Method and apparatus for cost function based simultaneous OPC and SBAR optimization

1. A method implemented by a computer for obtaining a preferred layout for a lithographic process, the method comprising:

identifying an initial layout including a plurality of features;

reconfiguring the features with a set of changes to the features; and

determining if a termination condition is satisfied with the set of changes to the features, thereby obtaining the preferred layout;

wherein the determining comprises, using the computer, evaluating a cost function that measures how a lithographic metric is affected by the set of changes to the features for a plurality of lithographic process conditions, and expanding the cost function into a series of terms at least some of which are functions of characteristics of the features, and

wherein the features that are reconfigured include one or more main features and one or more assist features, wherein the reconfiguring comprises simultaneously reconfiguring the main features and the assist features.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein expanding the cost function comprises expanding the cost function into derivatives of the lithographic metric with respect to characteristics of the features.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the determining comprises omitting terms with derivatives above a predetermined order from the expanded cost function.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the derivatives are reused in one or more reconfiguring steps succeeding the reconfiguring.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assist features include one or more of sub-resolution assist features (SRAF) and sub-resolution inverse features (SRIF).

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adding a plurality of assist features to the initial layout using one or more of predetermined rules and models of the lithographic process.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining comprises calculating a Jacobian matrix.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining comprises expanding the cost function using a Jacobian matrix.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the characteristics of the features are the set of changes to the features.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the changes include movement of segments of boundaries of the features.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the changes include changes of shapes of the features.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the changes include changes of locations of the features.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cost function is a function of at least one of a listing comprising:

relative alignment of at least a pair of the features,

magnitudes of the changes to the features from the initial layout, and

characteristics of a resist image or an aerial image.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cost function is a function of a probability of a function of the features and a process window defined by the plurality of lithographic process conditions having a value outside a permitted range.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of lithographic process conditions comprise a plurality of different focus and dose values.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the termination condition includes one or more of: minimization of the cost function; maximization of the cost function; reaching a preset number of iterations; reaching a value of the cost function equal to or beyond a preset threshold value; reaching a predefined computation time; and, reaching a value of the cost function within an acceptable error limit.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reconfiguring is performed under constraints dictating a range of at least some of the changes to the features.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cost function is a function of one or more of the following lithographic metrics: edge placement error, critical dimension uniformity, dose variation, focus variation, process condition variation, mask error (MEEF), mask complexity, resist contour distance, worst defect size, best focus shift, and mask rule constraint.

19. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

dissecting each of the plurality of features into a plurality of segments,

wherein reconfiguring includes moving one or more of the segments of a given feature independently from other of the segments of the given feature.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:

placing evaluation points on the segments of the plurality of features,

wherein determining includes evaluating the cost function over all of the evaluation points.

21. A non-transitory computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having instructions recorded thereon, the instructions when executed by a computer implementing the method of obtaining a preferred layout for a lithographic process, the method comprising:

identifying an initial layout including a plurality of features;

reconfiguring the features with a set of changes to the features; and

determining if a termination condition is satisfied with the set of changes to the features, thereby obtaining the preferred layout;

wherein the determining comprises, using the computer, evaluating a cost function that measures how a lithographic metric is affected by the set of changes to the features for a plurality of lithographic process conditions, and expanding the cost function into a series of terms at least some of which are functions of characteristics of the features, and

wherein the features that are reconfigured include one or more main features and one or more assist features, wherein the reconfiguring comprises simultaneously reconfiguring the main features and the assist features.