Patent ID: 8786824

Claim:
A method for optimizing an illumination source of a lithographic apparatus and a mask, the method comprising: dividing the illumination source into a plurality of pixel groups, each pixel group including one or more illumination source points; dividing the mask into a plurality of mask tiles; selecting an initial illumination shape for the illumination source; selecting an initial mask pattern for the mask; selecting an initial configuration for at least one lithographic process component; selecting a lithographic model for a photolithographic simulation; ranking pixel groups in the plurality of pixel groups and mask tiles in the plurality of mask tiles; for each pixel group in the plurality of pixel groups and each mask tile in the plurality of mask tiles, in order of ranking, performing the steps of: calculating, based on a result of the photolithographic simulation using the lithographic model, a lithographic metric as a result of an alteration in state of the each pixel group or the each mask tile; based on a result of the calculation, adjusting an illumination shape of the illumination source by altering a state of the each pixel group to create a modified illumination shape or adjusting a mask pattern of the mask by altering a state of the each mask tile to create a modified mask pattern.