Optical proximity correction improvement by fracturing after pre-optical proximity correction
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsMARTIN BURKHARDT, Nakgeuon Seong
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Abstract
A method for fabricating a mask used to make integrated circuits is provided using an improved OPC process whereby a pre-fracturing OPC process is performed on the target design of the integrated circuit. The pre-fractured OPC design is then fractured and a post-fracturing OPC process performed to make the final mask. Either rule-based OPC or model-based OPC processes can be used for both of the OPC steps or each step can be either side-based or model-based OPC.
Claims11
A method for fabricating a mask for making integrated circuits comprising the steps of:
- creating a schematic circuit design consisting of individual devices coupled together to perform a certain function or set of functions;
- performing a pre-fracturing optical proximity correction (OPC) process on the individual devices of the design;
- fracturing the individual devices of the design;
- and
- performing OPC on the fractured design to form an OPC modified design on the mask.
A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for fabricating a mask, wherein the mask is to be used to project an image of an integrated circuit design, said method steps comprising:
- creating a schematic circuit design consisting of individual devices coupled together to perform a certain function or set of functions;
- performing a pre-fracturing optical proximity correction (OPC) process on the individual devices of the design;
- fracturing the individual devices of the design;
- and
- performing OPC on the fractured design to form an OPC modified design on the mask.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.