Method for designing photolithographic reticle layout, reticle, and photolithographic process

Abstract

There are provided methods of creating a phase shift mask, comprising storing a file representing a binary mask layout as one or more cells, or as a hierarchy of a plurality of cells, at least some of which cells contain printable shapes; for each cell, determining if the cell contains a printable shape; if the cell has a printable shape, determining if the cell will print desired features in a wafer fabrication process and if so, leaving the cell alone; if the cell has a printable shape which will not print desired features in the wafer fabrication process, providing phase shift areas adjacent the printable shape so that it will print desired features; and using the cells to produce a phase shift mask. There are further provided embodiments of steps for generating such phase shift areas. In addition, there are provided photolithographic processes comprising directing exposure onto a resist through a mask formed using such methods. There are further provided systems comprising a computer readable storage medium containing program instructions for execution by a processor to design a mask; and a processor for executing the program instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium for performing such methods.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.