Patent ID: 7862737

Claim:
A planarizing method comprising the steps of: forming a resist film on a film to be planarized, the film to be planarized being formed on a substrate; dividing an area in which the film to be planarized was formed into a plurality of sections of equal size, the plurality of sections including the film to be planarized; determining for each section an intended film thickness after planarization of the film to be planarized; determining a total etching time required to obtain the determined intended film thickness for each section after planarization, in a section including a portion of the film to be planarized with a smallest film thickness; determining for each section a time to be taken for etching the resist film from the determined total etching time and a thickness amount to be eliminated from the film to be planarized; determining for each section a film thickness to be left for planarization of the resist film from the determined time to be taken for etching the resist film for each section; exposing for each section said resist film to an amount of exposure light, the amount of exposure light being determined so as to realize the determined film thickness to be left for planarization of said resist film; developing the exposed resist film, to form a resist film pattern with a controlled film thickness in each section; and etching said resist film pattern and said film to be planarized, until eliminating the thickness amounts to be eliminated of said film to be planarized.