Method for estimating patterns to be printed on a plate or mask by means of electron-beam lithography and corresponding printing device

A device for printing patterns on a plate or mask by means of electron-beam lithography, comprising:

• means for printing using electron-beam lithography, in a resin arranged on a substrate, a set of calibration patterns,
• means for measuring characteristic dimensions of the set of calibration patterns after printing and means for storing these characteristic dimensions in memory,
• a processor having access to the memory and programmed to supply an estimation of the point spread function characterising electrons scattered during printing, based on the characteristic dimensions measured,
• means for estimating the patterns to be printed by convoluting the point spread function supplied with an initial value of these patterns to be printed,
• wherein, each calibration pattern to be printed in the resin a central zone exposed to the electron beam and a plurality of concentric zones with rotational symmetry arranged about this central zone,
• the measuring means are means for measuring the characteristic dimensions of the central zones of the patterns after printing, and
• the processor is programmed to calculate the estimation of the point spread function as the sum of a first point spread function portion characterising electrons back-scattered by the substrate and a second point spread function portion characterising electrons scattered in the resin, and by inverting analytical modelling of the effect, on said characteristic dimensions, of applying the first point spread function portion to the set of calibration patterns.