Patent ID: 8144967
Filing Date: 2012-03-27
Classification: G03F

Abstract:
1. A generation method of generating, by a computer, data of a mask used for an exposure apparatus which comprises an illumination optical system which illuminates the mask with light from a light source, and a projection optical system which projects a pattern of the mask onto a substrate, comprising: an obtaining step of obtaining a two-dimensional transmission cross coefficient based on a function describing a light intensity distribution formed on a pupil plane of the projection optical system by the illumination optical system and a pupil function of the projection optical system; an aerial image calculation step of calculating an approximate aerial image formed on an image plane of the projection optical system, based on the two-dimensional transmission cross coefficient and a pattern existing on an object plane of the projection optical system; a two-dimensional image extraction step of extracting a two-dimensional image from the approximate aerial image calculated in the aerial image calculation step; a main pattern determination step of determining a main pattern of the mask based on the two dimensional image extracted in the two-dimensional image extraction step, deforming a shape of the main pattern; a peak portion extraction step of extracting, from the approximate aerial image calculated in the aerial image calculation step, a peak portion at which a light intensity takes a peak value in a region other than a region in which the main pattern is projected onto the image plane; an assist pattern determination step of determining an assist pattern based on the light intensity of the peak portion extracted in the peak portion extraction step; and a generation step of inserting the assist pattern determined in the assist pattern determination step into a portion of the mask, which corresponds to the peak portion extracted in the peak portion extraction step, thereby generating, as the data of the mask, pattern data including the assist pattern and the main pattern determined in the main pattern determination step.