# US 8,751,980 B2 · Automatic wafer data sample planning and review > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,751,980 B2 - Document ID: US8751980B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/663,816 - Filed: 2012-10-30 - Published: 2014-05-01 - Granted: 2014-06-10 - Earliest claimed: 2012-10-30 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Nathalie Casati; David DeMaris; Maria Gabrani; Ronald P. Luijten - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8751980B2 ## CPC - G03F 1/70: Adapting basic layout or design of masks to lithographic process requirements, e.g., second iteration correction of mask patterns for imaging - G03F 1/36: Masks having proximity correction features; Preparation thereof, e.g. optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes - G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G) ## Abstract A method of constructing a mask for use in semiconductor device manufacturing is disclosed. A first shape that is related to mask construction is selected from a set of shapes. A second shape related to the mask construction is selected from the set of shapes. The first shape and the second shape are represented using a first shape vector and a second shape vector, respectively. A cluster is formed that includes the first shape and the second shape when the first shape vector and the second shape vector are within a selected criterion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of constructing a mask for use in semiconductor device manufacturing, the method comprising: selecting, using a processor, a first shape related to mask construction from a set of shapes; selecting a second shape related to the mask construction from the set of shapes; representing the first shape using a first shape vector that includes coefficients that are indicative of the first shape; and the second shape using a second shape vector that includes coefficients that are indicative of the second shape; and forming a cluster that groups the first shape with the second shape when a distance metric between the coefficients of the first shape vector and the coefficients of the second shape vector is less than a selected criterion. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first shape is a mask pattern and the second shape is a mask pattern. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising selecting one or more representative patterns from the formed cluster using a selected criterion. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising using an extracted contour vector to select the representative pattern. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the selected criterion includes at least one of: a difficulty of printing the pattern; a sensitivity of the pattern to process parameters; and an ability of the patterns to cover an image parameters space. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first shape is a first contour formed in a wafer from a selected pattern and the second shape is a second contour formed in the wafer from the selected pattern. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising comparing a first vector extracted from the first contour and a second vector extracted from the second contour to perform at least one of: determining a sensitivity of printing the pattern to at least a process parameter; and selecting at least one of the first contour and the second contour for inclusion in a first data set according to an inclusion criterion. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising comparing a contour vector to a corresponding pattern vector to perform at least one of: determining a sensitivity of printing the pattern to at least a process parameter; and determining a location of a maximum distance between the pattern in the mask and the contour as the location for the measurement. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first shape is a first contour formed in a wafer from a first pattern and the second shape is a second contour formed in the wafer from a second pattern. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising comparing a first vector extracted from the first contour and a second vector extracted from a second contour to form a cluster of contours when the first contour vector and the second contour vector are within a selected criterion. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 further comprising removing a pattern that fails to form a feature having a same topological structure as the pattern for use in model verification. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first shape is a pattern and the second shape is a contour formed in the wafer from the selected pattern, further comprising comparing a pattern vector extracted from the pattern to a contour vector extracted from the contour to perform at least one of: examining an image quality of the contour; and examining a measurement quality of a contour. ### Claim 13 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, enable the processor to construct a mask for use in semiconductor device manufacturing, wherein the computer-readable program code includes instructions to: select a first shape related to mask construction from a set of shapes; select a second shape related to the mask construction from the set of shapes; represent the first shape using a first shape vector that includes coefficients that are indicative of the first shape and the second shape using a second shape vector that includes coefficients that are indicative of the second shape; and form a cluster that groups the first shape with the second shape when a distance metric between the coefficients of the first shape vector and the coefficients of the second shape vector is less than a selected criterion. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first shape and the second shape are at least one of: (i) a first mask pattern and a second mask pattern; (ii) a first contour formed in a wafer from a selected pattern and a second contour formed in the wafer from the selected pattern; and (iii) a first contour formed in a wafer from a first pattern and a second contour formed in the wafer from a second pattern. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the first shape is a first contour formed from the selected pattern and the second shape is a second contour formed from the selected pattern, the method further comprising comparing a first vector extracted from the first contour and a second vector extracted from the second contour to perform at least one of: determining a sensitivity of printing the pattern to at least a process parameter; and selecting at least one of the first contour and the second contour for inclusion in a first data set according to an inclusion criterion. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising using an extracted contour vector to select a representative contour from the cluster of contours. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising selecting one or more representative patterns from the formed cluster using a selected criterion. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the selected criterion includes at least one of: a difficulty of printing the pattern; a sensitivity of the pattern to process parameters; and an ability of the patterns to cover an image parameter space.