Patent ID: 8321816

Claim:
A non-transitory program storage medium for causing a computer to execute a method of determining an exposure condition and a mask pattern used for an exposure apparatus which projects the mask pattern onto a substrate via a projection optical system to expose the substrate, the method including: a first step of setting the exposure condition and the mask pattern; a second step of temporarily determining the mask pattern using a first evaluation function describing indices of quality of an image of the mask pattern formed on the substrate by the projection optical system, using the exposure condition set in the first step; a third step of calculating a value of a second evaluation function describing indices of quality of the image of the mask pattern formed on the substrate by the projection optical system, using the mask pattern temporarily determined in the second step, and the exposure condition set in the first step; a fourth step of changing the exposure condition and the mask pattern based on the value of the second evaluation function calculated in the third step; and a fifth step including a process of judging whether to execute a process of repeating the second step and the third step upon defining, as initial values, the exposure condition and the mask pattern changed in the fourth step, wherein in the fifth step, if a repeat count of the second step and the third step has not reached a predetermined number, and the value of the second evaluation function calculated in the latest third step has not reached an allowable range, it is judged that the process of repeating the second step and the third step is to be executed; or if the repeat count of the second step and the third step has reached the predetermined number or the value of the second evaluation function calculated in the latest third step has reached the allowable range, it is judged that the process of repeating the second step and the third step is not to be executed, and the mask pattern temporarily determined in the latest second step, and the exposure condition changed in the latest fourth step are determined as the mask pattern and the exposure condition, respectively.