Manufacturing aware design and design aware manufacturing of an integrated circuit
First Claim
1. A manufacturing aware process for designing an integrated circuit (“
- IC”
) layout, the process comprising;
specifying a stepper lens for a particular layer of the IC layout as part of an illumination configuration;
at a computing device, defining a wiring configuration based on the illumination configuration; and
using the defined wiring configuration to route the IC layout.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Some embodiments of the invention provide a process for designing and manufacturing an integrated circuit (“IC”). The process selects a wiring configuration and an illumination configuration. The process uses the selected wiring configuration to design an IC layout. The process then uses the selected illumination configuration to manufacture the IC based on the designed IC layout. Some embodiments select a wiring configuration based on the selected illumination configuration. In some embodiments, selecting the illumination configuration entails selecting at least one stepper lens for the IC layout, where the stepper lens illuminates at least one mask for at least one particular layer of the IC layout. Also, in some embodiments, selecting the wiring configuration entails defining the width and/or spacing of the routes along different directions on at least one particular wiring layer of the IC layout.
67 Citations
34 Claims
-
1. A manufacturing aware process for designing an integrated circuit (“
- IC”
) layout, the process comprising;specifying a stepper lens for a particular layer of the IC layout as part of an illumination configuration; at a computing device, defining a wiring configuration based on the illumination configuration; and using the defined wiring configuration to route the IC layout. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
- IC”
-
4. A manufacturing aware process for designing an integrated circuit (“
- IC”
) layout, the process comprising;specifying a dipole lens for a first layer of the IC layout as part of an illumination configuration, wherein the dipole lens comprises two poles; at a computing device, defining a wiring configuration based on the illumination configuration; and using the defined wiring configuration to route the IC layout. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- IC”
-
15. A manufacturing aware process for designing an integrated circuit (“
- IC”
) layout, the process comprising;specifying a quadrupole lens for a first layer of the IC layout as part of an illumination configuration, wherein the quadrupole lens comprises four poles; at a computing device, defining a wiring configuration based on the illumination configuration; and using the defined wiring configuration to route the IC layout. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
- IC”
-
19. A manufacturing aware process for designing an integrated circuit (“
- IC”
) layout, the process comprising;specifying an off-axis illumination configuration for the IC layout; at a computing device, defining a wiring configuration based on the specified illumination configuration; and using the defined wiring configuration to route the IC layout. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
- IC”
-
24. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program for execution by at least one processor, the computer program for designing an integrated circuit (“
- IC”
) layout, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for;specifying a stepper lens for a particular layer of the IC layout as part of an illumination configuration; defining a wiring configuration based on the illumination configuration; and using the defined wiring configuration to route the IC layout. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
- IC”
-
31. A system comprising:
-
at least one processor for executing sets of instructions; and a memory storing a computer program for designing an integrated circuit (“
IC”
) layout, the computer program comprising sets of instructions to be executed in the processor for;specifying an off-axis illumination configuration for the IC layout; defining a wiring configuration based on the specified illumination configuration; and using the defined wiring configuration to route the IC layout.
-
-
32. The system of 31, wherein the specified off-axis illumination configuration comprises a lens and a light source that strikes a surface of the lens not at a perpendicular angle.
-
33. The system of 31, wherein the set of instructions for defining the wiring configuration comprises a set of instructions for defining a first width for a first route and a second width for a second route for each layer of the IC layout based on the specified off-axis illumination configuration.
-
34. The system of 31, wherein the set of instructions for defining the wiring configuration comprises sets of instructions for:
-
identifying a first spacing constraint for routes in a first plurality of routes along a first direction of a first layer of the IC layout; and identifying a second spacing constraint for routes in a second plurality of routes along a second direction of the first layer of the IC layout.
-
Specification