Via pattern layout correction method, device and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The application relates to a via pattern layout correction method and device and a computer readable storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: obtaining an original via pattern layout, wherein the original via pattern layout comprises at least one via pattern, and the via pattern comprises at least one edge to be corrected; obtaining feature information of the edge to be corrected of the via pattern, calculating a correction direction and an initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected; generating an initial correction via pattern layout based on the correction direction and the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected; and performing re-correction on the initial correction via pattern layout, and outputting a correction via pattern layout after a plurality of cycles of optical proximity correction iterative calculation meet a preset condition. According to the method, the correction direction and the initial correction amount of each edge of the via pattern are predicted based on the distribution of patterns around the via pattern, and then the initial correction amount is used as an initial value for a plurality of cycles of optical proximity correction iterative calculation, so that the operation time of optical proximity correction is greatly saved, and the correction efficiency is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, in particular to a via pattern layout correction method and device and a computer readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a photolithography process, the pattern on a mask is projected onto photoresist by an exposure system, but when the pattern on the mask is close to the exposure wavelength, the pattern on the photoresist will not be consistent with the pattern on the mask due to the imperfection of the optical system and the diffraction effect, which is called optical proximity effect (OPE). In order to correct the optical proximity effect, the pattern on the mask needs to be corrected by optical proximity correction (OPC).

[0003] In the existing model-based optical proximity algorithm, each edge of the pattern is first cut into different line segments according to certain rules, and then evaluation points for calculating edge placement error (EPE) are placed in each line segment. The total sum of the squares of the edge placement errors EPE of the evaluation points of the pattern is converged to a certain threshold value or the number of cycles reaches the upper limit, and then the correction cycle ends. In the correction cycle, the initial value of each line segment is usually zero, so many cycles are often needed to converge, and even the situation of not converging may occur.

[0004] In the optical proximity correction method of the via layer, the four edges of the via pattern correspond to four evaluation points, and the total sum of the squares of the edge placement errors EPE of the four evaluation points is converged to a certain threshold value or the number of cycles reaches the upper limit, and then the correction cycle ends. However, since the influence of other via patterns around the via pattern needs to be considered in the process of optical proximity correction of the via pattern, the number of convergence cycles is greatly increased, and the operation time of optical proximity correction is increased, which will cause the problem of low correction efficiency of optical proximity correction.

[0005] In the existing optical proximity correction method of the via layer, there is a method of presetting initial correction parameters (including correction direction and correction amount value) of each edge of the via layer, but the initial correction parameters of each edge of the via layer need to be obtained based on the simulation results of the photolithography model or actual measurement data; there is also a method of simply judging the distance between via patterns, which is easy to make wrong judgment results when the via pattern layout is very complex, which increases the correction cycle and increases the operation time. SUMMARY

[0006] The embodiment of the present application provides a via pattern layout correction method, device and computer readable storage medium, so as to improve the correction efficiency of optical proximity correction of via patterns on a mask.

[0007] The embodiment of the present application provides a via pattern layout correction method, comprising:

[0008] Obtaining an original via pattern layout, wherein the original via pattern layout comprises at least one via pattern, and the via pattern comprises at least one edge to be corrected;

[0009] Obtaining feature information of the edge to be corrected of the via pattern, calculating a correction direction and an initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected, wherein the feature information comprises a length of the edge to be corrected, and / or a spacing between the edge to be corrected and an adjacent pattern, and / or a projection length of the edge to be corrected on the adjacent pattern, wherein the adjacent pattern is a pattern adjacent to the edge to be corrected in a target direction in the original via pattern layout, and the target direction is perpendicular to the length direction of the edge to be corrected;

[0010] Generating an initial correction via pattern layout based on the correction direction and the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected;

[0011] Re-correcting the initial correction via pattern layout, and outputting a correction via pattern layout after a plurality of cycles of iterative calculation of optical proximity correction meet a preset condition.

[0012] Further, the obtaining of the feature information of the edge to be corrected of the via pattern and the calculation of the correction direction and the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected comprise:

[0013] Obtaining the feature information of each edge to be corrected and calculating a correction influence factor of each edge to be corrected;

[0014] Determining a correction direction of each edge to be corrected according to the correction influence factor of each edge to be corrected;

[0015] Calculating an initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected based on the feature information.

[0016] Further, the correction influence factor a of the edge to be corrected is calculated according to the following formula:

[0017]

[0018] Wherein, n is the number of patterns adjacent to the edge to be corrected in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the edge to be corrected, Ln is the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the nth adjacent pattern, Sn is the spacing between the edge to be corrected and the nth adjacent pattern, and W is the length of the edge to be corrected.

[0019] Furthermore, the through-hole pattern is a square hole with a cross-section of a square or rectangle, and the four sides of the square or rectangle are the four sides to be corrected;

[0020] The step of determining the correction direction for each edge to be corrected based on its correction influence factor includes:

[0021] From the four edges to be corrected, determine the first edge to be corrected with the smallest correction influence factor, the second edge to be corrected that is parallel to the first edge to be corrected, and the third and fourth edges to be corrected, wherein the fourth edge to be corrected is parallel to the third edge to be corrected, and the correction influence factor of the third edge to be corrected is greater than or equal to the correction influence factor of the fourth edge to be corrected.

[0022] The correction directions of the first edge to be corrected and the second edge to be corrected are determined as the first preset correction direction, and the correction directions of the third edge to be corrected and the fourth edge to be corrected are determined as the second preset correction direction.

[0023] Further, calculating the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected based on the feature information includes:

[0024] Based on the feature information of the first edge to be corrected, the initial correction amount of the first edge to be corrected is determined, and the initial correction amount of the second edge to be corrected is equal to the initial correction amount of the first edge to be corrected.

[0025] Based on the feature information of the third edge to be corrected, the initial correction amount of the third edge to be corrected is determined, and the initial correction amount of the fourth edge to be corrected is equal to the initial correction amount of the third edge to be corrected.

[0026] Further, calculating the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected based on the feature information includes:

[0027] Based on the feature information, determine the maximum allowable correction amount and the target correction amount of the edge to be corrected;

[0028] The minimum value between the maximum allowable correction amount and the target correction amount is determined as the initial correction amount for the edge to be corrected.

[0029] Furthermore, the initial correction amount β of the edge to be corrected is calculated using the following formula:

[0030]

[0031] Where n is the number of graphics adjacent to the edge to be corrected along the length direction perpendicular to the edge to be corrected, Ln is the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the nth adjacent graphic, W is the length of the edge to be corrected, and K is a constant related to the process conditions.

[0032] Furthermore, the method for obtaining the constant K related to the process conditions includes:

[0033] Obtain the original historical through-hole pattern layout and the historical modified through-hole pattern layout;

[0034] Extract feature information of at least one historical through-hole pattern from the original historical through-hole pattern layout, and calculate the historical correction amount of the historical through-hole pattern;

[0035] Based on the feature information and historical correction amount of each historical through-hole pattern, a constant value related to process conditions is calculated for each historical through-hole pattern, wherein the constant K related to process conditions is the average value of all the constant values ​​related to process conditions.

[0036] This application embodiment also provides a through-hole pattern correction device, including:

[0037] The acquisition module is used to acquire an original through-hole pattern layout, the original through-hole pattern layout including at least one through-hole pattern, the through-hole pattern including at least one edge to be corrected; it is also used to acquire feature information of the edge to be corrected of the through-hole pattern, the feature information including the length of the edge to be corrected, and / or the distance between the edge to be corrected and an adjacent pattern, and / or the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the adjacent pattern, wherein the adjacent pattern is a pattern in the original through-hole pattern layout that is adjacent to the edge to be corrected along a target direction, the target direction being perpendicular to the length direction of the edge to be corrected;

[0038] The calculation module is used to calculate the correction direction and initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected based on the feature information of the edge to be corrected in the through hole pattern transmitted by the acquisition module.

[0039] The generation module is used to generate an initial corrected through-hole pattern layout based on the correction direction and initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected transmitted by the calculation module.

[0040] The correction module is used to further correct the initial corrected via pattern layout transmitted by the generation module. After multiple iterative calculations of optical proximity correction to meet preset conditions, the corrected via pattern layout is output.

[0041] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program adapted to be loaded by a processor to execute the above-described via pattern layout correction method.

[0042] The through-hole pattern correction method provided in this application first determines the initial correction amount and correction direction corresponding to each edge to be corrected based on the feature information of each edge to be corrected in the through-hole pattern, without the need for prediction through an optical model. Then, it performs multiple iterative calculations of optical proximity correction with the initial correction amount as the initial value until convergence. This ensures that the iterative calculation of optical proximity correction does not start from the initial value of zero, thereby reducing the number of iterations and computation time of optical proximity correction, improving the correction efficiency of optical proximity correction, and improving the problem of non-convergence. Attached Figure Description

[0043] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0044] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the method for correcting the through-hole pattern layout provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the original through-hole pattern layout provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0046] Figure 3 This is another schematic flowchart of the method for correcting the through-hole pattern layout provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0047] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the original through-hole pattern layout provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0048] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the operation of moving each edge to be corrected of the through hole pattern for the first time, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0049] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the through-hole pattern correction device provided in this application embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0050] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0051] In the following description, specific embodiments of this application will be illustrated with reference to steps and symbols performed by one or more computers, unless otherwise stated. Therefore, these steps and operations will be referred to several times as being performed by a computer, and computer execution as referred to herein includes operations by a computer processing unit representing electronic signals of data in a structured format. This operation transforms the data or maintains it at a location in the computer's memory system, which can be reconfigured or otherwise alter the operation of the computer in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. The data structure maintained by the data is the physical location of the memory, which has specific characteristics defined by the data format. However, the principles of this application are described in the foregoing text, which is not intended to be limiting, and those skilled in the art will understand that many of the steps and operations described below can also be implemented in hardware.

[0052] The terms "module" or "unit" as used herein can be considered as software objects executing on the computing system. The different components, modules, engines, and services described herein can be considered as implementation objects on the computing system. The apparatus and methods described herein are preferably implemented in software, but can also be implemented in hardware, both of which are within the scope of this application.

[0053] In the following description of this application, "some embodiments" are referred to, which describe a subset of all possible embodiments. However, it is understood that "some embodiments" may be the same subset or different subset of all possible embodiments, and may be combined with each other without conflict.

[0054] In the following description of this application, the terms "first, second, third" are used merely to distinguish similar objects and do not represent a specific ordering of objects. It is understood that "first, second, third" may be interchanged in a specific order or sequence where permitted, so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein.

[0055] Furthermore, the directional terms used in this application, such as [up], [down], [front], [back], [left], [right], [inside], [outside], and [side], are merely for reference to the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are for illustrative and interpretative purposes only, and not for limiting the scope of this application. In the various figures, structurally similar units are represented by the same reference numerals. For clarity, the various parts in the figures are not drawn to scale. Additionally, some well-known parts may not be shown in the figures.

[0056] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments of this application only and is not intended to limit this application.

[0057] This application provides a method for correcting the layout of through-hole patterns. First, based on the feature information of each edge to be corrected in the through-hole pattern, the initial correction amount and correction direction for each edge are determined. Then, using the initial correction amount as the initial value, multiple iterative calculations of optical proximity correction are performed until convergence. Compared to related optical proximity correction methods where the movement of each edge of the through-hole pattern in the first cycle (i.e., the initial correction amount) is usually zero, leading to the need for many cycles to converge, or even failure to converge, this application not only reduces the number of convergence cycles and computation time for optical proximity correction, thus improving its efficiency, but also addresses the convergence problem inherent in conventional optical proximity correction methods when correcting through-hole patterns. Compared to methods that predetermine initial correction parameters (including correction direction and correction amount) for each edge of the via layer, which require simulation results from a photolithography model or actual measurement data, the method in this application embodiment does not require prediction of the initial correction amount and correction direction for each edge of the via pattern to be corrected through an optical model. Furthermore, the method in this application embodiment is applicable even when the via pattern layout is very complex, and has high convergence accuracy.

[0058] The following detailed description is based on specific embodiments. It should be noted that the sequence numbers of the following embodiments are not intended to limit the preferred order of the embodiments.

[0059] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for correcting via pattern layout provided in this application. The method can be executed by a via pattern layout correction device and can be applied to scenarios where optical proximity correction is performed on an original via pattern layout (i.e., a via pattern layout requiring correction of optical proximity effect). Based on the feature information of each edge of the via pattern in the original via pattern layout (e.g., edge length, and / or the distance between the edge and its adjacent pattern, and / or the projection length of the edge on its adjacent pattern, etc.), the correction direction and initial correction amount of each edge of the via pattern are calculated. Multiple iterative calculations for optical proximity correction can be performed based on the correction direction and initial correction amount of each edge of the via pattern until convergence, resulting in a corrected via pattern layout (i.e., a via pattern layout corrected for optical proximity effect). The corrected via pattern layout can be used to fabricate a corresponding mask, and the via pattern in the corrected via pattern layout is consistent with the via pattern on the corresponding mask. The specific flow of this method is as follows:

[0060] S101. Obtain the original through-hole pattern layout, which includes at least one through-hole pattern and at least one edge to be corrected.

[0061] In this embodiment, the number of through-hole patterns included in the original through-hole pattern layout can be multiple. Specifically, the multiple through-hole patterns can have the same shape, for example, they can all be square holes (i.e., rectangular holes or square holes). Furthermore, the multiple through-hole patterns can also have the same or substantially the same size, that is, the multiple through-hole patterns can be completely identical or substantially identical.

[0062] Specifically, in the embodiment where the through-hole pattern in the original through-hole pattern layout is a square hole, a through-hole pattern can have four edges to be corrected, and each edge to be corrected can be one edge of a square hole.

[0063] Furthermore, for ease of understanding, the following will use... Figure 2 The following is a detailed explanation using the original through-hole pattern layout shown in diagram 20 as an example. Figure 2 As shown, the original through-hole pattern layout 20 includes three through-hole patterns (i.e., through-hole pattern 21, through-hole pattern 22 and through-hole pattern 23), wherein through-hole pattern 21, through-hole pattern 22 and through-hole pattern 23 each have four edges to be corrected.

[0064] S102. Obtain the feature information of the edge to be corrected in the through hole pattern, calculate the correction direction and initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected, the feature information includes the length of the edge to be corrected, and / or the distance between the edge to be corrected and the adjacent pattern, and / or the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the adjacent pattern, wherein the adjacent pattern is the pattern in the original through hole pattern layout that is adjacent to the edge to be corrected along the target direction, and the target direction is perpendicular to the length direction of the edge to be corrected.

[0065] For each edge to be corrected, the adjacent pattern refers to the pattern in the original through-hole pattern layout that is adjacent to the through-hole pattern to which the edge to be corrected belongs along the direction perpendicular to the edge to be corrected (i.e., the target direction); and the adjacent pattern of the edge to be corrected can specifically be other through-hole patterns in the original through-hole pattern layout besides the through-hole pattern to which the edge to be corrected belongs.

[0066] Specifically, for each edge to be corrected, when the edge to be corrected has adjacent graphics, the number of adjacent graphics of the edge to be corrected can be one or more. When the number of adjacent graphics of the edge to be corrected is multiple, the distance between the edge to be corrected and the adjacent graphics can include the distance between the edge to be corrected and each of its adjacent graphics. The projection length of the edge to be corrected on the adjacent graphics can include the projection length of the edge to be corrected on each of its adjacent graphics. The projection length of the edge to be corrected on each of its adjacent graphics can refer to the orthographic projection length of the edge to be corrected on the parallel edge of each of its adjacent graphics.

[0067] In some embodiments, such asFigure 3 As shown, the above S102 may include:

[0068] S1021. Obtain the feature information of each edge to be corrected, and calculate the correction influence factor of each edge to be corrected.

[0069] Specifically, for each edge of the through-hole pattern to be corrected in the original through-hole pattern layout, the smaller the correction influence factor of the edge to be corrected, the smaller the influence of the adjacent patterns on the edge to be corrected.

[0070] Furthermore, the inventors of this application discovered during long-term research and development that, for each edge to be corrected in the through-hole pattern of the original through-hole pattern layout, the longer the edge to be corrected, the smaller the influence of the adjacent pattern on the edge to be corrected; the larger the distance between the edge to be corrected and the adjacent pattern, the smaller the influence of the adjacent pattern on the edge to be corrected; and the longer the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the adjacent pattern, the greater the influence of the adjacent pattern on the edge to be corrected.

[0071] Therefore, in practical implementation, for each edge to be corrected in the original through-hole pattern layout, the feature information of the edge to be corrected may include the length of the edge to be corrected, the distance between the edge to be corrected and the adjacent pattern, and the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the adjacent pattern. Furthermore, the correction influence factor for each edge to be corrected can be calculated based on the length of each edge to be corrected, the distance between each edge to be corrected and the adjacent pattern, and the projection length of each edge to be corrected on the adjacent pattern.

[0072] In some specific embodiments, for each edge of the via pattern to be corrected in the original via pattern layout, the correction influence factor of the edge to be corrected can be calculated according to formula 1, wherein formula 1 is as follows:

[0073]

[0074] Where α is the correction influence factor of the edge to be corrected, n is the number of graphics (i.e., adjacent graphics) that are adjacent to the edge to be corrected along the length direction perpendicular to the edge to be corrected, Ln is the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the nth adjacent graphic, Sn is the distance between the edge to be corrected and the nth adjacent graphic, and W is the length of the edge to be corrected.

[0075] Furthermore, for ease of understanding, the following will use... Figure 2 The following is a detailed explanation using the original through-hole pattern layout shown in diagram 20 as an example. Figure 2As shown, the original via pattern layout 20 includes three via patterns (i.e., via pattern 21, via pattern 22, and via pattern 23), wherein via pattern 21 and via pattern 22 are patterns adjacent to the edge 231 of via pattern 23 to be corrected. Accordingly, the correction influence factor of the edge 231 to be corrected can be expressed as: Where L1 is the projection length of the edge 231 to be corrected on the through hole pattern 21, L2 is the projection length of the edge 231 to be corrected on the through hole pattern 22, S1 is the distance between the edge 231 to be corrected and the through hole pattern 21, S2 is the distance between the edge 231 to be corrected and the through hole pattern 22, and W is the length of the edge 231 to be corrected.

[0076] S1022. Determine the correction direction for each edge to be corrected based on its correction influence factor.

[0077] Specifically, for each edge of the through-hole pattern to be corrected in the original through-hole pattern layout, the correction direction of the edge to be corrected can be perpendicular to the length direction of the edge to be corrected, and can be a direction from inside the through-hole pattern to which the edge to be corrected belongs to the outside of the through-hole pattern to which the edge to be corrected belongs, or a direction from outside the through-hole pattern to which the edge to be corrected belongs to the inside of the through-hole pattern to which the edge to be corrected belongs.

[0078] In this embodiment, the through-hole pattern in the original through-hole pattern layout can be a square hole, and its cross-section can be a square or a rectangle (i.e., a rectangle), and the four sides of the square or rectangle can be four sides to be corrected. Furthermore, S1022 may include:

[0079] S1-1. From the four edges to be corrected, determine the first edge to be corrected with the smallest correction influence factor, the second edge to be corrected that is parallel to the first edge to be corrected, and the third and fourth edges to be corrected, wherein the fourth edge to be corrected is parallel to the third edge to be corrected, and the correction influence factor of the third edge to be corrected is greater than or equal to the correction influence factor of the fourth edge to be corrected.

[0080] The first edge to be corrected is one. Furthermore, when there are multiple edges (two or more) with the smallest correction influence factor among the four edges to be corrected in the through-hole pattern, one edge with the smallest correction influence factor can be randomly selected as the first edge to be corrected, either randomly or according to a preset rule.

[0081] S1-2. Determine the correction directions of the first and second edges to be corrected as the first preset correction directions, and the correction directions of the third and fourth edges to be corrected as the second preset correction directions.

[0082] The first preset correction direction can be a direction perpendicular to the edge to be corrected, pointing from inside the through-hole pattern to the outside of the through-hole pattern to which the edge to be corrected belongs. The second preset correction direction can be a direction perpendicular to the edge to be corrected, pointing from outside the through-hole pattern to the inside of the through-hole pattern to which the edge to be corrected belongs.

[0083] Specifically, the first and third edges to be corrected are two adjacent edges of the through-hole pattern. The correction directions of the first and second edges to be corrected can be determined as the first preset correction direction, and the correction directions of the third and fourth edges to be corrected can be determined as the second preset correction direction, thereby obtaining the correction directions of all edges of the through-hole pattern.

[0084] S1023. Based on the feature information, calculate the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected.

[0085] Specifically, the inventors of this application discovered during long-term research and development that, in order to correct the optical proximity effect, the longer the edge to be corrected, the greater the correction amount required, and the longer the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the adjacent pattern, the smaller the correction amount required.

[0086] Therefore, in practice, the feature information of the edge to be corrected can include at least the length of the edge and the projection length of the edge onto adjacent graphics. Furthermore, the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected can be calculated based on the length of the edge and the projection length of the edge onto adjacent graphics.

[0087] In some specific embodiments, the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected can be calculated according to calculation formula 2, wherein calculation formula 2 can be as follows:

[0088]

[0089] Where β_initial is the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected, n is the number of patterns adjacent to the edge to be corrected along the length direction perpendicular to the edge to be corrected, Ln is the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the nth adjacent pattern, W is the length of the edge to be corrected, and K is a constant related to the process conditions. The specific value of K can be determined according to the actual process conditions of the photolithography process of the semiconductor production line.

[0090] Furthermore, for ease of understanding, the following will use... Figure 2 The following is a detailed explanation using the original through-hole pattern layout shown in diagram 20 as an example. Figure 2 As shown, the original via pattern layout 20 includes three via patterns (i.e., via pattern 21, via pattern 22, and via pattern 23), wherein via pattern 21 and via pattern 22 are patterns adjacent to the edge 231 to be corrected of via pattern 23. Accordingly, the initial correction amount of the edge 231 to be corrected can be expressed as: Where L1 is the projection length of the edge 231 to be corrected on the through hole pattern 21, L2 is the projection length of the edge 231 to be corrected on the through hole pattern 22, W is the length of the edge 231 to be corrected, and K is a constant related to the process conditions.

[0091] In other specific embodiments, S1023 above may include:

[0092] S2-1. Based on feature information, calculate the maximum allowable correction amount and the target correction amount for the edge to be corrected.

[0093] Specifically, S2-1 above may include:

[0094] S2-1-1. Based on the length of the edge to be corrected, calculate the maximum allowable correction amount for the edge to be corrected.

[0095] Specifically, the inventors of this application have discovered in their long-term research and development that the longer the edge to be corrected, the greater the maximum allowable amount of correction.

[0096] Therefore, in practical implementation, the maximum allowable correction amount for the edge to be corrected can be calculated using the following formula:

[0097] βmax = a * W;

[0098] Where βmax is the maximum allowable correction amount of the edge to be corrected, W is the length of the edge to be corrected, and a is a numerical parameter. a is greater than zero and less than 1. For example, it can be 0.2. The specific value of a is known to those skilled in the art and will not be elaborated here.

[0099] S2-1-2. Determine the target correction amount of the edge to be corrected based on the length of the edge to be corrected and the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the adjacent figure.

[0100] Specifically, the target correction amount for the edge to be corrected can be calculated using the following formula:

[0101]

[0102] Where βx is the target correction amount of the edge to be corrected, n is the number of patterns adjacent to the edge to be corrected along the length direction perpendicular to the edge to be corrected, Ln is the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the nth adjacent pattern, W is the length of the edge to be corrected, and K is a constant related to the process conditions. The specific value of K can be determined according to the actual process conditions of the photolithography process of the semiconductor production line.

[0103] S2-2. Determine the minimum value between the maximum allowable correction amount and the target correction amount as the initial correction amount for the edge to be corrected.

[0104] Specifically, the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected can be calculated according to formula 3, where formula 3 is as follows:

[0105]

[0106] Where βinitial is the initial correction amount for the edge to be corrected, n is the number of patterns adjacent to the edge to be corrected along a direction perpendicular to its length, Ln is the projection length of the edge to be corrected onto the nth adjacent pattern, W is the length of the edge to be corrected, K is a constant related to the process conditions, and the specific value of K can be determined according to the actual process conditions of the photolithography process in the semiconductor production line, and 0.2*W (i.e., βmax) is the maximum allowable correction amount for the edge to be corrected. (That is, βx) is the target correction amount for the edge to be corrected.

[0107] Furthermore, for ease of understanding, the following will use... Figure 2 The following is a detailed explanation using the original through-hole pattern layout shown in diagram 20 as an example. Figure 2 As shown, the original via pattern layout 20 includes three via patterns (i.e., via pattern 21, via pattern 22, and via pattern 23), wherein via pattern 21 and via pattern 22 are patterns adjacent to the edge 231 to be corrected of via pattern 23. Accordingly, the initial correction amount of the edge 231 to be corrected can be expressed as: Where L1 is the projection length of the edge 231 to be corrected on the through-hole pattern 21, L2 is the projection length of the edge 231 to be corrected on the through-hole pattern 22, W is the length of the edge 231 to be corrected, and K is a constant related to the process conditions. The specific value of K can be determined according to the actual process conditions of the photolithography process of the semiconductor production line.

[0108] Furthermore, it should be noted that, compared to the scheme of calculating the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected using the above calculation formula 2, the scheme of calculating the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected using the above calculation formula 3 in this embodiment takes into account the situation that the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected cannot be greater than the maximum allowable correction amount of the edge to be corrected. Therefore, it can ensure the rationality of the initial correction amount, so as to further reduce the number of convergence loops and computation time of optical proximity correction and improve the correction efficiency of optical proximity correction.

[0109] Specifically, in the above embodiment where S1022 includes S1-1 and S1-2, S1023 may include:

[0110] S3-1. Based on the feature information of the first edge to be corrected, determine the initial correction amount of the first edge to be corrected, and the initial correction amount of the second edge to be corrected is equal to the initial correction amount of the first edge to be corrected.

[0111] S3-2. Based on the feature information of the third edge to be corrected, determine the initial correction amount of the third edge to be corrected, and the initial correction amount of the fourth edge to be corrected is equal to the initial correction amount of the third edge to be corrected.

[0112] The initial correction amount of the first edge to be corrected and the initial correction amount of the third edge to be corrected can be calculated according to the above calculation formula 2 or the above calculation formula 3.

[0113] Furthermore, in specific implementation, the first and third edges to be corrected are two adjacent edges of the through-hole pattern. The initial correction amounts of the first and third edges to be corrected can be calculated according to preset calculation formulas (such as the above calculation formula 2 or the above calculation formula 3), and the initial correction amount of the second edge to be corrected is set to be equal to the initial correction amount of the first edge to be corrected, and the initial correction amount of the fourth edge to be corrected is set to be equal to the initial correction amount of the third edge to be corrected, so as to obtain the initial correction amounts of all edges to be corrected in the through-hole pattern.

[0114] Furthermore, it should be noted that the constant K related to process conditions involved in the calculation formula for calculating the initial correction amount in this embodiment (e.g., calculation formula 2 or calculation formula 3 above) can be a constant related to the actual process conditions of the photolithography process in the semiconductor production line. The photolithography process can include an exposure step, a development step following the exposure step, and an etching step following the development step. In the exposure step, light passes through the light-transmitting area of ​​the photomask and irradiates the substrate (e.g., a wafer or silicon wafer) coated with photoresist, causing a chemical reaction in the photoresist under light irradiation. In the development step, the different degrees of solubility of the developer by the photosensitive and unphotosensitive photoresist are used to form a photolithographic pattern, transferring the photomask pattern onto the photoresist. In the etching step, the substrate is etched based on the photolithographic pattern formed by the photoresist layer, further transferring the photomask pattern onto the substrate.

[0115] In some embodiments, in order to obtain the constant K related to the process conditions, the method for correcting the via pattern layout may further include:

[0116] Step A: Obtain the original historical via pattern layout and the corrected historical via pattern layout.

[0117] Among them, the historical corrected via pattern layout can be obtained by correcting the optical proximity effect of the historical original via pattern layout.

[0118] Specifically, methods for correcting the optical proximity effect of the original historical via pattern layout can include model-based optical proximity correction methods.

[0119] In some examples, model-based optical proximity correction methods may include: first, identifying the edges of the design graphic using optical proximity correction software, allowing each edge to move freely; then, calculating the exposed graphic and comparing it with the design graphic to obtain the difference between the two (i.e., edge placement error, EPE). Edge placement error is a metric used to measure correction quality; a smaller edge placement error means a more similar exposed graphic to the design graphic. The correction software moves the edges of the design graphic during runtime and calculates the corresponding edge placement error. This process is repeated until the calculated edge placement error, EPE, reaches an acceptable value.

[0120] In some specific examples, the model-based optical proximity correction method may include: first, cutting each edge of the design graphic into different line segments according to certain rules; then, placing evaluation points in each line segment to calculate the edge placement error; and then, by iteratively moving each line segment until the sum of the squares of the edge placement errors (EPE) of each evaluation point of the design graphic converges to a certain threshold or the number of iterations reaches a set upper limit, the correction loop ends.

[0121] Furthermore, it should be noted that in order to ensure that the obtained original historical via pattern layout and the historical modified via pattern layout can accurately reflect the actual process conditions of the photolithography process of the semiconductor production line, the aforementioned historical modified via pattern layout should meet the following requirements: the actual process conditions of the photolithography process of the semiconductor production line to which it is applicable, and the actual process conditions of the photolithography process of the semiconductor production line to which the modified via pattern layout corresponding to the original via pattern layout is applicable.

[0122] Step B: Extract the feature information of at least one historical through-hole pattern from the original historical through-hole pattern layout, and calculate the historical correction amount of the historical through-hole pattern.

[0123] In this embodiment, the number of the aforementioned original historical via pattern layouts can be one or more, and the number of the aforementioned modified historical via pattern layouts is equal to the number of the aforementioned original historical via pattern layouts. Furthermore, the original historical via pattern layouts and the modified historical via pattern layouts can correspond one-to-one, and each modified historical via pattern layout can be obtained by correcting the optical proximity effect of its corresponding original historical via pattern layout.

[0124] Specifically, for each historical original via pattern layout, the historical original via pattern layout may include at least one via pattern, and each via pattern in the historical original via pattern layout may include at least one edge to be corrected; correspondingly, the historical corrected via pattern layout corresponding to the historical original via pattern layout may include at least one corrected via pattern, and each corrected via pattern may include at least one corrected edge; furthermore, the via patterns in the historical original via pattern layout may correspond one-to-one with the corrected via patterns in the corresponding historical corrected via pattern layout, and the edges to be corrected of the via patterns in the historical original via pattern layout may correspond one-to-one with the corrected edges of the corrected via patterns in the corresponding historical corrected via pattern layout.

[0125] Furthermore, it should be noted that, in order to distinguish it from the via pattern in the above-mentioned original via pattern layout, the via pattern in the above-mentioned historical original via pattern layout is referred to as the historical via pattern, the edge to be corrected in the via pattern in the above-mentioned historical original via pattern layout is referred to as the historical edge to be corrected, and the corrected via pattern is obtained by correcting the optical proximity effect of the corresponding historical via pattern, and the corrected edge is obtained by correcting the optical proximity effect of the corresponding historical edge to be corrected.

[0126] Taking a square hole as an example, the cross-section of the historical through-hole pattern can be a square or a rectangle (i.e., a rectangle), and the four sides of the square or rectangle can be four historical edges to be corrected. That is, the above-mentioned historical through-hole pattern has four historical edges to be corrected.

[0127] Specifically, the feature information of the historical via pattern may include the feature information of at least one historical edge to be corrected in the historical via pattern.

[0128] Furthermore, for each historical edge to be corrected in the historical via pattern, the feature information of the historical edge to be corrected may include the length of the historical edge to be corrected, and / or the distance between the historical edge to be corrected and the historical adjacent pattern, and / or the projection length of the historical edge to be corrected on the historical adjacent pattern, wherein the historical adjacent pattern is the pattern in the historical original via pattern layout that is adjacent to the historical edge to be corrected along the historical target direction, and the historical target direction is perpendicular to the length direction of the historical edge to be corrected.

[0129] Furthermore, in specific implementation, the method for obtaining the feature information of the historical through-hole pattern's historical edge to be corrected in the aforementioned historical original through-hole pattern layout, namely, the specific implementation method for extracting the feature information of at least one historical through-hole pattern in the historical original through-hole pattern layout, can refer to the specific implementation method for obtaining the feature information of the through-hole pattern's edge to be corrected in the aforementioned original through-hole pattern layout. It only requires replacing the original through-hole pattern layout with the historical original through-hole pattern layout, replacing the through-hole pattern with the historical through-hole pattern, replacing the edge to be corrected with the historical edge to be corrected, replacing adjacent patterns with historical adjacent patterns, and replacing the target direction with the historical target direction. Therefore, this specific implementation method for extracting the feature information of at least one historical through-hole pattern in the historical original through-hole pattern layout will not be elaborated here.

[0130] Specifically, the historical correction amount of the historical via pattern can include the historical correction amount of at least one historical edge to be corrected in the historical via pattern.

[0131] Furthermore, for each historical edge to be corrected in the historical through-hole pattern layout, the method for obtaining the historical correction amount of the historical edge to be corrected may include: obtaining the position coordinates of the historical edge to be corrected in the historical original through-hole pattern layout, and the position coordinates of the corrected edge corresponding to the historical edge to be corrected in the corresponding historical corrected through-hole pattern layout, calculating the amount of movement between the two, and using the amount of movement as the historical correction amount of the historical edge to be corrected.

[0132] The original historical through-hole pattern layout and its corresponding modified historical through-hole pattern layout can have independent coordinate systems, and their coordinate systems can be constructed in the same way. For example, for a rectangular original historical through-hole pattern layout and its corresponding modified historical through-hole pattern layout, the coordinate system of the corresponding image can be constructed with the upper right corner of the corresponding rectangle as the origin coordinate, the horizontal line where the upper boundary is located as the X-axis, and the vertical line where the right boundary is located as the Y-axis.

[0133] Step C: Based on the characteristic information and historical correction amount of each historical through-hole pattern, calculate the constant value related to the process conditions corresponding to each historical through-hole pattern. The constant K related to the process conditions is the average value of all constant values ​​related to the process conditions.

[0134] The constant values ​​related to process conditions corresponding to each historical via pattern can include the constant values ​​related to process conditions corresponding to all historical edges to be corrected for that historical via pattern.

[0135] Specifically, for each historical through-hole pattern, based on the feature information and historical correction amount of each historical edge to be corrected in the historical through-hole pattern, the constant value related to the process conditions corresponding to each historical edge to be corrected in the historical through-hole pattern can be calculated, thereby obtaining the constant value related to the process conditions corresponding to the historical through-hole pattern.

[0136] Furthermore, the constant K related to the process conditions mentioned above can be the average value of the constant values ​​related to the process conditions corresponding to all historical edges to be corrected in all historical through-hole patterns.

[0137] Specifically, in the above embodiment where the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected is calculated according to the above calculation formula 2, for each historical via pattern, the constant value related to the process conditions corresponding to each historical edge to be corrected in the historical via pattern can be calculated according to the calculation formula 4, wherein the calculation formula 4 can be as follows:

[0138]

[0139] Where β1' is the historical correction amount of the historical edge to be corrected, m is the number of graphics adjacent to the historical edge to be corrected along the length direction perpendicular to the historical edge to be corrected, Lm is the projection length of the historical edge to be corrected on the m-th adjacent graphic, W' is the length of the historical edge to be corrected, and K' is the constant value related to the process conditions corresponding to the historical edge to be corrected.

[0140] Furthermore, as can be seen from the above calculation formula 4, when the feature information (i.e., W' and L1', L2', ..., Lm') and the historical correction amount (i.e., β1') of each historical edge to be corrected are known, the constant value K' related to the process conditions corresponding to each historical edge to be corrected can be calculated by the above calculation formula 4.

[0141] Specifically, in the above embodiment where the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected is calculated according to the above calculation formula 3, for each historical via pattern, the constant value related to the process conditions corresponding to each historical edge to be corrected in the historical via pattern can be calculated according to the calculation formula 5, wherein the calculation formula 5 can be as follows:

[0142]

[0143] Where β2' is the historical correction amount of the historical edge to be corrected, m is the number of graphics adjacent to the historical edge to be corrected along the length direction perpendicular to the historical edge to be corrected, Lm is the projection length of the historical edge to be corrected on the m-th adjacent graphic, W' is the length of the historical edge to be corrected, and K' is the constant value related to the process conditions corresponding to the historical edge to be corrected.

[0144] Furthermore, as can be seen from the above calculation formula 5, when the characteristic information (i.e., W' and L1', L2', ..., Lm') and historical correction amount (i.e., β') of each historical edge to be corrected are known, and the historical correction amount of each historical edge to be corrected is not equal to the maximum allowable correction amount of each historical edge to be corrected, the constant value K' related to the process conditions corresponding to each historical edge to be corrected can be calculated by the above calculation formula 5.

[0145] Furthermore, for ease of understanding, the following will use... Figure 4 The following is a detailed explanation using the historical original through-hole pattern diagram 30 as an example. Figure 4 As shown, the original historical via pattern layout 30 includes three historical via patterns (i.e., historical via pattern 31, historical via pattern 32, and historical via pattern 33), wherein historical via pattern 31 and historical via pattern 32 are patterns adjacent to the edge 331 to be corrected of historical via pattern 33. Accordingly, when the historical correction amount (i.e., β1' or β2') of the historical edge 331 to be corrected is 5, the length (i.e., W') is 100nm, and the projection lengths (i.e., L1' and L2') on the two adjacent patterns are 20nm and 30nm respectively, based on the above calculation formula 4 or the above calculation formula 5, K' can be calculated to be equal to 2.5.

[0146] S103. Based on the correction direction and initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected, generate the initial correction through-hole pattern layout.

[0147] Specifically, after obtaining the correction direction and initial correction amount of all the edges to be corrected in each through-hole pattern in the original through-hole pattern layout, each edge to be corrected in each through-hole pattern in the original through-hole pattern layout can be moved for the first time. During the first movement of each edge to be corrected, the movement direction of each edge to be corrected is its correction direction, and the movement amount of each edge to be corrected is its initial correction amount. This achieves the iterative cycle of the first optical proximity correction of each through-hole pattern in the original through-hole pattern layout, and thus obtains the initial corrected through-hole pattern layout.

[0148] Furthermore, for ease of understanding, the following will use... Figure 5 The following explanation uses the via pattern efgh in the original via pattern layout as an example. Figure 5As shown, the through-hole pattern efgh has four edges to be corrected (i.e., edge ef, edge fg, edge gh, and edge he). The correction direction of edge he is the same as that of edge fg, both being the first preset correction direction A1 (i.e., the direction from inside the through-hole pattern efgh to outside the through-hole pattern efgh); the correction direction of edge ef is the same as that of edge gh, both being the second preset correction direction A2 (i.e., the direction from outside the through-hole pattern efgh to inside the through-hole pattern efgh). Furthermore, the initial correction amount of edge he is the same as that of edge fg, both being d1; the initial correction amount of edge ef is the same as that of edge gh, both being d2. Accordingly, after the first movement of each edge of the through-hole pattern efgh, the through-hole pattern e'f'g'h' can be generated (i.e., the through-hole pattern e'f'g'h' after the first iteration of optical proximity correction).

[0149] S104. The initial corrected via pattern layout is further corrected. After multiple iterative calculations of optical proximity correction to meet the preset conditions, the corrected via pattern layout is output.

[0150] Specifically, S104 above may include:

[0151] S1041. Calculate the edge placement error based on the initial corrected through-hole pattern layout.

[0152] S1042. When the edge placement error meets the preset conditions, the initial corrected through-hole pattern layout is used as the corrected through-hole pattern layout.

[0153] S1043. When the edge placement error does not meet the preset conditions, according to the edge placement error, each edge to be corrected in each through hole pattern in the original through hole pattern layout is moved again to update the initial corrected through hole pattern layout, and then return to execute S1041.

[0154] Edge placement error is a metric used to measure the quality of correction; a smaller edge placement error means a more similar exposed graphic to the design graphic. In some examples, the preset condition may include: the edge placement error is within a preset threshold range, where the preset threshold range can be determined by the actual required correction accuracy. In other examples, the preset condition may include: the sum of the squares of the edge placement errors is less than a preset threshold, where the preset threshold can be determined by the actual required correction accuracy.

[0155] Furthermore, each movement of each edge to be corrected in each through-hole pattern in the original through-hole pattern layout corresponds to one cyclic iteration of optical proximity correction.

[0156] Specifically, after moving each edge to be corrected in each of the through-hole patterns in the original through-hole pattern layout at least once (i.e., performing k iterations of optical proximity correction), and before moving each edge to be corrected in each of the through-hole patterns in the original through-hole pattern layout again (i.e., performing the (k+1)th iteration of optical proximity correction), if the calculated edge placement error meets the above-mentioned preset condition, it means that the result of the k iterations of optical proximity correction can meet the correction accuracy requirements, thereby stopping the iteration of optical proximity correction, and the result of the kth iteration of optical proximity correction can be output as the corrected through-hole pattern layout.

[0157] Furthermore, after k iterations of optical proximity correction and before the (k+1)th iteration, if the calculated edge placement error does not meet the aforementioned preset condition, it indicates a significant difference between the result of the k iterations and the exposed pattern. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the number of optical proximity correction iterations (e.g., perform the (k+1)th iteration) to update the result of the kth iteration (i.e., the initial corrected via pattern layout), thereby improving the accuracy of correcting the original via pattern layout using the optical proximity correction method.

[0158] It is understood that S1041 and S1042 above can form a loop, and each loop increases the number of iterations of the optical proximity correction by one. Once the calculated edge placement error meets the requirements (i.e., the preset conditions are met), the loop will stop. In some embodiments, an upper limit value for the number of iterations of the optical proximity correction can be preset, so that when the number of iterations of the optical proximity correction reaches the upper limit value, the loop can be stopped even if the calculated edge placement error still does not meet the requirements (i.e., the loop will be forcibly stopped when the number of iterations of the optical proximity correction reaches the upper limit value).

[0159] In some specific embodiments, the calculation of edge placement error based on the initial corrected via pattern layout may include: using an optical model and a photoresist photochemical reaction model to calculate the initial simulated pattern after exposure corresponding to each via pattern in the initial corrected via pattern layout; then comparing each via pattern in the initial corrected via pattern layout with its corresponding initial simulated pattern after exposure; the difference between each via pattern in the initial corrected via pattern layout and its corresponding initial simulated pattern after exposure is the edge placement error. Edge placement error is an indicator used to measure the quality of correction; the smaller the edge placement error, the closer the exposed pattern is to the via pattern in the initial corrected via pattern layout.

[0160] Furthermore, it should be noted that in this embodiment, based on the distribution of patterns around the through-hole pattern, the correction direction of each edge of the through-hole pattern is determined in advance, and an initial correction amount is given to each edge of the through-hole pattern. This enables that before the first iteration of optical proximity correction, each edge is given an initial movement amount and direction based on its characteristic information. The initial movement amount and direction depend on the length of each edge, the distance between each edge and the adjacent pattern, and the projection length of each edge on the adjacent pattern. This does not need to be predicted by the optical model, thus reducing the number of convergence loops and computation time, effectively shortening the optical proximity correction time, and helping to avoid the situation of non-convergence.

[0161] In some embodiments, after S104 above, that is, after obtaining the above-mentioned modified via pattern layout, the method for modifying the via pattern layout may further include: transferring the via pattern in the modified via pattern layout onto a mask to form a mask pattern.

[0162] Furthermore, after forming the above-mentioned mask pattern, the method for correcting the via pattern layout may further include: transferring the mask pattern onto the wafer to form the final pattern.

[0163] In some embodiments, after obtaining the above-mentioned modified via pattern layout, the method for correcting the via pattern layout may further include: deriving more accurate constants related to process conditions based on the modified via pattern layout, and saving them for use when correcting the optical proximity effect of other original via pattern layouts, so as to further improve the accuracy and effect of the correction.

[0164] Specifically, after obtaining the above-mentioned corrected through-hole pattern layout, the constant K related to the process conditions in the above calculation formulas (e.g., calculation formula 2 and calculation formula 3) can be updated based on the actual correction amount (i.e., actual movement amount) and feature information of the through-hole pattern to be corrected edge in the above-mentioned original through-hole pattern layout.

[0165] As can be seen from the above, the through-hole pattern layout correction method provided in this embodiment first determines the initial correction amount and correction direction corresponding to each edge to be corrected based on the feature information of each edge to be corrected in the through-hole pattern, without the need for prediction through an optical model. Then, multiple cyclic iterations of optical proximity correction are performed with the initial correction amount as the initial value until convergence. This ensures that the cyclic iterations of optical proximity correction do not start from the initial value of zero, thereby reducing the number of iterations and computation time of optical proximity correction, improving the correction efficiency of optical proximity correction, and improving the problem of non-convergence.

[0166] Based on the methods described in the above embodiments, this embodiment will further describe the method from the perspective of a through-hole pattern layout correction device to achieve the method described in the above embodiments. Please refer to... Figure 6 , Figure 6 This application provides a detailed description of a via pattern correction device according to embodiments of the present application. Please refer to... Figure 6 , Figure 6 This application provides a specific description of a via pattern layout correction device. The via pattern layout correction device includes: an acquisition module 401, a calculation module 402, a generation module 403, and a correction module 404. The acquisition module 401 is communicatively connected to the calculation module 402, the calculation module 402 is communicatively connected to the generation module 403, and the generation module 403 is communicatively connected to the correction module 404. Wherein:

[0167] (1) Obtain module 401

[0168] The acquisition module 401 is used to acquire the original through-hole pattern layout, which includes at least one through-hole pattern and at least one edge to be corrected; it is also used to acquire the feature information of the edge to be corrected in the through-hole pattern, which includes the length of the edge to be corrected, and / or the distance between the edge to be corrected and the adjacent pattern, and / or the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the adjacent pattern, wherein the adjacent pattern is the pattern in the original through-hole pattern layout that is adjacent to the edge to be corrected along the target direction, and the target direction is perpendicular to the length direction of the edge to be corrected.

[0169] (2) Calculation module 402

[0170] The calculation module 402 is used to calculate the correction direction and initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected based on the feature information of the edge to be corrected of the through hole pattern transmitted by the acquisition module 401.

[0171] In some embodiments, the computing module 402 includes:

[0172] The first calculation unit is used to calculate the correction influence factor of each edge to be corrected based on the feature information of each edge to be corrected transmitted by the acquisition module 401.

[0173] The determination unit is used to determine the correction direction of each edge to be corrected based on the correction influence factor of each edge to be corrected.

[0174] The second calculation unit is used to calculate the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected based on the feature information.

[0175] In some specific embodiments, the correction influence factor α of the aforementioned edge to be corrected can be calculated using the following formula:

[0176]

[0177] Where n is the number of figures adjacent to the edge to be corrected along the length direction perpendicular to the edge to be corrected, Ln is the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the nth adjacent figure, Sn is the distance between the edge to be corrected and the nth adjacent figure, and W is the length of the edge to be corrected.

[0178] In some specific embodiments, the through-hole pattern in the original through-hole pattern layout can be a square hole with a square or rectangular cross-section, and the four sides of the square or rectangle are the four sides to be corrected. Furthermore, the aforementioned determining unit can be specifically used for:

[0179] From the four edges to be corrected, determine the first edge to be corrected with the smallest correction impact factor, the second edge to be corrected parallel to the first edge to be corrected, the third edge to be corrected, and the fourth edge to be corrected parallel to the third edge to be corrected. The correction impact factor of the third edge to be corrected is greater than or equal to the correction impact factor of the fourth edge to be corrected.

[0180] The correction directions of the first and second edges to be corrected are determined as the first preset correction directions, and the correction directions of the third and fourth edges to be corrected are determined as the second preset correction directions.

[0181] Accordingly, the second calculation unit described above can be specifically used for:

[0182] Based on the feature information of the first edge to be corrected, the initial correction amount of the first edge to be corrected is determined, and the initial correction amount of the second edge to be corrected is equal to the initial correction amount of the first edge to be corrected.

[0183] Based on the feature information of the third edge to be corrected, the initial correction amount of the third edge to be corrected is determined, and the initial correction amount of the fourth edge to be corrected is equal to the initial correction amount of the third edge to be corrected.

[0184] In some specific embodiments, the second computing unit described above can be specifically used for:

[0185] Based on the feature information, determine the maximum allowable correction amount and the target correction amount of the edge to be corrected;

[0186] The minimum of the maximum allowable correction amount and the target correction amount is determined as the initial correction amount for the edge to be corrected.

[0187] In some examples, the initial correction amount for the edge to be corrected can be calculated using the following formula:

[0188]

[0189] Where n is the number of patterns adjacent to the edge to be corrected along the length direction perpendicular to the edge to be corrected, Ln is the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the nth adjacent pattern, W is the length of the edge to be corrected, and K is a constant related to the process conditions.

[0190] In some embodiments, in order to obtain the constant K related to the process conditions, the acquisition module 401 may also be used to:

[0191] Obtain the original historical through-hole pattern layout and the historical modified through-hole pattern layout.

[0192] Furthermore, the aforementioned calculation module 402 can also be used for:

[0193] Extract the feature information of at least one historical through-hole pattern from the original historical through-hole pattern layout, and calculate the historical correction amount of the historical through-hole pattern.

[0194] Based on the characteristic information and historical correction amount of each historical through-hole pattern, calculate the constant value related to the process conditions corresponding to each historical through-hole pattern. The constant K related to the process conditions is the average value of all constant values ​​related to the process conditions.

[0195] (3) Generation module 403

[0196] The generation module 403 is used to generate an initial correction through-hole pattern layout based on the correction direction and initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected transmitted by the calculation module 402.

[0197] (4) Modification module 404

[0198] The correction module 404 is used to further correct the initial corrected via pattern layout transmitted by the generation module 403. After multiple cyclic iterations of optical proximity correction calculations to meet preset conditions, the corrected via pattern layout is output.

[0199] In practice, each of the above units and modules can be implemented as an independent entity or can be arbitrarily combined to be implemented as the same or several entities. For the specific implementation of each of the above units and modules, please refer to the previous method implementation examples, which will not be repeated here.

[0200] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps in the various methods of the above embodiments can be performed by instructions, or by instructions controlling related hardware. These instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium and loaded and executed by a processor.

[0201] Therefore, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that can be loaded by a processor to execute the steps in any of the via pattern modification methods provided in embodiments of this application. For example, the computer program can execute the following steps:

[0202] Obtain the original via pattern layout, which includes at least one via pattern and at least one edge to be corrected.

[0203] Obtain the feature information of the edge to be corrected in the through hole pattern, calculate the correction direction and initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected. The feature information includes the length of the edge to be corrected, and / or the distance between the edge to be corrected and the adjacent pattern, and / or the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the adjacent pattern. The adjacent pattern is the pattern in the original through hole pattern layout that is adjacent to the edge to be corrected along the target direction, and the target direction is perpendicular to the length direction of the edge to be corrected.

[0204] Based on the correction direction and initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected, an initial correction through-hole pattern layout is generated;

[0205] The initial corrected via pattern layout is further corrected. After multiple iterative calculations of optical proximity correction to meet the preset conditions, the corrected via pattern layout is output.

[0206] For details on the implementation of each of the above operations, please refer to the previous examples, which will not be repeated here.

[0207] The computer-readable storage medium may include: read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk or optical disk, etc.

[0208] Since the computer program stored in the computer-readable storage medium can execute the steps in any of the through-hole pattern layout correction methods provided in the embodiments of this application, the beneficial effects that any of the through-hole pattern layout correction methods provided in the embodiments of this application can achieve can be realized, as detailed in the preceding embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0209] The foregoing has provided a detailed description of a method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium for correcting via pattern layouts according to embodiments of this application. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The descriptions of the embodiments above are only for the purpose of helping to understand the methods and core ideas of this application. At the same time, those skilled in the art will recognize that there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope based on the ideas of this application. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

Claims

1. A method for correcting the layout of through-hole patterns, characterized in that, include: Obtain the original through-hole pattern layout, wherein the original through-hole pattern layout includes at least one through-hole pattern, and the through-hole pattern includes at least one edge to be corrected; Obtain the feature information of the edge to be corrected in the through hole pattern, calculate the correction direction and initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected, the feature information includes the length of the edge to be corrected, and / or the distance between the edge to be corrected and the adjacent pattern, and / or the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the adjacent pattern, wherein the adjacent pattern is the pattern in the original through hole pattern layout that is adjacent to the edge to be corrected along the target direction, and the target direction is perpendicular to the length direction of the edge to be corrected; Based on the correction direction and initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected, an initial corrected through-hole pattern layout is generated; The initial corrected via pattern layout is further corrected, and after multiple iterative calculations of optical proximity correction to meet preset conditions, the corrected via pattern layout is output.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the feature information of the edge to be corrected in the through-hole pattern and calculating the correction direction and initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected includes: Obtain the feature information of each edge to be corrected, and calculate the correction influence factor of each edge to be corrected; Based on the correction influence factor of each edge to be corrected, determine the correction direction of each edge to be corrected; Based on the feature information, the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected is calculated.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The correction influence factor α of the edge to be corrected is calculated using the following formula: Where n is the number of graphics adjacent to the edge to be corrected along the length direction perpendicular to the edge to be corrected, Ln is the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the nth adjacent graphic, Sn is the distance between the edge to be corrected and the nth adjacent graphic, and W is the length of the edge to be corrected.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The through-hole pattern is a square hole with a cross-section of a square or rectangle, and the four sides of the square or rectangle are the four sides to be corrected. The step of determining the correction direction for each edge to be corrected based on the correction influence factor of each edge to be corrected includes: From the four edges to be corrected, determine the first edge to be corrected with the smallest correction influence factor, the second edge to be corrected that is parallel to the first edge to be corrected, and the third and fourth edges to be corrected, wherein the fourth edge to be corrected is parallel to the third edge to be corrected, and the correction influence factor of the third edge to be corrected is greater than or equal to the correction influence factor of the fourth edge to be corrected. The correction directions of the first edge to be corrected and the second edge to be corrected are determined as the first preset correction direction, and the correction directions of the third edge to be corrected and the fourth edge to be corrected are determined as the second preset correction direction.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of calculating the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected based on the feature information includes: Based on the feature information of the first edge to be corrected, the initial correction amount of the first edge to be corrected is determined, and the initial correction amount of the second edge to be corrected is equal to the initial correction amount of the first edge to be corrected. Based on the feature information of the third edge to be corrected, the initial correction amount of the third edge to be corrected is determined, and the initial correction amount of the fourth edge to be corrected is equal to the initial correction amount of the third edge to be corrected.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of calculating the initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected based on the feature information includes: Based on the feature information, determine the maximum allowable correction amount and the target correction amount of the edge to be corrected; The minimum value between the maximum allowable correction amount and the target correction amount is determined as the initial correction amount for the edge to be corrected.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The initial correction amount β of the edge to be corrected is calculated using the following formula: Where n is the number of graphics adjacent to the edge to be corrected along the length direction perpendicular to the edge to be corrected, Ln is the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the nth adjacent graphic, W is the length of the edge to be corrected, and K is a constant related to the process conditions.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The methods for obtaining the constant K related to the process conditions include: Obtain the original historical through-hole pattern layout and the historical modified through-hole pattern layout; Extract feature information of at least one historical through-hole pattern from the original historical through-hole pattern layout, and calculate the historical correction amount of the historical through-hole pattern; Based on the feature information and historical correction amount of each historical through-hole pattern, a constant value related to process conditions is calculated for each historical through-hole pattern, wherein the constant K related to process conditions is the average value of all the constant values ​​related to process conditions.

9. A device for correcting the layout of through-hole patterns, characterized in that, include: The acquisition module is used to acquire an original through-hole pattern layout, the original through-hole pattern layout including at least one through-hole pattern, the through-hole pattern including at least one edge to be corrected; it is also used to acquire feature information of the edge to be corrected of the through-hole pattern, the feature information including the length of the edge to be corrected, and / or the distance between the edge to be corrected and an adjacent pattern, and / or the projection length of the edge to be corrected on the adjacent pattern, wherein the adjacent pattern is a pattern in the original through-hole pattern layout that is adjacent to the edge to be corrected along a target direction, the target direction being perpendicular to the length direction of the edge to be corrected; The calculation module is used to calculate the correction direction and initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected based on the feature information of the edge to be corrected in the through hole pattern transmitted by the acquisition module. The generation module is used to generate an initial corrected through-hole pattern layout based on the correction direction and initial correction amount of the edge to be corrected transmitted by the calculation module. The correction module is used to further correct the initial corrected via pattern layout transmitted by the generation module. After multiple iterative calculations of optical proximity correction to meet preset conditions, the corrected via pattern layout is output.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program adapted to be loaded by a processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-8.

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