OPC correction methods, devices, electronic equipment, and computer storage media
By setting coverage principles and using different OPC recipes, the problem of jagged edges in special character graphics during OPC correction was solved, improving correction efficiency and yield, and ensuring the smooth progress of mask rule checks.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202211195415.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-09-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-30
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-09-28
AI Technical Summary
Existing OPC correction technology is prone to jagged edges and irregular shapes when processing special character graphics, which affects the quality of subsequent mask plate making.
By setting coverage principles, the coverage of the OPC overlay is determined, and different OPC formulas are used to correct the layout data, including regular and special OPC formulas, to avoid jagged edges on character graphics that do not meet the coverage standards.
It improves the efficiency of OPC correction, avoids irregular graphics such as jagged edges on character graphics, increases the yield rate, and optimizes the processing effect without affecting the original OPC correction process.
Smart Images
Figure CN115407604B_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing, in particular to an OPC correction method and device, electronic equipment and computer storage medium. BACKGROUND
[0002] With the continuous development of semiconductor technology, the critical dimension (CD) size is also getting smaller and smaller. In the semiconductor manufacturing process, if the CD is less than 180 nm, due to the optical proximity effect (OPE) when performing photolithography on the photolithography machine, the optical proximity correction (OPC) is often inevitable for the layout design with a line width less than 180 nm. Therefore, OPC has become an indispensable part in the semiconductor manufacturing process, and its importance has become increasingly prominent. The development of OPC technology has become increasingly challenging.
[0003] In the design of semiconductor chip layout, many special characters such as letters and numbers are often necessary to mark and identify the test patterns and functional devices in the layout. However, in the design of these special characters, because they do not have structural functions, designers often have more freedom in designing them. However, the design of many characters is not friendly to OPC. Although an OPC block layer (not layer) is usually added to these special characters as a non-OPC processing layer, when the OPC block layer is added to the layout, all design patterns covered by the OPC block layer will not be processed by OPC in principle, which can also be called a non-OPC layer (not layer). However, sometimes the not layer cannot completely meet the standard for OPC coverage, or there are some technical bottlenecks or software vulnerabilities in the existing OPC electronic design automation (EDA) software when processing the non-OPC layer, resulting in many times that the character part of the layout is still processed by OPC after the OPC correction. Due to the particularity of the outlines of these characters, such as non-45-degree bevels, point-to-point designs, and other designs that are not friendly to OPC, the edge part of the characters will have more irregular shapes after correction, such as jagged and sharp patterns. Many positions may seriously violate the mask rule check (MRC), which will cause serious problems in the later stage of layout tape out to mask shop for production and processing.
[0004] However, the existing OPC recipe does not have a good method for dealing with the jagged problem of the special characters after the correction.
[0005] Therefore, there is a need to provide a new OPC correction technical solution to solve the technical problem of jagged and irregular appearance of the special characters after the OPC correction in the prior art. SUMMARY
[0006] Therefore, the embodiments of the present specification provide an OPC correction method, device, electronic equipment and computer storage medium to solve the technical problem of jagged and irregular appearance of the special characters after the OPC correction in the prior art.
[0007] The embodiments of the present specification provide the following technical solutions:
[0008] The embodiments of the present specification provide an OPC correction method, comprising:
[0009] Step 1: According to the obtained layout data and the coverage principle of the OPC coverage layer, determine the OPC recipe of the layout data, and the OPC coverage layer covers the character pattern on the layout data;
[0010] Step 2: Complete the OPC correction of the layout data according to the OPC recipe.
[0011] Through the above technical solution, the obtained layout data is judged by the pre-set coverage principle, and then the specific OPC recipe in the OPC full process is determined according to the compliance of the layout data and the coverage principle. Different OPC recipes are used for OPC correction of the layout data according to the coverage of the OPC coverage layer. In the case of customer chip layout design of character pattern design not friendly to OPC processing and added OPC coverage layer not completely meeting the OPC processing standard requirements, different OPC recipes are used for OPC correction, so that the original OPC correction process is not affected, the efficiency of OPC correction is improved, and the problem of jagged edge of character pattern caused by non-standard coverage of OPC coverage layer in the conventional OPC correction process is avoided. The efficiency of OPC correction is improved.
[0012] Preferably, step 1 comprises:
[0013] Step 11: Determine whether the OPC coverage layer of the layout data meets the coverage principle;
[0014] Step 12: If yes, the OPC recipe of the layout data is determined according to the covering principle;
[0015] Step 13: If no, the layout data is returned to modification.
[0016] By the above technical solution, the covering principle is set, the covering situation of the OPC covering layer of the layout data is judged, if yes, the covering is well met, then the OPC recipe for OPC correction of the layout data is determined according to the meeting situation of the covering principle, if not, the layout data is returned to modification, the subsequent OPC recipe is determined according to the covering situation of the OPC covering layer, the layout data can be accurately determined, the efficiency of OPC correction is improved, the layout data does not need to be subjected to OPC correction process for judgment, time is saved, and the yield is improved, further, the OPC recipe is determined according to the covering situation, the OPC correction process can be further optimized, the OPC correction efficiency is improved, and the edge of the character pattern caused by the correction of the character pattern in the OPC correction process can be avoided to generate jagged irregular patterns.
[0017] Preferably, the covering principle includes a first principle and a second principle.
[0018] The first principle means that the OPC covering layer completely covers the character pattern on the layout data.
[0019] The second principle means that on the basis of the first principle, there is an edge distance between the edge of the OPC covering layer and the edge of the character pattern.
[0020] By the above technical solution, the first principle and the second principle are set, different covering situations of the OPC covering layer can be handled in different situations, for the situation that the OPC covering layer is relatively standard, the OPC correction process can be corrected through the conventional OPC correction process, for the rest of the situation, the OPC correction process can be corrected through other OPC correction processes, the efficiency of OPC correction can be improved, and for the situation that the covering principle is well met, other complex calculations and processing are not performed, time can be saved, the yield and processing effect can be improved, and the robustness of the OPC correction process is improved.
[0021] Preferably, step 1 further includes:
[0022] Step 10: judging whether the OPC covering layer of the layout data meets the first principle;
[0023] Step 20: If no, the layout data is returned to modification.
[0024] Step 30: If yes, judging whether the OPC covering layer of the layout data meets the second principle.
[0025] Step 40: If yes, it is determined that the OPC recipe of the layout data is a normal OPC recipe;
[0026] Step 50: If no, a special OPC recipe is obtained through a preset algorithm and the normal OPC recipe.
[0027] Through the above technical solution, the compliance of the OPC cover layer with the first principle and the second principle is judged. If the OPC cover layer complies with the first principle and the second principle, the normal OPC recipe can be used without other processing. If the OPC cover layer complies with the first principle but does not comply with the second principle, i.e., the range of the OPC cover layer does not comply with the specification, it may cause the OPC correction of the character pattern in the subsequent process, resulting in irregular patterns such as jagged edges of the character pattern, which does not comply with the mask rule check. A special OPC recipe is obtained through a preset algorithm and the normal OPC recipe, so that the character pattern in the final layout can well comply with the mask rule check, improve the efficiency of OPC correction, and improve the yield without affecting the original OPC processing flow. The processing of the character pattern in the OPC correction is optimized.
[0028] Preferably, in step 50, the special OPC recipe is obtained through a preset algorithm and the normal OPC recipe, including:
[0029] Step 501: Perform a logical AND operation on the OPC cover layer and all target patterns to obtain an original character pattern layer, and the all target patterns include main patterns and character patterns on the layout data;
[0030] Step 502: Perform a size expansion processing on the OPC cover layer to obtain an enlarged OPC cover layer;
[0031] Step 503: Perform a logical AND operation on the enlarged OPC cover layer and a problem layout layer to obtain a problem character pattern layer, and the problem layout layer represents a layout obtained by performing OPC correction on the layout data through the normal OPC recipe;
[0032] Step 504: Perform a logical NOT operation on the problem layout layer and the problem character pattern layer to obtain a main pattern layer;
[0033] Step 505: Perform a logical OR operation on the main pattern layer and the original character pattern layer to obtain a qualified layout;
[0034] Step 506: Obtain the special OPC recipe through steps 501-505.
[0035] By the technical solution, a special OPC formula applicable to a case where the OPC cover layer does not conform to the second principle is obtained through simple logical operation without affecting the conventional OPC formula, so that the problem of irregular patterns such as jagged edges of character patterns in the OPC correction result caused by the non-standard OPC cover layer can be avoided with little influence on the original OPC correction process, and the OPC correction efficiency is improved.
[0036] The embodiment of the present specification also provides an OPC correction device, comprising:
[0037] Module M1: determining an OPC formula of the layout data according to the obtained layout data and the covering principle of the OPC cover layer on the character pattern on which the OPC cover layer is overlaid;
[0038] Module M2: completing OPC correction on the layout data according to the OPC formula.
[0039] Preferably, the module M1 comprises:
[0040] Sub-module M11: judging whether the OPC cover layer of the layout data conforms to the covering principle;
[0041] Sub-module M12: if yes, determining the OPC formula of the layout data according to the covering principle;
[0042] Sub-module M13: if no, returning the layout data for modification.
[0043] Preferably, the covering principle comprises a first principle and a second principle.
[0044] The first principle indicates that the OPC cover layer completely covers the character pattern on the layout data.
[0045] The second principle indicates that there is an edge distance between the edge of the OPC cover layer and the edge of the character pattern on the basis of the first principle.
[0046] Preferably, the module M1 further comprises:
[0047] Sub-module M10: judging whether the OPC cover layer of the layout data conforms to the first principle;
[0048] Sub-module M20: if no, returning the layout data for modification;
[0049] Sub-module M30: if yes, judging whether the OPC cover layer of the layout data conforms to the second principle;
[0050] Sub-module M40: if yes, determining the OPC formula of the layout data as a conventional OPC formula;
[0051] The submodule M50 obtains the special OPC recipe by a preset algorithm and a conventional OPC recipe if the answer is no.
[0052] Preferably, the submodule M50 comprises:
[0053] The unit D501 performs a logical AND operation on the OPC cover layer and all target patterns to obtain an original character pattern layer, and the all target patterns include main patterns and character patterns on the layout data.
[0054] The unit D502 performs a size expansion processing on the OPC cover layer to obtain an enlarged OPC cover layer.
[0055] The unit D503 performs a logical AND operation on the enlarged OPC cover layer and a problem layout layer to obtain a problem character pattern layer, and the problem layout layer represents a layout obtained by performing OPC correction on the layout data by a conventional OPC recipe.
[0056] The unit D504 performs a logical NOT operation on the problem layout layer and the problem character pattern layer to obtain a main pattern layer.
[0057] The unit D505 performs a logical OR operation on the main pattern layer and the original character pattern layer to obtain a qualified layout.
[0058] The unit D506 obtains the special OPC recipe by the units 501-505.
[0059] The embodiment of the present specification further provides an electronic device, including: at least one processor; and a memory connected with the at least one processor in communication; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the OPC correction method.
[0060] The embodiment of the present specification further provides a computer storage medium, and the computer storage medium stores computer executable instructions, and the computer executable instructions are executed by a processor to perform the OPC correction method.
[0061] Compared with the prior art, the at least one technical scheme adopted by the embodiment of the present specification can achieve the beneficial effects at least including: judging the obtained layout data according to the pre-set coverage principle, and then determining the specific OPC recipe in the OPC full process according to the compliance of the layout data with the coverage principle, using different OPC recipes for OPC correction of the layout data according to the coverage of different OPC coverage layers, using different OPC recipes for OPC correction in the case of character pattern design in the customer chip layout design being not friendly to OPC processing and the added OPC coverage layer not fully meeting the OPC processing standard requirements, thereby improving the efficiency of OPC correction without affecting the original OPC correction process, and avoiding the problem of irregular patterns such as jagged edges of character patterns caused by non-standard coverage of OPC coverage layers when using the conventional OPC correction process, and improving the efficiency of OPC correction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0062] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed in the embodiments will be briefly introduced as follows. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.
[0063] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a character pattern in a layout provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0064] Figure 2(a) is a schematic diagram of a character pattern "7" provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0065] Figure 2(b) is a schematic diagram of an OPC coverage layer overlaid on the character pattern "7" provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0066] Figure 3(a) is a schematic diagram of a character pattern "7" obtained by a conventional OPC correction provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0067] Figure 3(b) is a partial enlarged schematic diagram of a character pattern "7" provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0068] Figure 4 is a flowchart of an OPC correction method provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0069] Figure 5(a) is a schematic diagram of an OPC coverage layer overlaid on a character pattern "4" in a conventional OPC process provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0070] Figure 5(b) is a partial enlarged schematic diagram of a character pattern "4" with an OPC coverage layer provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0071] Figure 5(c) is a partial enlarged view of a character pattern obtained by a conventional OPC process according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0072] Figure 6 Figure 6 is a flow diagram of another OPC correction method according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0073] Figure 7 Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a target pattern according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0074] Figure 8(a) is a schematic diagram of a main pattern obtained by a conventional OPC process according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0075] Figure 8(b) is a superimposed contrast diagram of a main pattern obtained after a conventional OPC process and an original main pattern according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0076] Figure 9(a) is a topographic schematic diagram of an OPC cover layer and a character pattern obtained in a conventional OPC process according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0077] Figure 9(b) is a schematic diagram of a size expansion process based on an OPC cover layer in a conventional OPC process according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0078] Figure 9(c) is a schematic diagram of a problem layout layer obtained by a conventional OPC correction according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0079] Figure 9(d) is a schematic diagram of a main pattern obtained in a conventional OPC process according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0080] Figure 9(e) is a partial enlarged view of a character pattern in a qualified layout according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0081] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0082] The following detailed description is presented in terms of specific embodiments illustrating the applications. These descriptions and examples are provided as disclosure of the applications and are not intended to limit the scope of the applications. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the process described herein can be made without departing from the spirit of the application. It is to be understood that the various embodiments described herein are only examples of the principles of the application and are not intended to limit the scope of the application to such specific embodiments. It is therefore evident that there are many alternatives that fall within the scope of the present application. Any feature described in relation to one embodiment can be incorporated into any other embodiment unless clearly contradicted by context.
[0083] It is to be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the aspects of the embodiments described herein. Various alternatives to the embodiments described herein can be employed in practicing the applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present applications. Accordingly, the present applications are not intended to be limited to the aspects of the embodiments described herein, but are to be understood to encompass any and all aspects within the scope of the present applications.
[0084] It is also to be understood that the following description is only illustrative of the aspects of the embodiments described herein. Various alternatives to the embodiments described herein can be employed in practicing the applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present applications. Accordingly, the present applications are not intended to be limited to the aspects of the embodiments described herein, but are to be understood to encompass any and all aspects within the scope of the present applications.
[0085] In addition, in the following description, numerous specific details are provided in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the application can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth.
[0086] With the continuous development of semiconductor technology, the critical dimension (CD) is becoming smaller and smaller. In the semiconductor manufacturing process, if the CD is less than 180nm, the optical proximity effect (OPE) occurs during photolithography. Therefore, for layout designs with linewidths less than 180nm, optical proximity correction (OPC) is often unavoidable. As a result, OPC has become an indispensable part of the semiconductor manufacturing process, and its importance is becoming increasingly prominent, making the development of OPC technology increasingly challenging.
[0087] In semiconductor chip layout design, many special characters such as letters and numbers are often indispensable for marking and identifying test patterns and functional devices within the layout. For example, such as... Figure 1 As shown, character graphics (labels) such as "RS05" and "MO27" may appear in the layout. These character graphics are usually composed of common English letters and numbers. However, because these special characters do not have structural functions, designers often have a lot of freedom in their design. However, the design of many characters is extremely unfriendly to OPC. Although an OPC block layer is usually placed over these special characters as a non-OPC layer, the non-OPC layer does not perform OPC processing. However, due to the fact that the non-layer cannot fully meet the standards required by OPC for coverage, or due to some technical bottlenecks or software vulnerabilities in the existing OPC Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software when processing non-OPC layers, the character parts of the layout are often still processed by OPC after OPC correction. Furthermore, due to the special characteristics of these character outlines, such as non-45-degree bevels, point-to-point designs, etc., which are not friendly to OPC, their edges, compared to the main graphic, i.e. the functional device, will have more irregular shapes and sharp graphics such as sawtooth after correction. For example, as shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), the character graphic "7" and the graphic after the character graphic "7" is covered with an OPC overlay layer, respectively. The output shape effect of the character graphic after completing the OPC flow is shown in Figure 3(a). Figure 3(b) is a partial magnified view of the part indicated by the arrow in Figure 3(a). As shown in Figure 3(b), the outline edge of the character graphic has burrs, sawtooth and other uneven graphics.
[0088] Therefore, the prior art has no good method for dealing with the jagged problem that may be caused by the correction of these special characters that do not meet the requirement of complete OPC coverage when correcting the layout.
[0089] Based on this, the embodiment of the present specification proposes a processing scheme: adding some special algorithms in the OPC recipe stage in the OPC full process to solve the problem of poor correction of character patterns in the prior art without changing the original process.
[0090] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0091] As shown in Figure 4 The embodiment of the present specification provides an OPC correction method, comprising:
[0092] Step 1: According to the obtained layout data and the OPC correction principle of the OPC coverage layer, determine the OPC recipe of the layout data, and the OPC coverage layer covers the character patterns on the layout data.
[0093] In practical application, first, the layout data of the layout design that needs to be corrected by OPC is obtained, and in the embodiment of the present specification, the format of the layout data is not limited, which can be set according to the specific situation. For example, it can be GDSII, OASIS and other mainstream file formats.
[0094] Among them, the OPC coverage layer is used to cover the character patterns on the layout data, and after covering the OPC coverage layer, all the covered patterns will not be processed by OPC.
[0095] In practical application, the OPC recipe (OPC recipe) is a stage in the OPC full process (OPC flow).
[0096] In the embodiment of the present specification, the OPC recipe of the layout data is determined through the layout data and the coverage principle, which can determine the OPC recipe according to the actual situation, and no additional processing is performed on the layout data that meets the coverage principle, which can improve the processing efficiency and yield.
[0097] As shown in FIG. 5(a) to FIG. 5(c), taking the character pattern "4" as an example, in the process of processing the layout data by the OPC correction flow of the conventional OPC recipe, the character pattern "4" shown in FIG. 5(a) is obtained after the layout is covered by the OPC cover layer, the part circled in FIG. 5(a) is locally enlarged to obtain FIG. 5(b), as shown in FIG. 5(b), wherein the character pattern filled with diagonal lines represents the OPC cover layer, the pattern covered by the OPC cover layer in the conventional OPC recipe is not subjected to OPC operation in principle; the pattern filled with square lines represents the intermediate state after the character pattern is deangled in the conventional OPC correction flow, it can be seen from FIG. 5(b) that after deangling, part of the pattern has exceeded the boundary of the OPC cover layer, so this part of the pattern still participates in the OPC operation, the solid square box in FIG. 5(b) represents the target point, in the conventional OPC flow, the OPC model and the OPC recipe will be calculated according to these target points, and finally the pattern shown in FIG. 5(c) is obtained, since the pattern with the bevel participating in the OPC operation does not conform to the OPC standardized pattern, the calculation in the OPC software internally will be confused, and finally the non-ideal pattern with unpredictable topography is generated. Among them, the deangling is to make the non-45° bevel be on the grid point, so that the subsequent OPC segmentation process can be carried out.
[0098] Among them, the conventional OPC recipe represents the OPC recipe without any change to the existing OPC recipe.
[0099] In the embodiment of the present specification, the problem similar to FIG. 5(c) is avoided by the compliance of the cover rule, and the corresponding OPC recipe is determined for different compliance, which can effectively reduce the inappropriate processing of the character pattern in the OPC correction, cause more irregular topography after correction, such as sharp pattern like sawtooth, improve the efficiency and yield of OPC correction.
[0100] Step 2: completing the OPC correction of the layout data according to the OPC recipe.
[0101] Specifically, after the OPC recipe is determined by step 1, the OPC correction of the layout data is completed by the OPC recipe.
[0102] The embodiment of the present specification judges the acquired layout data according to the pre-set coverage principle, and then determines the specific OPC recipe in the OPC full process according to the compliance of the layout data with the coverage principle. Different OPC recipes are used for OPC correction of the layout data according to the coverage of different OPC coverage layers. In the case that the customer chip layout design has character graphic design that is not friendly to OPC processing and the added OPC coverage layer does not fully meet the OPC processing standard requirements, different OPC recipes are used for OPC correction, so that the efficiency of OPC correction is improved without affecting the original OPC correction process, and the problem of irregular patterns such as jagged edges of character graphics caused by non-standard coverage of OPC coverage layers in the conventional OPC correction process can be avoided, and the efficiency of OPC correction is improved.
[0103] In an optional embodiment, step 1 comprises: step 11: judging whether the OPC coverage layer of the layout data meets the coverage principle; step 12: if yes, determining the OPC recipe of the layout data according to the coverage principle; step 13: if no, returning the layout data for modification.
[0104] In the embodiment of the present specification, the coverage principle includes a first principle and a second principle; the first principle means that the OPC coverage layer completely covers the character graphics on the layout data; and the second principle means that there is an edge distance between the edge of the OPC coverage layer and the edge of the character graphics on the basis of the first principle.
[0105] In actual application, the edge distance between the edge of the OPC coverage layer and the edge of the character graphics is not limited, and can be set according to actual conditions. For example, it can be any value between several nanometers and tens of nanometers, or the range is set to several nanometers to tens of nanometers.
[0106] In the embodiment of the present specification, the way of determining the OPC recipe of the layout data according to the coverage principle is not limited, and can be described according to specific conditions.
[0107] For example, as shown in Figure 6 The embodiment of the present specification provides an OPC correction method, comprising:
[0108] Step 10: judging whether the OPC coverage layer of the layout data meets the first principle.
[0109] Step 20: if no, returning the layout data for modification.
[0110] Step 30: if yes, judging whether the OPC coverage layer of the layout data meets the second principle.
[0111] Step 40: if yes, determining the OPC recipe of the layout data as a conventional OPC recipe.
[0112] Step 50: If not, obtain a special OPC formula using a preset algorithm and a standard OPC formula.
[0113] In this embodiment, the compliance of the OPC overlay layer with the first and second principles is determined. If it complies with the first and second principles, a conventional OPC formula can be used without further processing. If it complies with the first principle but not the second principle, i.e., the range of the OPC overlay layer does not meet the specifications, it may cause irregular graphics such as jagged edges to be generated in the character graphics during subsequent OPC correction processes, which may not meet the mask rule check. In this case, a special OPC formula is obtained through a preset algorithm and a conventional OPC formula, so that the character graphics in the final layout can well meet the mask rule check, improving the efficiency of OPC correction and increasing the yield. The processing of character graphics in OPC correction is optimized without affecting the original OPC processing flow.
[0114] like Figure 7 As shown, taking the character graphic "4" as an example, the main graphic (Target main) and the character graphic together obstruct all target graphics (Target all). The OPC overlay layer is not within the scope of all target graphics; it is a separate layer. The main graphic is the graphic that actually needs to be OPC processed. In practical applications, the character graphic is covered by the OPC overlay layer to avoid performing OPC processing on the character graphic.
[0115] As shown in Figure 8(a), the shape of the main graphic obtained after the conventional OPC process is completed. As shown in Figure 8(b), the superimposed comparison of the main graphic obtained after the conventional OPC process and the original main graphic is shown. In the figure, the solid square represents the target point processed in the conventional OPC. Figures 8(a) and 8(b) show the correction of the main graphic in the conventional OPC. Since the correction of the main graphic conforms to the mask rule check, the embodiment of this specification optimizes the modification of the character graphic without changing the conventional process.
[0116] Specifically, in step 50, a special OPC formula is obtained through a preset algorithm and a conventional OPC formula, including:
[0117] Step 501: Perform a logical AND operation between the OPC overlay layer and all target graphics to obtain the original character graphics layer. All target graphics include the main graphics and character graphics on the layout data.
[0118] First, it is necessary to obtain the input layout data, in order to Figure 7For example, the layout data includes a character pattern "4" and a main pattern, and the OPC cover layer with the same topography is overlaid on the character pattern "4".
[0119] Specifically, the OPC cover layer is logically ANDed with all target patterns to obtain the original character pattern layer, i.e., the character pattern "4", and the obtained original character pattern is not processed.
[0120] Step 502: Perform size expansion processing on the OPC cover layer to obtain an enlarged OPC cover layer.
[0121] The size expansion processing is not limited in the embodiments of the present specification, and can be described according to specific conditions. For example, the OPC cover layer can be expanded by several nanometers to several tens of nanometers according to the edge of the OPC cover layer.
[0122] The size expansion processing is described below by taking the partial enlarged view of FIG. 5(c) as an example.
[0123] As shown in FIG. 9(a), the area where the left oblique line is located represents the OPC cover layer in the conventional OPC process, and the topography of the character pattern in the final layout obtained by the conventional OPC process. It can be seen that there is irregular topography such as sawtooth shape. As shown in FIG. 9(b), on the basis of FIG. 9(a), the OPC cover layer is subjected to size expansion processing. The area where the right oblique line is located in FIG. 9(b) is obtained by performing size expansion processing on the basis. It can be seen that the processed character pattern is completely covered.
[0124] Step 503: Perform logical AND operation between the enlarged OPC cover layer and the problem layout layer to obtain a problem character pattern layer, and the problem layout layer represents the layout obtained by performing OPC correction on the layout data by using the conventional OPC recipe.
[0125] As shown in FIG. 9(c), the problem layout layer obtained by the conventional OPC correction is shown, and the character pattern is partially enlarged. It can be seen that the edge of the character pattern has irregular topography such as sawtooth shape.
[0126] The OPC cover layer is enlarged by step 502, and then the enlarged OPC cover layer is logically ANDed with the problem layout layer to obtain the problem character pattern layer. Since the OPC cover layer is present on all target patterns and the character pattern, and the OPC cover layer is not present on the main pattern such as electrical devices, the main pattern cannot be directly selected, and the main pattern needs to be obtained by removing the character pattern. In step 503, the enlarged OPC cover layer can select all character patterns, which facilitates the removal of the problem character pattern layer to obtain the main pattern layer.
[0127] The problem character pattern layer represents the character pattern that does not conform to the mask rule check after the conventional OPC process.
[0128] Step 504: Perform logical NOT operation on the problem layout layer and the problem character pattern layer to obtain a main pattern layer.
[0129] As shown in FIG. 9 (d), the main pattern layer is obtained through step 504, that is, the main pattern in which the electrical device and the like in the layout is obtained.
[0130] Step 505: Perform logical OR operation on the main pattern layer and the original character pattern layer to obtain a qualified layout.
[0131] Specifically, the original character pattern layer and the main pattern layer are combined to obtain the qualified layout, and no change is made to the conventional OPC recipe. The layout data conforming to the first principle and the second principle can be processed by the conventional OPC recipe.
[0132] As shown in FIG. 9 (e), the partial enlarged view of the character pattern in the obtained qualified layout shows that no irregular morphology such as sawtooth is present.
[0133] Step 506: Obtain a special OPC recipe through steps 501-505.
[0134] Specifically, the special OPC recipe is obtained by combining the conventional OPC recipe and the logical operation.
[0135] The OPC correction method provided by the embodiments of the present specification can be used when the recipe is established in the working process of the model-based optical proximity correction (model-based OPC). A special algorithm is added in the conventional recipe establishment, so that the character pattern (label) that will produce an abnormality after the potential conventional OPC correction can be specially processed.
[0136] The embodiment of the specification provides an OPC correction method, including: step S1: first, an OPC processing group obtains layout data of a case, i.e. input, the layout mainly includes mainstream layout file formats such as GDSII and OASIS; step S2: the layout data of the case is discriminated to see whether the layout data meets the covering principle of the OPC group to the OPC covering layer. The covering rule required by the OPC mainly includes two rules: the first rule: the covered OPC covering layer should at least achieve full coverage to the label, that is, no label pattern part is exposed outside the OPC covering layer; the second rule: on the basis of the full coverage of the first rule, the edge of the OPC covering layer and the edge of the label should at least have a certain distance, not only edge covering, but also a distance greater than the edge of the label, for example, several nanometers to tens of nanometers; step S3: if the covered OPC covering layer does not meet the requirement of the first rule, the OPC covering layer belongs to the covering error case, and is returned to the superior department or customer for re-modification; step S4: if the covered OPC covering layer meets the first rule and the second rule of the OPC correction, the OPC recipe correction process in the industry is performed, and the corresponding adjustment is performed according to the specific process flow; step S5: if the covered OPC covering layer only meets the first rule of the OPC correction, but does not meet the second rule, the OPC correction needs to be performed according to the following steps:
[0137] Step P1: logical and operation is performed on the OPC covering layer (not layer) and all target patterns (target all), that is, not layer*target all, so that all label patterns covered by the OPC covering layer can be selected. The selected original label is stored in an intermediate layer, i.e. an original character pattern layer (label).
[0138] Step P2: size up is performed on the OPC covering layer, so that the enlarged OPC covering layer (sized not layer) can be obtained. The order of magnitude of the boundary profile expansion is usually several nanometers to tens of nanometers.
[0139] Step P3: and operation is performed on the sized not layer and the problem layout layer (mask all) after the conventional OPC correction, that is, sized not layer*mask all, so that the label layer (post OPC label) after the OPC correction, i.e. the problem character pattern layer, can be obtained.
[0140] Step P4: Perform a non-operation on the mask all and the post OPC label, i.e., mask all-post OPC label, to obtain a main pattern layer (mask main) after the label part is removed after the OPC is performed.
[0141] Step P5: Perform a logical or operation on the mask main and the original character pattern layer (label) stored separately at the beginning, i.e., mask main+label, to obtain a final generated layout result, i.e., a qualified layout (mask out), which is also an output file sent to a subsequent department.
[0142] Step six: After the corrected layout is checked and no error is found, output (output) is performed, and the subsequent department is transferred.
[0143] The OPC correction method provided by the embodiments of the present specification solves the technical problem that some label designs in a layout are not friendly to OPC, the OPC cover layer covered by the label does not meet all the cover principles proposed by OPC, the adder of the OPC cover layer cannot or refuses to modify the label design and the OPC cover layer to meet all the production standard requirements of the OPC department, and after the OPC flow ends, the label still violates the MRC, so that in the subsequent mask manufacturing process, the mask is retained or returned due to the problem that the special character does not meet the mask shop requirement specification.
[0144] The present application solves the problem that when the customer chip layout design has a label design that is not friendly to OPC processing and the added OPC cover layer does not fully meet the OPC processing standard requirements, by adding a specific algorithm to the existing conventional OPC recipe operation process, so that after the OPC is corrected, all patterns in the layout data, including the main pattern and the character pattern, will not cause irregular patterns such as jagged edges due to OPC correction, so that the label part will not violate the MRC in the subsequent mask manufacturing process.
[0145] The embodiments of the present specification also provide an OPC correction device, comprising:
[0146] Module M1: According to the obtained layout data and the cover principle of the OPC correction to the OPC cover layer, determine the OPC recipe of the layout data, and the OPC cover layer covers the character pattern on the layout data.
[0147] The module M1 comprises: a submodule M11, judging whether the OPC cover layer of the layout data conforms to a cover principle; a submodule M12, if yes, determining the OPC recipe of the layout data according to the cover principle; and a submodule M13, if no, returning the layout data for modification.
[0148] Specifically, the cover principle comprises a first principle and a second principle; the first principle indicates that the OPC cover layer completely covers the character pattern on the layout data; and the second principle indicates that, on the basis of the first principle, there is an edge distance between the edge of the OPC cover layer and the edge of the character pattern.
[0149] Further, the module M1 further comprises: a submodule M10, judging whether the OPC cover layer of the layout data conforms to the first principle; a submodule M20, if no, returning the layout data for modification; a submodule M30, if yes, judging whether the OPC cover layer of the layout data conforms to the second principle; a submodule M40, if yes, determining that the OPC recipe of the layout data is a normal OPC recipe; and a submodule M50, if no, obtaining a special OPC recipe through a preset algorithm and the normal OPC recipe.
[0150] The submodule M50 comprises: a unit D501, performing logical AND operation on the OPC cover layer and all target patterns to obtain an original character pattern layer, wherein the all target patterns comprise the main pattern and the character pattern on the layout data; a unit D502, performing size expansion processing on the OPC cover layer to obtain an enlarged OPC cover layer; a unit D503, performing logical AND operation on the enlarged OPC cover layer and a problem layout layer to obtain a problem character pattern layer, wherein the problem layout layer indicates a layout obtained by performing OPC correction on the layout data through the normal OPC recipe; a unit D504, performing logical NOT operation on the problem layout layer and the problem character pattern layer to obtain a main pattern layer; a unit D505, performing logical OR operation on the main pattern layer and the original character pattern layer to obtain a qualified layout; and a unit D506, obtaining the special OPC recipe through the units 501-505.
[0151] The module M2: performs OPC correction on the layout data according to the OPC recipe.
[0152] The embodiment of the present specification also provides an electronic device, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory connected with the at least one processor in communication; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to execute the OPC correction method described above.
[0153] The embodiment of the present specification also provides a computer storage medium, which stores computer executable instructions, and the computer executable instructions are executed by a processor to execute the OPC correction method described above.
[0154] Each of the embodiments in the specification is described in a progressive manner, and the same or similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to each other. Each of the embodiments focuses on the difference from other embodiments. In particular, for the product embodiments described later, the description is relatively simple because the product embodiments are corresponding to the methods, and the relevant parts can be referred to the description of the system embodiments.
[0155] The above merely describes the specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited to this. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the present application, which should be covered by the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.
Claims
1. An OPC correction method characterized by, Comprising: Step 1: according to the obtained layout data and the OPC correction principle of the OPC cover layer covering the character pattern on the layout data, determine the OPC recipe of the layout data, wherein the OPC cover layer covers the character pattern on the layout data; Wherein, the covering principle includes the first principle and the second principle; the first principle means that the OPC cover layer completely covers the character pattern on the layout data; the second principle means that on the basis of the first principle, there is an edge distance between the edge of the OPC cover layer and the edge of the character pattern; Determine whether the OPC cover layer of the layout data conforms to the covering principle, and determine the OPC recipe of the layout data according to the conformity of the OPC cover layer of the layout data and the covering principle; Step 2: according to the OPC recipe, complete the OPC correction of the layout data.
2. The OPC correction method according to claim 1, wherein The step 1, further comprising: Step 10: determine whether the OPC cover layer of the layout data conforms to the first principle; Step 20: if not, return the layout data for modification; Step 30: if yes, determine whether the OPC cover layer of the layout data conforms to the second principle; Step 40: if yes, determine that the OPC recipe of the layout data is a regular OPC recipe; Step 50: if not, obtain a special OPC recipe through a preset algorithm and the regular OPC recipe.
3. The OPC correction method according to claim 2, wherein In the step 50, the special OPC recipe is obtained through a preset algorithm and the regular OPC recipe, comprising: Step 501: perform logical AND operation on the OPC cover layer and all target patterns to obtain an original character pattern layer, wherein the all target patterns include main patterns and character patterns on the layout data; Step 502: perform size expansion processing on the OPC cover layer to obtain an enlarged OPC cover layer; Step 503: perform logical AND operation on the enlarged OPC cover layer and a problem layout layer to obtain a problem character pattern layer, wherein the problem layout layer represents a layout obtained by performing OPC correction on the layout data through the regular OPC recipe; Step 504: perform logical NOT operation on the problem layout layer and the problem character pattern layer to obtain a main pattern layer; Step 505: perform logical OR operation on the main pattern layer and the original character pattern layer to obtain a qualified layout; Step 506: obtain the special OPC recipe through steps 501-505.
4. An OPC correction device characterized by comprising: Comprising: Module M1: according to the obtained layout data and the OPC correction principle of the OPC cover layer covering the character pattern on the layout data, determine the OPC recipe of the layout data, wherein the OPC cover layer covers the character pattern on the layout data; Wherein, the covering principle includes the first principle and the second principle; the first principle means that the OPC cover layer completely covers the character pattern on the layout data; the second principle means that on the basis of the first principle, there is an edge distance between the edge of the OPC cover layer and the edge of the character pattern; The module M1, comprising: The submodule M11 judges whether the OPC cover layer of the layout data conforms to the cover principle. The module M2 performs OPC correction on the layout data according to the OPC recipe.
5. The OPC correction apparatus according to claim 4, wherein The module M1 further comprises: The submodule M10 judges whether the OPC cover layer of the layout data conforms to the first principle. The submodule M20 returns the layout data for modification if the answer is no. The submodule M30 judges whether the OPC cover layer of the layout data conforms to the second principle if the answer is yes. The submodule M40 determines that the OPC recipe of the layout data is a normal OPC recipe if the answer is yes. The submodule M50 obtains a special OPC recipe through a preset algorithm and the normal OPC recipe if the answer is no.
6. The OPC correction apparatus according to claim 5, wherein The submodule M50 comprises: The unit D501 performs logical AND operation on the OPC cover layer and all target patterns to obtain an original character pattern layer, wherein the all target patterns include main patterns and character patterns on the layout data. The unit D502 performs size expansion processing on the OPC cover layer to obtain an enlarged OPC cover layer. The unit D503 performs logical AND operation on the enlarged OPC cover layer and a problem layout layer to obtain a problem character pattern layer, wherein the problem layout layer represents a layout obtained by performing OPC correction on the layout data through the normal OPC recipe. The unit D504 performs logical NOT operation on the problem layout layer and the problem character pattern layer to obtain a main pattern layer. The unit D505 performs logical OR operation on the main pattern layer and the original character pattern layer to obtain a qualified layout. The unit D506 obtains the special OPC recipe through the units 501-505.
7. An electronic device, comprising: The computer storage medium stores computer executable instructions, and the computer executable instructions are executed by the processor to perform the OPC correction method in any one of claims 1-3. The computer storage medium stores computer executable instructions, and the computer executable instructions are executed by the processor to perform the OPC correction method in any one of claims 1-3. 8. A computer storage medium, characterized in that
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