Patent ID: 7971159

Claim:
A method of generating gradation values of intensities due to duplication of spotlights based on design graphic data for use in an exposure system including a digital micromirror device provided for irradiating multigradation-controllable spotlights in a two-dimensional array onto a photosensitive film on a substrate in a patterning process, said method comprises the steps of: storing reference data classified by the feature of a graphic and describing previously combinations of gradation values mapped to coordinate information of a graphic; referring to reference data having tables corresponding to features of a graphic and classified by the features and describing gradation values mapped to coordinate information of a graphic; discriminating, by a computer, said features in said design graphic data near positions of said spotlights; and selecting and combining the gradation values described previously in said table of the reference data corresponding to the features on the bases of coordinate information of the positions of said spotlights, thereby determining a two-dimensional array pattern of the gradation values, wherein the features of the graphic includes at least one of an area divided by one straight line, an area divided by two parallel straight lines, an area divided by two half lines having the same end point, and an undivided area.