SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PREDICTING PROBLEMATIC AREAS FOR LITHOGRAPHY IN A CIRCUIT DESIGN
First Claim
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1. A computer program product comprising a computer medium having readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer program product includes at least one component to:
- identify surface heights of one or more tiles of a modeled wafer; and
mathematically mimic a lithographic tool to determine best planes of focus for exposure for the one or more tiles.
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Abstract
A system and method is provided which predicts problematic areas for lithography in a circuit design, and more specifically, which uses modeling data from a modeling tool to accurately predict problematic lithographic areas. The method includes identifying surface heights of plurality of tiles of a modeled wafer, and mathematically mimicking a lithographic tool to determine best planes of focus for exposure for the plurality of tiles.
29 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer program product comprising a computer medium having readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer program product includes at least one component to:
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identify surface heights of one or more tiles of a modeled wafer; and mathematically mimic a lithographic tool to determine best planes of focus for exposure for the one or more tiles. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 16)
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11. A method, comprising:
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calculating a plane which best fits modeled surface height data for a predetermined number of values within a slit; calculating a distance along the axis of illumination distances of each tile within the slit from the calculated plane; and identifying tiles which are above a certain specification related to a depth of focus for a lithography process based on the calculated distance along the axis of illumination. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A design structure embodied in a machine readable medium for designing, manufacturing, or testing an integrated circuit, the design structure comprising:
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calculating a plane which best fits modeled surface height data for a predetermined number of values within a slit; calculating a distance along the axis of illumination distances of each tile within the slit from the calculated plane; and identifying tiles which are above a certain specification related to a depth of focus for a lithography process based on the calculated distance along the axis of illumination.
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Specification