Patent ID: 7020321

Claim:
A pattern data converting method for generating pattern data using design data representing plural rectangular regions, the method comprising: reconstructing the design data into a column region penetrating through adjacent ones of the rectangular regions in a column direction by a region operation for matching the adjacent ones of the rectangular regions with each other in length; segmenting the column region into apparatus strips; and extracting unit data of the design data for each of the apparatus strips capable of being processed in a time, reconstructing the design data including: defining a rectangular region start code having first and fourth vertex coordinates (X 1 , Y 1 ) and (X 1 , Y 2 ) and a rectangular region end code having second and third vertex coordinates (X 2 , Y 1 ) and (X 2 , Y 2 ) to the rectangle regions, where the column direction is X and a direction perpendicular to the column direction X is Y, and the first to fourth vertex coordinates of each of the rectangular regions are (X 1 , Y 1 ), (X 2 , Y 1 ), (X 2 , Y 2 ) and (X 1 , Y 2 ), collating the rectangular region start code and the rectangular region end code of each of the rectangular regions with the Y coordinate of first to fourth vertexes of the other of the rectangular regions, dividing the rectangular regions at the Y coordinate of the other of the rectangular regions, and subjecting the rectangular region start code and rectangular region end code having the same Y coordinate to an operation, to obtain the column region.