Patent ID: 7005219

Claim:
A method for repairing a defective photomask having one or more defects comprising: providing a defective photomask having contained therein a defective pattern having a minimum of one defect; providing a non-defective photomask having contained therein a non-defective pattern identical to the defective pattern, but absent the minimum of one defect; aligning via optical projection the non-defective pattern within the non-defective photomask with the defective pattern within the defective photomask; forming a photoresist layer upon the defective photomask including the defective pattern to form a photoresist coated defective photomask; photoexposing in a single pattern transfer process the photoresist coated defective photomask through the non-defective pattern within the non-defective photomask; developing the photoresist layer upon the photoresist coated defective photomask to form a patterned photoresist layer coated defective photomask which leaves exposed the minimum of one defect within the defective pattern; and repairing the minimum of one defect within the defective pattern while employing the patterned photoresist layer as a repair mask.