Computer-aided design and analysis of circuits and semiconductor – Nanotechnology related integrated circuit design
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-06
2001-11-06
Smith, Matthew (Department: 2825)
Computer-aided design and analysis of circuits and semiconductor
Nanotechnology related integrated circuit design
C430S005000, C378S035000, C382S144000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314554
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for generating a mask pattern data used for a high speed mask patterning by an electron beam from an original mask pattern data during a photo mask production for a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
When transferring a mask pattern by irradiating electron beam on a photo mask substrate formed by coating an electron beam resist on film material, it is necessary to convert a designed original mask pattern data to a mask pattern data for a graphic processing apparatus. In the converting processing of the mask pattern data, various graphic signal processing is carried out such as the processing for avoiding the overlapping of patterns accepted in designing mask pattern data for preventing multiple pattern drawing and the processing of the inter-layers for generating pattern data based on a mask pattern data of other layers.
In order to perform the graphic signal processing effectively at a high speed, a variety of methods are proposed. One of them is known as a plane scanning method.
The plane scanning method will be explained with reference to
FIGS. 6A
to
6
C.
When processing the pattern data as shown in
FIG. 6A
, a line called a scanning line in parallel with an X axis or a Y axis (X axis in
FIG. 6B
) is moved along vertexes of each pattern as shown in FIG.
6
B. Then any desired graphic signal processing is performed to a figure between a current scanning line and a previous scanning line.
When the scanning line is applied in the same way as in
FIG. 6B
to the pattern data shown in
FIG. 6A
, the processing such as the judging and eliminating of overlap is performed for each region divided by the scanning lines while moving the scanning line. As a result, the mask pattern data for the graphic processing as shown in
FIG. 6C
is generated which is expressed as a group of rectangles without overlapping and a group of trapezoids.
In the processing using the plane scanning method, the processing is carried out by a unit of a line segment divided by each scanning line. Accordingly, each line segment is sorted with respect to the X axis to be controlled and it is necessary to delete or insert a line segment every time the desired graphic signal processing is carried out by moving the scanning line.
In order to effectively control the line segments and to easily delete or insert them, the data for the line segments are usually stored in a balanced two branch tree structure of evenly divided into two as shown in
FIGS. 7A and 7B
.
Recently, patterns of semiconductor devices have become precise and complex so that the processing time needed for converting the designed mask pattern data into the mask pattern data for the graphic processing rendered with electron beam has become enormous, and therefore high speed processing is desired.
In the converting process as explained above, majority of the time in preparing data for the graphic processing apparatuses is spent for the graphic signal processing such as the processing for eliminating overlap of patterns to prevent multiple pattern drawing and the processing of inter-layers for generating the pattern data based on the mask pattern data of other layers. Among the processing, the accessing of the above line segment data having a balanced two branch tree structure of evenly divided into two, that is, the processing for inserting, deleting and searching of the above line segment is the most time consuming process.
In the data having the tree structure of evenly divided into two, as shown in
FIGS. 7A and 7B
, when assuming a number of stored data as n, a depth of the data structure of evenly divided into two becomes logarithm n. Accordingly, when accessing the data, an access is made to the deepest point at the worst case so that it becomes necessary to compare logarithm n data elements making the time for accessing long. This long accessing time affects the whole converting processing of the mask pattern data for the graphic processing rendered with electron beam as explained above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a mask pattern generating method capable of generating in high speed mask pattern data for graphics rendered with electron beam by improving accessing speed to a line segment data.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mask pattern data generating apparatus capable of generating high speed mask pattern data for graphics rendered with electron beam by improving accessing speed to line segment data.
To attain the above objects, a line segment data indicated in vector is classified under sections wherein the line segment exists, then the line segment data of each section is stored in the branch tree structure of evenly divided into two in the graphic signal processing using a plane scanning method.
Accordingly, a method of generating mask pattern data for graphics of the present invention for generating mask pattern data for a graphic processing from a mask pattern data indicated by line segments at least including line segments indicating a contour of a mask pattern, includes the steps of: extracting the line segments except line segments in a predetermined direction from the line segments of said mask pattern data; dividing each of said extracted line segment by a line in parallel with said predetermined direction passing through both ends of each said line segment; dividing a region of said mask pattern into a plurality of regions in said predetermined direction; storing each of said divided line segments existing in said region in a tree structure of evenly divided into two for every said divided region; accessing each of the stored line segments in the tree structure of divided into two for every said region; and generating mask pattern data for graphic processing in which a contour of the mask pattern is indicated by the line segments on the basis of the results of said graphic arithmetic processing.
According to the method of generating mask pattern data for graphics, when performing a graphic arithmetic processing, stored data in a tree structure of evenly divided into two, wherein the line segment data, including a line segment to be processed is stored based on the region is selected first, then a desired line segment data is accessed from the stored data in the selected tree structure of evenly divided into two. Next, desired graphic arithmetic processing is carried out by accessing the line segments successively, and mask pattern data for graphics is finally generated based on the results of the graphic arithmetic processing.
An apparatus for generating mask pattern data for graphics for generating mask pattern data for graphics from mask pattern data indicated by line segments at least including line segments indicating contour of mask pattern, comprises: a line segment extracting means for extracting line segments except line segments in a predetermined direction from line segments of said mask pattern data; a line segment dividing means for dividing each of said extracted line segments by a line parallel to said predetermined direction passing through both ends of said each line segments; a region dividing means for dividing regions of said mask pattern into a plurality of regions in said predetermined direction; a line segment storing means for storing each of said divided line segments existing in the region in a tree structure of evenly divided into two for every divided region; a graphic arithmetic processing means for performing desired graphic arithmetic processing for a unit of processing which is each of said divided line segments by accessing to each line segment stored in a tree structure evenly divided into two for each said region; and a graphic data generating means for generating mask pattern data for graphics indicating contour of a mask pattern by line segments based on the results of said graphic arithmetic processing.
In such an apparatus for generating a mask pattern data for graphics, line segments exc
Kananen Ronald P.
Kik Phallaka
Rader Fishman & Grauer
Smith Matthew
Sony Corporation
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