Patent ID: 7669173

Claim:
A method of making a semiconductor device, the method comprising: providing a target pattern for a lithography mask, the target pattern including features to be exposed on the lithography mask, the features to be exposed being separated by unexposed regions; searching the target pattern for geometries that meet one or more conditions; based on results of the searching, identifying pattern structures to be fractured, identifying pattern structures to be fractured comprising finding unexposed features with at least one dimension equal to a critical dimension and locating features to be exposed that are adjacent to the found unexposed features; fracturing the identified pattern structures according to a fracture instruction list; creating a set of exposure patterns, the exposure patterns being based on the fractured identified pattern structures; and exposing the lithography mask in accordance with the exposure patterns, the lithography mask thereafter including a plurality of patterned structures based at least in part on the exposing; and making a semiconductor device using the lithography mask.