Constraint plus pattern

• US 7,752,577 B1
• Filed: 12/12/2006
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Original Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Inventors: McIntyre, Gregory R., Lai, Ya-Chieh, Moskewicz, Matthew W., Gennari, Frank E., Lam, Michael C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Whitmore; Stacy A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dimyan; Magid Y
• Application Number:
  US11/609,895
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 716/1, 716/19, 716/21
• US Class Current: 716/122
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/18 Manufacturability analysis or optimisation for manufacturability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/39 Circuit design at the physical level physical level design for reconfigurable circuits G06F30/347
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Systems and methods for creating and implementing two-dimensional (2D), image-based design rules (IBDRs) are disclosed. Techniques for creating 2D IBDR can include identifying a search pattern that is representative of a 2D pattern of interest of a design, creating a pattern representation based on the search pattern, defining an anchor point for the pattern representation, and assigning weights to elements of the pattern representation. The 2D IBDR can be used in systems and method for searching a design by comparing the 2D IBDR to the design. A number of 2D IBDRs can be merged into a subset of similar 2D IBDRs by characterizing desired rule geometries, sorting the 2D IBDRs into groups according to the desired rule geometries, merging the groups of 2D IBDRs into a single representative search pattern. Additionally, standard design rules can be created from the disclosed 2D IBDRs. The standard design rule can be created from a 2D pattern of interest by defining an origin of a shape within the 2D pattern of interest, identifying features within the 2D pattern of interest, deriving parameters relative to the origin for each of the identified features, and writing the standard design rule script using the derived parameters.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for operating on a layout, comprising:

using a computer which comprises at least one processor and is programmed for performing;

using a design rule which comprises at least an image to identify a portion of said layout;

applying at least one of a plurality of criteria to said portion of said layout;

reporting said portion of said layout if said at least one of the plurality of criteria is satisfied by said portion of said layout; and

storing the portion in a computer readable storage medium or a computer storage device or displaying the portion in a display device of the computer.

2. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein:

said applying the at least one of the plurality of criteria includes determining whether an area surrounding said portion has a particular feature density.

3. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein:

said applying the at least one of the plurality of criteria includes applying distance information to a shape.

4. The computer implemented method according to claim 3, wherein said distance information is stored as a grow-by value in metadata of a two dimensional design rule.

5. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one of the plurality of criteria is stored as metadata for the design rule that includes said image.

6. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said reporting includes graphically reporting.

7. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said reporting includes storing information in a file.

8. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said image is a two dimensional image.

9. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said image is a native two dimensional image.

10. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said using an image is part of a pattern matching process.

11. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said image is based on a different layout.

12. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising:

amending said portion of said layout if said at least one of the plurality of criteria is satisfied by said portion of said layout.

13. A computer-implemented method for operating on a layout, comprising:

using a computer which comprises at least one processor and is programmed for performing;

identifying a portion of said layout using a design rule which comprises at least an image;

applying a definition of a solution space to said portion of said layout; and

storing the definition in a computer readable storage medium or a computer storage device or displaying the definition in a display device of the computer.

14. The computer implemented method according to claim 13, wherein:

said applying includes updating said portion of said layout with a suggested pattern.

15. The computer implemented method according to claim 13, wherein:

said applying includes updating said portion of said layout based on said definition of said solution space.

16. The computer implemented method according to claim 13, wherein:

said definition of said solution space includes a two dimensional image.

17. The computer implemented method according to claim 13, wherein:

said image is based on a different layout.

18. The computer implemented method according to claim 13, wherein:

said image is a two dimensional image.

19. The computer implemented method according to claim 13, wherein:

said image is a native two dimensional image.

20. The computer implemented method according to claim 13, wherein:

said identifying said portion of a layout is part of a pattern matching process.

21. A computer-implemented method for operating on a layout, comprising:

using a computer which comprises at least one processor and is programmed for performing;

identifying a portion of said layout using a design rule which comprises at least an image;

applying, to said portion of said layout, information identifying a difference between a configuration with a problem and a configuration without said problem, wherein the act of applying the information is performed by a processor; and

storing the information in a computer readable medium or a computer storage device or displaying the information in a display device of the computer.

22. The computer implemented method according to claim 21, wherein:

said applying includes updating said portion of said layout with a suggested pattern.

23. The computer implemented method according to claim 21, wherein:

said applying includes updating said portion of said layout based on said information.

24. The computer implemented method according to claim 21, wherein:

said image is based on a different layout.

25. The computer implemented method according to claim 21, wherein:

said image is a two dimensional image.

26. The computer implemented method according to claim 21, wherein:

said image is a native two dimensional image.

27. The computer implemented method according to claim 21, wherein:

said information includes distance data.

28. A computer-implemented method used for operating on a layout, comprising:

using a computer which comprises at least one processor and is programmed for performing;

adding a two dimensional image to a design rule such that the design rule comprises the two dimensional image, wherein the act of adding the two dimensional image to the design rule is performed by a processor;

adding the at least one of the plurality of criteria to said design rule, said design rule identifies one or more portions of said layout that correlate to said two dimensional image and satisfy said at least one of the plurality of criteria; and

storing the design rule in a computer readable storage medium or displaying the design rule on a display device of the computer.

29. The computer implemented method according to claim 28, further comprising:

using said design rule to check a particular layout.

30. The computer implemented method according to claim 28, further wherein:

said act of adding the at least one of the plurality of criteria to said design rule includes adding a grow-by value as metadata.

31. The computer implemented method according to claim 28, wherein:

said act of adding the at least one of the plurality of criteria to said design rule includes adding density information.

32. The computer implemented method according to claim 28, wherein:

said act of adding the at least one of the plurality of criteria to said design rule includes adding distance information.

33. The computer implemented method according to claim 28, wherein:

said two dimensional image is a native two dimensional image.

34. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-usable storage medium having executable code which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a process for operating on a layout, the process comprising:

using a computer which comprises at least one processor and is programmed for performing;

using a design rule which comprises at least an image to identify a portion of said layout;

applying at least one of a plurality of criteria to said portion of said layout;

reporting said portion of said layout if said at least one of the plurality of criteria is satisfied by said portion of said layout; and

storing the portion in a computer readable storage medium or a storage device or displaying the portion on a display device of the computer.

35. The article of manufacture of claim 34, the act of applying the at least one of the plurality of criteria of the process further comprising applying distance information to a shape.

36. The article of manufacture of claim 34, wherein the image comprises a two dimensional image.

37. The article of manufacture of claim 34, wherein the image comprises a native two dimensional image.

38. The article of manufacture of claim 34, the process further comprising:

amending the portion of said layout if the at least one of the plurality of criteria is satisfied by the portion of the layout.

39. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-usable storage medium having executable code which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a process for operating on a layout, the process comprising:

using a computer which comprises at least one processor and is programmed for performing;

identifying a portion of said layout using a design rule which comprises at least an image;

applying, to said portion of said layout, information identifying a difference between a configuration with a problem and a configuration without said problem, wherein the act of applying the information is performed by the processor; and

storing the information in a computer readable medium or a computer storage device or displaying the information a display device of the computer.

40. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the definition of the solution space includes a two dimensional image.

41. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the image comprises a two dimensional image.

42. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the image comprises a native two dimensional image.

43. A machine for operating on a layout, the system comprising:

a computer which comprises at least one processor and is programmed for performing;

using a design rule which comprises at least an image to identify a portion of said layout;

applying at least one of a plurality of criteria to said portion of said layout;

reporting said portion of said layout if said at least one of the plurality of criteria is satisfied by said portion of said layout; and

storing the portion in a computer readable storage medium or a computer storage device or displaying the portion on a display device of the computer.

44. The machine of claim 43, the computer programmed for the act of applying the at least one of the plurality of criteria is further programmed for:

applying distance information to a shape.

45. The machine of claim 43, wherein the image comprises a. two dimensional image.

46. The machine of claim 43, wherein the image comprises a native two dimensional image.

47. The machine of claim 43, the computer is further programmed for:

amending the portion of the layout if the at least one of the plurality of criteria is satisfied by the portion of the layout.

48. A machine for operating on a layout, the machine comprising:

a computer which comprises at least one processor and is programmed for performing;

identifying a portion of said layout using a design rule which comprises at least an image;

applying, to said portion of said layout, information identifying a difference between a configuration with a problem and a configuration without said problem, wherein the act of applying the information is performed by the processor; and

information in a computer readable storage medium or displaying the information on a display device of the computer.

49. The machine of claim 48, wherein the definition of the solution space includes a two dimensional image.

50. The machine of claim 48, wherein the image comprises a two dimensional image.

51. The machine of claim 48, wherein the image comprises a native two dimensional image.