Patent ID: 8765328

Claim:
An exposure mask used to transfer a pattern defined by exposure onto a wafer, comprising: a substrate; a pattern formation region provided on the substrate, wherein the pattern formation region has a plurality of pattern elements formed therein, each of the pattern elements having a size not smaller than a resolution limit for not being imaged onto the wafer; and a sub-pattern formation region provided on the substrate, wherein the sub-pattern formation region has a plurality of sub-pattern elements formed therein, each of the sub-pattern elements having a size smaller than the resolution limit for not being imaged onto the wafer, wherein the sub-pattern formation region is spaced from the pattern formation region by a distance having no optical proximity effect on the pattern formation region, wherein at least a portion of the sub-pattern elements is such that each sub-pattern element in the portion of the sub-pattern elements has a sub-pattern shape that includes a first sub-pattern dimension and a second sub-pattern dimension, wherein the second sub-pattern dimension is perpendicular to the first sub-pattern dimension, wherein the second sub-pattern dimension is smaller than the first sub-pattern dimension, wherein the first sub-pattern dimension extends along a first direction, wherein a portion of the pattern elements arranged at a smallest pitch of the pattern elements is such that each pattern element in the portion of the pattern elements has a pattern shape that includes a first pattern dimension and a second pattern dimension, wherein the second pattern dimension is perpendicular to the first pattern dimension, wherein the second pattern dimension is larger than the first pattern dimension, wherein the second pattern dimension extends along a second direction that is different from the first direction, and wherein two or more of the sub-pattern elements are arranged along the second direction in the sub-pattern formation region, wherein none of the pattern elements is located between the two or more of the sub-pattern elements.