# US 11,906,905 B2 · Preserving hierarchical structure information within a design file

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- Number: US 11,906,905 B2
- Document ID: US11906905B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/767,020
- Filed: 2019-11-15
- Published: 2022-11-17
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2019-11-15
- Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Applicants: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Inventors: Chung-Shin Kang; Yinfeng Dong; Rick R. Hung; Yao Cheng Yang; Tsaichuan Kao
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11906905B2

## CPC

- G03F 7/70291: {Addressable masks, e.g. spatial light modulators [SLMs], digital micro-mirror devices [DMDs] or liquid crystal display [LCD] patterning devices}
- G03F 7/70433: {Layout for increasing efficiency or for compensating imaging errors, e.g. layout of exposure fields for reducing focus errors; Use of mask features for increasing efficiency or for compensating imaging errors}
- G03F 7/70508: {Data handling in all parts of the microlithographic apparatus, e.g. handling pattern data for addressable masks or data transfer to or from different components within the exposure apparatus}
- G06F 30/398: Design verification or optimisation, e.g. using design rule check [DRC], layout versus schematics [LVS] or finite element methods [FEM] (optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes G03F1/36)
- H10P 74/23: {characterised by multiple measurements, corrections, marking or sorting processes}
- G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A verification device for verifying a design file for digital lithography comprises a memory and a controller. The memory comprises the design file. The controller is configured to access the design file and apply one or more compliance rules to the design file to determine compliance of the design file. The compliance rules comprises at least one of detecting non-orthogonal edges within the design file, detecting non-compliant overlapping structures within the design file, and detecting a non-compliant interaction between a reference layer of the design file and a target layer of the design file. The controller is further configured to verify the design file in response to a comparison of a number of non-orthogonal edges, non-compliant overlapping structures and non-compliant interactions to a threshold.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
accessing a design file for a digital lithography device from a memory;
detecting areas of interest within the design file based on interactions between structures of cells within one or more hierarchical layers of the design file;
applying one or more compliance rules to the design file to determine compliance of the design file by:
detecting non-orthogonal edges within the areas of interest based on detecting an edge of a first structure of the structures being non-orthogonal with an edge of a second structure of the structures, wherein the first structure and the second structure are overlapping with each other;
detecting non-compliant overlapping structures within the areas of interest; and
detecting a non-compliant interaction between a reference layer of the design file and a target layer of the design file; and
verifying the design file in a response to a comparison of a number of the non-orthogonal edges, the non-compliant overlapping structures and the non-compliant interactions to a threshold, wherein the verified design file is output to the digital lithography device to pattern a substrate based on the verified design file.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the non-orthogonal edges further comprises:
detecting a region of overlap between the first structure and the second structure.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein detecting the region of overlap comprises:
generating a plurality of markers around the first structure and the second structure; and
selecting a first marker and a second marker of the plurality of markers that identify an interaction region of the first structure and the second structure, and wherein determining if the first structure forms an orthogonal edge with the second structure comprises determining if the first marker is orthogonal with the second marker.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the non-compliant overlapping structures comprises at least one of:
comparing an amount of a third structure that extends into a fourth structure to a first threshold;
identifying one or more edges of at least one of the third structure and the fourth structure that is non-orthogonal in a region of overlap between the third structure and the fourth structure; and
comparing a number of adjacent edges of the third structure within the region of overlap to an edge threshold.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein a location corresponding to the third and fourth structures is determined to be non-compliant in response to one or more of:
the amount of the third structure that extends into the fourth structure exceeding the first threshold;
identifying at least one non-orthogonal edge in the region of overlap; and
the number of adjacent edges exceeding the edge threshold.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, detecting the non-compliant overlapping structures comprises:
identifying a third structure that overlaps with a fourth structure;
determining an amount of overlap between the third and fourth structures; and
comparing the amount of overlap to a distance threshold.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein a location corresponding to the third structure and the fourth structure is determined to be non-compliant in response to the amount of overlap being less than the threshold.

### Claim 8

A verification device for verifying a design file for digital lithography, the verification device comprises:
a memory comprising the design file; and
a controller configured to:
access the design file;
detect areas of interest within the design file based on interactions between structures of cells within one or more hierarchical layers of the design file;
apply one or more compliance rules to the design file to determine compliance of the design file by:
detecting non-orthogonal edges within the areas of interest based on detecting an edge of a first structure of the structures being non-orthogonal with an edge of a second structure of the structures, wherein the first structure and the second structure are overlapping with each other;
detecting non-compliant overlapping structures within the areas of interest; and
detecting a non-compliant interaction between a reference layer of the design file and a target layer of the design file; and
verify the design file in response to a comparison of a number of the non-orthogonal edges, the non-compliant overlapping structures and the non-compliant interactions to a threshold, wherein the verified design file is output to a digital lithography device to pattern a substrate based on the verified design file.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The verification device of claim 8, wherein detecting the non-orthogonal edges further comprises:
detecting a region of overlap between the first structure and the second structure.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The verification device of claim 9, wherein detecting the region of overlap comprises:
generating a plurality of markers around the first structure and the second structure; and
selecting a first marker and a second marker of the plurality of markers that identify an interaction region of the first structure and the second structure, and wherein determining if the first structure fails to form an orthogonal edge with the second structure comprises determining if the first marker is orthogonal with the second marker.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The verification device of claim 8, wherein detecting the non-compliant overlapping structures comprises at least one of:
comparing an amount of a third structure that extends into a fourth structure to a first threshold;
identifying one or more edges of at least one of the third structure and the fourth structure that is non-orthogonal in a region of overlap between the third structure and the fourth structure; and
comparing a number of adjacent edges of the third structure within the region of overlap to an edge threshold.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The verification device of claim 11, wherein a location corresponding to the first and second structures is determined to be non-compliant in response to one or more of:
the amount of the third structure that extends into the fourth structure exceeding the first threshold;
identifying at least one non-orthogonal edge in the region of overlap; and
the number of adjacent edges exceeding the edge threshold.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The verification device of claim 8, detecting the non-compliant overlapping structures comprises:
identifying a third structure that overlaps with a fourth structure;
determining an amount of overlap between the third and fourth structures; and
comparing the amount of overlap to a distance threshold.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The verification device of claim 13, wherein a location corresponding to the third structure and the fourth structure is determined to be non-compliant in response to the amount of overlap being less than the threshold.

### Claim 15

A computer program product for verifying a design file for digital lithography, the computer program product comprising:
a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code executable by one or more computer processors to:
access the design file from a memory;
detect areas of interest within the design file based on interactions between structures of cells within one or more hierarchical layers of the design file;
apply one or more compliance rules the design file to determine compliance of the design file by:
detecting non-orthogonal edges within the areas of interest based on detecting an edge of a first structure of the structures being non-orthogonal with an edge of a second structure of the structures, wherein the first structure and the second structure are overlapping with each other;
detecting non-compliant overlapping structures within the areas of interest; and
detecting a non-compliant interaction between a reference layer of the design file and a target layer of the design file; and
verify the design file in a response to a comparison of a number of the non-orthogonal edges, the non-compliant overlapping structures and the non-compliant interactions to a threshold, wherein the verified design file is output to a digital lithography device to pattern a substrate based on the verified design file.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The computer program product of claim 15, wherein detecting the non-orthogonal edges comprises:
detecting a region of overlap between the first structure and the second structure within the design file; and
determining if the first structure fails to form an orthogonal edge with the second structure.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The computer program product of claim 16, wherein detecting the region of overlap comprises:
generating a plurality of markers around the first structure and the second structure; and
selecting a first marker and a second marker of the plurality of markers that identify an interaction region of the first structure and the second structure, and wherein determining if the first structure forms the orthogonal edge with the second structure comprises determining if the first marker is orthogonal with the second marker.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The computer program product of claim 15, wherein detecting the non-compliant overlapping structures comprises at least one of:
comparing an amount of a third structure that extends into a fourth structure to a first threshold;
identifying one or more edges of at least one of the third structure and the fourth structure that is non-orthogonal in a region of overlap between the third structure and the fourth structure; and
comparing a number of adjacent edges of the third structure within the region of overlap to an edge threshold.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The computer program product of claim 18, wherein a location corresponding to the first and second structures is determined to be non-compliant in response to one or more of:
the amount of the third structure that extends into the fourth structure exceeding the first threshold;
identifying at least one non-orthogonal edge in the region of overlap; and
the number of adjacent edges exceeding the edge threshold.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The computer program product of claim 15, detecting the non-compliant overlapping structures comprises:
identifying a third structure that overlaps with a fourth structure;
determining an amount of overlap between the third and fourth structures; and
comparing the amount of overlap to a distance threshold.