Method, system, and computer program product for implementing repetitive track patterns for electronic circuit designs

• US 9,372,955 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Original Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Inventors: Lee, Yinnie, Markham, Jeffrey, Ruehl, Roland, Sharma, Karun
• Primary Examiner(s): Garbowski, Leigh
• Application Number:
  US14/292,122
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/70 Adapting basic layout or design of masks to lithographic process requirements, e.g., second iteration correction of mask patterns for imaging
• 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: G06F 30/392 Floor-planning or layout, e.g. partitioning or placement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/394 Routing G06F30/396 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/398 Design verification or optimisation, e.g. using design rule check [DRC], layout versus schematics [LVS] or finite element methods [FEM] optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes G03F1/36

Abstract

Methods and systems for implementing repetitive track patterns for electronic designs are disclosed. The method determines a track pattern within a period and repeats the track pattern for a number of times to form repetitive track patterns. Compliance with photomask designation design rules and track pattern design rules by both the track pattern and the repetitive track patterns is maintained by adding one or more intermediate tracks. A track may be added or removed from the track pattern or replaced by another track associated with a different width by using one or more intermediate tracks. The method may validate a period and replace an invalid period with a valid period. During the identification of the tracks in a track pattern for constructing repetitive track patterns, the method also forward predicts a predetermined number of tracks or predicts one or more tracks for a predetermined distance.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for implementing repetitive track patterns for electronic designs, comprising:

using a computer system to execute a process, the process comprising;

identifying a period for a track pattern that is to be repeated to form repetitive track patterns for an electronic design;

identifying at least a part of a legal track pattern for the period, wherein the repetitive track patterns includes multiple adjacent occurrences of the track pattern;

determining whether the repetitive track patterns cause one or more violations by violating one or more design rules that are satisfied by the track pattern; and

resolving the one or more violations by modifying the track pattern of the repetitive track patterns.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, the process further comprising:

identifying a set of design rules; and

resolving the one or more violations by modifying the track pattern of the repetitive track patterns.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, the act of resolving the one or more violations comprising:

identifying a remaining period that is not allocated for tracks in the period in the electronic design; and

inserting one or more intermediate tracks in the remaining period.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, the act of resolving the one or more violations further comprising:

identifying or determining one or more legal widths to be associated with the one or more intermediate tracks by using a database including a plurality of legal track patterns, wherein

a track pattern includes one or more tracks that are arranged in an order and are respectively associated with corresponding widths.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, the process further comprising:

identifying a first track and a last track in the legal track pattern; and

determining whether or not the first track and the last track satisfy a pair design rule or a photomask designation design rule.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, the process further comprising:

identifying first two tracks and last two track in the legal track pattern; and

determining whether a first combination including one of the first two tracks and the last two tracks or a second combination including the first two tracks and one of the last two tracks satisfies a triplet rule.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, the process further comprising:

identifying a first track for the legal track pattern; and

prior to identifying a second track immediately adjacent to the first track, forward predicting a predetermined number of tracks or one or more tracks within a predetermined distance from the first track after identifying the first track for the legal track pattern.

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

identifying or determining one or more constraints governing validity of period values; and

determining whether or not the period is valid based at least in part upon one or more permissible widths to be associated with tracks and a spacing value or upon the one or more constraints.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, the process further comprising:

identifying a first track in the legal track pattern that is to be repeated to form the repetitive track patterns;

removing the first track form the legal track pattern;

identifying or determining one or more design rules that are violated by removal of the first track from the legal track pattern; and

performing one or more fixes to the legal track pattern to ensure compliance with the one or more design rules by the legal track pattern and the repetitive track patterns.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the one or more fixes include at least one of:

identifying or determining a first width combination for one or more first intermediate tracks and inserting the one or more first intermediate tracks into the legal track pattern;

identifying or determining a new period and a second width combination for one or more second intermediate tracks and inserting the one or more second intermediate tracks into the legal track pattern; and

removing one or more additional tracks from the legal track pattern to form a resulting period and inserting one or more third intermediate track associated with respective widths to the resulting period.

11. A system for implementing repetitive track patterns for electronic designs, comprising:

a computer system including at least one processor or processor core that executes a sequence of instructions to;

identify a period for a track pattern that is to be repeated to form repetitive track patterns for an electronic design;

identify at least a part of a legal track pattern for the period, wherein the repetitive track patterns include multiple adjacent occurrences of the track pattern;

determine whether the repetitive track patterns cause one or more violations by violating one or more design rules that are satisfied by the track pattern; and

resolve the one or more violations by modifying the track pattern of the repetitive track patterns.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor or processor core further executes the sequence of instructions to:

identify a set of design rules; and

resolve the one or more violations by modifying the track pattern of the repetitive track patterns.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor or processor core executing the sequence of instruction to resolve the one or more violations further executes the sequence of instructions to:

identify a remaining period that is not allocated for tracks in the period in the electronic design; and

insert one or more intermediate tracks in the remaining period.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor or processor core further executes:

a first sequence of instructions to;

identify a first track and a last track in the legal track pattern; and

determine whether or not the first track and the last track satisfy a pair design rule or a photomask designation design rule;

or

a second sequence of instructions to;

identify first two tracks and last two track in the legal track pattern; and

determine whether a first combination including one of the first two tracks and the last two tracks or a second combination including the first two tracks and one of the last two tracks satisfies a triplet rule.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor or processor core further executes the sequence of instructions to:

a first sequence of instructions to;

identify or determine one or more constraints governing validity of period values; and

determine whether or not the period is valid based at least in part upon one or more permissible widths to be associated with tracks and a spacing value or upon the one or more constraints;

or

a second sequence of instructions to;

identify a first track in the legal track pattern that is to be repeated to form the repetitive track patterns;

remove the first track form the legal track pattern;

identify or determine one or more design rules that are violated by removal of the first track from the legal track pattern; and

perform one or more fixes to the legal track pattern to ensure compliance with the one or more design rules by the legal track pattern and the repetitive track patterns.

16. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer accessible storage medium having stored thereupon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by at least one customizable processor executing one or more threads, causes the at least one customizable processor to perform a method for implementing repetitive track patterns for electronic designs, the method comprising:

using a computer system to execute a process, the process comprising;

identifying a period for a track pattern that is to be repeated to form repetitive track patterns for an electronic design;

identifying at least a part of a legal track pattern for the period, wherein the repetitive track patterns includes multiple adjacent occurrences of the track pattern;

determining whether the repetitive track patterns cause one or more violations by violating one or more design rules that are satisfied by the track pattern; and

resolving the one or more violations by modifying the track pattern of the repetitive track patterns.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, the process further comprising:

identifying a set of design rules; and

resolving the one or more violations by modifying the track pattern of the repetitive track patterns.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, further comprising:

identifying a remaining period that is not allocated for tracks in the period in the electronic design; and

inserting one or more intermediate tracks in the remaining period.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 16, further comprising:

a first set of actions including;

identifying a first track and a last track in the legal track pattern; and

determining whether or not the first track and the last track satisfy a pair design rule or a photomask designation design rule;

or

a second set of actions including;

identifying first two tracks and last two track in the legal track pattern; and

determining whether a first combination including one of the first two tracks and the last two tracks or a second combination including the first two tracks and one of the last two tracks satisfies a triplet rule.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 16, the process further comprising:

a first set of actions including;

identifying or determining one or more constraints governing validity of period values; and

determining whether or not the period is valid based at least in part upon one or more permissible widths to be associated with tracks and a spacing value or upon the one or more constraints;

or

a second set of actions including;

identifying a first track in the legal track pattern that is to be repeated to form the repetitive track patterns;

removing the first track form the legal track pattern;

identifying or determining one or more design rules that are violated by removal of the first track from the legal track pattern; and

performing one or more fixes to the legal track pattern to ensure compliance with the one or more design rules by the legal track pattern and the repetitive track patterns.