IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,302,641
Granted Patent B2
US 12,302,641 · App. 17/636,998 · Granted May 13, 2025

Optimization of a digital pattern file for a digital lithography device

Inventors: Chung-Shin Kang (San Jose, CA); Thomas L. Laidig (Richmond, CA); Yinfeng Dong (San Jose, CA); Yao-Cheng Yang (Mountain View, CA); Chen-Chien Hung (Tainan, TW); Shivaraj Gururaj Kamalapura (Sunnyvale, CA); Tsaichuan Kao (San Ramon, CA)
Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
H10D89/10G03F7/70433G06F30/398
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,302,641
App. No.
17/636,998
Granted
May 13, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A digital pattern generation system comprises a memory and a controller. The controller is coupled the memory and is configured to remove redundant cells from a digital pattern file, generate a first updated digital pattern file and compare the first updated digital pattern file with the digital pattern file. Further a number of vertexes of a first arc of the first updated digital pattern file is reduced to generate a second updated digital pattern file. Additionally, a first cell of the second updated digital pattern file is replaced with an alternative version of the first cell to generate a third updated digital pattern file. Further, one or more polygons within the third updated digital pattern file is converted to one or more quad polygons to generate an optimized digital pattern file.

Claims (71)

1. A method for optimizing a digital pattern file for a digital lithography device, the method comprising:

removing redundant cells from the digital pattern file to generate a first updated digital pattern file;

comparing the first updated digital pattern file with the digital pattern file;

reducing a number of vertexes of a first arc of the first updated digital pattern file to generate a second updated digital pattern file;

comparing the second updated digital pattern file with the first updated digital pattern file;

replacing a first cell of the second updated digital pattern file with an alternative version of the first cell to generate a third updated digital pattern file;

comparing the third updated digital pattern file with the second updated digital pattern file;

converting one or more polygons within the third updated digital pattern file to one or more quad polygons to generate an optimized digital pattern file; and

comparing the optimized digital pattern file with the third updated digital pattern file.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing redundant cells from the digital pattern file comprises:

identifying a first cell of the digital pattern file that is equivalent to a second cell of the digital pattern file replacing the second cell.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein removing redundant cells from the digital pattern file further comprises:

replacing the second cell of the digital pattern file with the first cell of the digital pattern file.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein comparing the first updated digital pattern file with the digital pattern file comprises:

performing a cell comparison of the first updated digital pattern file with the digital pattern file and comparing an output of the comparison to an error threshold.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein comparing the second updated digital pattern file with the first updated digital pattern file comprises:

determining a difference between the first arc and a reduced vertex first arc that is created by reducing the number of vertexes of the first arc; and

comparing the difference to a threshold.

6. The method of claim 1 , comparing the third updated digital pattern file with the second updated digital pattern file comprises:

performing a cell comparison of the third updated digital pattern file with the second updated digital pattern file.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein comparing the optimized digital pattern file with the third updated digital pattern file comprises:

identifying a difference between the optimized digital pattern file and the third updated digital pattern file; and

comparing the difference to a threshold.

8. A digital pattern generation system for a digital lithography device, the system comprising:

a memory comprising a digital pattern file; and

a controller coupled to the memory, the controller configured to:

remove redundant cells from the digital pattern file to generate a first updated digital pattern file;

compare the first updated digital pattern file with the digital pattern file;

reduce a number of vertexes of a first arc of the first updated digital pattern file to generate a second updated digital pattern file;

compare the second updated digital pattern file with the first updated digital pattern file;

replace a first cell of the second updated digital pattern file with an alternative version of the first cell to generate a third updated digital pattern file;

compare the third updated digital pattern file with the second updated digital pattern file;

convert one or more polygons within the third updated digital pattern file to quad polygons to generate an optimized digital pattern file; and

compare the optimized digital pattern file with the third updated digital pattern file.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein removing redundant cells from the digital pattern file comprises:

identifying a first cell of the digital pattern file that is equivalent to a second cell of the digital pattern file replacing the second cell of the digital pattern file with the first cell of the digital pattern file.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein removing redundant cells from the digital pattern file further comprises:

replacing the second cell of the digital pattern file with the first cell of the digital pattern file.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein comparing the first updated digital pattern file with the digital pattern file comprises:

performing a cell comparison of the first updated digital pattern file with the digital pattern file.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein comparing the second updated digital pattern file with the first updated digital pattern file comprises:

determining a difference between the first arc and a reduced vertex first arc that is created by reducing the number of vertexes of the first arc and the first are; and

comparing the difference to a threshold.

13. The system of claim 8 , comparing the third updated digital pattern file with the second updated digital pattern file comprises:

performing a cell comparison of the third updated digital pattern file with the second updated digital pattern file.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein comparing the optimized digital pattern file with the third updated digital pattern file comprises:

identifying a difference between the optimized digital pattern file and the third updated digital pattern file; and

comparing the difference to a threshold.

15. A computer program product for generating an optimized digital pattern file, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code executable by one or more computer processors to:

remove redundant cells from a digital pattern file to generate a first updated digital pattern file;

compare the first updated digital pattern file with the digital pattern file;

reduce a number of vertexes of a first arc of the first updated digital pattern file to generate a second updated digital pattern file;

compare the second updated digital pattern file with the first updated digital pattern file;

replace a first cell of the second updated digital pattern file with an alternative version of the first cell to generate a third updated digital pattern file;

compare the third updated digital pattern file with the second updated digital pattern file;

convert one or more polygons within the third updated digital pattern file to one or more quad polygons to generate the optimized digital pattern file; and

compare the optimized digital pattern file with the third updated digital pattern file.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein removing redundant cells from the digital pattern file comprises:

identifying a first cell of the digital pattern file that is equivalent to a second cell of the digital pattern file; and

replacing the second cell of the digital pattern file with the first cell of the digital pattern file.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein comparing the first updated digital pattern file with the digital pattern file comprises:

performing a cell comparison of the first updated digital pattern file with the digital pattern file performing a cell comparison of the third updated digital pattern file with the second updated digital pattern file.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein comparing the second updated digital pattern file with the first updated digital pattern file comprises:

determining a difference between the first arc and a reduced vertex first arc that is created by reducing the number of vertexes of the first arc; and

comparing the difference to a threshold.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 , comparing the third updated digital pattern file with the second updated digital pattern file comprises:

performing a cell comparison of the third updated digital pattern file with the second updated digital pattern file.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein comparing the optimized digital pattern file with the third updated digital pattern file comprises:

identifying a difference between the optimized digital pattern file and the third updated digital pattern file; and

comparing the difference to a threshold.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 13, 2022
From: KANG, CHUNG-SHIN; LAIDIG, THOMAS L.; DONG, YINFENG; YANG, YAO-CHENG; HUNG, CHEN-CHIEN; KAMALAPURA, SHIVARAJ GURURAJ; KAO, TSAICHUAN
To: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059906/0483 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220367438A1 · Nov 17, 2022
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