Pattern forming method, semiconductor device manufacturing method and exposure mask set

A semiconductor device manufacturing method, comprising the steps of:

• (a) forming a resist on a semiconductor substrate or an object to be patterned inside said semiconductor substrate;
• (b) patterning said resist using a pattern forming method on a resist formed on a predetermined substrate comprising the steps of:
• (b1) performing a first exposure process with a first exposure mask using dipole illumination substantially on said first region of said resist to be patterned, said first exposure mask having a repetition pattern in which a line and space are repeated alternately;
• (b2) performing a second exposure process with a second exposure mask substantially on a second region of said resist to be patterned, said second exposure mask having a standard pattern that is a pattern excluding said repetition pattern, said standard pattern at least partially including a connection pattern continuous with said repetition pattern;
• and
• (b3) performing a development process on said resist having being subjected to said steps (b1) and (b2);
• and
• (c) patterning said object to be patterned with said resist having been patterned as a mask.

An exposure mask set comprising:

• a first exposure mask including adjacent first and second mask parts, said first mask part having a repetition pattern in which a line and space are repeated alternately;
• and
• a second exposure mask including first and second mask parts equivalent to said first and second mask parts of said first exposure mask, said second mask part having a standard pattern that is a pattern excluding said repetition pattern, at least part of said standard pattern including a connection pattern for being continuous with said repetition pattern, wherein
• said first exposure mask is provided with a light blocking region on the whole surface of said second mask part,
• said second exposure mask is provided with a light blocking region on at least part of said first mask part,
• said first and second exposure masks each include a transmissive part, a half-tone phase shift mask part transmitting light only at a predetermined ratio and inverting a phase of light being transmitted therethrough, and a light blocking part having a smaller transmission factor than said predetermined ratio, said second mask part of said first exposure mask is formed at least of said light blocking part in a region excluding a boundary adjacent region between said first and second mask parts,
• said first mask part of said second exposure mask is formed at least of said light blocking part in a region excluding said boundary adjacent region;
• wherein
• a direction in which said line in said repetition pattern is formed is defined as a first direction, and a direction orthogonal to said first direction is defined as a second direction,
• said second exposure mask is provided with an extension art of said connection pattern of said standard pattern and a light blocking region on said first mask part, said extension part being provided in a first extension region extending inwardly from a boundary line between said first and second mask parts by a first predetermined amount, said light blocking region being provided on the whole surface of a region excluding said first extension region and a second extension region, said second extension region extending inwardly from an edge line corresponding to an edge position of said pattern for forming said repetition pattern by a second predetermined amount;
• said first and second predetermined amounts include an amount in view of the amount of edge recession of a pattern for forming said space in said repetition pattern, and the amount of overlay deviation in said first direction at the time of exposure using said first and second exposure masks, and
• a forming width of said extension part of said connection pattern is equivalent to the sum of a forming width of a pattern for forming said line in said repetition pattern and an amount in view of the amount of overlay deviation in said second direction at the time of exposure using said first and second exposure masks and the amount of dimensional accuracy tolerance.