Cross-Tile OPC Consistency for Photomask Edge Adjustments
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in optical proximity correction is achieving cross-tile consistency in edge adjustments for layout designs, particularly in repetitive patterns like memory cells, where numerical noise leads to inconsistent corrections across different regions.
Innovation Solution
A method involving multiple optical proximity correction iterations, where edge placement errors are simulated and intermediate edge adjustment values are determined to ensure uniform adjustments across regions with the same layout pattern, resulting in a final modified layout design with consistent edge adjustments for photomask manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If optical proximity correction is performed on different regions independently, then computation speed is improved, but edge adjustment consistency across regions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The layout design is divided into multiple regions that can be processed independently in parallel, improving computation speed. Each region undergoes OPC iterations separately, allowing simultaneous processing while maintaining the ability to enforce consistency across regions through the determination of uniform edge adjustment values for identical layout patterns.
2Measurement precision
If numerical precision is increased in OPC calculations, then edge adjustment accuracy is improved, but computational noise and inconsistency across regions worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The method determines intermediate edge adjustment values based on layout patterns and enforces consistency by ensuring that edge fragments with the same layout pattern receive the same edge adjustment value across different regions. This parameter standardization eliminates numerical noise while maintaining high precision edge adjustment accuracy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances pattern fidelity by ensuring consistent edge adjustments across different regions, improving the accuracy of photomask production and reducing optical proximity effects, particularly beneficial for designs with repetitive patterns.
Implementation Method 1
When light illuminates the photomask, the transmitted light diffracts, with light from regions with higher spatial frequencies diffracting at higher angles.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the disclosed technology relate to techniques for achieving optical proximity correction cross-tile consistency. A layout design is divided into a plurality of regions. Optical proximity correction iterations are performed on each of the plurality of regions to generate a modified layout design. Based on the modified layout design and the layout pattern surrounding each of the edge fragments in the modified layout design, a final modified layout design is generated such that the edge fragments in different regions in the plurality of regions in the final modified layout design having the same layout pattern have a same edge adjustment value with respect to the layout design.