Nikon and Synopsys Deliver on Advanced OPC Promise

摘要

It was at the Photomask Technology conference last year that litho toolmaker Nikon Corp. (Belmont, Calif.) and EDA provider Synopsys Inc. (Mountain View, Calif.) announced that they were collaborating on advanced lithography models and DFM-enabled lithography manufacturing solutions for 45 nm and below. A year later, again at Photomask, they were showing the fruits of their teamwork. The latest release of Synopsys's Proteus optical proximity correction (OPC) software now incorporates proprietary data from Nikon's lithography exposure tools. The two companies developed an embedded scanner parameter module that delivers the "manufacturing-aware" OPC and resolution enhancement technology (RET) lithography simulation models needed for 45 nm and below IC manufacturing.