Design and layout of phase shifting photolithographic masks Number:7,435,513 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) owispatent A method for defining a full phase layout for defining a layer of material in an integrated circuit is described. The method can be used to define, arrange, and refine phase shifters to substantially define the layer using phase shifting. Through the process, computer readable definitions of an alternating aperture, dark field phase shift mask and of a complimentary mask are generated. Masks can be made from the definitions and then used to fabricate a layer of material in an integrated circuit. The separations between phase shifters, or cuts, are designed for easy mask manufacturability while also maximizing the amount of each feature defined by the phase shifting mask. Cost functions are used to describe the relative quality of phase assignments and to select higher quality phase assignments and reduce phase conflicts.<H photolithographic, shifting, Design, and, layo, 7435513.html, Patent, pto, 7435513

Title: Design and layout of phase shifting photolithographic masks

Abstract: A method for defining a full phase layout for defining a layer of material in an integrated circuit is described. The method can be used to define, arrange, and refine phase shifters to substantially define the layer using phase shifting. Through the process, computer readable definitions of an alternating aperture, dark field phase shift mask and of a complimentary mask are generated. Masks can be made from the definitions and then used to fabricate a layer of material in an integrated circuit. The separations between phase shifters, or cuts, are designed for easy mask manufacturability while also maximizing the amount of each feature defined by the phase shifting mask. Cost functions are used to describe the relative quality of phase assignments and to select higher quality phase assignments and reduce phase conflicts.

Patent Number: 7,435,513 Issued on 10/14/2008 to Cote, et al.

Inventors: Cote; Michel L. (San Jose, CA), Pierrat; Christophe (Santa Clara, CA)
Assignee: Synopsys, Inc. (Mountain View, CA)

Appl. No.: 10/939,104

Filed: September 10, 2004

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Current U.S. Class: 430/5

Current International Class: G03F 1/00 (20060101)

Field of Search: 430/5 716/19,21

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Primary Examiner: Rosasco; Stephen
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Suzue; Kenta Haynes Beffel & Wolfeld LLP

Parent Case Text

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/809,650 filed 26 Mar. 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,861,204 entitled "Design and Layout of Phase Shifting Photolithographic Masks," having inventors Christophe Pierrat and Michel Cote and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, which application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/085,759, filed 28 Feb. 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,787,271 entitled "Design and Layout of Phase Shifting Photolithographic Masks," having inventors Christophe Pierrat and Michel Cote and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, which application is a continuation-in-part of, and incorporates by reference, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/669,359 filed 26 Sep. 2000 now U.S. Pat No. 6,503,666 entitled "Phase Shift Masking for Complex Patterns" having inventor Christophe Pierrat and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, which is a non-provisional of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/215,938 filed 5 Jul. 2000 entitled "Phase Shift Masking For Complex Layouts" having inventor Christophe Pierrat and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/809,650 filed 26 Mar. 2004, entitled "Design and Layout of Phase Shifting Photolithographic Masks," having inventors Christophe Pierrat and Michel Cote and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, which application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/085,759, filed 28 Feb. 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,787,271 entitled "Design and Layout of Phase Shifting Photolithographic Masks," having inventors Christophe Pierrat and Michel Cote and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, which application is related to, claims the benefit of priority of, and incorporates by reference, the U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/296,788 filed 8 Jun. 2001 entitled "Phase Conflict Resolution for Photolithographic Masks" having inventors Christophe Pierrat and Michel Cote and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/809,650 filed 26 Mar. 2004, entitled "Design and Layout of Phase Shifting Photolithographic Masks," having inventors Christophe Pierrat and Michel Cote and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, which application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/085,759, filed 28 Feb. 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,787,271 entitled "Design and Layout of Phase Shifting Photolithographic Masks," having inventors Christophe Pierrat and Michel Cot