| 摘要 |
Microlithographic exposure methods and microelectronic-device fabrication methods are disclosed that include a microlithography step in which a pattern is defined on a segmented reticle. The pattern includes pattern elements split among respective subregions that are exposed onto a resist layer of a wafer or other substrate using a charged-particle-beam (CPB) microlithography apparatus. In a first reticle subregion, a first pattern-element portion is defined having a mating end that is complementary to a mating end of a second pattern-element portion defined in a second reticle subregion. A mating end, rather than simply being blunt, typically has a protrusion and/or recess. If a first mating end has a protrusion, the protrusion is complementary to a corresponding protrusion on a second mating end, or to a recess on the second mating end. A mating end can have both at least one protrusion and at least one recess. Each protrusion narrows to a respective tip that can be rounded or sharp, and has a length of 1 to 5 times the width of the respective pattern-element portion. As transferred to the wafer, the stitched-together elements of the pattern exhibit less variation in line width at connected mating ends.
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