Lithographic error reduction by pattern matching
First Claim
1. A method for generating a list of real errors from a list of raw errors, said method comprising:
- generating a library of waivable images with corresponding waiver constraints, wherein each of said waivable images is an image of a region of a reference design layout including a raw error as determined by an optical rule checks (ORC) program and does not require a correction for printability on a photoresist layer;
generating a list of raw errors by running said ORC program on a target design layout;
generating error region images corresponding to said list of raw errors;
generating a list of matches between said library of waivable images and said error region images; and
removing a subset of raw errors that correspond to a subset of said list of matches from said list of raw errors to generate a list of real errors.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A library of waivable images with corresponding waiver constraints is generated. Each of the waivable images is an image of a region of a reference design layout including a raw error as determined by an optical rule checks (ORC) program and does not require a correction for printability on a photoresist layer. A list of raw errors is generated by running the ORC program on a target design layout. Error region images corresponding to the list of raw errors are generated by selecting a region of the target design layout around points corresponding to the raw errors. A list of matches between the library of waivable images and the error region images is generated. By removing a subset of raw errors that correspond to a subset of the list of matches from the list of raw errors, a list of real errors is generated.
14 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method for generating a list of real errors from a list of raw errors, said method comprising:
-
generating a library of waivable images with corresponding waiver constraints, wherein each of said waivable images is an image of a region of a reference design layout including a raw error as determined by an optical rule checks (ORC) program and does not require a correction for printability on a photoresist layer; generating a list of raw errors by running said ORC program on a target design layout; generating error region images corresponding to said list of raw errors; generating a list of matches between said library of waivable images and said error region images; and removing a subset of raw errors that correspond to a subset of said list of matches from said list of raw errors to generate a list of real errors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A system for generating a list of real errors from a list of raw errors, said system comprising:
-
a data storage unit that stores a library of waivable images with corresponding waiver constraints; and a computing means in communication with said data storage unit and configured to accept as inputs a target design layout and a list of raw errors of said target design layout as generated by an optical rule checks (OPC) program, and configured to generate error region images corresponding to said list of raw errors, and configured to generate a list of matches between said library of waivable images and said error region images, and configured to remove a subset of raw errors that correspond to a subset of said list of matches from said list of raw errors, and configured to output, in a data storage medium, a list of real errors that is a difference between said list of raw errors and said subset of raw errors. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A non-transitory machine-readable data storage medium embodying a program for generating a list of real errors from a list of raw errors, said program comprising steps of:
-
retrieving a library of waivable images with corresponding waiver constraints from a data storage unit; accepting as inputs a target design layout and a list of raw errors from said target design layout as generated by an optical proximity correction (OPC) program; generating error region images corresponding to said list of raw errors; generating a list of matches between said library of waivable images and said error region images; and removing a subset of raw errors that correspond to a subset of said list of matches from said list of raw errors to generate a list of real errors. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
-
Specification