Reticles with subdivided blocking regions and methods of fabrication

A method for modifying an existing reticle, comprising subdividing radiation blocking regions of an existing reticle into discrete sections, each discrete section having an area sufficiently small to minimize at least one of buildup of electrostatic energy and electrostatic discharge.

A method for fabricating a reticle, comprising:

• forming a plurality of discrete radiation blocking regions on a transparent substrate, each radiation blocking region being separated from an adjacent radiation blocking region by a distance sufficient to minimize at least one of buildup of electrostatic energy and electrostatic discharge.

A reticle, comprising:

• a radiation blocking material over a surface of a transparent substrate, the radiation blocking material including discrete sections, each discrete section having a sufficiently small surface area to minimize at least one of electrostatic buildup on and electrostatic discharge from the radiation blocking material, adjacent discrete sections being separated by a subresolution distance.

A reticle, comprising:

• a radiation blocking material over a surface of a transparent substrate, the radiation blocking material comprising discrete sections, adjacent discrete sections being separated by a space of subresolution width.