Curve mask optimization method, device, terminal, medium and program product

Abstract

The present application provides a curve mask optimization method, device, terminal, medium and program product, the method comprising: determining a curve mask that needs to be optimized after OPC correction; selecting multiple evaluation points on the pattern edge of the curve mask, and dividing them into multiple evaluation point combinations; performing optimization judgment based on circular fitting on each evaluation point combination, and adjusting the optimal position of the evaluation point combination that is judged to be optimized to obtain an optimized curve mask. The present application efficiently screens out the graphics that need to be optimized through the selection of evaluation points and the judgment of the curvature radius, and quickly achieves the purpose of convex corner graphics optimization by iteratively optimizing the evaluation point positions, and obtains a mask with higher OPC quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to a curve mask optimization method, device, terminal, medium and program product. Background Art

[0002] Photolithography is the core process in chip manufacturing. The nonlinear effects of the optical system, mask and photoresist system will cause transfer distortion from the design image to wafer manufacturing in the chip manufacturing process. At present, OPC (Optical Proximity Correction) technology is generally used to simulate and optimize the mask layout based on the objective function of EPE (Edge Placement Error) or CD (Critical Dimension) to minimize the image distortion caused by nonlinear effects such as optics in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

[0003] In the current OPC correction method, the usual process is to segment the mask pattern based on the Manhattan pattern, determine the control points, move the Manhattan edge, iteratively judge the convergence of the EPE, and obtain the Manhattan mask. Compared with Manhattan correction, the curve mask OPC correction method has a higher degree of freedom and better OPC correction quality. However, the free curve mask will bring many difficulties to the mask manufacturing and affect the quality of the mask. For example, mask patterns with convex corners are usually avoided. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of the present application is to provide a curve mask optimization method, device, terminal, medium and program product to solve the problem of low quality of the curve mask after OPC correction in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose and other related purposes, the first aspect of the present application provides a curved mask optimization method, including: determining an OPC-corrected curved mask to be optimized; selecting multiple evaluation points on the pattern edge of the curved mask and dividing them into multiple evaluation point combinations; performing an optimization judgment based on circular fitting on each evaluation point combination, and adjusting the optimal position of the evaluation point combination judged to need to be optimized to obtain an optimized curved mask.

[0006] In some embodiments of the first aspect of the present application, a plurality of evaluation points are selected on the edge of the pattern of the curved mask and divided into a plurality of evaluation point combinations, including: selecting a plurality of points on the edge of the pattern of the curved mask using a fixed step size or a variable step size, and using the selected points as evaluation points; dividing every three consecutive evaluation points into an evaluation point combination; wherein the evaluation points in each divided evaluation point combination are non-repetitive.

[0007] In some embodiments of the first aspect of the present application, the method of performing optimization judgment based on circular fitting on each evaluation point combination includes: based on the coordinates of each evaluation point in each evaluation point combination, according to the general equation of the circle, calculating the current radius of each evaluation point combination; based on the current radius of each evaluation point combination, based on the optimization judgment rules, judging whether each evaluation point combination needs to be optimized.

[0008] In some embodiments of the first aspect of the present application, the optimization judgment rule includes: if the current radius of the evaluation point combination is smaller than the set radius threshold, it is judged that the evaluation point combination needs to be optimized; if the current radius of the evaluation point combination is larger than the set radius threshold, it is judged that the evaluation point combination does not need to be optimized.

[0009] In some embodiments of the first aspect of the present application, the method of adjusting the optimal position of the evaluation point combination judged to be required to be optimized to obtain an optimized curve mask includes: adjusting the optimal position of each evaluation point combination judged to be required to be optimized according to the general equation of a circle to obtain the optimal position of all evaluation points; using a polynomial fitting method to fit the evaluation points based on the optimal positions of all evaluation points to obtain an optimized curve mask.

[0010] In some embodiments of the first aspect of the present application, according to the general equation of a circle, an optimal position adjustment is performed for each evaluation point combination judged to be required to be optimized, and the specific process includes: according to the general equation of a circle, multiple evaluation point position adjustments are performed for each evaluation point combination judged to be required to be optimized, until the current radius of the evaluation point combination is greater than the set radius threshold and the current edge placement error corresponding to the evaluation point combination meets the requirements, thereby obtaining the optimal position of each evaluation point in the evaluation point combination; wherein each evaluation point position adjustment includes: adjusting the positions of one or more evaluation points in the evaluation point combination along the normal of the curve outward or along the normal of the curve inward; after the position adjustment is completed, according to the general equation of the circle, calculating the current radius of the evaluation point combination after this adjustment and calculating the current edge placement error corresponding to the evaluation point combination.

[0011] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose and other related purposes, the second aspect of the present application provides a curved mask optimization device, including: a determination module, used to determine the curved mask that needs to be optimized after OPC correction; a selection module, connected to the determination module, used to select multiple evaluation points on the pattern edge of the curved mask and divide them into multiple evaluation point combinations; an optimization module, connected to the selection module, used to perform optimization judgment based on circular fitting on each evaluation point combination, and perform optimal position adjustment on the evaluation point combination judged to need to be optimized, so as to obtain an optimized curved mask.

[0012] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose and other related purposes, the third aspect of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, and the computer program implements the curve mask optimization method when executed by a processor.

[0013] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose and other related purposes, the fourth aspect of the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program code. When the computer program code runs on a computer, the computer implements the curve mask optimization method.

[0014] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose and other related purposes, the fifth aspect of the present application provides an electronic terminal, including a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory; the processor executes the computer program to implement the curve mask optimization method.

[0015] As described above, the curve mask optimization method, device, terminal, medium and program product of the present application have the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The present application efficiently screens out graphics that need to be optimized by selecting evaluation points and determining the radius of curvature, and quickly achieves the purpose of optimizing convex corner graphics by iteratively optimizing the positions of evaluation points, thereby obtaining a mask with higher OPC quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 Shown is a schematic flow chart of a curve mask optimization method in an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] Figure 2 Shown is a schematic diagram of a curved mask that needs to be optimized in a specific embodiment of the present application.

[0019] Figure 3 Shown is a schematic diagram of the moving direction of the evaluation point in a specific embodiment of the present application.

[0020] Figure 4 Shown is a schematic diagram of radius change during the optimization of evaluation points in one embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Figure 5 Shown is a schematic diagram of a specific process of a curve mask optimization method in an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Figure 6 Shown is a schematic diagram of the structure of a curved mask optimization device in one embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Figure 7 Shown is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic terminal in one embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following describes the embodiments of the present application through specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present application from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present application. It should be noted that the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0025] In the embodiments of the present application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art can understand that words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit the difference.

[0026] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" represent examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific way.

[0027] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "plurality" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0028] The present application provides a curve mask optimization method, device, terminal, medium and program product, the method comprising: determining a curve mask that needs to be optimized after OPC correction; selecting multiple evaluation points on the pattern edge of the curve mask, and dividing them into multiple evaluation point combinations; performing optimization judgment based on circular fitting on each evaluation point combination, and adjusting the optimal position of the evaluation point combination that is judged to be optimized to obtain an optimized curve mask. The present application efficiently screens out the graphics that need to be optimized through the selection of evaluation points and the judgment of the curvature radius, and quickly achieves the purpose of convex corner graphics optimization by iteratively optimizing the evaluation point positions, and obtains a mask with higher OPC quality.

[0029] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, first Figure 1 Detailed description. Figure 1 The following is a flow chart of a curve mask optimization method in an embodiment of the present invention. The curve mask optimization method in this embodiment mainly includes the following steps:

[0030] Step S11: Determine the curve mask that needs to be optimized after OPC correction.

[0031] In one embodiment, if there are convex corner patterns in the OPC-corrected curved mask, the OPC-corrected curved mask will be identified as a curved mask that needs to be optimized.

[0032] For example, it can be seen that Figure 2 The figure in the circular area A is a convex figure, so Figure 2 The pattern shown requires optimization.

[0033] Step S12: selecting a plurality of evaluation points on the pattern edge of the curved mask and dividing them into a plurality of evaluation point combinations.

[0034] In one embodiment, a method of selecting multiple evaluation points on the edge of the pattern of the curved mask and dividing them into multiple evaluation point combinations includes: selecting multiple points on the edge of the pattern of the curved mask using a fixed step size or a variable step size, and using the selected points as evaluation points; dividing every three consecutive evaluation points into an evaluation point combination; wherein the evaluation points in each divided evaluation point combination are non-repetitive.

[0035] It should be understood that in fixed-step division, the pattern of the curved mask can be divided into several segments at equal intervals, and the length or angle of each segment is fixed. The advantage of fixed step size is that it is simple to implement, easy to control and predict, because the length of each segment is consistent. Variable step size division allows the length or angle of each segment to be dynamically adjusted according to the local characteristics of the pattern of the curved mask. A shorter step size is used where the pattern of the curved mask changes more dramatically, and a longer step size is used where the changes are gentle. The advantage of variable step size is that the shape of the pattern of the curved mask can be more accurately represented, especially in areas with drastic changes.

[0036] It should be noted that those skilled in the art can set the step length according to actual needs, and the present invention does not limit this.

[0037] In one embodiment, among the selected multiple evaluation points, the evaluation points are divided into groups of three consecutive evaluation points to obtain multiple evaluation point combinations, and the evaluation points in each evaluation point combination are not repeated.

[0038] Step S13: performing optimization judgment based on circle fitting on each evaluation point combination, and adjusting the optimal position of the evaluation point combination judged to be in need of optimization, so as to obtain an optimized curve mask.

[0039] In one embodiment, the method of performing optimization judgment based on circular fitting on each evaluation point combination includes: based on the coordinates of each evaluation point in each evaluation point combination, according to the general equation of the circle, calculating the current radius of each evaluation point combination; based on the current radius of each evaluation point combination, judging whether each evaluation point combination needs to be optimized based on the optimization judgment rule. In one embodiment, the optimization judgment rule includes: if the current radius of the evaluation point combination is less than a set radius threshold, judging that the evaluation point combination needs to be optimized; if the current radius of the evaluation point combination is greater than the set radius threshold, judging that the evaluation point combination does not need to be optimized.

[0040] Specifically, if the current radius of an evaluation point combination is smaller than a set radius threshold, it means that the graph corresponding to the evaluation point combination needs to be optimized.

[0041] It should be noted that the radius threshold is set according to the optimization target of the curved mask. Different optimization targets have different radius thresholds, which are not limited in the present invention.

[0042] In one embodiment, the method of adjusting the optimal position of the evaluation point combination judged to be required to be optimized to obtain an optimized curve mask includes: adjusting the optimal position of each evaluation point combination judged to be required to be optimized according to the general equation of a circle to obtain the optimal position of all evaluation points; and using a polynomial fitting method to fit the evaluation points based on the optimal positions of all evaluation points to obtain an optimized curve mask.

[0043] It should be understood that, for the evaluation point combination determined not to be optimized, its evaluation point is already located at the optimal position.

[0044] In one embodiment, the polynomial fitting process specifically includes: based on the optimal positions of all evaluation points, according to the polynomial equation, calculating the fitting curves of all evaluation points.

[0045] In one embodiment, according to the general equation of a circle, an optimal position adjustment is performed for each evaluation point combination judged to be required to be optimized, and the specific process includes: according to the general equation of a circle, multiple evaluation point position adjustments are performed for each evaluation point combination judged to be required to be optimized, until the current radius of the evaluation point combination is greater than the set radius threshold and the current edge placement error corresponding to the evaluation point combination meets the requirements, thereby obtaining the optimal position of each evaluation point in the evaluation point combination; wherein each evaluation point position adjustment includes: adjusting the positions of one or more evaluation points in the evaluation point combination along the normal of the curve outward or along the normal of the curve inward; after the position adjustment is completed, according to the general equation of the circle, calculating the current radius of the evaluation point combination after this adjustment and calculating the current edge placement error corresponding to the evaluation point combination.

[0046] It should be understood that the edge placement error is an indicator used to measure the quality of optical proximity correction. A small edge placement error means that the exposed pattern is close to the designed pattern.

[0047] In a specific embodiment, Figure 3 The direction indicated by the arrows is the outward direction along the normal line of the curve, and vice versa, it is the inward direction along the normal line of the curve.

[0048] For example, suppose Figure 4 The figure corresponding to the evaluation point combination on the left side is determined as the figure to be optimized. After a certain position movement, the radius of the evaluation point combination becomes larger. The position of the evaluation point is as follows Figure 4 As shown on the right side of the figure, the corresponding shape of the graph has changed.

[0049] The following will be combined with the attached Figure 5 Explanation of the optimization process of the curved mask:

[0050] Among the multiple evaluation points, the evaluation points are divided into groups of three consecutive evaluation points to obtain multiple evaluation point combinations. The evaluation points in each evaluation point combination do not overlap. The following is an explanation of the processing of evaluation point combination A. For evaluation point combination A, the position coordinates of the three evaluation points in evaluation point combination A are respectively , , middle.

[0051] Substitute the coordinates of the three evaluation points of the evaluation point combination A into the general equation of the circle. The general equation of the circle is shown in the following formula 1:

[0052] ;(Formula 1)

[0053] Then, the specific values ​​of D, E, and F are solved, and then the current radius R of the evaluation point combination A is calculated. If the current radius R of the evaluation point combination A is less than the set radius threshold r ( ), it is determined that the evaluation point combination A needs to be optimized. If the current radius R of the evaluation point combination A is greater than the set radius threshold r, it is determined that the evaluation point combination A does not need to be optimized.

[0054] When the evaluation point combination A needs to be optimized, one or more evaluation points in the evaluation point combination A are moved outward or inward along the normal of the curve. After each movement of the evaluation point, the current radius of the evaluation point combination A after this movement is calculated according to the general equation of the circle, and the corresponding edge position error (Edge Placement Error, EPE) is calculated. When the current radius of the evaluation point combination A after a certain movement is greater than the set radius threshold r and the edge position error meets the requirements, it can be considered that the optimal position of each evaluation point in the evaluation point combination A is obtained, and the position movement of each evaluation point in the evaluation point combination A is completed.

[0055] After all the evaluation point combinations to be optimized have been adjusted to their optimal positions in the same manner as the evaluation point combination A, the optimal positions of all the evaluation points are obtained. Then, based on the optimal positions of all the evaluation points, all the evaluation points are fitted using a polynomial fitting method to obtain an optimized curve mask.

[0056] Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram of a curve mask optimization device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 As shown, the device comprises:

[0057] A determination module 61 is used to determine the OPC-corrected curve mask that needs to be optimized;

[0058] A selection module 62, connected to the determination module 61, for selecting a plurality of evaluation points on the pattern edge of the curved mask and dividing the plurality of evaluation point combinations;

[0059] The optimization module 63 is connected to the selection module 62 and is used to perform optimization judgment based on circular fitting on each evaluation point combination, and to adjust the optimal position of the evaluation point combination judged to be required to be optimized, so as to obtain an optimized curve mask.

[0060] It should be understood that the specific process of each module executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0061] It should also be understood that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. In addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into a processor, or may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into one module. The above-mentioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules.

[0062] In one embodiment, a method of selecting multiple evaluation points on the edge of the pattern of the curved mask and dividing them into multiple evaluation point combinations includes: selecting multiple points on the edge of the pattern of the curved mask using a fixed step size or a variable step size, and using the selected points as evaluation points; dividing every three consecutive evaluation points into an evaluation point combination; wherein the evaluation points in each divided evaluation point combination are non-repetitive.

[0063] In one embodiment, the method of performing optimization judgment based on circular fitting on each evaluation point combination includes: based on the coordinates of each evaluation point in each evaluation point combination, according to the general equation of the circle, calculating the current radius of each evaluation point combination; based on the current radius of each evaluation point combination, based on the optimization judgment rules, judging whether each evaluation point combination needs to be optimized.

[0064] In one embodiment, the optimization judgment rule includes: if the current radius of the evaluation point combination is less than the set radius threshold, it is judged that the evaluation point combination needs to be optimized; if the current radius of the evaluation point combination is greater than the set radius threshold, it is judged that the evaluation point combination does not need to be optimized.

[0065] In one embodiment, the method of adjusting the optimal position of the evaluation point combination judged to be required to be optimized to obtain an optimized curve mask includes: adjusting the optimal position of each evaluation point combination judged to be required to be optimized according to the general equation of a circle to obtain the optimal position of all evaluation points; and using a polynomial fitting method to fit the evaluation points based on the optimal positions of all evaluation points to obtain an optimized curve mask.

[0066] In one embodiment, according to the general equation of a circle, an optimal position adjustment is performed for each evaluation point combination judged to be required to be optimized, and the specific process includes: according to the general equation of a circle, multiple evaluation point position adjustments are performed for each evaluation point combination judged to be required to be optimized, until the current radius of the evaluation point combination is greater than the set radius threshold and the current edge placement error corresponding to the evaluation point combination meets the requirements, thereby obtaining the optimal position of each evaluation point in the evaluation point combination; wherein each evaluation point position adjustment includes: adjusting the positions of one or more evaluation points in the evaluation point combination along the normal of the curve outward or along the normal of the curve inward; after the position adjustment is completed, according to the general equation of the circle, calculating the current radius of the evaluation point combination after this adjustment and calculating the current edge placement error corresponding to the evaluation point combination.

[0067] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 As shown, the electronic terminal includes: at least one processor 701, a memory 702, at least one network interface 703 and a user interface 705. The various components in the device are coupled together through a bus system 704. It can be understood that the bus system 704 is used to realize the connection and communication between these components. In addition to the data bus, the bus system 704 also includes a power bus, a control bus and a status signal bus. However, for the sake of clarity, Figure 7 In the specification, various buses are labeled as bus systems.

[0068] The user interface 705 may include a display, a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a click gun, keys, buttons, a touch pad or a touch screen.

[0069] It is understood that the memory 702 can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, and can also include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), which is used as an external cache. By way of exemplary but not limiting explanation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous static random access memory (SSRAM). The memory described in the embodiments of the present invention is intended to include but is not limited to these and any other suitable categories of memory.

[0070] The memory 702 in the embodiment of the present invention is used to store various types of data to support the operation of the electronic terminal 700. Examples of these data include: any executable program used to operate on the electronic terminal 700, such as an operating system 7021 and an application 7022; the operating system 7021 includes various system programs, such as a framework layer, a core library layer, a driver layer, etc., for implementing various basic services and processing hardware-based tasks. The application 7022 can include various applications, such as a media player (Media Player), a browser (Browser), etc., for implementing various application services. The curve mask optimization method provided by the embodiment of the present invention can be included in the application 7022.

[0071] The method disclosed in the above embodiment of the present invention can be applied to the processor 701, or implemented by the processor 701. The processor 701 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method can be completed by the hardware integrated logic circuit in the processor 701 or the instruction in the form of software. The above processor 701 may be a general processor, a digital signal processor (DSP, Digital Signal Processor), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The processor 701 can implement or execute the various methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention. The general processor 701 may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. In combination with the steps of the accessory optimization method provided in the embodiment of the present invention, it can be directly embodied as a hardware decoding processor to execute, or it can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium, which is located in a memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0072] In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic terminal 700 may be implemented by one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), DSP, programmable logic device (PLD), complex programmable logic device (CPLD) to execute the aforementioned method.

[0073] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes: a computer program code, when the computer program code is run on a computer, the computer executes Figure 1 The curve mask optimization method in the illustrated embodiment.

[0074] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a program code, and when the program code is run on a computer, the computer executes Figure 1 The curve mask optimization method in the illustrated embodiment.

[0075] The terms "component", "module", "system", etc. used in this specification are used to represent computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process, a processor, an object, an executable file, an execution thread, a program and / or a computer running on a processor. By way of illustration, both applications and computing devices running on a computing device can be components. One or more components may reside in a process and / or an execution thread, and a component may be located on a computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. In addition, these components may be executed from various computer-readable media having various data structures stored thereon. Components may, for example, communicate through local and / or remote processes according to signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from two components interacting with another component between a local system, a distributed system and / or a network, such as the Internet interacting with other systems through signals).

[0076] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0077] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0078] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0079] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0080] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0081] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function according to the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. Available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, tapes), optical media (e.g., high-density digital video discs (DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid state disks (SSDs)).

[0082] If the function is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk or optical disk, and other media that can store program codes.

[0083] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

[0084] In summary, the present application provides a method, device, terminal, medium and program product for optimizing a curved mask, the method comprising: determining a curved mask that needs to be optimized after OPC correction; selecting multiple evaluation points on the pattern edge of the curved mask, and dividing them into multiple evaluation point combinations; performing optimization judgment based on circular fitting on each evaluation point combination, and adjusting the optimal position of the evaluation point combination that is judged to be optimized to obtain an optimized curved mask. The present application efficiently screens out the graphics that need to be optimized by selecting the evaluation points and judging the curvature radius, and quickly achieves the purpose of optimizing the convex corner graphics by iteratively optimizing the evaluation point positions, thereby obtaining a mask with higher OPC quality. Therefore, the present application effectively overcomes the various shortcomings of the prior art and has a high industrial utilization value.

[0085] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Anyone familiar with the technology may modify or change the above embodiments without violating the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or changes made by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical ideas disclosed in the present application shall still be covered by the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A curve mask optimization method, characterized in that: include: Determine the OPC-corrected curve mask that needs to be optimized; Selecting a plurality of evaluation points on the pattern edge of the curved mask and dividing the evaluation points into a plurality of evaluation point combinations; Performing optimization judgment based on circle fitting for each evaluation point combination, and adjusting the optimal position of the evaluation point combination judged to be required to be optimized, so as to obtain an optimized curve mask; The method of adjusting the optimal position of the evaluation point combination determined to be required to be optimized to obtain the optimized curve mask includes: According to the general equation of a circle, the optimal position of each evaluation point combination that is determined to be in need of optimization is adjusted to obtain the optimal position of all evaluation points; Using polynomial fitting, the evaluation points are fitted based on the optimal positions of all evaluation points to obtain an optimized curve mask; And wherein, according to the general equation of a circle, the optimal position of each evaluation point combination determined to be required to be optimized is adjusted, and the specific process includes: According to the general equation of a circle, the position of each evaluation point combination that is judged to be optimized is adjusted multiple times until the current radius of the evaluation point combination is greater than the set radius threshold and the current edge placement error corresponding to the evaluation point combination meets the requirements, thereby obtaining the optimal position of each evaluation point in the evaluation point combination; Each assessment point location adjustment includes: Adjusting the positions of one or more evaluation points in the evaluation point combination respectively along the normal line of the curve outward or along the normal line of the curve inward; After the position adjustment is completed, according to the general equation of a circle, the current radius of the evaluation point combination after this adjustment is calculated and the current edge placement error corresponding to the evaluation point combination is calculated.

2. The curve mask optimization method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method of selecting a plurality of evaluation points on the pattern edge of the curved mask and dividing them into a plurality of evaluation point combinations includes: Using a fixed step size or a variable step size method, multiple points are selected on the edge of the pattern of the curved mask, and the selected points are used as evaluation points; Every three consecutive evaluation points are divided into an evaluation point combination; wherein the evaluation points in each divided evaluation point combination are not repeated.

3. The curve mask optimization method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The methods for making optimization judgments based on circular fitting for each evaluation point combination include: Based on the coordinates of each evaluation point in each evaluation point combination, according to the general equation of a circle, the current radius of each evaluation point combination is calculated; According to the current radius of each evaluation point combination, based on the optimization judgment rule, it is judged whether each evaluation point combination needs to be optimized.

4. The curve mask optimization method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The optimization judgment rules include: If the current radius of the evaluation point combination is less than the set radius threshold, it is determined that the evaluation point combination needs to be optimized; If the current radius of the evaluation point combination is greater than the set radius threshold, it is determined that the evaluation point combination does not need to be optimized.

5. A curve mask optimization device, characterized in that: include: A determination module, used for determining the curve mask that needs to be optimized after OPC correction; A selection module, connected to the determination module, for selecting a plurality of evaluation points on the pattern edge of the curved mask and dividing the evaluation points into a plurality of evaluation point combinations; An optimization module, connected to the selection module, for performing optimization judgment based on circular fitting on each evaluation point combination, and adjusting the optimal position of the evaluation point combination judged to be required to be optimized, so as to obtain an optimized curve mask; The method of adjusting the optimal position of the evaluation point combination determined to be required to be optimized to obtain the optimized curve mask includes: According to the general equation of a circle, the optimal position of each evaluation point combination that is determined to be in need of optimization is adjusted to obtain the optimal position of all evaluation points; Using polynomial fitting, the evaluation points are fitted based on the optimal positions of all evaluation points to obtain an optimized curve mask; And wherein, according to the general equation of a circle, the optimal position of each evaluation point combination determined to be required to be optimized is adjusted, and the specific process includes: According to the general equation of a circle, the position of each evaluation point combination that is judged to be optimized is adjusted multiple times until the current radius of the evaluation point combination is greater than the set radius threshold and the current edge placement error corresponding to the evaluation point combination meets the requirements, thereby obtaining the optimal position of each evaluation point in the evaluation point combination; Each assessment point location adjustment includes: Adjusting the positions of one or more evaluation points in the evaluation point combination respectively along the normal line of the curve outward or along the normal line of the curve inward; After the position adjustment is completed, according to the general equation of a circle, the current radius of the evaluation point combination after this adjustment is calculated and the current edge placement error corresponding to the evaluation point combination is calculated.

6. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is implemented.

7. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes a computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed on a computer, the computer is enabled to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

8. An electronic terminal comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory, characterized in that: The processor executes the computer program to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Images