Patent ID: 7316870

Claim:
A device manufacturing method comprising performing a first exposure by patterning a beam of radiation with a first pattern in its cross-section, said first pattern including a desired dark isolated feature in a bright local region and being dark proximate the bright local region; and projecting the patterned beam of radiation onto a target portion of a layer of radiation-sensitive material on a substrate; and performing a second exposure by patterning the beam of radiation with a second pattern in its cross-section, said second pattern being dark in a region substantially corresponding to said bright local region and bright in a wider region around said local region; and projecting the patterned beam of radiation onto the target portion of the layer of radiation-sensitive material; wherein said first and second exposures are carried out in either order; and wherein first illumination settings are used in said first exposure and second illumination settings are used in said second exposure, said second illumination settings being different than said first illumination settings.