Mask design method, program, and mask design system

摘要

A method, an article of manufacture, and a system for designing a mask. The method for designing a mask is implemented by a computer device having a memory, a processor device communicatively coupled to the memory, and a module configured to carry out the method including the steps of: generating an optical domain representation from a design pattern and an imaging light; and optimizing the optical domain representation under a constraint that values of negative excursions at predetermined evaluation points must be greater than or equal to predetermined negative threshold values assigned to the predetermined evaluation points; where: the optical domain representation is a variable representation of a wavefront; the imaging light is light that is transmitted through the mask; the negative excursions are in an object domain representation of the optical domain representation; and the predetermined evaluation points are in the object domain representation.

主权项

1. A method for manufacturing a mask comprising the steps of:
generating an optical domain representation from a design pattern and an imaging light; and optimizing said optical domain representation under a constraint that values of negative excursions at predetermined evaluation points must be greater than or equal to predetermined negative threshold values assigned to said predetermined evaluation points; wherein: said optical domain representation is a variable representation of a wavefront; said imaging light is light that is transmitted through said mask; said negative excursions are in an object domain representation of said optical domain representation; said predetermined evaluation points are in said object domain representation; said predetermined negative threshold values are determined as a function of distances from a feature edge of said mask; outside of the feature, said function specifies that a negative threshold value for a first distance is smaller than a negative threshold value for a second distance that is larger than the first distance; and at least one of the steps is carried out by a computing device.