Patent ID: 8031330

Claim:
A method comprising: providing a photolithography scanner capable of providing illumination over a range of mixed polarization states between extremes of x-polarization and y-polarization; selecting a set of total dose values, and for each total dose value: exposing a location on a photoresist using illumination having an x-polarization value with an x-exposure dose ratio value of the total dose value, exposing the location on the photoresist using illumination having a y-polarization value with a y-exposure dose ratio value of the total dose value, and repeating the x-polarization value exposing and the y-polarization value exposing to achieve a range of mixed polarization states and a plurality of dose ratio values that range over extremes for the x-polarization exposure and the y-polarization exposure, each repeating occurring at a different location on the photoresist; and monitoring which mixed polarization states causes a change in an image printed at the different locations in the photoresist.