Patent ID: 8627238

Claim:
A method of making at least one of a new photolithography mask and a new light source comprising: generating an initial photolithography mask and an initial light source using an initial target pattern generated using an initial group of points corresponding to a desired target pattern in a resist layer; generating a new target pattern by at least performing a plurality of photolithography simulations using the initial photolithography mask and the initial light source and, respectively, a plurality of different focuses, each simulation generating a set of simulated light intensity values associated with a set of points on the resist layer, and defining, among the sets of points, a group of points comprising at least one of points in the resist layer for which a value of the simulated light intensity is the same for both simulations and points forming local maxima in a variation in the simulated light intensity values obtained by one of the plurality of simulations, the group of points forming the outline of the new target pattern, each point in the group of points corresponding to a point in the initial group of points; and generating at least one of the new photolithography mask and the new light source based upon the new target pattern.