System, software application, and method for lithography stitching

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor, cause a computer system to:

• create a design file, the design file having a pattern to be written into a photoresist layer;
• divide the design file between a plurality of mask patterns;
• generate a plurality of features for each of the mask patterns, wherein:
• overlapping features of each of the mask patterns include first feature extensions extending at first feature interfaces that are to be stitched with second feature extensions extending at second feature interfaces of adjacent mask patterns;
• and
• each of the first feature extensions to be stitched with each of the second feature extensions comprises each stitched portion of the pattern to be written into the photoresist layer at a stitching of masks formed from the mask patterns;
• and
• determine a first feature end location (θ1) comprising a distance from each second feature interface to an opposing end of each corresponding first feature extension of each stitched portion, wherein the first feature end location θ1 is determined based on at least one of:
• a pitch between adjacent features of each mask pattern, wherein the pitch comprises a distance between first leading edges of each adjacent feature;
• a stitching shift (Δ) comprising substantially half a distance from each first feature
• interface to each corresponding second feature interface of the stitched portion;
• a first feature width (L1) comprising a width at each of the first feature interfaces of each stitched portion;
• or
• a first feature extension length (λ1) comprising a length of each first feature extension.

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor, cause a computer system to:

• divide a design file between two or more mask patterns;
• and
• generate a model of stitched portions of the two or more mask patterns using one of θ1=f(L1, λ1, Δ), Δ=f(L1, λ1, θ1), θ2=f(L2, λ2, Δ), or Δ=f(L2, λ2, θ2) wherein:
• the stitched portions comprises first features having first feature extensions extending therefrom at first feature interfaces and corresponding second features having second feature extensions extending therefrom at second feature interfaces;
• a first feature end location (θ1) comprises a distance from each second feature interface to an opposing end of each corresponding first feature extension in each stitched portion;
• a stitching shift (Δ) comprises substantially half a distance from each first feature interface to each corresponding second feature interface of each stitched portion;
• a first feature width (L1) comprises a width at each of the first feature interfaces of each stitched portion;
• a first feature extension length (λ1) comprises a length of each first feature extension;
• a second feature end location (θ2) comprises a distance from each first feature interface to an opposing end of each corresponding second feature extension in each stitched portion;
• wherein a second feature width (L2) comprises a width at each of the second feature interfaces of each stitched portion;
• and
• a second feature extension length (λ2) comprises a length of each second feature extension.