Photo-mask having exposure blocking region and methods of designing and fabricating the same

A method of fabricating a photo-mask, comprising:

• providing design data that specifies a main mask pattern and an auxiliary pattern of the photo-mask, the main mask pattern to be formed in a main region and the auxiliary pattern to be formed in an auxiliary region of the photo-mask;
• extracting basic exposure data, that specifies coordinates of the main mask pattern and the auxiliary pattern, from the design data;
• preparing, using the design data, density correcting pad data that includes specifications of a density correcting pad pattern for a pad region corresponding to the entire surface of the photo-mask;
• preparing, using the design data, opening region data that specifies coordinates of a region of the photo-mask from which the density correcting pad pattern is to be excluded;
• combining the density correcting pad data and the opening region data using an exclusive OR logic operation to generate auxiliary exposure data that includes information representing coordinates of a density correcting pattern;
• combining the basic exposure data and the auxiliary exposure data using an OR logic operation to generate exposure coordinate data;
• providing a photo-mask substrate on which a mask layer and a photoresist layer are disposed with the photoresist layer overlying the mask layer;
• performing an exposure process in which the photoresist layer is exposed, wherein the exposure process is controlled using data which includes the exposure coordinate data;
• subsequently developing the photoresist layer, whereby the photoresist layer is patterned;
• and
• etching the mask layer using the patterned photoresist layer as an etch mask to form the main mask pattern in the main region of the photomask at coordinates provided by the basic exposure data, the auxiliary pattern in the auxiliary region of the photo-mask at coordinates provided by the basic exposure data, and the density correcting pattern in a region established by the coordinates provided by the auxiliary exposure data.

A photo-mask comprising:

• a transparent photo-mask substrate having a main region, and a peripheral located outside the main region, the peripheral region including an exposure blocking region;
• a main mask pattern in the main region of the photo-mask substrate, and corresponding to a circuit pattern to be formed on wafer;
• a density correcting pattern in the peripheral region of the photo-mask substrate outside the exposure blocking region, the pattern density of that portion of the peripheral region occupied by the density correcting pattern being similar to the pattern density of the main region;
• and
• an exposure blocking pattern in the exposure blocking region,
• wherein the exposure blocking region extends from the main mask pattern in the main region to the density correcting pattern in the peripheral region, and
• has a pattern density sufficient to prevent the image of the density correcting pattern from being transmitted by the photo-mask when the photo-mask is illuminated by radiation from an exposure light source of photolithography equipment.

A method of generating data for use in controlling the process of exposing a photoresist layer in the fabricating of a photo-mask, comprising:

• providing design data that specifies a main mask pattern and an auxiliary pattern of the photo-mask, the main mask pattern to be formed in a main region and the auxiliary pattern to be formed in an auxiliary region of the photo-mask;
• extracting basic exposure data, that specifies coordinates of the main mask pattern and the auxiliary pattern, from the design data;
• preparing, using the design data, density correcting pad data that specifies a density correcting pad pattern for a pad region corresponding to the entire surface of the photo-mask;
• preparing, using the design data, opening region data that specifies coordinates of a region of the photo-mask from which the density correcting pad pattern is to be excluded;
• combining the density correcting pad data and the opening region data using an exclusive OR operation to generate auxiliary exposure data that includes information representing coordinates of a density correcting pattern;
• and
• combining the basic exposure data and the auxiliary exposure data using an OR operation to generate exposure coordinate data.