Mask Data Prioritization based on Design Intent - II

摘要

Mask D2I/ASET has been working to reduce TAT for mask writing and inspection. As a part of this program we have developed a data flow process for mask manufacturing in which we refer to design intent information in order to reduce TAT of mask manufacturing processes. We convert design level information "Design Intent (DI)" into priority information of mask manufacturing data known as "Mask Data Rank (MDR)" so that we can identify and sort out the importance of reticle patterns from the view point of the design side. As a result, we can reduce mask writing time and mask inspection time significantly. Our objective is to build efficient data flow conversion system from DI to MDR.Automatic DI creation flow from EDA tools, and an automatic MDR creation flow from the created DI have already been established. We extracted design intents (Litho hotspot area, Shield net, Gate channel area, Timing critical net, Dummy metal fill, Power ground net, etc.) from the database in EDA tools automatically, and converted them into MDR. In an earlier paper, we had shown that by using this flow, we could achieve TAT reduction in mask writing and mask inspection for a limited number of design data. In this presentation, we will show TAT reduction results for actual device design data; we will then discuss related issues and their solutions.