The present invention provides an exposure pattern forming method using a rule-based
proximity effect correction method to which graphic form arithmetic operation is applied.
Disclosed is an exposure pattern forming method of forming an exposure
pattern by correcting each of pattern portions constituting a design pattern by
a correction amount, which amount is previously prepared so as to correspond to
both a line width of the pattern portion and a space width of a space portion adjacent
to the pattern portion, characterized by including the steps of: subjecting the
design pattern to graphic form arithmetic operation, to extract each of the pattern
portions for each of target line widths, and to extract each of the space portions
for each of target space widths (ST2, ST3); and subjecting each of
the pattern portion extracted for each of the target line widths and the space
portion extracted for each of the target space widths to graphic form arithmetic
operation based on the corresponding one of the correction amounts, to thereby
correct the pattern portion having each of the target line widths for each of the
target space widths (ST4 to ST9).