomask design data associated with one or more patterns to be formed on a photomask and optimizing the initial photomask design data to minimize printing exposure energy while maintaining an acceptable pattern quality and size. In embodiments, the step of optimizing includes setting minimization of printing exposure energy as a priority design rule, setting optimization of pattern quality and size as a secondary design rule, iterating size of mask design features to determine a range of size biases that satisfy both the priority and secondary design rules so as to provide an initial optimized mask design, and adjusting mask variables over the range of size biases to determine mask variables that further optimize the initial optimized mask design to obtain a final optimized mask design.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a photomask including determining based on initial photomask design data a first contour associated with at least one pattern expected to result from writing of the photomask and determining based on the first contour a second contour associated with the at least one pattern expected to result from etching of the written photomask. The second contour is an expected actual contour of the at least one pattern. The initial photomask data is optical proximity corrected using the second contour to generate corrected photomask design data. In embodiments, a photomask blank is provided with at least three layers and the blank is processed in accordance with the corrected photomask design data to minimize etch skew effects.

Abstract: A cell projection mask, comprising: a frame for supporting means; a membrane formed over the frame, for making a stress due to electron beam to maintain balance; and an absorber formed over the membrane, for absorbing or reflecting the electron beam, wherein the absorber is comprised of a silicon layer and includes at least one or more ion implanting layers.