Method for coloring circuit layout and system for performing the same

A method, comprising:

• receiving a multiple-patterning technology (MPT)-compliant circuit layout having a plurality of nodes, each node representing a circuit pattern;
• identifying nodes being separated by a distance less than a minimum separation distance as target networks, the target networks being presented in an imaginary X-Y coordinate plane;
• using a coordinate-based method to identify a first node in each target network;
• assigning a first color to the first node in each target network;
• and
• assigning the first color and a second color to remaining nodes in the target networks in an alternating manner so that any two immediately adjacent nodes in each target network have different colors.

A system, comprising:

• a design rule checker configured to check a circuit layout and identify G0-linked networks in the circuit layout having a G0-space, each G0-linked network having two or more linked nodes representing circuit patterns;
• and
• a computer configured to receive data from the design rule checker to:
• identify a first node in each G0-linked network using a coordinate-based coloring method, each G0-linked network being presented in an imaginary X-Y coordinate plane in the computer;
• assign a first color to the identified first node in each G0-linked network;
• and
• assign the first color and a second color to remaining nodes in each G0-linked network in an alternating manner so that any two immediately adjacent linked nodes in each G0-linked network have different colors.