Patent ID: 7479365

Claim:
A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprising: measuring a first flatness of each of a plurality of exposure mask blank substrates before formation of a light-shielding film thereon; predicting, on the basis of the first flatness, a second flatness of said each substrate when said each substrate is chucked on an exposure apparatus; selecting, from the plurality of substrates, at least one substrate having a predetermined flatness on the basis of the second flatness; predicting, for the selected at least one substrate, a desired third flatness of the at least one substrate after a light-shielding film is formed on the substrate; forming a light-shielding film on the selected at least one substrate; measuring a fourth flatness of the at least one substrate having the formed light-shielding film; and manufacturing an exposure mask by forming a desired pattern on the at least one substrate when it is determined, by comparing the fourth flatness with the third flatness, that the at least one substrate having the light-shielding film has the desired third flatness; chucking the exposure mask in the exposure apparatus; and illuminating a pattern formed on the exposure mask, which is to be used to form a semiconductor element, by an illumination optical system to transfer an image of the pattern onto a predetermined substrate.