Design rule checking system and method

Abstract

A method for performing design rule checking on OPC corrected or otherwise corrected designs is described. This method comprises accessing a corrected design and generating a simulated image. The simulated image corresponds to a simulation of an image which would be printed on a wafer if the wafer were exposed to an illumination source directed through the corrected design. The characteristics of the illumination source are determined by a set of lithography parameters. In creating the image, additional characteristics can be used to simulate portions of the fabrication process. However, what is important is that a resulting simulated image is created. The simulated image can then be used by the design rule checker. Importantly, the simulated image can be processed to reduce the number of vertices in the simulated image, relative to the number of vertices in the OPC corrected design layout. Also, the simulated image can be compared with an idea layout image, the results of which can then be used to reduce the amount of information that is needed to perform the design rule checking.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.