Efficient generation of negative fill shapes for chips and packages
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsMark A. Lavin, Lars W. Liebmann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An efficient method for modifying a chip or package design allows for the creation of small shapes without excessive expansion of design data. A computer program takes a physical design, represented in a computer data file, and generates a modified version of the design in which fill holes have been added. Subsequently, when the modified design is processed, the resulting semiconductor chip or package will contain physical images of the added fill holes, with the effect of making local pattern density more uniform and hence reducing process-induced variations in feature size and shape.
Claims6
A computer-implemented method for modifying an integrated circuit chip or package design by adding negative fill shapes to the design comprising the steps of:
- inputting an original design, including areas to which negative fill shapes are to be added, as a data file;
- deoverlapping areas to which negative fill shapes are to be added and fracturing the deoverlaped areas to which negative fill shapes are to be added into geometric shapes;
- determining a maximum set of unit cells, each containing one or more negative fill shapes, that fit within borders of the fractured areas to which negative fill shapes are to be added and generating areas with the negative fill shapes;
- subtracting the areas to which negative fill shapes are to be added from the original design;
- and
- combining the generated areas with the negative fill shapes with the original design minus the areas to which negative fill shapes are to be added to produce a resultant design for fabrication.
A programmed computer system for modifying an integrated circuit chip or package design represented by a data file, comprising:
- means for accessing said data file of an original design, including areas to which negative fill shapes are to be added, as a data file, and deoverlapping areas to which negative fill shapes are to be added and fracturing the deoverlaped areas to which negative fill shapes are to be added into geometric shapes;
- computing means for determining a maximum set of unit cells, each containing one or more negative fill shapes, that fit within borders of the fractured areas to which negative fill shapes are to be added and generating areas containing negative fill shapes, said computing means subtracting the areas to which negative fill shapes are to be added from the original design;
- and
- combining means for combining the areas containing negative fill shapes with the original design minus the areas to which negative fill shapes are to be added to generate a resultant design.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.