Patent ID: 7010775

Claim:
A method for creating mask pattern data for fabricating a circuit, comprising: a first step of dividing original mask pattern data into a first plurality of regions each having a first size; a second step of performing optical proximity correction on each of the first plurality of regions obtained in the first step and creating first mask pattern data based on each of the first plurality of regions processed by the optical proximity correction; a third step of dividing the original mask pattern data into a second plurality of regions each having a second size which is different from the first size; a fourth step of performing optical proximity correction on each of the second plurality of regions obtained in the third step and creating second mask pattern data based on each of the second plurality of regions processed by the optical proximity correction; a fifth step of comparing the first mask pattern data and the second mask pattern data; and a sixth step of, when it is determined that there is no non-matching data representing a non-matching portion between the first mask pattern data and the second mask pattern data as a result of the comparison performed in the fifth step, setting the first mask pattern data or the second mask pattern data as the mask pattern data for fabricating the circuit; and when it is determined that there is non-matching data, deleting the non-matching data from the first mask pattern data or the second mask pattern data so as to create the mask pattern data for fabricating the circuit.