US Patent Application 18231070. OPTIMIZED MASK STITCHING simplified abstract
Contents
OPTIMIZED MASK STITCHING
Organization Name
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
Inventor(s)
Sagar Trivedi of Santa Clara CA (US)
Daniel Beylkin of Pasadena CA (US)
OPTIMIZED MASK STITCHING - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18231070 titled 'OPTIMIZED MASK STITCHING
Simplified Explanation
- The patent application describes a method of manufacturing a photo mask. - The method involves determining different zones within a simulation zone of a layout pattern of the photo mask. - These zones include an enhancement region, a stitching mobility zone, and an optimization mobility zone. - An inverse lithographic transformation (ILT) operation is performed on the layout pattern to generate an ILT adjusted layout pattern. - The ILT adjusted layout pattern is combined with the original layout pattern using different weighting functions to generate an enhanced layout pattern. - The first weighting function is used within the enhancement region, the second weighting function is used between the boundaries of the enhancement region and the optimization mobility zone, and the third weighting function is used between the boundaries of the optimization mobility zone and the stitching mobility zone.
Original Abstract Submitted
A method of manufacturing a photo mask includes determining an enhancement region, in a simulation zone, of a layout pattern of a photo mask. The method includes determining a stitching mobility zone inside the simulation zone, determining an optimization mobility zone inside the stitching mobility zone, and performing an inverse lithographic transformation (ILT) operation of the layout pattern in the simulation zone to generate an ILT adjusted layout pattern in the simulation zone. The method includes combining a weighted sum of the ILT adjusted layout pattern and the layout pattern in the simulation zone to generate an enhanced layout pattern of the photo mask in the simulation zone using a first weighting function inside enhancement region, a second weighting function between boundaries of the enhancement region and the optimization mobility zone, and a third weighting function between boundaries of the optimization mobility zone and the stitching mobility zone.
