Lithographic process for device fabrication using electron beam imaging

Abstract

A lithographic process for device fabrication in which a pattern is transferred from a mask into an energy sensitive material by projecting charged particle (e.g. electron beam) radiation onto the mask is disclosed. The pattern on the mask is divided into segments. The radiation transmitted through the mask and incident on the layer of energy sensitive material transfers a continuous image of the segmented mask pattern into the energy sensitive material. The images of each segment are joined together to form the continuous image by seam blending techniques. The seam blending techniques employ duplicate pattern information on segments for which the images are joined together. The image of the duplicate pattern information from a first segment is overlapped with the image of the duplicate pattern information from the second segment to blend the seams together. The exposure of the duplicate pattern information is controlled so that the aggregate dose of radiation used to transfer the image of the duplicate pattern information into the energy sensitive resist is about the same as the does of radiation used to transfer the image of the non-duplicate pattern information into the energy sensitive resist material.