Method of generating electron-beam data for creating a mask

Abstract

A method of generating electron-beam data used for creating a mask for a layout pattern of a semiconductor integrated circuit by parallel processing a layout pattern of a semiconductor integrated circuit with a parallel data processing unit based on at least one of (i) design layers of the semiconductor integrated circuit, (ii) fabrication processes used in fabricating a mask for the layout pattern, and (iii) segments, each segment being an electron-beam radiation region of the mask. The data processing is divided and divided portions of the data processing are as-signed to respective parallel-connected processing circuits. The parallel data processing unit includes a hierarchy developing A unit for developing, in parallel processing, a hierarchy of the layout pattern for respective design layers by assigning the hierarchy developing to respective parallel-connected processing circuits. The format of data processed by parallel processing is converted into electron-beam data and output.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.