Dose and shape modification proximity effect correction for forward-scattering range scale features in electron beam lithography

We propose a dose and shape modification proximity effect correction (PEC) for forward-scattering range scale features in electron beam lithography (EBL). An existing dose modification PEC provides good results for the features of size larger than 2/spl alpha/ or 3/spl alpha/ (/spl alpha/ is forward-scattering range parameter). For the forward-scattering range scale features, exposure contrast has too small a value to delineate the features. To delineate the forward-scattering range scale features, the exposure contrast should be increased by using shape modification. In the case of existing dose and shape modification PECs or Hybrid PECs, additional computation time-consuming back-scatter correction is required, or those PECs with large features make additional back-scatter correction unnecessary. Accordingly, for forward-scattering range scale features, we propose a dose and shape modification PEC in which the additional computation time-consuming back-scatter correction is unnecessary.