Patent ID: 6991878

Claim:
A photomask repair method for repairing a defect of a photomask, comprising: scanning an electron beam across a main surface of the photomask, and detecting electrons emitted from the main surface of the photomask by scanning the beam, thereby producing a pattern image of the photomask; identifying the position of a defective portion of the photomask from the pattern image thus produced; and etching the defective portion by applying an electron beam composed of shaped beams, which are formed through beam shaping apertures and projected to the main surface of the photomask, to a region to be etched including the defective region, under an atmosphere of a gas capable of effectively performing chemical etching of a film material for forming a pattern of the photomask, such that a side of the beam is applied in parallel to the boarder line between a non-defective pattern and the defect.