Full chip lithographic mask generation

• US 10,146,124 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2017
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASML US, LLC (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: XTAL, Inc.
• Inventors: Li, Jiangwei, Huang, Jihui, Zhao, Ke
• Primary Examiner(s): Levin, Naum B
• Application Number:
  US15/441,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20170242333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/36 Masks having proximity correction features; Preparation thereof, e.g. optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/392 Floor-planning or layout, e.g. partitioning or placement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/398 Design verification or optimisation, e.g. using design rule check [DRC], layout versus schematics [LVS] or finite element methods [FEM] optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes G03F1/36

Abstract

A method, an apparatus, and a non-transitory computer readable medium for full chip mask pattern generation include: generating, by a processor, an initial mask image from target polygons, performing, by the processor, a global image based full chip optimization of the initial mask image to generate new mask pattern polygons, wherein the global image based full chip optimization co-optimizes main feature polygons and SRAF image pixels, determining performance index information based on the global image based full chip optimization, wherein the performance index information comprises data for assisting a global polygon optimization, generating a mask based on the global polygon optimization of the new mask pattern polygons using the performance index information, and generating optimized mask patterns based on a localized polygon optimization of the mask.

Claims

1. A method for full integrated circuit (IC) mask pattern generation, comprising:

generating, by a processor, an initial mask image from target polygons, wherein main feature polygons and SRAF image pixels are identified in the initial mask image;

performing, by the processor using iterative optimization based on an inverse lithographic technology (ILT), a co-optimization on segments of main feature polygons and subresolution assist feature (SRAF) image pixels;

after iterations of the co-optimization, determining SRAF polygons from the SRAF image pixels;

determining optimized mask patterns by performing an edge based optimization on the segments of the main feature polygons and the SRAF polygons using gradient-based iterative optimization; and

generating a full-IC mask based on the optimized mask patterns.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the edge based optimization comprises at least one iteration of a forward propagation and at least one iteration of a backward propagation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the edge based optimization comprises process conditions and a cost function for each process condition, wherein the process conditions comprise an edge placement error and a side lobe penalty value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the cost function for the side lobe penalty value prevents side lobe printing in the optimized mask patterns.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the gradient-based iterative optimization comprises at least one of a Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno (BFGS) technique, a Gauss-Newton technique, a sequential quadratic programming (SQP), and a Jacobian based technique.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the optimized mask patterns by performing the edge based optimization comprises:

scaling the main feature polygons and the SRAF image pixels to the same numeric level;

determining a full mask image by aggregating the SRAF image pixels and a mask image dithered from the main feature polygons using a low pass filter; and

determining the cost function based on an aerial image transferred from the full mask image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the co-optimization on the segments of the main feature polygons and the SRAF image pixels comprises:

optimizing SRAF image pixels near a boundary of a tile of the initial mask image in accordance with a shape of one of the target polygons.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the optimized mask patterns meet an optimization requirement;

based on a determination that the optimized mask patterns meet the optimization requirement, storing the optimized mask patterns as final mask data; and

based on a determination that the optimized mask patterns do not meet the optimization requirement, updating a segment placement of the optimized mask patterns based on an edge placement error (EPE) of the optimized mask patterns.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

after updating the segment placement of the optimized mask patterns, setting a bound for at least one of the co-optimization and the edge based optimization.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the optimization requirement comprises that the EPE of the optimized mask patterns converges.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

enforcing symmetrical placement of the SRAF polygons in the final mask data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the gradient-based iterative optimization comprises an optical proximity correction (OPC) technique.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the OPC technique comprises a first OPC process for global polygon optimization and a second OPC process for local polygon optimization, and wherein binary main polygons and binary SRAF polygons are generated in the first OPC process, and error checks along a contour of a polygon of the main feature polygons and the SRAF polygons are performed in the second OPC process.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on the co-optimization, performance index information for assisting at least one of the co-optimization and the edge based optimization, wherein the performance index information comprises parameters for hotspots identified during the co-optimization, and wherein the parameters comprise at least one of an edge placement error, a process window metric, a mask error enhancement factor (MEEF), and an image log slope (ILS) value.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises a central processing unit (CPU) and a graphics processing unit (GPU).

16. An apparatus for full chip mask pattern generation, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to;

generate an initial mask image from target polygons, wherein main feature polygons and SRAF image pixels are identified in the initial mask image;

perform, using iterative optimization based on an inverse lithographic technology (ILT) technique, a co-optimization on segments of main feature polygons and subresolution assist feature (SRAF) image pixels;

after iterations of the co-optimization, determine SRAF polygons from the SRAF image pixels;

determine optimized mask patterns by performing an edge based optimization on the segments of the main feature polygons and the SRAF polygons using an optical proximity correction (OPC) technique;

generate a full-IC mask based on the optimized mask patterns.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions to:

determine whether an edge placement error (EPE) of the optimized mask patterns converges;

based on a determination that the EPE of the optimized mask patterns converges, store the optimized mask patterns as final mask data; and

based on a determination that the EPE of the optimized mask patterns does not converge, update a segment placement of the optimized mask patterns based on the EPE.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions to:

after updating the segment placement of the optimized mask patterns, set a bound for at least one of the co-optimization and the edge based optimization.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium for full chip mask pattern generation, having stored thereon executable instructions for causing a processor to perform the executable instructions to:

perform, using iterative optimization based on an inverse lithographic technology (ILT) technique, a co-optimization on segments of main feature polygons and subresolution assist feature (SRAF) image pixels, wherein the main feature polygons and the SRAF image pixels are identified in an initial mask image generated from target polygons;

after iterations of the co-optimization, determine SRAF polygons from the SRAF image pixels;

determine optimized mask patterns by performing an edge based optimization on the segments of the main feature polygons and the SRAF polygons using an optical proximity correction (OPC) technique;

enforce symmetrical placement of the SRAF polygons in the optimized mask patterns; and

generate a full-IC mask based on the optimized mask patterns.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions which when executed by the processor become operational with the processor to:

determine whether an edge placement error (EPE) of the optimized mask patterns converges;

based on a determination that the EPE of the optimized mask patterns converges, store the optimized mask patterns as final mask data; and

based on a determination that the EPE of the optimized mask patterns does not converge, update a segment placement of the optimized mask patterns based on the EPE.