US Patent 7669173 Semiconductor mask and method of making same

A method of making a semiconductor device is disclosed. A target mask pattern is provided which includes features to be exposed on the mask, and features to be non-exposed on the mask. The to be exposed features are fractured by searching for geometries on the target mask pattern that meet one or more conditions, identifying mask pattern structures to be fractured, fracturing the identified pattern structures according to a fracture instruction list, creating a set of mask exposure patterns, exposing the mask to the mask exposure pattern, and developing the mask.