Automatic layout defect inspection control method and device and computer readable medium

Abstract

The invention provides an automatic layout defect inspection control method and device and a computer readable medium. The method is suitable for a processing circuit and can comprise the steps that a webpage-based entrance is provided in an ALDC control system running in the processing circuit, so that any user in a plurality of users uploads a layout file of at least one package substrate design to the ALDC control system, and at least the layout file is obtained from a client electronic device through the webpage entrance; utilizing at least one back-end program module to check the layout file according to a plurality of preset layout defect check rules so as to generate at least one check result, and creating a layout defect check report of the packaging substrate design; and sending a layout defect inspection report corresponding to the layout file to the client electronic device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to circuit layout, and more particularly, to a method, a related device and a related computer readable medium for controlling automatic layout defect checking (ALDC) of a circuit design. Background Art

[0002] According to the related art, a package substrate design may include multiple components / patterns, such as signal lines, through holes, vents, ball grid arrays (BGAs), etc., and there may be various defective layout patterns that may cause signal integrity (SI) or power integrity (PI) problems. More specifically, the number of components / patterns of multiple components / patterns may be very large, for example, a package substrate design may include thousands of components / patterns. Therefore, it may be very difficult to find all defective layout patterns, and the costs associated with finding and checking defective layout patterns, such as labor costs, may increase significantly because of the huge human effort required. Therefore, a novel method and related architecture are needed to solve the problem without introducing any side effects or in a manner that is less likely to introduce side effects. Summary of the invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a method, a related device and a related computer readable medium for automatic layout defect checking (ALDC) control of circuit design to solve the above problems.

[0004] At least one embodiment of the present invention provides a method for ALDC control of a circuit design, which can be applied to a processing circuit in a main electronic device. For example, the method may include: providing a web-based portal in an ALDC control system running on the processing circuit, for any user among multiple users to upload a layout file of at least one package substrate design to the ALDC control system, so as to obtain at least the layout file from a client electronic device through the web portal; using at least one back-end program module in the ALDC control system to check the layout file according to multiple predetermined layout defect inspection rules to generate at least one inspection result, and create a layout defect inspection report for the package substrate design for any user to download, wherein the layout defect inspection report carries the at least one inspection result, which is used to indicate whether any layout defect among multiple predetermined layout defects occurs in the layout file; and sending the layout defect inspection report corresponding to the layout file to the client electronic device, so that the client electronic device indicates at least one defect location of at least one layout defect in the package substrate design through the display device of the client electronic device.

[0005] At least one embodiment of the present invention provides a device operating according to the above method, which may include at least the processing circuit in the host electronic device. According to some embodiments, the device may include the entire host electronic device.

[0006] At least one embodiment of the present invention provides a computer readable medium related to the above method, the computer readable medium can store a program code, when executed by the processing circuit, the program code causes the processing circuit to operate according to the method.

[0007] At least one embodiment of the present invention provides a method for ALDC control of a circuit design, which can be applied to a processing circuit in a client electronic device. For example, the method may include: accessing a web-based portal in an ALDC control system running on a main electronic device so that any user among a plurality of users uploads at least one layout file of a packaging substrate design of at least one packaging substrate to the ALDC control system, so as to send the at least one layout file from the client electronic device to the main electronic device through the web-based portal, wherein at least one backend program module in the ALDC control system is configured to check the at least one layout file according to a plurality of predetermined layout defect inspection rules to generate at least one inspection result, and create a layout defect inspection report of the packaging substrate design for download by any user, wherein the layout defect inspection report carries the at least one inspection result for indicating whether any layout defect among a plurality of predetermined layout defects has occurred in the layout file; and obtaining the layout defect inspection report corresponding to the layout file from the main electronic device so that the client electronic device indicates at least one defect location of at least one layout defect of the packaging substrate design through the display device of the client electronic device.

[0008] At least one embodiment of the present invention provides a device operating according to the above method, which may include at least the processing circuit in the client electronic device. According to some embodiments, the device may include the entire client electronic device.

[0009] At least one embodiment of the present invention provides a computer readable medium related to the above method, the computer readable medium can store a program code, when executed by the processing circuit, the program code causes the processing circuit to operate according to the method.

[0010] One advantage of the present invention is that the method and related devices of the present invention, such as processing circuits and main electronic devices, can automatically perform layout defect inspection operations, find and inspect various defect layout patterns that may cause design SI / PI problems through an automatic framework, such as vent holes located above signal lines, vent holes located above isolation pads (anti-pad) areas, insufficient number of stitching vias along signal lines, irregular chip partitioning patterns, etc., thereby reducing related costs, such as labor costs. For example, the automatic framework may include a web portal for multiple users to upload their layout files and design rule options, and include at least one back-end program module, such as a back-end program, for being called to inspect layout defects to create a layout defect inspection report, such as a text format report, for one or more users to download. The automatic framework may also include an easy-to-use plug-in utility on any layout tool on a client electronic device to help users read the layout defect inspection report and locate the defect location. Therefore, the method and related devices of the present invention can save human resources, reduce project quality assurance (quality assurance, referred to as QA) iteration time, and improve design quality and robustness. In addition, the method and device of the present invention can solve related technical problems without introducing any side effects, or solve them in a way that is less likely to introduce side effects.

[0011] These and other objects of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which is illustrated in the various drawings and figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 FIG. 2 shows an automatic framework operation diagram based on executing an ALDC control method on a circuit design according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2 Some inspection results of the first inspection control scheme in the method according to the first embodiment of the present invention are shown.

[0014] Figure 3 Some inspection results of the second inspection control scheme in the method according to the second embodiment of the present invention are shown.

[0015] Figure 4 Some inspection results of the third inspection control scheme in the method according to the third embodiment of the present invention are shown.

[0016] Figure 5 Some other inspection results of the third inspection control scheme in the method according to the third embodiment of the present invention are shown.

[0017] Figure 6 A check result of a fourth check control scheme in a method according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0018] Figure 7 Another inspection result of the fourth inspection control scheme in the method according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0019] Figure 8 Some inspection results of the fifth inspection control scheme in the method according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention are shown.

[0020] Fig. 9 Another inspection result of the fifth inspection control scheme in the method according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Fig.10 According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is shown in Figure 1 Flowchart of the method for the main side of the automatic framework.

[0022] Fig.11 According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is shown in Figure 1 Flowchart of the method on the client side of the automatic framework.

[0023] Fig.12 According to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 The user interface of the web-based portal in the ALDC control system is shown in FIG.

[0024] Reference numerals:

[0025] 10: Main Electronics

[0026] 11: Processing circuit

[0027] 11A:ALDC control system

[0028] 11B: Backend program module

[0029] 11E: Web-based portal

[0030] 12: User input / output device

[0031] 13: Storage device

[0032] 14: Program Code

[0033] 110: Client electronic device

[0034] 111: Processing circuit

[0035] 112: User IO device

[0036] 113: Storage device

[0037] 114: Program Code

[0038] 120: Client electronic device

[0039] 121: Processing circuit

[0040] 122: User IO device

[0041] 123: Storage device

[0042] 124:Program code

[0043] 211: Check results

[0044] 221: Check results

[0045] 222: Check results

[0046] 231: Check results

[0047] 311: Check results

[0048] 321: Check results

[0049] 331: Check results

[0050] 411: Check result

[0051] 421: Check results

[0052] 431: Check results

[0053] 441: Check results

[0054] 442: Check results

[0055] 451: Check results

[0056] 452: Check results

[0057] 611: Layout

[0058] 612: Check results

[0059] 621: Layout

[0060] 622: Check results

[0061] 631:Layout

[0062] 632: Check results

[0063] 711: Layout

[0064] 712: Check results

[0065] 721:Layout

[0066] 722: Check results

[0067] 731:Layout

[0068] 732: Check results

[0069] 811: Check results

[0070] 821: Check results

[0071] 822: Check results

[0072] 831: Check results

[0073] 1200: User interface

[0074] S11: Steps

[0075] S12: Steps

[0076] S13: Steps

[0077] S21: Steps

[0078] S22: Steps DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0079] Certain terms are used in the following description and claims that refer to specific components. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, electronic device manufacturers may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that have different names but the same function. In the following description and claims, the terms "including" and "comprising" are used in an open-ended manner and should be interpreted as "including, but not limited to...". In addition, the term "connected" is intended to mean an indirect or direct electrical connection. Therefore, if one device is connected to another device, the connection may be through a direct electrical connection, or an indirect electrical connection through other devices and connections.

[0080] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the operation of an automatic framework based on an ALDC control method for executing a related circuit design according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the automatic framework may include an ALDC control system 11A and at least one plug-in tool corresponding to the ALDC control system 11A, and the ALDC control system 11A may include a set of main program modules, such as a web-based portal 11E and at least one backend program module (e.g., one or more backend program modules), which may be collectively referred to as backend program modules 11B. For better understanding, the automatic framework may be implemented by a plurality of program modules running on a plurality of electronic devices, and these plurality of electronic devices may include a main electronic device 10 and a plurality of client electronic devices, such as client electronic devices 110, 120, etc. As Figure 1As shown, the main electronic device 10 may include a processing circuit 11, at least one user input / output (IO) device, such as a user IO device 12 (abbreviated as "user IO") and at least one storage device, such as a storage device 13 (abbreviated as "storage"). In addition, the client electronic device 110 may include a processing circuit 111, at least one user I / O device, such as a user IO device 112 (abbreviated as "user IO") and at least one storage device, such as a storage device 113 (abbreviated as "storage"); the client electronic device 120 may include a processing circuit 121, at least one user I / O device, such as a user IO device 122 (abbreviated as "user IO") and at least one storage device, such as a storage device 123 (abbreviated as "storage"), and the rest can be deduced by analogy.

[0081] The ALDC control system 11A includes a set of main program modules (e.g., a web-based portal 11E and a backend program module 11B) that can be run on the processing circuit 11 to control the operation of the main electronic device 10. For example, a computer readable medium related to the method, such as a storage device 13, can be configured to store a program code 14 that, when executed by the processing circuit 11, causes the processing circuit 11 to operate according to the method, and the program code 14 can be loaded onto the processing circuit 11 to become (or become) the ALDC control system 11A running on the processing circuit 11. In addition, a first set of client program modules, such as a first web browser, a first layout tool, and a first plug-in tool corresponding to the ALDC control system 11A (e.g., a first plug-in tool installed on the first layout tool) can be run on the processing circuit 111 to control the operation of the client electronic device 110. For example, a computer readable medium related to the method, such as storage device 113, may be configured to store a program code 114, which, when executed by processing circuit 111, causes processing circuit 111 to operate according to the method, and program code 114 may be loaded onto processing circuit 111 to become (or become) a first set of client program modules (e.g., a first web browser, a first layout tool, and a first plug-in tool) running on processing circuit 111. Similarly, a second set of client program modules, such as a second web browser, a second layout tool, and a second plug-in tool corresponding to ALDC control system 11A (e.g., a second plug-in tool installed on the second layout tool) may run on processing circuit 121 to control the operation of client electronic device 120. For example, a computer-readable medium related to the method, such as storage device 123, may be configured to store a program code 124, which, when executed by processing circuit 121, causes processing circuit 121 to operate according to the method, and program code 124 may be loaded onto processing circuit 121 to become (or become) a second set of client program modules (e.g., a second web browser, a second layout tool, and a second plug-in tool) running on processing circuit 121. The same may be said about other client electronic devices in the plurality of client electronic devices.

[0082] exist Figure 1In the illustrated architecture, web browsers running on multiple client electronic devices, such as the first web browser, the second web browser, etc., may be multiple duplicate versions of the same web browser (or its program product), and layout tools running on multiple client electronic devices, such as the first layout tool, the second layout tool, etc., may be multiple duplicate versions of the same layout tool (or its program product), and plug-in tools running on multiple client electronic devices, such as the first plug-in tool, the second plug-in tool, etc., may be multiple duplicate versions of the same plug-in tool (or its program product) corresponding to the ALDC control system 11A, but the present invention is not limited thereto. According to some embodiments, the web browser, layout tool and / or plug-in tool may vary according to the multiple client electronic devices, for example, depending on the corresponding operating systems (OS) of the multiple client electronic devices.

[0083] Regarding the main side of the automatic framework, the processing circuit 11 in the main electronic device 10 can operate according to the method, and the related operations may include:

[0084] (1) the processing circuit 11 may provide a web-based portal 11E in the ALDC control system 11A running on the processing circuit 11, for any user among a plurality of users to upload at least one layout file of a packaging substrate design of at least one packaging substrate (e.g., one or more packaging substrates) to the ALDC control system 11A, so as to obtain at least the layout file from a client electronic device (e.g., any one of a plurality of client electronic devices) through the web-based portal 11E;

[0085] (2) the processing circuit 11 may utilize the aforementioned at least one backend program module, such as the backend program module 11B in the ALDC control system 11A, to check the layout file according to a plurality of predetermined layout defect check rules to generate at least one check result (e.g., one or more check results), and create a layout defect check report of the package substrate design for downloading by any of the aforementioned users, wherein the layout defect check report may carry the aforementioned at least one check result, used to indicate whether any of the plurality of predetermined layout defects occurs in the layout file; and

[0086] (3) The processing circuit 11 may send a layout defect inspection report corresponding to the layout file to the client electronic device, so that the client electronic device indicates at least one defect location (for example, one or more defect locations) of at least one layout defect in the package substrate design through the display device of the client electronic device; wherein the client electronic device, such as any one of the client electronic devices 110, 120, etc., may be connected to the main electronic device 10 to allow any of the aforementioned users to upload the layout file. In addition, the layout defect inspection report may be a text format report, more specifically, a text file or any other file prepared in a predetermined text format, as long as it does not hinder the implementation of the present invention, allowing any of the aforementioned users to read the layout defect inspection report directly from the display device of the client electronic device, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the layout defect inspection report may be prepared in any other format instead of the predetermined text format. In addition, if any of the aforementioned layout defects occurs in the layout file, the aforementioned at least one inspection result may include at least one of the aforementioned at least one layout defect and the aforementioned at least one defect location, such as the aforementioned at least one layout defect and / or the aforementioned at least one defect location; otherwise, the aforementioned at least one inspection result may include a no defect indication, which is used to indicate that no layout defect occurs in the layout file. For better understanding, the no-defect indication may be implemented by at least one predetermined text string (eg, a text string “no layout defects found” or any other text string), at least one predetermined symbol, an empty string, a null value, etc.

[0087] Regarding the client of the automatic framework, the processing circuit in the client electronic device (e.g., any one of the plurality of client electronic devices), such as the corresponding processing circuit in the processing circuits 111, 121, etc., may operate according to the method, and the related operations may include:

[0088] (1) the corresponding processing circuit can access the web-based portal 11E in the ALDC control system 11A running on the main electronic device 10 (or the processing circuit 11 therein), so that any user of the aforementioned multiple users can upload at least the layout file of the packaging substrate design of at least one packaging substrate to the ALDC control system 11A, so as to send at least the layout file from the client electronic device to the main electronic device 10 through the web portal 11E, wherein the aforementioned at least one backend program module, such as the backend program module 11B in the ALDC control system 11A, can be configured to check the layout file according to a plurality of predetermined layout defect inspection rules to generate the aforementioned at least one inspection result, and create a layout defect inspection report of the packaging substrate design for downloading by any of the aforementioned users; and

[0089] (2) the corresponding processing circuit can obtain a layout defect inspection report corresponding to the layout file from the host electronic device 10, so that the client electronic device indicates at least one defect location of at least one layout defect in the package substrate design through a display device of the client electronic device;

[0090] The plurality of client electronic devices, such as client electronic devices 110, 120, etc., can be connected to the main electronic device 10 to allow multiple users to upload multiple layout files respectively, and the layout file can be one of the multiple layout files. For example, when any of the aforementioned layout defects occurs in the layout file, the aforementioned at least one inspection result carried by the layout defect inspection report may include the aforementioned at least one layout defect and / or the aforementioned at least one defect location, and the corresponding processing circuit can refer to the layout defect inspection report to control the client electronic device to indicate the aforementioned at least one defect location through the display device. According to some embodiments, the layout defect inspection report can be configured to carry defect location information of the aforementioned at least one defect location.

[0091] According to certain embodiments, a plug-in utility corresponding to the ALDC control system 10A may be installed on a layout tool running on a client electronic device. More specifically, the main electronic device 10 (or the processing circuit 11 therein) may send a layout defect inspection report corresponding to a layout file to the client electronic device, so that the client electronic device displays the aforementioned at least one defect location on the layout view of the layout tool with the help of the plug-in utility, for any of the aforementioned users to read and locate the aforementioned at least one defect location. The client electronic device (or the corresponding processing circuit therein) running on the corresponding processing circuit under the control of the plug-in utility may obtain a layout defect inspection report corresponding to the layout file from the main electronic device 10, so that the client electronic device displays the aforementioned at least one defect location on the layout view of the layout tool with the help of the plug-in utility, for any of the aforementioned users to read and locate the aforementioned at least one defect location. The plug-in utility running on the client electronic device (or the corresponding processing circuit therein) may be configured to parse the layout defect inspection report so that the client electronic device displays the aforementioned at least one defect location on the layout view of the layout tool, for example, as will be shown in FIG. Figure 2 , Figure 3 ……as well as Fig. 9 As described in the embodiment shown in , the user is allowed to easily read and locate the aforementioned at least one defect position from the display device of the client electronic device.

[0092] Figure 2The present invention illustrates some inspection results 211, 221, 222 and 231 in the first inspection control scheme of the method according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein the inspection results 211, 221, 222 and 231 can be found by the ALDC control system 11A and displayed on the layout view of the layout tool with the help of Figure 1 For example, a first predetermined layout defect checking rule among a plurality of predetermined layout defect checking rules, such as rule #1, #2, etc., may focus on checking a vent hole located above a signal line, and more specifically, may include:

[0093] (Rule #1) Vents should not be located over signal lines.

[0094] In addition, a first checking operation of the operations of checking the layout file according to a plurality of predetermined layout defect checking rules (eg, checking operations {ChkOp(i)|i=1,2,...}) may include:

[0095] (ChkOp1) checking the layout file according to a first predetermined layout defect checking rule to determine whether any vent holes are located above any signal lines in the package substrate design;

[0096] The first predetermined layout defect among the plurality of predetermined layout defects may represent that any of the aforementioned vents are located above any of the aforementioned signal lines. For example, the first backend program module among the backend program modules 11B running on the processing circuit 11 may perform a first checking operation ChkOp1 to find out the vents that accidentally expose the underlying signal lines, and the related operations may include:

[0097] (ChkOp1(1)) The first backend module finds all vents on the GND net; and

[0098] (ChkOp1(2)) The first backend module may traverse the exhaust holes to check whether any underlying signal lines intersect the area of ​​the current hole.

[0099] exist Figure 2 In sub-figures (a), (b) and (c) of FIG. 1 , the inspection results 211 , 221 , 222 and 231 may be respectively configured to indicate some exhaust holes (represented by shading) located above the signal lines.

[0100] Figure 3 The following diagram depicts some inspection results 311, 321 and 331 in the second inspection control scheme of the method according to the second embodiment of the present invention, wherein the inspection results 311, 321 and 331 can be found by the ALDC control system 11A and with the help of Figure 1The plug-in tool shown in is indicated or displayed on the layout view of the layout tool. For example, the second predetermined layout defect checking rule of the plurality of predetermined layout defect checking rules, such as rules #1, #2, etc., may focus on checking the vent hole located above the signal isolation pad area, and more specifically, may include:

[0101] (Rule #2) Vents should not be positioned over the signal isolation pad area.

[0102] Furthermore, a second checking operation (eg, checking operation {ChkOp(i)|i=1,2,...}) in the operation of checking the layout file according to a plurality of predetermined layout defect checking rules may include:

[0103] (ChkOp2) checking the layout file according to a second predetermined layout defect checking rule to determine whether there are any vent holes located above any signal isolation pad area in the package substrate design;

[0104] The second predetermined layout defect among the plurality of predetermined layout defects may represent any of the vent holes located above any of the signal isolation pad regions. For example, the second backend program module in the backend program module 11B running on the processing circuit 11 may perform a second checking operation ChkOp2 to find out the vent holes accidentally located in the signal isolation pad region. The related operations may include:

[0105] (ChkOp2(1)) The second backend module finds all route keepout / keepout (or pad) shapes; and

[0106] (ChkOp2(2)) The second backend module may traverse the pads to check if any vents intersect the area of ​​the current pad.

[0107] exist Figure 3 In sub-figures (a), (b) and (c) of FIG. 1 , inspection results 311 , 321 and 331 may be respectively configured to indicate some vents (represented by squares) located above the signal isolation pad area.

[0108] Figure 4 Some inspection results 411, 421 and 431 in the third inspection control scheme of the method according to the third embodiment of the present invention are depicted, wherein the inspection results 411, 421 and 431 can be found by the ALDC control system 11A and with the help of Figure 1 The plug-in tool shown in the figure is indicated or displayed on the layout view of the layout tool. For example, a third predetermined layout defect check rule of the plurality of predetermined layout defect check rules, such as rules #1, #2, etc., may focus on checking stitching vias along a differential pair, and more specifically, may include:

[0109] (Rule #3) The arrangement of stitching vias along the differential pairs should not be irregular.

[0110] Furthermore, a third checking operation (eg, checking operation {ChkOp(i)|i=1,2,...}) in the operation of checking the layout file according to a plurality of predetermined layout defect checking rules may include

[0111] (ChkOp3) checking the layout file according to a third predetermined layout defect checking rule to determine whether there are any irregular stitching via arrangements along any differential pairs in the package substrate design;

[0112] The third predetermined layout defect among the plurality of predetermined layout defects may represent any irregular stitching via arrangement along any of the above differential pairs. For example, the third backend program module among the backend program modules 11B running on the processing circuit 11 may perform a third checking operation ChkOp3 to find out whether the distance between any two adjacent vias is too long and whether there are any missing stitching vias. The related operations may include:

[0113] (ChkOp3(1)) The third backend module finds all signal line objects for differential pair nets; and

[0114] (ChkOp3(2)) For each line segment, the third backend module can perform the following operations:

[0115] (ChkOp3(2)_1) Search for the stitching via from the start point of the signal line;

[0116] (ChkOp3(2)_2) Move to the next search box based on the slope and / or direction of the current line segment and record each through-hole found; and

[0117] (ChkOp3(2)_3) If the distance Distance(Current_Via, Previous_Via) between the current through hole Current_Via and the previous through hole Previous_Via is greater than a predetermined distance threshold, such as a user given threshold User_Given_Threshold, then report that the distance Distance(Current_Via, Previous_Via) is too long, and / or report that one or more through holes are missing when no through hole is found in the user given threshold User_Given_Threshold.

[0118] exist Figure 4In sub-figures (a), (b) and (c), inspection results 411, 421 and 431 can be configured to indicate that the distance Distance(Current_Via, Previous_Via) is too long, and / or indicate some missing stitching vias (indicated by shading) along the differential pairs, respectively.

[0119] Figure 5 Some other inspection results 441, 442, 451 and 452 in the third inspection control scheme of the method according to the third embodiment of the present invention are depicted, wherein the inspection results 441, 442, 451 and 452 can be found by the ALDC control system 11A and with the help of Figure 1 The plug-in tools shown in are indicated or displayed on the layout view of the layout tool. Figure 5 In sub-figures (a) and (b), inspection results 441, 442, 451 and 452 can be configured to indicate that the distance Distance(Current_Via, Previous_Via) is too long, and / or indicate some missing stitching vias (indicated by shading) along the differential pairs, respectively.

[0120] Figure 6 The fourth embodiment of the method of the present invention depicts a check result 632 in the fourth check control scheme, wherein the check result 632 can be found by the ALDC control system 11A and by means of Figure 1 The plug-in tool shown in the layout tool is indicated or displayed on the layout view of the layout tool. For example, the at least one package substrate may include multiple package substrates, and the fourth predetermined layout defect inspection rule of the multiple predetermined layout defect inspection rules, such as rules #1, #2, etc., may focus on inspecting irregular chip partition patterns, and more specifically, may include:

[0121] (Rule #4) Any chip partition pattern among the plurality of chip partition patterns respectively corresponding to the plurality of package substrates should not be an irregular chip partition pattern.

[0122] Furthermore, a fourth checking operation (eg, checking operation {ChkOp(i)|i=1, 2, ...}) in the operation of checking the layout file according to a plurality of predetermined layout defect checking rules may include:

[0123] (ChkOp4) checking the layout file according to a fourth predetermined layout defect check rule to determine whether there is any irregular chip partition pattern among the plurality of chip partition patterns in the package substrate design;

[0124] The fourth predetermined layout defect may represent any irregular chip partition pattern among the plurality of chip partition patterns. For example, the fourth backend program module in the backend program module 11B running in the processing circuit 11 may perform a fourth check operation ChkOp4 to check whether the chip region intellectual property (IP) has the same layout style and components. The related operations may include:

[0125] (ChkOp4(1)) The fourth backend module can create golden patterns of user-selected IPs;

[0126] (ChkOp4(2)) The fourth backend program module can locate the target pattern, more specifically, compare with a corresponding golden pattern in the golden pattern to check whether they are the same in terms of components (or parts) such as through holes, pins, signal lines, etc.; and

[0127] (ChkOp4(3)) When an irregular component is found, the fourth backend program module can place an error mark at the relevant position.

[0128] like Figure 6 As shown, layouts 611, 621, and 631 may represent layouts of some of the plurality of package substrates, where some other layouts may be omitted for simplicity. Ideally, layouts 611, 621, and 631 should be identical to each other. Figure 6 In the actual situation shown, the inspection results 612 and 622 of the partial layouts corresponding to the layouts 611 and 621 can be configured to indicate that there are no layout defects in the corresponding partial layouts, while the inspection result 632 of the partial layout corresponding to the layout 631 can be configured to indicate that there are layout defects of irregular chip partition patterns in the corresponding partial layouts, such as missing line segments.

[0129] Figure 7 Another inspection result 722 of the fourth inspection control scheme in the method according to the fourth embodiment is shown, wherein the inspection result 722 can be found by the ALDC control system 11A and displayed on the layout view of the layout tool with the help of Figure 1 The plug-in tool shown displays or indicates. Figure 7 As shown, layouts 711, 721, and 731 may represent layouts of some of the plurality of package substrates. Ideally, layouts 711, 721, and 731 should be identical to each other. Figure 7In the actual situation shown, the inspection results 712 and 732 of the partial layouts corresponding to the layouts 711 and 631 can be configured to indicate that there are no layout defects in the corresponding partial layouts, while the inspection result 722 of the partial layout corresponding to the layout 721 can be configured to indicate that there are layout defects of irregular chip partition patterns in the corresponding partial layouts, such as missing through-holes.

[0130] Figure 8 Some inspection results 811, 821 and 822 of the fifth inspection control scheme in the method according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention are shown, wherein the inspection results 811, 821 and 822 can be found by the ALDC control system 11A and displayed on the layout view of the layout tool with the help of Figure 1 The plug-in tool shown displays or indicates. For example, a fifth predetermined layout defect check rule among a plurality of predetermined layout defect check rules such as rules #1, #2, etc. may focus on checking irregular BGA via patterns, and more specifically, may include:

[0131] (Rule #5) The BGA via pattern of the surrounding vias in the BGA area should not be an irregular BGA via pattern.

[0132] Furthermore, a fifth checking operation in the operation of checking the layout file according to a plurality of predetermined layout defect checking rules (eg, checking operation {ChkOp(i)|i=1, 2, ...}) may include:

[0133] (ChkOp5) checking the layout file according to a fifth predetermined layout defect check rule to determine whether there is an irregular BGA via pattern of surrounding vias in any BGA area in the package substrate design;

[0134] The fifth predetermined layout defect may represent a BGA through-hole pattern of any irregular surrounding through-holes of any BGA region. For example, a fifth back-end program module in the back-end program module 11B running in the processing circuit 11 may perform a fifth checking operation ChkOp5 to check whether one surrounding through-hole in a group of surrounding through-holes in the BGA region has the same layout style as other surrounding through-holes in the group of surrounding through-holes. The related operations may include:

[0135] (ChkOp5(1)) A fifth backend module may create a golden via pattern for a user selected network; and

[0136] (ChkOp5(2)) The fifth backend program module can locate the target pattern, more specifically, check whether the through holes are the same in attributes (or characteristics) such as quantity, location, network name, etc. compared with a corresponding golden pattern in the golden pattern.

[0137] exist Figure 8In sub-figures (a) and (b), inspection results 811, 821, and 822 may be configured to indicate some irregular BGA via patterns (or peripheral vias irregularly placed in the BGA area), respectively.

[0138] Fig. 9 Another inspection result 831 of the fifth inspection control scheme in the method according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein the inspection result 831 can be found by the ALDC control system 11A and displayed on the layout view of the layout tool with the help of Figure 1 The plug-in tool shown displays or indicates. Fig. 9 As shown, inspection result 831 may be configured to indicate an irregular BGA via pattern (or irregularly located peripheral vias in a BGA area).

[0139] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a method for automatically framing the main side according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method can be applied to the processing circuit 11 in the main electronic device 10 .

[0140] In step S11, the processing circuit 11 may provide a web-based portal 11E in the ALDC control system 11A running on the processing circuit 11, for a user among multiple users (e.g., any of the above-mentioned users) to upload at least one layout file of a packaging substrate design of at least one packaging substrate (e.g., one or more packaging substrates) to the ALDC control system 11A, so as to obtain at least the layout file from a client electronic device (e.g., any of the above-mentioned multiple client electronic devices) through the web-based portal 11E.

[0141] In step S12, the processing circuit 11 may utilize at least one of the above-mentioned back-end program modules, such as the back-end program module 11B in the ALDC control system 11A, to check the layout file (e.g., the layout file just uploaded in step S11) according to multiple predetermined layout defect inspection rules to generate at least one inspection result (e.g., one or more inspection results), and create a layout defect inspection report for the package substrate design, such as the above-mentioned layout defect inspection report, for downloading by a user (e.g., any of the above-mentioned users), wherein the layout defect inspection report may carry the above-mentioned at least one inspection result to indicate whether any of the multiple predetermined layout defects occurs in the layout file.

[0142] In step S13, the processing circuit 11 may send a layout defect inspection report corresponding to the layout file (e.g., the layout defect inspection report just created in step S12) to the client electronic device, so that the client electronic device indicates at least one defect location (e.g., one or more defect locations) of at least one layout defect in the package substrate design through a display device of the client electronic device. For the sake of brevity, similar descriptions of this embodiment are not repeated in detail here.

[0143] For a better understanding, the method can be used Fig.10 The workflow shown in FIG. 1 is used to illustrate the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. According to some embodiments, Fig.10 One or more steps may be added, deleted or modified in the workflow shown. For example, the package substrate design mentioned in steps S11, S12 and S13, the user mentioned in steps S11 and S12, and the client electronic device mentioned in steps S11 and S13 may be changed as Fig.10 For the sake of brevity, similar descriptions of these embodiments are not repeated in detail here.

[0144] Fig.11 is a flow chart of a method of an automatic framework client according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the method can be applied to a processing circuit in a client electronic device (e.g., any of the aforementioned client electronic devices) among multiple client electronic devices, and more specifically, can be applied to a processing circuit in the client electronic device mentioned in step S11, such as the corresponding processing circuit mentioned above, and Fig.11 The operations of step S21 and step S22 shown in FIG. Fig.10 The operations of steps S11 and S12 and step S13 are shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0145] In step S21, the processing circuit, such as the corresponding processing circuit, can access the web-based portal 11E in the ALDC control system 11A running on the main electronic device 10 (or the processing circuit 11 therein), so that a user (for example, any of the aforementioned users) can upload a layout file of a packaging substrate design of at least one packaging substrate among multiple users to the ALDC control system 11A, so as to send at least the layout file from the client electronic device to the main electronic device 10 through the web-based portal 11E, wherein at least one of the aforementioned back-end program modules, such as the back-end program module 11B in the ALDC control system 11A, can be configured to check the layout file according to multiple predetermined layout defect inspection rules to generate at least one of the aforementioned inspection results, and create a layout defect inspection report of the packaging substrate design for the user to download.

[0146] In step S22, the processing circuit, such as the corresponding processing circuit, can obtain a layout defect inspection report corresponding to the layout file (e.g., the layout defect inspection report mentioned in step S21) from the main electronic device 10, so that the client electronic device indicates the aforementioned at least one defect location of the aforementioned at least one layout defect in the package substrate design through the display device of the client electronic device. For the sake of brevity, similar descriptions of this embodiment are not repeated in detail here.

[0147] For a better understanding, the method can be used Fig.11 The workflow shown in FIG. 1 is used to illustrate the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. According to some embodiments, Fig.11 One or more steps may be added, deleted or modified in the workflow shown. For example, the package substrate design mentioned in steps S21 and S22, the user mentioned in step S21, and the client electronic device mentioned in steps S21 and S22 may be changed as Fig.11 For the sake of brevity, similar descriptions of these embodiments are not repeated in detail here.

[0148] According to some embodiments, the main electronic device 10 may be configured to provide a web-based portal 11E in the ALDC control system 11A running on the processing circuit 10, so that any user mentioned above can upload the inspection related information about the inspection layout file to the ALDC control system 11A, so as to obtain the inspection related information from the client electronic device through the web-based portal 11E. For example, the inspection related information may include rule information of multiple predetermined layout defect inspection rules (e.g., rules #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5), allowing relevant personnel (e.g., the system administrator of the ALDC control system 11A and / or one or more of the multiple users) to define the layout inspection target into the multiple predetermined layout defect inspection rules, wherein each of the multiple predetermined layout defect inspection rules may be implemented as or through a Cadence SKILL program in the aforementioned at least one backend program module (or at least one backend program), such as the backend program module 11B, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In some examples, the inspection related information may include at least one design rule option about the multiple predetermined layout defect inspection rules, for selectively enabling or disabling any of the multiple predetermined layout defect inspection rules. In addition, the aforementioned at least one backend program module (or at least one backend program), such as the backend program module 11B, can be run on Cadence Allegro, and the ALDC control system 11A can utilize tool built-in functions and / or application programming interfaces (APIs) to extract target layout components, such as vias, nets, signal lines, etc. The ALDC control system 11A can be configured to establish relevant data structures and execute relevant algorithms on the layout components to be checked, so as to write one or more layout defect inspection reports (e.g., text reports) corresponding to one or more layout files as output data for access by multiple client electronic devices such as the client electronic devices 110, 120, etc.

[0149] Fig.12 According to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 11A shows a user interface 1200 of a web-based portal 11E in an ALDC control system 11A. For example, the user interface 1200 may include at least one window, such as a main window labeled “ASICSubstrate DRC”, for performing ALDC, such as substrate design rule checking (DRC) of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In the upper right portion of the main window, there is a question (or help) icon labeled “?”, which is described as “performing substrate DRC on SiP designed with ASIC”, for the user to call the question (or help) window to display relevant information of the ALDC control system 11A to obtain help. Fig.12 As shown, the user interface 1200 may include multiple fields in the main window (e.g., status, file description, owner, latest data, uploader, notes, upload and history fields), as well as related records, such as ASIC substrate system package (system in package, referred to as SiP), ASIC substrate DRC rules, ASIC substrate DRC results, etc. In addition, the user interface 1200 may include some virtual buttons (e.g., "Upload" and "Execute: Execute Substrate DRC" buttons) for executing the corresponding functions indicated by their names. For the sake of brevity, similar descriptions of this embodiment will not be repeated in detail here.

[0150] In the above embodiment, the main electronic device 10 may be implemented by a server, such as an enterprise-level computer capable of providing special functions and services to users through at least one network, and a plurality of client electronic devices, such as the client electronic devices 110, 120, etc., may be implemented by a personal computer (PC), such as a desktop computer and a notebook computer, wherein any processing circuit, such as the processing circuits 11, 111, 121, etc., may be implemented by at least one processor / microprocessor, at least one random access memory (RAM), at least one bus, etc., any user IO device, such as the user IO device 12, 112, 122, etc., may be implemented by a keyboard, a mouse, at least one display device (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor), etc., and any storage device, such as the storage device 13, 113, 123, etc., may be implemented by at least one hard disk drive (HDD), at least one solid state drive (SSD), etc. For example, the display device mentioned in steps S13 and S22 may be implemented by at least one LCD monitor.

[0151] Those skilled in the art will immediately observe that many modifications and variations can be made to the apparatus and method while retaining the invention. Therefore, the above disclosure should be limited only by the scope and metes and bounds of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automatic layout defect inspection control method, characterized in that: The method is applicable to a processing circuit in a host electronic device, and the method comprises: providing a web-based portal in the ALDC control system running on the processing circuit for any user of a plurality of users to upload a layout file of at least one package substrate design to the ALDC control system so as to obtain at least the layout file from the client electronic device through the web-based portal; Using at least one backend program module in the ALDC control system, check the layout file according to a plurality of predetermined layout defect inspection rules to generate at least one inspection result, and create a layout defect inspection report of the package substrate design for downloading by any user, wherein the layout defect inspection report carries the at least one inspection result for indicating whether any layout defect among a plurality of predetermined layout defects occurs in the layout file; and The layout defect inspection report corresponding to the layout file is sent to the client electronic device, so that the client electronic device indicates at least one defect location of at least one layout defect in the packaging substrate design through a display device of the client electronic device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The client electronic device is connected to the host electronic device to allow any user to upload the layout file.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that A plurality of client electronic devices are connected to the main electronic device to allow the plurality of users to upload a plurality of layout files respectively, and the layout file is one of the plurality of layout files.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that A plug-in tool corresponding to the ALDC control system is installed on the layout tool running on the client electronic device; and the main electronic device is configured to send the layout defect inspection report corresponding to the layout file to the client electronic device, so that the client electronic device displays the at least one defect location on the layout view of the layout tool with the help of the plug-in tool for any user to read and locate the at least one defect location.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The layout defect inspection report is a text format report; and the plug-in tool running on the client electronic device is configured to parse the layout defect inspection report so that the client electronic device displays the at least one defect location on the layout view of the layout tool.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first predetermined layout defect check rule among the multiple predetermined layout defect check rules includes that the vent hole should not be positioned above the signal line; and the first inspection operation in the operation of checking the layout file according to the multiple predetermined layout defect check rules includes checking the layout file according to the first predetermined layout defect check rule to determine whether there is any vent hole positioned above any signal line in the packaging substrate design, wherein the first predetermined layout defect among the multiple predetermined layout defects represents that any vent hole is positioned above any signal line.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that A second predetermined layout defect check rule among the multiple predetermined layout defect check rules includes that the vent hole should not be positioned above the signal isolation pad area; and a second inspection operation in the operation of checking the layout file according to the multiple predetermined layout defect check rules includes checking the layout file according to the second predetermined layout defect check rule to determine whether there is any vent hole positioned above any signal isolation pad area in the packaging substrate design, wherein the second predetermined layout defect among the multiple predetermined layout defects represents that any vent hole is positioned above any signal isolation pad area.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that A third predetermined layout defect check rule among the multiple predetermined layout defect check rules includes that the stitching vias along the differential pairs should not be arranged irregularly; and a third inspection operation in the operation of checking the layout file according to the multiple predetermined layout defect check rules includes checking the layout file according to the third predetermined layout defect check rule to determine whether there is any irregular arrangement of stitching vias along any differential pair in the package substrate design, wherein the third predetermined layout defect among the multiple predetermined layout defects represents the irregular arrangement of stitching vias along any differential pair.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The at least one packaging substrate includes multiple packaging substrates; a fourth predetermined layout defect inspection rule among the multiple predetermined layout defect inspection rules includes that any chip partition pattern among the multiple chip partition patterns corresponding to the multiple packaging substrates respectively cannot be an irregular chip partition pattern; and a fourth inspection operation in the operation of checking the layout file according to the multiple predetermined layout defect inspection rules includes checking the layout file according to the fourth predetermined layout defect inspection rule to determine whether there are any irregular chip partition patterns in the packaging substrate design, wherein the fourth predetermined layout defect among the multiple predetermined layout defects represents any irregular chip partition pattern among the multiple chip partition patterns.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that A fifth predetermined layout defect check rule includes in the multiple predetermined layout defect check rules: the BGA through-hole pattern of the surrounding through-holes in the BGA area of ​​the ball grid array package should not be an irregular BGA through-hole pattern; and a fifth inspection operation in the operation of checking the layout file according to the multiple predetermined layout defect check rules includes checking the layout file according to the fifth predetermined layout defect check rule to determine whether there are any irregular BGA through-hole patterns of surrounding through-holes in any BGA area in the package substrate design, wherein a fifth predetermined layout defect represents in the multiple predetermined layout defects any irregular BGA through-hole pattern of the surrounding through-holes of the any BGA area.

11. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The main electronic device is configured to provide the web-based portal in the ALDC control system running on the processing circuit so that any user can upload the inspection-related information of the layout file to the ALDC control system to obtain the inspection-related information from the client electronic device through the web-based portal.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The check-related information includes at least one design rule option related to the plurality of predetermined layout defect check rules, for selectively enabling or disabling any predetermined layout defect check rule among the plurality of predetermined layout defect check rules.

13. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that If any layout defect occurs in the layout file, the at least one inspection result includes at least one of the at least one layout defect and the at least one defect position; otherwise, the at least one inspection result includes a no-defect indication indicating that no layout defect occurs in the layout file.

14. An apparatus for operating according to the method of claim 1, characterized in that The device includes at least the processing circuit within the host electronic device.

15. A computer readable medium associated with the method of claim 1, characterized in that: The computer readable medium stores a program code which, when executed by the processing circuit, causes the processing circuit to operate according to the method.

16. An automatic layout defect inspection control method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a processing circuit within a client electronic device, and the method includes: accessing a web-based portal in an ALDC control system running on a main electronic device so that any user among multiple users can upload at least one layout file of a packaging substrate design of at least one packaging substrate to the ALDC control system, so as to send the at least one layout file from the client electronic device to the main electronic device through the web-based portal, wherein at least one back-end program module in the ALDC control system is configured to check the at least one layout file according to multiple predetermined layout defect inspection rules to generate at least one inspection result, and create a layout defect inspection report of the packaging substrate design for download by any user, wherein the layout defect inspection report carries the at least one inspection result for indicating whether any layout defect among multiple predetermined layout defects occurs in the layout file; and obtaining the layout defect inspection report corresponding to the layout file from the main electronic device, so that the client electronic device indicates at least one defect location of at least one layout defect of the packaging substrate design through the display device of the client electronic device.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that A plug-in utility corresponding to the ALDC control system is installed on a layout tool running on the client electronic device; and the client electronic device is configured to obtain the layout defect inspection report corresponding to the layout file from the main electronic device, so that the client electronic device can display the at least one defect location on the layout view of the layout tool with the help of the plug-in utility for any user to read and locate the at least one defect location.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The layout defect inspection report is a text format report; and the plug-in utility running on the client electronic device is configured to parse the layout defect inspection report so that the client electronic device displays the at least one defect location on the layout view of the layout tool.

19. An apparatus for operating according to the method of claim 16, characterized in that The device includes at least the processing circuit within the client electronic device.

20. A computer readable medium associated with the method of claim 16, wherein: The computer readable medium stores a program code which, when executed by the processing circuit, causes the processing circuit to operate according to the method.

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