Method for determining the division form of the reticle and reticle

Abstract

The concrete example presents a method for dividing a target reticle into multiple unit reticles based on a unit bear reticle, and a structure that ensures pattern continuity by connecting the divided unit reticles to each other. [Solution] The division method extracts boundary lines based on the wire pattern and outermost outline, connects them to create candidate single closed curve sets that cover the entire target reticle, and then selects the sets in order of the smallest number of single closed curves, leaving only the sets that can be placed within the unit bare reticle, to determine the unit reticle set. In addition, adjacent first and second unit reticles have connecting surfaces that abut each other, and the alignment and continuity of the wires between unit reticles are stably realized through the linear pattern passing through the connecting surface and the stitching linear pattern of the stitching area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments relate to a method of determining a reticle division form for efficiently determining the boundaries of each small reticle and providing a reticle with high accuracy and integration when a large reticle is composed by combining small reticles with small sizes, etc.

[0002] Embodiments relate to a reticle provided by arranging two or more divided unit reticles side by side. Embodiments relate to a reticle in which fatal errors such as short circuits of wirings are minimized while applying two or more unit reticles.

Background Art

[0003] In the manufacture of a packaging substrate, a photolithography process is applied in the manufacturing process of a circuit pattern arranged on the substrate. Since a glass substrate or the like can be applied to the packaging substrate, a large-area substrate can be applied. However, there is a problem that the design of the circuit pattern is larger than the size of the reticle applied in the photolithography process. At this time, the design of the circuit pattern can be applied by dividing it into a plurality of regions. The divided reticle corresponding to the design of the circuit pattern divided into a plurality of regions has an area cut open at its boundary.

[0004] Embodiments present a combination of divided reticles applicable to the manufacture of a large-area packaging substrate.

[0005] The background art described above is technical information that the inventor possessed for deriving the present invention or acquired in the process of deriving the present invention, and is not necessarily known art publicly disclosed to the general public before the filing of the present invention.

[0006] As related technologies, there are Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2024-0019240, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2016-0142252, US Registration No. 10,803,013, etc.

Summary of the Invention

[0007] The concrete example aims to provide a method for defining a reticle division configuration in which a large reticle is constructed by combining smaller reticles, thereby efficiently defining the boundaries of each smaller reticle to create a reticle with high accuracy and density.

[0008] Furthermore, the concrete example involves providing a reticle with numerous unit reticles that can substantially prevent misalignment of power lines near boundary lines. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The method for determining the reticle division form in the embodiment example is to apply a unit bare reticle and divide the reticle pattern so that a target reticle larger than the unit bare reticle is realized.

[0010] The method includes: a basic step of inputting a wire pattern and outermost outline corresponding to a single conductive layer to be realized to secure target reticle data; a line extraction step of extracting a number of boundary lines that are placed in the space within the target reticle data where no wires of the wire pattern are placed, or that correspond to the outermost outline of the target reticle data; a surface extraction step of calculating a number of single closed curve sets that cover the entire area of ​​the target reticle data by connecting the number of boundary lines and providing a candidate pool; a verification step of removing a single closed curve set from the candidate pool if at least one of the single closed curves included in one single closed curve set is not placed within the unit bare reticle; and an output step of outputting single closed curve sets in the candidate pool in ascending order of the number of single closed curves included in the single closed curve set.

[0011] The above method can realize divided target reticles by providing a unit reticle set having the outline of the single closed curve set.

[0012] The aforementioned numerous boundary lines may be substantially straight lines.

[0013] The wire pattern may include a linear wire pattern and a via pad type wire pattern.

[0014] The line extraction step may include: a first boundary extraction step of extracting a type 1 boundary line in the middle of adjacent first and second linear wires; a second boundary line extraction step of extracting a type 2 boundary line between adjacent third linear wires and via pad wires, along the third wire at a constant distance from the third wire; and a third boundary line extraction step of extracting a type 3 boundary line that is positioned between adjacent via pad wires but is the shortest distance line connecting both ends of the type 1 boundary line, both ends of the second boundary line, or a part of the outermost line.

[0015] If a single closed curve set is not derived in the surface extraction stage, an extended boundary line extraction process can be carried out to extract extended Type 1 boundary lines and extended Type 2 boundary lines, which extend to the point where the Type 1 boundary line and the Type 2 boundary line each pass through one electric wire in a straight line. Thereafter, the surface extraction stage can be performed again based on a number of boundary lines, including the extended Type 1 boundary line, the extended Type 2 boundary line, and the Type 3 boundary line.

[0016] If a single closed curve set is not derived in the surface extraction stage performed again, the extended boundary extraction process is applied to extend to points where the electric wire penetrates n times, and the extended boundary line extraction process and the surface extraction stage are performed again, where n can be an integer of 2 or more applied sequentially.

[0017] The output stage can further output whether or not the extended boundary line extraction process has been carried out.

[0018] If a single closed curve set is not derived in the surface extraction stage, an extended boundary line extraction process is carried out to extract extended Type 1 boundary lines and extended Type 2 boundary lines that extend to a point where the Type 1 boundary line and the Type 2 boundary line each pass through one electric wire in a straight line; and the surface extraction stage may be performed again based on a number of boundary lines including the extended Type 1 boundary line, the extended Type 2 boundary line and the Type 3 boundary line.

[0019] If a single closed curve set is not derived in the surface extraction stage performed again, the extended boundary extraction process is applied to extend to points where the electric wire penetrates n times, and the extended boundary line extraction process and the surface extraction stage are performed again, where n can be an integer of 2 or more applied sequentially.

[0020] The output stage can further output whether or not the extended boundary line extraction process has been carried out.

[0021] The output stage outputs p sets of single closed curves, where p can be an integer between 1 and 10.

[0022] The first boundary extraction process may involve a space between the first linear wire and the second linear wire having a width of at least three times the smaller of the widths of the first and second linear wires.

[0023] At the output stage, the number of single closed curves included in the set of single closed curves may be between 2 and 10.

[0024] The target reticle has a rectangular shape where the smaller of its horizontal and vertical lengths is A, and the unit bear reticle has a length where the smaller of its horizontal and vertical lengths is B, and A can be 1.15 times or more of B.

[0025] The reticle according to the embodiment has a reticle pattern such that a target reticle larger than the unit bare reticle is realized by applying the unit bare reticle. The first unit reticle and the second unit reticle are positioned adjacent to each other. The first unit reticle has a first-to-second connection surface that abuts the second unit reticle, and the second unit reticle has a second-to-first connection surface that abuts the first unit reticle.

[0026] The first unit reticle and the second unit reticle are connected to each other and have a linear pattern passing through the first-to-second connection surface and the second-to-first connection surface. The linear pattern disposed on the first-to-second connection surface side of the first unit reticle is a first side linear pattern, and the linear pattern disposed on the second-to-first connection surface side of the second unit reticle is a second side linear pattern. A first-to-second stitching region is disposed at the edge of the first unit reticle on the first-to-second connection surface side.

[0027] A pattern connected to the first side linear pattern disposed in the first-to-second stitching region is a first-to-second stitching linear pattern, and one end of the first-to-second stitching linear pattern can be directly connected to the first side linear pattern and the other end can be directly connected to the first-to-second connection surface.

[0028] The first-to-second stitching linear pattern is a linear pattern connecting from the one end to the other end, and the interval between the linear patterns gradually widens as a whole, and the width of the linear pattern at the other end can be expanded compared to the width of the linear pattern at the one end.

[0029] A second-to-first stitching region is disposed at the edge of the second unit reticle on the second-to-first connection surface side. A pattern connected to the second side linear pattern disposed in the second-to-first stitching region is a second-to-first stitching linear pattern, and one end of the second-to-first stitching linear pattern can be directly connected to the second side linear pattern and the other end can be directly connected to the second-to-first connection surface.

[0030] The 2-1 stitching linear pattern is a linear pattern that connects from one end to the other end, wherein the spacing between linear patterns gradually widens overall, and the width of the linear pattern at the other end may be expanded compared to the width of the linear pattern at the one end.

[0031] When the first unit reticle and the second unit reticle are in contact, the other end of the first-2 stitching linear pattern and the other end of the second-1 stitching linear pattern are in contact, thereby connecting the first side linear pattern and the second side linear pattern.

[0032] The width of the linear pattern at the other end may be an extension of the width of the linear pattern at the first end by 1 μm to 5 μm on each side.

[0033] The width of the linear pattern at the other end may be an extension of the width of the linear pattern at the first end by 1 μm to 4 μm on each side.

[0034] The linear pattern connecting one end to the other end has a constant width, but the other end can have a semicircular or semi-elliptical shape.

[0035] The linear pattern connecting one end to the other end may have a form in which the width gradually increases from the one end to the other end.

[0036] The distance between the edge of the first side pad and the first-to-second connecting surface may be 2.5 μm or more.

[0037] The reticle is rectangular in shape, with the longer side of its width and height being 10 cm or more, while the first unit reticle may have a shorter side of its width and height of 8 cm or less.

[0038] The first unit reticle may further include a first side via pattern.

[0039] The first side via pattern is configured to include the first side via and the first side pad surrounding it.

[0040] The diameter of the first side pad may be 3 μm to 15 μm larger than the diameter of the first side via.

[0041] The distance between the first side pad and other via pads or other linear patterns adjacent to it may be 2 μm or more. [Effects of the Invention]

[0042] The method for defining the division form of the reticle in the example allows for the efficient definition of the boundaries between smaller reticles when constructing a large reticle by combining smaller reticles, thereby providing a reticle with high accuracy and density.

[0043] Reticles including the divided unit reticle sets of the embodiment can provide reticles that can efficiently divide large-area reticles and substantially prevent misalignment of wires near boundary lines. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0044] [Figure 1] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the target reticle and unit bear reticle of the existing technology described herein, viewed from above. [Figure 2] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating boundary lines with concrete examples. [Figure 3] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating how a single closed curve is placed on a unit bearer reticle, using concrete examples. [Figure 4] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating how a target reticle is realized through a unit reticle having the outline of a single closed curve, using an example of its realization. [Figure 5] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating target reticles and stitching lines composed of unit reticle sets, using concrete examples. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating an example of the stitching process in a concrete example. [Figure 7] This is a diagram illustrating a portion of the reticle in a real-world example. [Figure 8a] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the state in which the first unit reticle and the second unit reticle are in contact with each other, using a concrete example. [Figure 8b] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example related to an existing case. [Figure 9] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of how blind vias can be positioned. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0045] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those with ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily implement it. However, the present invention can be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Similar parts are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the specification.

[0046] Throughout this specification, the term “these combinations” as used in a Markush expression means one or more mixtures or combinations selected from the group of components described in the Markush expression, and includes one or more selected from the group of components.

[0047] Throughout this specification, terms such as “First,” “Second,” or “A,” “B” are used to distinguish the same term from one another. Furthermore, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0048] In this specification, the term "~" may mean that the compound contains a compound corresponding to "~" or a derivative of "~".

[0049] In this specification, the meaning of B being located on A means that B is located in direct contact with A or that B is located on A with other layers between them, and is not limited to B being located in contact with the surface of A.

[0050] In this specification, the meaning of "connected to B on A" means that A and B are directly connected or connected to B through other components, and is not limited to the direct connection of A and B unless otherwise specified.

[0051] In this specification, singular expressions are interpreted as including singular or plural, as interpreted in the context, unless otherwise specified.

[0052] In this specification, the forms, relative sizes, angles, etc., of each component in the drawings are illustrative and may be exaggerated for illustrative purposes, and the rights shall not be construed as being limited to the drawings.

[0053] In this specification, "adjacent to A and B" means that A and B are located touching each other, or that A and B are located close to each other but not touching each other. In this specification, the expression "adjacent to A and B" is not interpreted as being limited to A and B being located touching each other unless otherwise specified.

[0054] Commercial manufacturing of packaging substrates using glass cores is progressing. Unlike laboratory-scale manufacturing, commercial-scale manufacturing requires automated manufacturing facilities and multi-stage inspection equipment. The glass cores used in packaging substrates are semiconductor glass sheets, and fairly large semiconductor glass sheets can be used. For example, a rectangular glass core with one side measuring 10 cm or more can be used. However, commercially available reticles are about 8 cm in size, which is smaller than the glass core. Therefore, two or more reticles must be used together to form one wiring layer on the glass core.

[0055] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the target reticle and unit bear reticle of the existing technology described herein, viewed from above. The existing technology will be explained with reference to Figure 1.

[0056] The large reticle to be obtained is called the target reticle 900, and commercially available reticles are called unit bare reticles 100. A target reticle 900 can be obtained by placing two or more unit bare reticles 100. In this case, a boundary is created between adjacent unit bare reticles 100, and this boundary is called the boundary 200.

[0057] The boundary 200 is located in the plane of the target reticle 900. The target reticle 900 has a pattern that corresponds to the wire pattern of the electrically conductive layer on the packaging substrate.

[0058] The boundary 200 will be adjacent to or pass through the wire pattern. However, due to the manufacturing process, a certain positional error (margin) may occur at the unit bear reticle 100. Considering this, an error will occur in the wire pattern with the boundary 200 as the boundary. This error may cause a short circuit in wires that should be connected. Alternatively, this error may cause wires that should not be connected to connect to each other.

[0059] The inventors present examples to reduce the possibility of such errors occurring and to enable efficient and accurate reticle application.

[0060] Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the boundary line with an example; Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the placement of a single closed curve on a unit bare reticle with an example; and Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the realization of a target reticle through a unit reticle having the outline of a single closed curve with an example. The examples will be explained in more detail with reference to Figures 2 to 4.

[0061] To achieve the above objective, a method for determining the reticle division form according to one embodiment of the embodiment is a method for dividing a reticle pattern by applying a unit bare reticle 100 so that a target reticle 900 larger than the unit bare reticle 100 is realized, and includes a base step, a line extraction step, a surface extraction step, a detection step, and an output step.

[0062] The foundational stage involves inputting wire patterns 300 and outermost outlines 390 corresponding to the first conductive layer to be realized, thereby securing the target reticle data.

[0063] The wire patterns are digitized and saved, taking into account the lithography method to be applied, and used as basic information in subsequent stages.

[0064] The aforementioned outermost boundary line 390 is included in part of the boundary line 200, which will be described later.

[0065] The wire pattern 300 is used as reference material for setting the position of the boundary line 200.

[0066] The wire pattern 300 includes a linear wire pattern 310 and a via pad type wire pattern 330.

[0067] The line extraction stage is the stage of extracting a number of boundary lines 200 that are placed in the space within the target reticle data where no wires of the wire pattern 300 are placed, or that correspond to the outermost outline 390 of the target reticle data.

[0068] When linear wire patterns 310 are arranged side by side, a boundary line is defined between them. When linear wire patterns 310 and via pad type wire patterns 330 are arranged side by side, a boundary line is defined according to the shape of the linear wire pattern 310. When via pad type wire patterns 330 are arranged, the extension of the surrounding boundary line is defined so as to be positioned between the via pad type wire patterns 330.

[0069] Specifically, the line extraction step may include: a first boundary extraction step of extracting a type 1 boundary line 210 in the middle of adjacent first linear wires 312 and second linear wires 314; a second boundary line extraction step of extracting a type 2 boundary line between adjacent third linear wires and via pad wires, along the third wire at a constant distance from the third wire; and a third boundary line extraction step of extracting a type 3 boundary line 230, which is positioned between adjacent via pad wires, but is the shortest distance line connecting both ends of the first boundary line 210, both ends of the second boundary line, or a portion of the outermost line 390 to each other.

[0070] The first boundary extraction process may involve a space between the first linear wire and the second linear wire having a width of three or five times the smaller of the widths of the first and second linear wires.

[0071] The aforementioned numerous boundary lines 200 are substantially straight, and the boundary lines derived from the wire pattern can be connected at their ends, while the outermost line 390 can be connected to the boundary lines in the middle of the line rather than at its ends.

[0072] The surface extraction stage involves arranging multiple single closed curves 710 obtained by connecting the numerous boundary lines 200, and calculating a large number of single closed curve sets 700 that cover the entire area of ​​the target reticle data to create a candidate pool.

[0073] The numerous boundary lines 200 are arranged in large numbers between the wire patterns 300, and they are connected so that the ends of the boundary lines that are close to each other do not touch or cross the wire patterns. Through this, the boundary lines can be connected to form a single closed curve.

[0074] The aforementioned single closed curve can divide the target reticle into surfaces. A collection of single closed curves that divide surfaces in this way is referred to as a single closed curve set 700.

[0075] Many such sets of 700 single closed curves can be generated, and a verification stage is performed to confirm whether they can be applied as unit reticles.

[0076] The verification stage is to remove a set of single closed curves from the candidate pool if at least one of the single closed curves 710 included in a set of single closed curves 700 is not located within the unit bearer reticle 100.

[0077] Only when all of the aforementioned single closed curves are placed on a unit bare reticle can a unit reticle set having the shape of a single closed curve be created using it. Therefore, since it is difficult to realize the set unless any one of the single closed curves in the set is placed within a unit bare reticle, it is removed.

[0078] The output stage is the stage in which the single closed curve sets 700 are output in order of increasing number of single closed curves 710 included in the single closed curve set 700 in the candidate pool.

[0079] The target reticle 900 must constitute the unit reticle set 800, and the unit reticle is embodied by a unit bare reticle. The external shape of the unit reticle is embodied to be identical to the single closed curve. Therefore, if any single closed curve from the single closed curve set cannot be placed within the unit bare reticle, it cannot be used. Consequently, it is necessary to exclude it from the candidate pool.

[0080] At the output stage, the number of single closed curves 710 included in the single closed curve set 700 may be 2 or more, 3 or more, 4 or more, or 5 or more. The number may be 20 or less, 18 or less, 15 or less, 13 or less, or 10 or less.

[0081] The output stage is a stage in which a large number of single closed curve sets 700 are output. For example, the number of single closed curve sets output may be between 1 and 10, but is not limited to this.

[0082] However, the aforementioned number may vary depending on the size of the target reticle and the size of the unit bear reticle.

[0083] For example, if the target reticle 900 is a rectangular shape with the smaller of its horizontal and vertical lengths being A, and the unit bear reticle 100 has the smaller of its horizontal and vertical lengths being B, then A can be at least 1.15 times the size of B.

[0084] By applying the above method, it is possible to efficiently realize the divided target reticle 900 by providing a unit reticle set 800 having the shape of the single closed curve set 700.

[0085] If a single closed curve set 700 is not derived in the surface extraction stage, an extended boundary line extraction process is carried out to extract extended Type 1 boundary lines and extended Type 2 boundary lines that extend to the point where the Type 1 boundary line 210 and the Type 2 boundary line each pass through one electric wire in a straight line; and the surface extraction stage can be performed again based on a number of boundary lines including the extended Type 1 boundary line, the extended Type 2 boundary line and the Type 3 boundary line 230.

[0086] If a single closed curve set 700 is not derived in the surface extraction stage performed again, the extended boundary extraction process is applied to extend to points through which the electric wires penetrate n times, and the extended boundary line extraction process and the surface extraction stage are performed again, where n can be an integer of 2 or more applied sequentially.

[0087] When the extended boundary line is extracted and the surface extraction step is performed, the stitching line 400 may be arranged as shown in Figure 5.

[0088] The stitching line 400 is a boundary line that includes a point where at least a portion of the wire pattern is cut. The stitching pattern 410 is placed on the boundary line at the point where it is cut.

[0089] When two or more reticles are arranged and applied as a large target reticle, a type of alignment error may occur in the arrangement of the two or more individual reticles (unit reticles). In the proposed environment, where a robot arm or the like is applied to the process, a certain level of alignment error (M, miss alignment), expressed as a margin, is considered normal process progress. Therefore, the stitching line is arranged taking this into consideration.

[0090] The stitching pattern 410 applies a wider line width and spacing than the wires on both sides of the point where the wire pattern is cut within the boundary line. For example, if the line width and spacing of the wire pattern are both 2 micrometers, the line width and spacing of the stitching pattern 410 are modified to be 7 micrometers each. That is, a thicker line width is applied by adding approximately 2 micrometers on each side of the wire pattern, and the line width and spacing are modified and applied accordingly. The portion that reflects this modified wire pattern is the stitching pattern 410, and this stitching pattern is applied as needed between units of reticle.

[0091] Through this process, complex, large-area wire patterns can be accurately and efficiently realized.

[0092] A reticle relating to another embodiment of the embodiment includes: a target reticle having a wire pattern corresponding to at least one conductive layer in the electrically conductive layer of a substrate; a unit reticle set in which two or more unit reticles 810, 820 are arranged by dividing the target reticle; and a stitching line 400 arranged at the boundary between two adjacent unit reticles 810, 820.

[0093] The two or more unit reticles 800 may include a first unit reticle 810 and a second unit reticle 820.

[0094] At least a portion of the outer casing of the first unit reticle 810 and the outer casing of the second unit reticle 820 may be in contact.

[0095] Exemplary, five unit reticles 800 can include a first unit reticle 810, a second unit reticle 820, a third unit reticle 830, a fourth unit reticle 840, and a fifth unit reticle 850 (see Figure 4). The first unit reticle 810, the second unit reticle 820, the third unit reticle 830, the fourth unit reticle 840, and the fifth unit reticle 850 each share an adjacent boundary line.

[0096] If the wire pattern penetrates the aforementioned boundary line, a stitching line may be placed in that area. A specific explanation of the stitching line will be repeated in the explanation above.

[0097] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating a part of the reticle in the embodiment example, Figure 8a is a conceptual diagram illustrating how the first unit reticle and the second unit reticle are in contact with each other in the embodiment example, and Figure 8b is a conceptual diagram showing an example related to an existing example. Figure 9 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of how blind vias are arranged in the embodiment example.

[0098] The following examples will be explained in more detail with reference to Figures 7, 8a, and 9.

[0099] To achieve the above objective, the reticle 900 according to one embodiment of the embodiment includes the arrangement of the first unit reticle 810 and the second unit reticle 820 adjacent to each other. Hereinafter, an example with two reticles is described, but similarly, three or more, four or more, five or more, or six or more unit reticles may be applied. Furthermore, 20 or fewer, or 18 or fewer, may be applied as needed.

[0100] The first unit reticle 810 has a first-to-second connecting surface 8512 that abuts the second unit reticle 820. The second unit reticle 820 has a second-to-first connecting surface 8521 that abuts the first unit reticle 810. These are lines on which adjacent unit reticles abut, and while a portion of a quadrilateral is illustrated exemplarily, each unit reticle may be formed into a polygon other than a quadrilateral depending on the design. Exemplarily, connecting surfaces may be arranged to minimize the cutting of the wire pattern being laid.

[0101] The first unit reticle 810 and the second unit reticle 820 are connected to each other and have a linear pattern passing through the first-to-second connecting surface 8512 and the second-to-first connecting surface 8521. When these unit reticles are arranged, it is preferable that the overall reticle 900 is configured in such a way that even if a minute misalignment occurs, electrical disconnections or other problems will not occur.

[0102] The linear pattern positioned on the first-to-second connecting surface 8512 side of the first unit reticle 810 is the first side linear pattern 311, and the linear pattern positioned on the second-to-first connecting surface 8521 side of the second unit reticle 820 is the second side linear pattern 321.

[0103] A first-second stitching region 4512 is positioned on the edge of the first unit reticle 810 on the side of the first-second connecting surface 8512, and a second-first stitching region 4521 is positioned on the edge of the second unit reticle 820 on the side of the second-first connecting surface 8521.

[0104] The pattern connected to the first side linear pattern 311, which is positioned in the first-to-second stitching region 4512, is the first-to-second stitching linear pattern 4311, where one end of the first-to-second stitching linear pattern 4311 is directly connected to the first side linear pattern 311, and the other end can be directly connected to the first-to-second connecting surface 8512.

[0105] The pattern connected to the second side linear pattern 321, which is located in the second-first stitching region 4521, is the second-first stitching linear pattern 4321, where one end of the second-first stitching linear pattern 4321 is directly connected to the second side linear pattern 321 and the other end is directly connected to the second-first connecting surface 8521.

[0106] The first-to-second stitching linear pattern 4311 is a linear pattern that extends from one end 4311a to the other end 4311b, with the spacing between linear patterns gradually widening overall, and the width of the linear pattern at the other end 4311b being expanded compared to the width of the linear pattern at the first end 4311a. Such expansion substantially prevents the occurrence of a short circuit even if a misalignment occurs between two adjacent unit reticles.

[0107] The width of the linear pattern at the other end 4311b may be an extension of the width of the linear pattern at the first end 4311a by 1 μm or more, 1.5 μm or more, 2 μm or more, 2.5 μm or more, or 2.8 μm or more on both sides. Alternatively, it may be an extension of 5 μm or less, 4.5 μm or less, 4 μm or less, 3.5 μm or less, or 3.2 μm or less on both sides.

[0108] Since the aforementioned expansion means expansion on both sides, if a 2 μm line is expanded by 2 μm on each side as an example, the line will become a 6 μm line.

[0109] The linear pattern extending from one end 4311a to the other end 4311b has a constant width, but the other end 4311b can have a semicircular or semi-elliptical shape.

[0110] The linear pattern extending from one end 4311a to the other end 4311b may have a configuration in which the width gradually increases from the one end 4311a to the other end 4311b.

[0111] Similarly, the 2-1 stitching linear pattern 4321 is a linear pattern that extends from one end 4321a to the other end 4321b, with the spacing between linear patterns gradually widening overall, and the width of the linear pattern at the other end 4321b being wider than the width of the linear pattern at the first end 4321a. Through this, it is possible to better prevent short circuits even if misalignment (M) occurs between two adjacent unit reticles.

[0112] The width of the linear pattern at the other end 4321b may be an extension of the width of the linear pattern at the first end 4321a by 1 μm or more, 1.5 μm or more, 2 μm or more, 2.5 μm or more, or 2.8 μm or more on both sides. Alternatively, it may be an extension of 5 μm or less, 4.5 μm or less, 4 μm or less, 3.5 μm or less, or 3.2 μm or less on both sides.

[0113] Since the aforementioned expansion means expansion on both sides, if a 2 μm line is expanded by 2 μm on each side as an example, the line will become a 6 μm line.

[0114] As mentioned above, it is possible to construct it with the other end 4321b's form, or with a form that thickens from one end 4321a to the other end 4321b.

[0115] When the first unit reticle 810 and the second unit reticle 820 are in contact, the other end 4311b of the first-to-second stitching linear pattern 4311 and the other end 4321b of the second-to-first stitching linear pattern 4321 are in contact, and the first side linear pattern 311 and the second side linear pattern 321 can be connected.

[0116] The first unit reticle 810 may further include a first side via pattern 361.

[0117] For illustrative purposes, the first unit reticle 810 will be described as including a first side via pattern 361, but a second side via pattern 362 can also be placed in the second unit reticle 820.

[0118] The first via pattern 361 includes the first via 3611 and the first pad 3612 surrounding it.

[0119] During the exposure process, via patterns on the reticle may experience positional errors. Therefore, it is preferable to consider this when arranging spacing and other parameters. Pads can also be applied as a means to mitigate such via positional errors.

[0120] The diameter of the first side pad 3612 may be 3 μm or more, 3.5 μm or more, 4 μm or more, 4.5 μm or more, or 5 μm or more larger than the diameter of the first side via 3611. Alternatively, it may be 15 μm or less, 14 μm or less, 13 μm or less, 12 μm or less, 11 μm or less, 10 μm or less, 9 μm or less, 8 μm or less, or 7 μm or less larger.

[0121] Because circular structures like vias and pads can be prone to shift phenomena, the spacing between them and other structures is also important.

[0122] For example, the distance between the first side pad 3612 and other adjacent via pads or other linear patterns may be 2 μm or more, 2.5 μm or more, 3 μm or more, or 3.5 μm or more. Alternatively, the distance may be 12 μm or less, 11 μm or less, 10 μm or less, 9 μm or less, 8 μm or less, 7 μm or less, 6 μm or less, or 5 μm or less.

[0123] The distance D between the edge of the first side pad 3612 and the first-to-second connecting surface 8512 may be 2.5 μm or more, 3 μm or more, or 3.5 μm or more. Alternatively, the distance may be 12 μm or less, 11 μm or less, 10 μm or less, 9 μm or less, 8 μm or less, 7 μm or less, 6 μm or less, or 5 μm or less.

[0124] The reticle 900 may be rectangular in shape, with the longer side of its width and height being 10 cm or more.

[0125] The first unit reticle 810 may have a shorter length than its width of 8 cm or less.

[0126] The reticle 900 is a reticle of a size that is difficult to realize with a single bare reticle, and can be constructed by arranging unit reticles. In this case, the stitching area described above can be applied to reduce errors such as short circuits.

[0127] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Various modifications and improvements by those skilled in the art, utilizing the basic concepts of the present invention as defined in the following claims, also fall within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0128] 100: Unit Bear Reticle 200: Boundary line 210:1 type boundary line 230:3 type boundary line 290: Space 300: Wire pattern 310: Linear wire pattern 311: First side linear pattern 312: First linear electric wire 314: Second linear electric wire 321: Second side linear pattern 330: Via pad type wire pattern 361: First side via pattern 3611: First Via 3612: First side pad 362: Second side via pattern 3621: Second Via 3622: Second side pad 390: Outermost Line 400: Stitching line 410: Stitching Pattern 4311: 1st-2nd stitching linear pattern 4321: 2-1 Stitching Linear Pattern 4512: Stitching area 1-2 4521: Stitching area 2-1 700: Set of single closed curves 710: Single closed curve, First single closed curve 713: Third simple closed curve 720: Second simple closed curve 740: Fourth simple closed curve 750: Fifth simple closed curve 800: Unit Reticle Set 810: First Unit Reticle 820: Second Unit Reticle 830: Third Unit Reticle 840: Fourth Unit Reticle 850: Fifth Unit Reticle 900: Target Reticle 8512: 1st-2 connection surface 8521: 2nd-1 connection surface M: miss

Claims

1. A method for dividing a reticle pattern by applying a unit bare reticle so that a target reticle larger than the unit bare reticle is realized, The foundational stage involves inputting the wire pattern and outermost outline corresponding to the resulting conductive layer to secure target reticle data; A line extraction step in which a number of boundary lines are extracted that are placed in spaces within the target reticle data where no wires of the wire pattern are located, or that correspond to the outermost outline of the target reticle data; A surface extraction step involves arranging multiple single closed curves obtained by connecting the numerous boundary lines, calculating a large number of single closed curve sets that cover the entire area of ​​the target reticle data, and creating a candidate pool; A verification step in which, if at least one of the single closed curves included in a set of single closed curves is not located within the unit bearer reticle, that set of single closed curves is excluded from the candidate pool; and Output stage: Outputting single closed curve sets in the candidate pool in ascending order of the number of single closed curves included in the single closed curve set; A method for defining a reticle division form, wherein a unit reticle set having the outline of the single closed curve set is provided to realize a divided target reticle.

2. The wire pattern includes a linear wire pattern and a via pad type wire pattern. The line extraction step is, The first boundary extraction process involves extracting a Type 1 boundary line in the center between two adjacent linear wires, a first linear wire and a second linear wire; A second boundary line extraction process in which a type 2 boundary line is extracted along the third wire at a constant distance from the third wire between two adjacent third linear wires and via pad type wires; and, A third boundary line extraction process in which a Type 3 boundary line is extracted by drawing a line that is the shortest distance line connecting both ends of the Type 1 boundary line, both ends of the Second boundary line, or a part of the Outermost Line, while being placed between adjacent Via Pad type wires; The method according to claim 1, including the method described in claim 1.

3. If a set of single closed curves is not derived in the aforementioned surface extraction stage, The process of extracting extended Type 1 boundary lines and extended Type 2 boundary lines, which are extensions of the aforementioned Type 1 boundary line and Type 2 boundary line that extend in a straight line to the point where they pass through one electric wire, is carried out. The method according to claim 2, wherein the surface extraction step is performed again based on a number of boundary lines, including the extended type 1 boundary line, the extended type 2 boundary line, and the type 3 boundary line.

4. If a set of single closed curves is not derived in the aforementioned repeated surface extraction stage, The extension boundary extraction process is applied to extend to points where it penetrates the electric wire n times, and the extension boundary line extraction process and the surface extraction step are performed again. The method according to claim 3, wherein n is a number of integers of 2 or more applied sequentially.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the output step further outputs whether or not the extended boundary line extraction process has been carried out.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first boundary extraction process is such that the space between the first linear wire and the second linear wire has a width of at least three times the smaller of the widths of the first linear wire and the second linear wire.

7. A reticle pattern having such that a target reticle larger than the unit bear reticle is realized when a unit bear reticle is applied, The first unit reticle and the second unit reticle are positioned adjacent to each other. The first unit reticle has a first-to-second connecting surface that contacts the second unit reticle. The second unit reticle has a second-first connecting surface that contacts the first unit reticle. The first unit reticle and the second unit reticle are connected to each other and have a linear pattern passing through the first-to-second connecting surface and the second-to-first connecting surface. The linear pattern arranged on the first-to-second connecting surface side of the first unit reticle is the first side linear pattern. The linear pattern arranged on the second-1 connecting surface side of the second unit reticle is the second side linear pattern. A first-to-second stitching region is provided on the edge of the first unit reticle on the side of the first-to-second connecting surface. The pattern connected to the first side linear pattern, which is placed in the first-to-second stitching region, is the first-to-second stitching linear pattern. The first-to-second stitching linear pattern has one end directly connected to the first side linear pattern, and the other end directly connected to the first-to-second connecting surface. The above 1-2 stitching linear patterns are A linear pattern connecting one end to the other end, wherein the spacing between linear patterns gradually widens overall. The width of the linear pattern at the other end is expanded compared to the width of the linear pattern at the one end. A second-first stitching region is provided on the edge of the second unit reticle on the second-first connecting surface side. The pattern connected to the second side linear pattern, which is placed in the second-first stitching region, is the second-first stitching linear pattern. The second-first stitching linear pattern has one end directly connected to the second side linear pattern and the other end directly connected to the second-first connecting surface. The above 2-1 stitching linear pattern is A linear pattern connecting one end to the other end, wherein the spacing between linear patterns gradually widens overall. The width of the linear pattern at the other end is expanded compared to the width of the linear pattern at the one end. A reticle in which, when the first unit reticle and the second unit reticle are in contact, the other end of the first-to-second stitching linear pattern and the other end of the second-to-first stitching linear pattern are in contact, thereby connecting the first side linear pattern and the second side linear pattern.

8. The reticle according to claim 7, wherein the width of the linear pattern at the other end is an extension of the width of the linear pattern at the one end by 1 μm to 5 μm on both sides.

9. The first unit reticle further includes a first side via pattern, The first via pattern is The first via and the first pad surrounding it are arranged, The diameter of the first side pad is 3 μm to 15 μm larger than the diameter of the first side via. The reticle according to claim 7, wherein the distance between the first side pad and other via pads or other linear patterns adjacent to it is 2 μm or more.

10. The reticle according to claim 9, wherein the distance between the edge of the first side pad and the first-to-second connecting surface is 2.5 μm or more.

Images