US 8,949,749 B2 · Layout design for electron-beam high volume manufacturing

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus to create a physical layout for electron-beam lithography, comprising defining a layout grid for a physical design, the layout grid further comprising vertical grid lines which coincide with stitching lines resulting from partitioning the physical design into a plurality of subfields. The physical design is assembled in accordance with design restrictions regarding interaction between design shapes and the layout grid. In some embodiments, the design restrictions are realized though layout restrictions. In some embodiments, the design restrictions are realized by shifting standard cells to minimize design shape interaction with the layout grid in a post-layout step. In some embodiments, the design restrictions are realized by exchanging positions between a plurality of standard cells for an exchange permutation which minimizes the number of interactions in a post-layout step. In some embodiments a routing grid is refined to rule out interactions between a subset of design constructs and the layout grid. Remaining design shape placement is then optimized along the routing grid relative to the stitching lines.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A method to create layout for electron-beam lithography, comprising:

assembling a layout comprising graphical data by arranging a plurality of standard cells within a design tool, a standard cell comprising one or more design shapes;
defining a layout grid for the layout within the design tool, wherein the layout grid comprises first vertical grid lines;
and
reducing an amount of intersection between the design shapes and the first vertical grid lines by shifting one or more of the design shapes relative to the first vertical grid lines;
wherein reducing the amount of intersection between the design shapes and the first vertical grid lines comprises shifting the design shapes horizontally relative to the first vertical grid lines.

2 more elements

A method to create a layout for patterning by an electron beam (e-beam) writing tool, comprising:

assembling a layout by arranging a plurality of standard cells into rows using a design tool, wherein a standard cell comprises graphical data including one or more design shapes;
partitioning the layout into a plurality of subfields, wherein neighboring subfields abut one another at a stitching line;
defining a first violation density value as a number of via interconnect shapes within the standard cell straddling the stitching line;
defining a stitch-metal shape as an intersection of one of the plurality of subfields and a metallization layer straddling the stitching line;
defining a second violation density value within the standard cell as a number of subminimum sized stitch-metal shapes within the standard cell straddling the stitching line;
defining a third violation density value within the standard cell as a number of vertical metallization shapes bisected by the stitching line;
defining a violation density value for the standard cell as a sum of the first violation density value, the second violation density value, and the third violation density value;
and
shifting at least one of the one or more design shapes from the stitching line to reduce a number of design shapes that straddle the stitching line.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Layout design for electron-beam high volume manufacturing

Life of this patent

Layout design for electron-beam high volume manufacturing

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22