Photomask image processing method, device, electronic equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application discloses a method, device, electronic device and storage medium for processing a photomask image. The scheme can obtain at least one photomask image, and establish multiple horizontal scan lines with the same interval according to the position information of the photomask image, traverse the intersection points with the photomask image on each scan line in turn, and calculate the horizontal distance between the intersection point on the current scan line and the intersection point on the adjacent previous scan line. If the horizontal distance is less than the preset horizontal interval, the intersection point on the current scan line is deleted. Among all the traversed intersection points, the vertex position is determined according to every two adjacent intersection points, and all the vertex positions are connected to obtain the first target image of the photomask image. The embodiment of the present application determines the intersection points and vertices in the photomask image through horizontal scan lines, and obtains the first target image after connecting the vertices, thereby quickly completing the Manhattanization of the image, and can meet the requirements of processing accuracy and improve computing efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of chip manufacturing technology, and in particular to a photomask image processing method, device, electronic device and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In the field of semiconductor manufacturing, computational lithography is one of the key factors driving breakthroughs in chip manufacturing. As the size of integrated circuits continues to shrink, computational lithography has emerged as an important means to improve lithography accuracy and chip performance.

[0003] Photolithography is the process of transferring integrated circuit design patterns from masks to the surface of silicon wafers or other semiconductor substrates, and is a key technology for chip manufacturing. Driven by Moore's Law, the size of integrated circuits continues to shrink, and photolithography technology is also gradually approaching the physical limit of its resolution. At the same time, the diffraction-limited characteristics of the photolithography system, as well as various system aberrations, errors and process deviations, lead to blurred or distorted patterns, which seriously affect the accuracy of photolithography imaging. Computational lithography technology is based on optical imaging and photolithography process models, and uses mathematical methods to independently or comprehensively optimize the parameters of the photolithography system and process parameters. It uses computer simulation and optimization of the photolithography process to compensate for various image errors caused by diffraction or optical, resist and etching proximity effects, thereby improving the yield and performance of chip manufacturing.

[0004] In order to improve the lithography yield, auxiliary units are usually used to improve the imaging quality of graphics during the photomask manufacturing stage to reduce problems such as rounding of edge features and aliasing of exposure images between adjacent graphics. The auxiliary units for high-quality imaging obtained through computational lithography simulation are usually curved graphics. Such auxiliary sub-graphics have great process errors during the photomask manufacturing process. If they cannot be accurately processed, the optimized auxiliary graphics cannot be used to improve the exposure image quality. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a photomask image processing method, device, electronic device and storage medium, which determine the intersection points and vertices in the photomask image through horizontal scanning lines, thereby quickly completing the Manhattanization of the image, and can meet the requirements of processing accuracy and improve computing efficiency.

[0006] The present application provides a photomask image processing method, comprising:

[0007] Acquire at least one photomask image, and establish a plurality of horizontal scan lines with equal intervals according to position information of the photomask image;

[0008] Traversing the intersection points of each scanning line with the photomask image in turn, and calculating the horizontal distance between the intersection point on the current scanning line and the intersection point on the adjacent previous scanning line;

[0009] If the horizontal distance is less than the preset horizontal interval, the intersection point on the current scan line is deleted;

[0010] Among all the intersection points obtained by traversal, vertex positions are determined according to every two adjacent intersection points, and all vertex positions are connected to obtain the first target image of the photomask image.

[0011] Optionally, establishing a plurality of horizontal scanning lines with equal intervals according to the position information of the photomask image includes:

[0012] Determining a preset vertical interval according to the processing accuracy of the photomask image;

[0013] A plurality of horizontal scanning lines are established according to the preset vertical interval and the position information of the photomask image.

[0014] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0015] When a scan line having no intersection with the photomask image is traversed for the first time, an intersection point on the previous scan line is obtained;

[0016] A new intersection point is generated according to the position information of the intersection point on the previous scan line and the preset vertical interval.

[0017] Optionally, the vertex position is determined based on every two adjacent intersection points, including:

[0018] Generating horizontal extension lines and vertical extension lines for the adjacent intersection points respectively;

[0019] Two intersection points of the horizontal extension line and the vertical extension line are obtained, and the intersection point located outside the photomask image is determined as the vertex position.

[0020] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0021] Acquire a minimum spacing between a first target image of each photomask image and a first target image of an adjacent photomask image;

[0022] If the minimum spacing is smaller than the preset spacing, determining the intersection point located inside the photomask image as a new vertex position in the current photomask image;

[0023] All of the new vertex positions are connected to obtain a second target image of the photomask image.

[0024] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0025] The first target image of the photomask image is input into a photolithography simulation model to verify the simulation accuracy.

[0026] Optionally, the spatial exposure intensity and photoresist light intensity distribution are calculated by the following formula for verification:

[0027]

[0028] in, Represents the position coordinates, is the spatial exposure intensity, is the light intensity distribution of the photoresist, is the optical kernel function, represents the effective truncated optical kernel function, which is used to describe the propagation effect of the light source in the prism. represents the transmission sparseness corresponding to the first target image, represents the convolution operator, represents the photoresist response function.

[0029] The present application also provides a photomask image processing device, comprising:

[0030] An acquisition module, used for acquiring at least one photomask image, and establishing a plurality of horizontal scanning lines with the same interval according to the position information of the photomask image;

[0031] A calculation module, used for sequentially traversing the intersection points of each scanning line with the photomask image, and calculating the horizontal distance between the intersection point on the current scanning line and the intersection point on the adjacent previous scanning line;

[0032] A deleting module, used for deleting the intersection point on the current scan line when the horizontal distance is less than a preset horizontal interval;

[0033] The determination module is used to determine the vertex positions among all the intersection points obtained by traversal according to every two adjacent intersection points, and connect all the vertex positions to obtain the first target image of the photomask image.

[0034] The present application also provides an electronic device, characterized in that the electronic device includes a memory and a processor, the memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the steps of any one of the photomask image processing methods provided in the present application by calling the computer program stored in the memory.

[0035] The present application also provides a storage medium, characterized in that the storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is suitable for being loaded by a processor to execute the steps in any one of the photomask image processing methods provided in the present application.

[0036] The photomask image processing method provided by the present application can obtain at least one photomask image, and establish multiple horizontal scan lines with the same interval according to the position information of the photomask image, traverse the intersection points with the photomask image on each scan line in turn, and calculate the horizontal distance between the intersection point on the current scan line and the intersection point on the adjacent previous scan line. If the horizontal distance is less than the preset horizontal interval, the intersection point on the current scan line is deleted, and the vertex position is determined according to every two adjacent intersection points among all the traversed intersection points, and all the vertex positions are connected to obtain the first target image of the photomask image. The embodiment of the present application determines the intersection points and vertices in the photomask image through horizontal scan lines, and obtains the first target image after connecting the vertices, thereby quickly completing the Manhattanization of the image, and can meet the requirements of processing accuracy and improve calculation efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution in the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0038] Figure 1 It is a flow chart of a photomask image processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a scenario for establishing a horizontal scan line provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a scenario for determining vertices provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 4 is another flow chart of the photomask image processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 5 is another schematic diagram of a scenario for determining vertices provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a photomask image processing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present application. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0046] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "includes a ..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element. In addition, components, features, and elements with the same name in different embodiments of the present application may have the same meaning or different meanings, and their specific meanings need to be determined by their explanation in the specific embodiment or further combined with the context of the specific embodiment.

[0047] It should be understood that, although the various steps in the flowchart in the embodiment of the present application are displayed in sequence according to the indication of the arrows, these steps are not necessarily performed in sequence according to the order indicated by the arrows. Unless there is a clear explanation in this article, the execution of these steps does not have a strict order restriction, and it can be performed in other orders. Moreover, at least a portion of the steps in the figure may include a plurality of sub-steps or a plurality of stages, and these sub-steps or stages are not necessarily performed at the same time, but can be performed at different times, and their execution order is not necessarily performed in sequence, but can be performed in turn or alternately with other steps or at least a portion of the sub-steps or stages of other steps.

[0048] It should be noted that, in this article, step codes such as 101, 102, etc. are used for the purpose of expressing the corresponding content more clearly and concisely, and do not constitute a substantial limitation on the sequence. When implementing the step, those skilled in the art may execute 102 first and then 101, etc., but these should all be within the scope of protection of this application.

[0049] Reference to "embodiments" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of the phrase in various locations in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0050] An embodiment of the present application provides a photomask image processing method, and the executor of the photomask image processing method may be the photomask image processing device provided in the embodiment of the present application, or a server integrated with the photomask image processing device, wherein the photomask image processing device may be implemented in hardware or software.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 : is a first flow chart of a photomask image processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The specific flow of the photomask image processing method may be as follows:

[0052] 101. Acquire at least one photomask image, and establish a plurality of horizontal scanning lines with the same interval according to position information of the photomask image.

[0053] In one embodiment, a photomask image carries graphic information of an integrated circuit design and is used to transfer these graphics to a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon wafer through a photolithography process. The photomask image can be specifically generated by an electron beam exposure system or other high-precision drawing equipment. After acquiring at least one photomask image, a plurality of horizontal scan lines with the same spacing can be established based on its position information. Assuming that the photomask image is defined in a plane rectangular coordinate system, its position information includes the coordinate values ​​of each graphic element in the image. In this embodiment, a suitable preset vertical spacing can be determined first, and this distance can be set according to the accuracy requirements of the photolithography process and the processing capabilities of the photomask manufacturing equipment. For example, if the photolithography process requires a minimum feature size of 50 nanometers, then the preset vertical spacing may be set to 20 nanometers or less to ensure that the image can be analyzed and processed sufficiently finely in the subsequent processing process.

[0054] Next, after determining the preset vertical interval, you can start from the bottom of the photomask image and draw horizontal scan lines upward at the set intervals. Figure 2 For example, if the vertical dimension of the image is 300 nanometers and the vertical interval is set to 50 nanometers, then six horizontal scan lines will be drawn. These scan lines divide the photomask image into multiple regions in the vertical direction, providing a basic framework for subsequent analysis and processing. It should be noted that the above multiple horizontal scan lines with the same interval need to cover the entire range of at least one photomask image.

[0055] In one embodiment, the first horizontal scan line generated can also be made tangent to the photomask image, that is, this scan line just touches it at the boundary of the image without any extra gap or overlap. Specifically, the boundary contour of the photomask image can be determined first, such as by using an image recognition algorithm or professional photolithography design software. These tools can accurately identify the outermost boundary coordinates of each graphic element in the image. After the boundary is determined, a point on the boundary is used as the starting point, and subsequent scan lines are generated according to a preset vertical interval. For example, in a photomask image with a complex circuit pattern, if there is a horizontal line segment at its bottom boundary as the edge of a circuit module, then the first scan line can be drawn along this horizontal line segment to ensure that the two completely overlap. The tangent first scan line can maximize the use of the effective area of ​​the photomask image, avoiding the situation where insufficient or incorrect analysis of the edge of the image may be caused by improper starting position of the scan line.

[0056] In one embodiment, after acquiring at least one photomask image, pre-processing measures may be taken to improve the efficiency of subsequent processing. For example, the photomask image may be enhanced to improve the clarity and contrast of the image, thereby being more conducive to the extraction and measurement of feature information. In addition, the photomask image may be calibrated to ensure the accuracy of the measurement equipment and software.

[0057] 102. The intersection points of each scanning line with the photomask image are traversed in sequence, and the horizontal distance between the intersection point on the current scanning line and the intersection point on the previous adjacent scanning line is calculated.

[0058] In one embodiment, after the horizontal scan lines are established, for each scan line, a corresponding algorithm needs to be applied to determine the intersection point with the photomask image. Since the photomask image is usually composed of various complex geometric figures, which may include rectangles, polygons, curves, etc., the calculation of the intersection point requires an accurate geometric calculation method. For example, for the intersection of a straight line segment and a scan line, the coordinates of the intersection point can be determined by solving the system of simultaneous equations of the straight line equation and the scan line equation; for curved lines, numerical calculation methods, such as Newton's iteration method, may be required to gradually approximate the intersection point position to achieve the required accuracy.

[0059] Furthermore, during the traversal process, starting from the first scan line, each scan line is processed in order. For each intersection, its detailed coordinate information and the scan line number to which it belongs need to be recorded. This information will serve as the basic data for determining the vertex position later. In addition, in order to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the traversal, some special cases need to be handled. For example, when there are multiple graphics with intersections on the same scan line, the intersections of different graphics need to be distinguished.

[0060] After traversing all the intersections of multiple horizontal scan lines and the photomask image, the horizontal distance between the intersection on the current scan line and the intersection on the adjacent previous scan line can be further calculated. In one embodiment, the classification rules of the above-mentioned intersections can be determined first. Specifically, the intersections can be divided into two categories: left and right based on the geometric characteristics of the image. Then, in the calculation process, for each left intersection on the current scan line, it is necessary to find the corresponding left intersection on the adjacent previous scan line to calculate the horizontal distance. This process involves accurate coordinate difference calculation. Assuming that there is a left intersection A on the current scan line V2, and the corresponding left intersection B is found on its adjacent previous scan line V1, the horizontal distance between them is the difference between the horizontal coordinates of point A and point B. Similarly, for the right intersection, the same calculation principle is followed.

[0061] 103. If the horizontal distance is less than the preset horizontal interval, the intersection point on the current scan line is deleted.

[0062] In one embodiment, after the calculation of the horizontal distances between the intersections of adjacent scan lines is completed, these distance values ​​are compared with the preset horizontal intervals. The preset horizontal intervals are determined based on the accuracy requirements of the photolithography process and the performance parameters of the photomask manufacturing equipment. For example, in the semiconductor manufacturing process, if the minimum processable feature size is 30 nanometers, then in order to ensure the accuracy and stability of the pattern during the photolithography process, the preset horizontal interval may be set between 10 nanometers and 20 nanometers.

[0063] Furthermore, if the horizontal distance is less than the preset horizontal interval, it means that the pattern changes in the local area are too close or irregular, which may cause the pattern to be blurred, overlapped or even wrongly formed in the subsequent photolithography transfer process. To avoid this, the present embodiment can delete the intersection on the current scan line. Figure 3 ,exist Figure 3 The intersections whose horizontal distances from the intersection of the previous scan line are less than the preset horizontal interval are determined to include A, B, C, D, and E. By deleting these intersections that do not meet the spacing requirements, the graphic structure can be effectively simplified, and the factors that may cause processing errors can be removed, so that the graphics formed by the remaining intersections are more in line with the manufacturability requirements of the photolithography process.

[0064] 104. Among all the intersection points obtained through the traversal, determine the vertex positions according to every two adjacent intersection points, and connect all the vertex positions to obtain a first target image of the photomask image.

[0065] In one embodiment, after completing the traversal of the intersections of the horizontal scan lines and the photomask image, a series of intersection data is obtained. These intersections are distributed on different scan lines, and each intersection carries its precise position information in the plane coordinate system. Next, every two adjacent intersections are selected in sequence, where "adjacent" refers to intersections that are on adjacent scan lines and are closely connected in geometric position. After the adjacent intersections are determined, the corresponding vertex positions can be calculated based on the position coordinates of the two adjacent intersections. It should be noted that the number of calculated vertices is the same as the number of all the above-mentioned intersections.

[0066] Furthermore, by connecting these vertex positions with straight lines, the first target image of the photomask image can be gradually constructed. This first target image is an approximate representation of the original photomask image based on the analysis of the scan line intersections. It simplifies the complex structure of the original image to a certain extent while retaining key graphic information. In the photolithography process, this first target image can be used as a basis for further analysis and optimization, such as for detecting the integrity of the graphics, evaluating whether the geometric features of the graphics meet the manufacturing requirements, etc., thereby providing important reference and basis for subsequent photolithography processing, and helping to improve the photolithography accuracy and efficiency in the chip manufacturing process.

[0067] In one embodiment, after obtaining the first target image of the above-mentioned photomask image, the first target image can be further input into a lithography simulation model to verify the simulation accuracy. The lithography simulation model is constructed based on the optical imaging principle and the physical and chemical processes of the lithography process, and can simulate complex phenomena such as the propagation of light in the lithography system, the exposure and development of the photoresist, etc.

[0068] Specifically, when the first target image enters the model, the model will process it according to the preset light source parameters, photoresist characteristics, optical system parameters, etc. During the simulated exposure process, the model will accurately calculate the light intensity distribution formed on the photoresist after the light passes through the photomask pattern of the first target image. Through complex algorithms, the light intensity distribution is converted into the exposure dose distribution of the photoresist, and then the contour of the pattern after development is predicted. When verifying whether the exposure image meets the accuracy requirements, the predicted pattern contour is compared with the ideal pattern of the chip design. Accuracy requirements usually cover multiple aspects, such as the dimensional accuracy of the pattern, including whether the deviation of key dimensions such as line width and spacing is within the allowable range; the shape accuracy of the pattern, such as the angle deviation of the polygon, the smoothness of the curve, etc., meets the standard. If the errors in these aspects are below the acceptable threshold, it means that the current first target image meets the calibration and processing requirements and can be directly applied to the chip manufacturing process.

[0069] In one embodiment, the spatial exposure intensity and the photoresist light intensity distribution can be calculated by the following formula for verification:

[0070]

[0071] in, Represents the position coordinates, is the spatial exposure intensity, is the light intensity distribution of the photoresist, is the optical kernel function, represents the effective truncated optical kernel function, which is used to describe the propagation effect of the light source in the prism. represents the transmission sparseness corresponding to the first target image, represents the convolution operator, represents the photoresist response function.

[0072] As described above, the photomask image processing method proposed in the embodiment of the present application can obtain at least one photomask image, and establish multiple horizontal scan lines with the same interval according to the position information of the photomask image, traverse the intersection points with the photomask image on each scan line in turn, and calculate the horizontal distance between the intersection point on the current scan line and the intersection point on the adjacent previous scan line. If the horizontal distance is less than the preset horizontal interval, the intersection point on the current scan line is deleted, and the vertex position is determined according to every two adjacent intersection points among all the traversed intersection points, and all vertex positions are connected to obtain the first target image of the photomask image. The embodiment of the present application determines the intersection points and vertices in the photomask image through horizontal scan lines, and obtains the first target image after connecting the vertices, thereby quickly completing the Manhattanization of the image, and can meet the requirements of processing accuracy and improve calculation efficiency.

[0073] The method described in the above embodiment will be further described below.

[0074] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 1 is a second flow chart of the photomask image processing method provided in the embodiment of the present application. The method comprises:

[0075] 201. Acquire at least one photomask image, and determine a preset vertical interval according to a processing accuracy of the photomask image.

[0076] 202. Establish a plurality of horizontal scanning lines according to a preset vertical interval and position information of the photomask image.

[0077] In one embodiment, after acquiring at least one photomask image, multiple horizontal scan lines with the same spacing can be established according to its position information. Assuming that the photomask image is defined in a plane rectangular coordinate system, its position information includes the coordinate values ​​of each graphic element in the image. In this embodiment, a suitable preset vertical spacing can be determined first. This distance can be set according to the accuracy requirements of the photolithography process and the processing capabilities of the photomask manufacturing equipment, and this embodiment does not further limit this.

[0078] 203. The intersection points of each scanning line with the photomask image are traversed in sequence, and the horizontal distance between the intersection point on the current scanning line and the intersection point on the previous adjacent scanning line is calculated.

[0079] During the traversal process, starting from the first scan line, each scan line is processed in sequence. For each intersection, its detailed coordinate information and the scan line number to which it belongs need to be recorded.

[0080] In one embodiment, the method may further include: when a scan line without intersections with the photomask image is traversed for the first time, obtaining intersections on the previous scan line, and generating new intersections according to position information of the intersections on the previous scan line and a preset vertical interval. Figure 2 In the process, the horizontal scan lines are traversed from bottom to top. When the 7th scan line is traversed, it is found that the scan line does not intersect with the first photomask image. At this time, the two intersection points of the 6th scan line and the first photomask image can be translated upward according to the above preset vertical interval to obtain two new intersection points.

[0081] After traversing all the intersection points of the plurality of horizontal scanning lines and the photomask image, the horizontal distance between the intersection point on the current scanning line and the intersection point on the adjacent previous scanning line may be further calculated.

[0082] 204. If the horizontal distance is less than the preset horizontal interval, the intersection point on the current scan line is deleted.

[0083] Specifically, if the horizontal distance is less than the preset horizontal interval, it means that the pattern changes in the local area are too close or irregular, which may cause blurring, overlapping or even wrong pattern formation in the subsequent photolithography transfer process. To avoid this situation, this embodiment can delete the intersection on the current scan line, such as Figure 3 The intersection points include A, B, C, D and E.

[0084] 205. Among all the traversed intersections, generate horizontal extension lines and vertical extension lines for adjacent intersections respectively.

[0085] 206 . Obtain two intersection points of the horizontal extension line and the vertical extension line, determine the intersection points outside the photomask image as vertex positions, and connect all vertex positions to obtain a first target image of the photomask image.

[0086] In one embodiment, after completing the traversal of the intersections of the horizontal scan lines and the photomask image, subsequent operations are performed for each pair of adjacent intersections. For adjacent intersections, horizontal extension lines and vertical extension lines are generated respectively. For example, if there are adjacent intersections P1 and P2, a straight line is extended from point P1 horizontally to the left and right, respectively, and a straight line is extended vertically upward and downward, respectively; similarly, the same operation is performed from point P2, such as Figure 3 As shown, after generating these extension lines, two intersection points will be obtained. At this time, it is necessary to screen out the intersection points outside the photomask image as the vertex positions based on the position judgment. This process is called the expansion operation. This is because in the photolithography process, the embodiment of the present application takes into account the accuracy and stability requirements of the photomask pattern during the manufacturing and exposure process. Appropriate expansion of the vertex position helps to compensate for possible process errors and ensure that the final pattern can more accurately achieve the expected effect during chip manufacturing.

[0087] After determining the positions of the vertices outside the photomask image, all vertices are sequentially connected through a further geometric connection algorithm to obtain a first target image of the photomask image. The connection process needs to follow geometric rules to ensure that the connection between line segments is continuous and conforms to graphic logic.

[0088] 207 . Obtain a minimum distance between a first target image of each photomask image and a first target image of an adjacent photomask image.

[0089] 208. If the minimum spacing is smaller than the preset spacing, then in the current photomask image, an intersection point located inside the photomask image is determined as a new vertex position.

[0090] 209. Connect all new vertex positions to obtain a second target image of the photomask image.

[0091] In one embodiment, after obtaining the first target images of each photomask image, it is necessary to accurately calculate the minimum spacing between them. Specifically, the minimum spacing can be determined by comparing the distances between their boundary points or key feature points. For example, for two rectangular first target images, the vertical or horizontal distances between their corresponding sides can be calculated, and the minimum value can be found; for images with complex shapes, it may be necessary to use a distance calculation algorithm based on point clouds or contour lines to traverse the distances of multiple point pairs and select the smallest one.

[0092] Furthermore, when it is found that the minimum spacing is less than the preset spacing, it indicates that the adjacent photomask images are too close in the current state, which may cause problems such as graphic adhesion and short circuit during the photolithography process. In order to solve this problem, the present embodiment can also use an interpolation method to determine the new vertex position. Specifically, a suitable point can be found inside the current photomask image as a new vertex, such as the intersection of the previously generated horizontal and vertical extension lines inside the image, or a new connection point calculated by a specific interpolation algorithm based on the geometric structure of the image itself and the existing vertex information.

[0093] For example Figure 5 As shown, in a polygonal photomask image, if vertices need to be interpolated because the distance between adjacent images is too small, the intersection points inside the photomask image can be determined as new vertex positions. After determining the positions of these new vertices inside the photomask image, they are connected in sequence according to geometric connection rules to construct a second target image of the photomask image.

[0094] Compared with the first target image, the second target image has been adjusted in terms of graphic structure to meet the spacing requirements between adjacent photomask images, ensuring that the graphics corresponding to each photomask image can be independently and accurately transferred to the silicon wafer during the lithography process, avoiding chip defects caused by spacing problems, effectively improving the yield and quality of chip manufacturing, and ensuring the reliability and stability of the semiconductor manufacturing process.

[0095] As described above, the photomask image processing method proposed in the embodiment of the present application can obtain at least one photomask image, determine a preset vertical interval according to the processing accuracy of the photomask image, establish multiple horizontal scan lines according to the preset vertical interval and the position information of the photomask image, traverse the intersection points with the photomask image on each scan line in turn, and calculate the horizontal distance between the intersection point on the current scan line and the intersection point on the adjacent previous scan line. If the horizontal distance is less than the preset horizontal interval, the intersection point on the current scan line is deleted. Among all the traversed intersection points, a horizontal extension line and a vertical extension line are generated for adjacent intersection points respectively, and two intersection points of the horizontal extension line and the vertical extension line are obtained, and the intersection point located outside the photomask image is determined as a vertex position, and all the vertex positions are connected to obtain a first target image of the photomask image, and the minimum spacing between the first target image of each photomask image and the first target image of the adjacent photomask image is obtained. If the minimum spacing is less than the preset spacing, the intersection point located inside the photomask image is determined as a new vertex position in the current photomask image, and all the new vertex positions are connected to obtain a second target image of the photomask image. The embodiment of the present application determines the intersection points and vertices in the photomask image through horizontal scanning lines, and obtains the first target image or the second target image after connecting the vertices, thereby quickly completing the Manhattanization of the image, meeting the requirements of processing accuracy, and improving computing efficiency.

[0096] In order to implement the above method, an embodiment of the present application further provides a photomask image processing device, which can be specifically integrated into a terminal device such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, and the like.

[0097] For example, Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a photomask image processing device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The photomask image processing device may include:

[0098] An acquisition module 301 is used to acquire at least one photomask image and establish a plurality of horizontal scanning lines with the same interval according to the position information of the photomask image;

[0099] A calculation module 302, used to sequentially traverse the intersection points of each scanning line with the photomask image, and calculate the horizontal distance between the intersection point on the current scanning line and the intersection point on the adjacent previous scanning line;

[0100] A deletion module 303, configured to delete the intersection point on the current scan line when the horizontal distance is less than a preset horizontal interval;

[0101] The determination module 304 is used to determine the vertex positions among all the intersection points obtained by traversal according to every two adjacent intersection points, and connect all the vertex positions to obtain the first target image of the photomask image.

[0102] As can be seen from the above, the photomask image processing device proposed in the embodiment of the present application can obtain at least one photomask image, and establish multiple horizontal scan lines with the same interval according to the position information of the photomask image, traverse the intersection points with the photomask image on each scan line in turn, and calculate the horizontal distance between the intersection point on the current scan line and the intersection point on the adjacent previous scan line. If the horizontal distance is less than the preset horizontal interval, the intersection point on the current scan line is deleted, and the vertex position is determined according to every two adjacent intersection points among all the traversed intersection points, and all vertex positions are connected to obtain the first target image of the photomask image. The embodiment of the present application determines the intersection points and vertices in the photomask image through horizontal scan lines, and obtains the first target image after connecting the vertices, thereby quickly completing the Manhattanization of the image, and can meet the requirements of processing accuracy and improve calculation efficiency.

[0103] All of the above technical solutions can be arbitrarily combined to form optional embodiments of the present application, which will not be described in detail here.

[0104] A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that all or part of the steps in the various methods of the above embodiments may be completed by instructions, or by controlling related hardware through instructions. The instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium and loaded and executed by a processor.

[0105] To this end, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a plurality of computer programs are stored, and the computer program can be loaded by a processor to execute the steps in any of the photomask image processing methods provided in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the computer program can execute the following steps:

[0106] Acquire at least one photomask image, and establish a plurality of horizontal scan lines with equal intervals according to position information of the photomask image;

[0107] Traversing the intersection points of each scanning line with the photomask image in turn, and calculating the horizontal distance between the intersection point on the current scanning line and the intersection point on the adjacent previous scanning line;

[0108] If the horizontal distance is less than the preset horizontal interval, the intersection point on the current scan line is deleted;

[0109] Among all the intersection points obtained by traversal, vertex positions are determined according to every two adjacent intersection points, and all vertex positions are connected to obtain the first target image of the photomask image.

[0110] The specific implementation of the above operations can be found in the previous embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0111] The storage medium may include: a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc.

[0112] Since the computer program stored in the storage medium can execute the steps in any photomask image processing method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the beneficial effects that can be achieved by any photomask image processing method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be achieved. Please refer to the previous embodiments for details and will not be repeated here.

[0113] An embodiment of the present application also provides an electronic device, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program from the memory, so that the device equipped with the chip executes the methods in various possible implementation modes as described above.

[0114] For example, the computer device mentioned above may be a terminal device with corresponding functions such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, a cloud computer, etc. Figure 7 , Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a computer provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0115] The computer device 400 may include components such as a memory 401 and a processor 402. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that Figure 7 The computer device structure shown in the figure does not constitute a limitation on the computer device, and may include more or less components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0116] The memory 401 may be used to store applications and data. The applications stored in the memory 401 include executable codes. The applications may be composed of various functional modules. The processor 402 executes various functional applications and data processing by running the applications stored in the memory 401.

[0117] Processor 402 is the control center of the computer device. It uses various interfaces and lines to connect the various parts of the entire computer device. By running or executing applications stored in memory 401 and calling data stored in memory 401, it executes various functions of the computer device and processes data, thereby monitoring the computer device as a whole.

[0118] In this embodiment, the processor 402 in the computer device will load the executable code corresponding to the process of one or more application programs into the memory 401 according to the following instructions, and the processor 402 will run the application program stored in the memory 401 to execute:

[0119] Acquire at least one photomask image, and establish a plurality of horizontal scan lines with equal intervals according to position information of the photomask image;

[0120] Traversing the intersection points of each scanning line with the photomask image in turn, and calculating the horizontal distance between the intersection point on the current scanning line and the intersection point on the adjacent previous scanning line;

[0121] If the horizontal distance is less than the preset horizontal interval, the intersection point on the current scan line is deleted;

[0122] Among all the intersection points obtained by traversal, vertex positions are determined according to every two adjacent intersection points, and all vertex positions are connected to obtain the first target image of the photomask image.

[0123] It is understood that the above scenarios are only examples and do not constitute a limitation on the application scenarios of the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. The technical solutions of the present application can also be applied to other scenarios. For example, it is known to those skilled in the art that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0124] The steps in the method of the embodiment of the present application can be adjusted in order, combined and deleted according to actual needs. The modules in the device of the embodiment of the present application can be combined, divided and deleted according to actual needs.

[0125] In the present application, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described or recorded in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0126] The above is a detailed introduction to a photomask image processing method, device, electronic device and storage medium provided in the embodiments of the present application. Specific examples are used herein to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present application and its core idea. At the same time, for technical personnel in this field, according to the ideas of the present application, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scopes. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

Claims

1. A photomask image processing method, characterized in that: include: Acquire at least one photomask image, and establish a plurality of horizontal scan lines with equal intervals according to position information of the photomask image; Traversing the intersection points of each scanning line with the photomask image in turn, and calculating the horizontal distance between the intersection point on the current scanning line and the intersection point on the adjacent previous scanning line; If the horizontal distance is less than the preset horizontal interval, the intersection point on the current scan line is deleted; Among all the intersection points obtained by traversal, vertex positions are determined according to every two adjacent intersection points, and all vertex positions are connected to obtain a first target image of the photomask image, wherein the vertex positions are determined according to every two adjacent intersection points, including generating a horizontal extension line and a vertical extension line for the adjacent intersection points, respectively, obtaining two intersection points of the horizontal extension line and the vertical extension line, and determining the intersection point located outside the photomask image as the vertex position; The minimum distance between the first target image of each photomask image and the first target image of an adjacent photomask image is obtained. If the minimum distance is less than a preset distance, the intersection points located inside the photomask image are determined as new vertex positions in the current photomask image, and all the new vertex positions are connected to obtain a second target image of the photomask image.

2. The photomask image processing method according to claim 1, wherein: Establishing a plurality of horizontal scanning lines with equal intervals according to the position information of the photomask image, including: Determining a preset vertical interval according to the processing accuracy of the photomask image; A plurality of horizontal scanning lines are established according to the preset vertical interval and the position information of the photomask image.

3. The photomask image processing method according to claim 2, wherein: The method further comprises: When a scan line having no intersection with the photomask image is traversed for the first time, an intersection point on the previous scan line is obtained; A new intersection point is generated according to the position information of the intersection point on the previous scan line and the preset vertical interval.

4. The photomask image processing method according to claim 1, wherein: The method further comprises: The first target image of the photomask image is input into a photolithography simulation model to verify the simulation accuracy.

5. The photomask image processing method according to claim 4, wherein: The spatial exposure intensity and photoresist light intensity distribution are calculated by the following formula for verification: in, Represents the position coordinates, is the spatial exposure intensity, is the light intensity distribution of the photoresist, is the optical kernel function, represents the effective truncated optical kernel function, which is used to describe the propagation effect of the light source in the prism. represents the transmission sparseness corresponding to the first target image, represents the convolution operator, represents the photoresist response function.

6. A photomask image processing device, characterized in that: include: An acquisition module, used for acquiring at least one photomask image, and establishing a plurality of horizontal scanning lines with the same interval according to the position information of the photomask image; A calculation module, used for sequentially traversing the intersection points of each scanning line with the photomask image, and calculating the horizontal distance between the intersection point on the current scanning line and the intersection point on the adjacent previous scanning line; A deleting module, used for deleting the intersection point on the current scan line when the horizontal distance is less than a preset horizontal interval; A determination module, configured to determine the vertex position according to every two adjacent intersection points among all the traversed intersection points, and connect all the vertex positions to obtain a first target image of the photomask image, wherein the vertex position is determined according to every two adjacent intersection points, including generating a horizontal extension line and a vertical extension line for the adjacent intersection points, respectively, obtaining two intersection points of the horizontal extension line and the vertical extension line, and determining the intersection point located outside the photomask image as the vertex position; The minimum distance between the first target image of each photomask image and the first target image of an adjacent photomask image is obtained. If the minimum distance is less than a preset distance, the intersection points located inside the photomask image are determined as new vertex positions in the current photomask image, and all the new vertex positions are connected to obtain a second target image of the photomask image.

7. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device comprises a memory and a processor, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor executes the steps in the photomask image processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 by calling the computer program stored in the memory.

8. A storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is suitable for being loaded by a processor to execute the steps in the photomask image processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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