Patent ID: 8458620

Claim:
A method, in a data processing system, for optimizing a photolithograph mask, the method comprising: receiving, by the data processing system, a given target pattern; generating, by the data processing system, an initial fictitious mask; selecting, by the data processing system, an initial value of α 2 , wherein the initial value of α 2 is used to determine a light intensity and a wafer image; determining, by the data processing system, the light intensity for each pixel in the initial fictitious mask; determining, by the data processing system, wafer image for each pixel in the initial fictitious mask; determining, by the data processing system, if a convergence has been achieved by comparing the wafer image generated from the initial fictitious mask to the given target pattern, wherein determining if the convergence has been achieved by comparing the wafer image generated from the initial fictitious mask to the given target pattern is determined using the following formula: F ⁡ ( θ ) = 1 MN ⁢ ∑ j = 1 MN ⁢ ( z ^ j - z j ) 2 wherein θ specific pixel, wherein F is a mathematical symbol for a function of the specific pixel θ, wherein {circumflex over (z)} j is predefined as a desired pattern on the wafer image, wherein z j represents an actual wafer image generated from the initial fictitious mask, wherein j is the pixel location within a grid of the wafer image, wherein M is a number of grids in a x direction, and wherein N is a number of grids in a y direction; and responsive to a convergence of the wafer image generated from the initial fictitious mask to the given target pattern, generating, by the data processing system, a final mask to use to transfer an image to a wafer.