Method and system for model-based design and layout of an integrated circuit

• US 8,381,152 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2008
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Original Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Inventors: Lai, Ya-Chieh, Gennari, Frank E., Moskewicz, Matthew, Doddi, Srinivas, Lei, Junjiang, Fang, Weiping, Lay, Kuanghao
• Primary Examiner(s): Memula, Suresh
• Application Number:
  US12/133,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20090307642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: 716/110
• US Class Current: 716/110
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/39 Circuit design at the physical level physical level design for reconfigurable circuits G06F30/347

Abstract

A approach is described for allowing electronic design, verification, and optimization tools to implement very efficient approaches to allow the tools to directly address the effects of manufacturing processes, e.g., to identify and prevent problems caused by lithography processing. Fast models and pattern checking are employed to integrate lithography and manufacturing aware processes within EDA tools such as routers.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for implementing an electronic design, comprising:

using at least one processor to perform a process, the process comprising;

receiving a fast pattern model related to a manufacturing process;

generating a layout for the electronic design that is free of known hotspots by analyzing the layout for the electronic design using the fast pattern model to verify or optimize at least a portion of the layout with a physical implementation tool rather than a separate circuit verification tool during physical implementation of the physical design, in which the action of generating the layout comprises;

canonicalizing multiple patterns in the layout into a single canonical pattern.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 in which the fast pattern model comprises a pattern database and pattern matching is used to analyze the layout.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2 in which the pattern database comprises good patterns, bad patterns, or both good and bad patterns.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2 in which the pattern database comprises an index or signature of patterns and index searching or signature searching is used to analyze the layout.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4 in which geometries associated with the patterns are not maintained in the pattern database.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising analyzing the layout to identify a hotspot.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6 in which the act of analyzing the layout to identify a hotspot is performed as an integrated function within a routing tool.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

performing situation extraction to identify a set of patterns to analyze.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 8 in which situation extraction decomposes the layout into geometric primitives using at least one of anchors, radii, or canonicalization.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9 in which an anchor used for decomposition is at least one of a layout corner, cutline, edge, or centerline.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 9 in which the canonicalization is at least one of rotational, mirroring, translational, or lossy transform.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 1 in which a pattern in the layout is not identified from the fast pattern model, and processing is performed to perform incremental hotspot analysis.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 12 in which results of the incremental hotspot analysis is used to update the pattern database.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 12 in which lithography simulation or RET processing is used to perform incremental hotspot analysis.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 1 in which the layout is analyzed by determining whether a pattern in the layout corresponds exactly to a pattern in an exact pattern database or determining whether a pattern is similar to a pattern in an inexact pattern database.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 1 in which the layout is analyzed by determining whether a pattern in the layout corresponds to a good pattern in a good pattern library or to a bad pattern in a bad pattern library.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 1 in which the layout is analyzed by determining whether a pattern in the layout corresponds to a bad pattern in a bad pattern library, and if not, then to a scored pattern in a pattern library.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 1 in which a score is generated for a layout portion that is analyzed.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 1 in which a design rule check library is modified to include a new rule based upon the analysis results.

20. A system for implementing an electronic design, comprising:

at least one processor that is to;

receive a fast pattern model related to a manufacturing process; and

generate a layout for the electronic design that is free of known hotspots by analyzing the layout for the electronic design using the fast pattern model to verify or optimize at least a portion of the layout with a physical implementation tool rather than a separate circuit verification tool during physical implementation of the physical design, in which the at least one processor that is to generate the layout is further to;

canonicalize multiple patterns in the layout into a single canonical pattern.

21. The system of claim 20, in which the at least one processor is to use a pattern database and pattern matching to analyze the layout for the electronic design using the fast pattern model, wherein the pattern database comprises both one or more good patterns, one or more bad patterns, or a combination of at least one good pattern and at least one bad pattern.

23. The system of claim 20, in which the at least one processor that analyzes the layout is further to identify a hotspot in the electronic design.

24. The system of claim 20, in which the at least one processor is further to perform situation extraction to identify a set of patterns for the at least one processor to analyze the layout.

25. The system of claim 24, in which the at least one processor that performs situation extraction to identify the set of patterns is further to decompose the layout into one or more geometric primitives by using at least one of one or more anchors, one or more radii, or canonicalization, wherein

the one or more anchors comprise at least one of a layout corner, a cutline, an edge, or a centerline,

the one or more radii comprise a radius that is smaller than or equal to an optical radius, and

the canonicalization comprises at least one of rotational, mirroring, translational, or lossy transform.

26. The system of claim 20, in which the at least one processor that analyzes the layout is further to determine a score of a pattern, wherein the score of the pattern indicates a degree of severity of one or more manufacturing-related problems caused by the pattern.

22. The system of 21, in which the at least one processor is further to use index searching or signature searching to analyze the layout for the electronic design, wherein the pattern database comprises an index or a signature of one or more patterns.

27. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer accessible storage medium having stored thereupon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to execute a method for implementing an electronic design, the method comprising:

using the at least one processor to perform a process, the process comprising;

receive a fast pattern model related to a manufacturing process; and

generating a layout for the electronic design that is free of known hotspots by analyzing the layout for the electronic design using the fast pattern model to verify or optimize at least a portion of the layout with a physical implementation tool rather than a separate circuit verification tool during physical implementation of the physical design, in which the action of generating the layout comprises;

canonicalizing multiple patterns in the layout into a single canonical pattern.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, in which the process further comprises using a pattern database and pattern matching in the action of analyzing the layout for the electronic design using the fast pattern model, wherein the pattern database comprises both one or more good patterns, one or more bad patterns, or a combination of at least one good pattern and at least one bad pattern.

30. The computer program product of claim 27, in which the action of analyzing the layout further comprises identifying a hotspot in the electronic design.

31. The computer program product of claim 27, in which the process further comprises performing situation extraction to identify a set of patterns for the at least one processor to analyze the layout.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, in which the action of performing the situation extraction comprises decomposing the layout into one or more geometric primitives by using at least one of one or more anchors, one or more radii, or canonicalization, wherein

the one or more anchors comprise at least one of a layout corner, a cutline, an edge, or a centerline,

the one or more radii comprise a radius that is smaller than or equal to an optical radius, and

the canonicalization comprises at least one of rotational, mirroring, translational, or lossy transform.

33. The computer program product of claim 27, in which the action of analyzing the layout further comprises determining a score of a pattern, wherein the score of the pattern indicates a degree of severity of one or more manufacturing-related problems caused by the pattern.

29. The computer program product of 28, in which the action of analyzing the layout further comprises using index searching or signature searching to analyze the layout for the electronic design, wherein the pattern database comprises an index or a signature of one or more patterns.