Increasing manufacturing yield of integrated circuits by modifying original design layout using location specific constraints
First Claim
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1. An integrated circuit (IC) product manufactured using an IC fabrication system by a process comprising steps of:
- providing an original design layout;
providing original global limits on relative distance between layout objects;
detecting a plurality of areas in the original design layout that include patterns that increase manufacturing defect risk;
generating location specific modifications to the original global limits, the location specific modifications comprising a first location specific limit on relative distance between layout objects for a first area in the plurality of areas in the original design layout, wherein the first location specific limit reduces manufacturing defect risk for the first area;
modifying the original design layout by enforcing the original global limits with the location specific modifications to generate a modified design layout, the modified design layout being different from the original design layout, so that the original global limits and the location specific modifications work together to improve chip yield;
providing the modified design layout to the IC fabrication system;
wherein a chip yield exhibited by manufacturing the integrated circuit product by the IC fabrication system using the modified design layout is higher than a chip yield that would be exhibited by the IC fabrication system using the original design layout; and
the steps of detecting, generating, and modifying are performed by a processing system comprising a memory device storing application software, a user interface, and a processor coupled to the memory device and to the user interface.
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Abstract
An integrated device product having objects positioned in accordance with in-situ constraints. Said in-situ constraints comprise predetermined constraints and their local modifications. These local modifications, individually formulated for a specific pair of objects, account for on-the-spot conditions that influence the optimal positioning of the objects. The present invention improves the yield of integrated devices by adding local process modification distances to the predetermined constraints around processing hotspots thus adding extra safety margin to the device yield.
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22 Claims
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1. An integrated circuit (IC) product manufactured using an IC fabrication system by a process comprising steps of:
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providing an original design layout; providing original global limits on relative distance between layout objects; detecting a plurality of areas in the original design layout that include patterns that increase manufacturing defect risk; generating location specific modifications to the original global limits, the location specific modifications comprising a first location specific limit on relative distance between layout objects for a first area in the plurality of areas in the original design layout, wherein the first location specific limit reduces manufacturing defect risk for the first area; modifying the original design layout by enforcing the original global limits with the location specific modifications to generate a modified design layout, the modified design layout being different from the original design layout, so that the original global limits and the location specific modifications work together to improve chip yield; providing the modified design layout to the IC fabrication system; wherein a chip yield exhibited by manufacturing the integrated circuit product by the IC fabrication system using the modified design layout is higher than a chip yield that would be exhibited by the IC fabrication system using the original design layout; and
the steps of detecting, generating, and modifying are performed by a processing system comprising a memory device storing application software, a user interface, and a processor coupled to the memory device and to the user interface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification