US6453452B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for data hierarchy maintenance in a system for mask description
Assignee: Synopsys Inc
•
Filing: 1998-09-16
•
Granted: 2002-09-17
•
Expires: 2018-09-16
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for performing an operation on hierarchically described integrated circuit layouts such that the original hierarchy of the layout is maintained is provided. The method comprises providing a hierarchically described layout as a first input and providing a particular set of operating criteria corresponding to the operation to be performed as a second input. The mask operation, which may include operations such as OPC and logical operations such as NOT and OR, is then performed on the layout in accordance with the particular set of operating criteria. A first program data comprising hierarchically configured correction data corresponding to the hierarchically described layout is then generated in response to the layout operation such that if the first program data were applied to the flattened layout an output comprising data representative of the result of performing the operation on the layout would be generated. As the first program data is maintained in a true hierarchical format, layouts which are operated upon in accordance with this method are able to be processed through conventional design rule checkers. Further, this method is capable of being applied to all types of layouts including light and dark field designs and phase shifting layouts.
Inventors
- 👤 Fang-Cheng Chang
- 👤 Yao-Ting Wang
- 👤 Yagyensh C. Pati
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 09:42
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F30/00; G06F30/30; G06F30/39
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 97
Claim 1
Independent Claim
134 words
In a system for performing an operation in accordance with a particular set of operating criteria on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout comprising a plurality of cells, the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout having a flattened layout which comprises a rendering of geometric features of the plurality of cells in the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout, a computer program product comprising computer readable media, the computer program product including first program data comprising hierarchically configured correction data corresponding to the hierarchically described layout, the hierarchically configured correction data comprising a plurality of delta planes corresponding to the plurality of cells, and wherein if the first program data were applied to the flattened layout an output comprising data representative of a result of performing the operation on the hierarchically described layout would be generated.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
134 words
In a system for performing an operation in accordance with a particular set of operating criteria on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout comprising a plurality of cells, the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout having a flattened layout which comprises a rendering of geometric features of the plurality of cells in the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout, a computer program product comprising computer readable media, the computer program product including first program data comprising hierarchically configured correction data corresponding to the hierarchically described layout, the hierarchically configured correction data comprising a plurality of delta planes corresponding to the plurality of cells, and wherein if the first program data were applied to the flattened layout an output comprising data representative of a result of performing the operation on the hierarchically described layout would be generated.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the delta plane of a particular cell having child cells comprises data representative of a difference between a correction plane of the particular cell and the delta planes corresponding to the child cells of the particular cell.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
59 words
The computer program product of claim 2 , wherein the correction plane for each cell of the plurality of cells having child cells, comprises data that would generate an output data representative of the result of performing the operation on the cell if the correction plane were applied to flattened cell data for the cell and its child cells.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
51 words
The computer program product of claim 3 wherein the delta plane for each cell having child cells in the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout accounts for interaction between each of the cell's child cells and interaction between a primitive geometry represented by the cell and each of the cell's child cells.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the first program data comprises a set of arithmetically described delta planes.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the first program data comprises a set of logically described delta planes.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the operation comprises one of a group of operations including logical and arithmetic operations.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the first program data comprises data described by a GDS-II data file.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the first program data comprises data which corrects the hierarchically described layout for optical proximity effects.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the first program data comprises data which corrects the hierarchically described layout for a logical operation performed on the hierarchically described layout.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the logical operation comprises one of a group of logical operations including AND, NOT, OR, NOR and NAND.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises one of a bright field and a dark field layout.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises a phase shifting layout.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
168 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout, the method comprising: providing the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout as a first input wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises a plurality of cells, the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout having a flattened layout which comprises a rendering of geometric features of the plurality of cells in the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout; providing a particular set of operating criteria as a second input; performing a layout operation in accordance with the particular set of operating criteria on the hierarchically described layout; and generating a first program data comprising hierarchically configured correction data corresponding to the hierarchically described layout, the hierarchically configured correction data comprising a plurality of delta planes corresponding to the plurality of cells, in response to the layout operation such that if the first program data were applied to the flattened layout an output comprising data representative of the result of performing the operation on the hierarchically described layout would be generated.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
168 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout, the method comprising: providing the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout as a first input wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises a plurality of cells, the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout having a flattened layout which comprises a rendering of geometric features of the plurality of cells in the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout; providing a particular set of operating criteria as a second input; performing a layout operation in accordance with the particular set of operating criteria on the hierarchically described layout; and generating a first program data comprising hierarchically configured correction data corresponding to the hierarchically described layout, the hierarchically configured correction data comprising a plurality of delta planes corresponding to the plurality of cells, in response to the layout operation such that if the first program data were applied to the flattened layout an output comprising data representative of the result of performing the operation on the hierarchically described layout would be generated.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 14 , wherein the delta plane of a particular cell having child cells comprises data representative of a difference between a correction plane of the particular cell and the delta planes corresponding to the child cells of the particular cell.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
68 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 15 , wherein the correction plane for each cell in the plurality of cells having child cells, comprises data that would generate an output data representative of the result of performing the operation on the cell if the correction plane were applied to flattened cell data for the cell and its child cells.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
60 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 16 wherein the delta plane for each cell having child cells in the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout accounts for interaction between each of the cell's child cells and interaction between a primitive geometry represented by the cell and each of the cell's child cells.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 15 wherein the first program data comprises a set of arithmetically described delta planes.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 15 wherein the first program data comprises a set of logically described delta planes.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
136 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 14 wherein the first program data comprises a plurality of delta planes corresponding to the plurality of cells, and wherein generating the first program data comprises: compiling the hierarchically described layout, wherein compiling comprises generating a first correction layer for each cell of the plurality of cells in response to the particular set of operating criteria; and linking the hierarchically described layout, wherein linking comprises modifying the correction layer of each cell in response to the particular set of operating criteria to generate the delta plane for each cell such that the delta plane of each cell accounts for interaction between each of the cell's child cells and interaction between the cell's primitive geometry and each of the cell's child cells.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
90 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 20 wherein for each cell in the hierarchically described layout the sum of the cell's delta plane and the delta planes of the cell's child cells comprises a correction plane of the cell wherein the correction plane for each cell in the plurality of cells comprises data that would generate an output data representative of the result of performing the operation on the cell if the correction plane were applied to the flattened cell data.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 20 wherein compiling comprises a depth-wise traversing of the hierarchically described layout.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 20 wherein linking comprises a depth-wise traversing of the hierarchically described layout.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
77 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 14 further comprising: combining the first program data with the data describing the integrated circuit layout to produce a second program data that describes a first corrected layout; providing the second program data to a design rule checker apparatus; and operating the design rule checker apparatus to determine whether the first corrected layout falls within a set of integrated circuit design rules.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 14 wherein the first program data is provided on a computer readable media.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 14 wherein the operation comprises one of a group of operations including logical and arithmetic operations.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 14 wherein the first program data comprises data described by a GDS-II data file.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 14 wherein the first program data comprises data which corrects the hierarchically described layout for optical proximity effects.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 14 wherein the first program data comprises data which corrects the hierarchically described layout for a logical operation performed on the hierarchically described layout.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 29 wherein the logical operation comprises one of a group of logical operations including AND, NOT, OR, NOR and NAND.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 14 wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises one of a bright field and a dark field layout.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 14 wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises a phase shifting layout.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
188 words
A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said machine to perform method steps to perform an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout, the method comprising: providing the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout as a first input wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises a plurality of cells, the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout having a flattened layout which comprises a rendering of geometric features of the plurality of cells in the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout; providing a particular set of operating criteria as a second input; performing a layout operation in accordance with the particular set of operating criteria on the hierarchically described layout; and generating a first program data comprising hierarchically configured correction data corresponding to the hierarchically described layout, the hierarchically configured correction data comprising a plurality of delta planes corresponding to the plurality of cells, in response to the layout operation such that if the first program data were applied to the flattened layout an output comprising data representative of the result of performing the operation on the hierarchically described layout would be generated.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
188 words
A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said machine to perform method steps to perform an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout, the method comprising: providing the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout as a first input wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises a plurality of cells, the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout having a flattened layout which comprises a rendering of geometric features of the plurality of cells in the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout; providing a particular set of operating criteria as a second input; performing a layout operation in accordance with the particular set of operating criteria on the hierarchically described layout; and generating a first program data comprising hierarchically configured correction data corresponding to the hierarchically described layout, the hierarchically configured correction data comprising a plurality of delta planes corresponding to the plurality of cells, in response to the layout operation such that if the first program data were applied to the flattened layout an output comprising data representative of the result of performing the operation on the hierarchically described layout would be generated.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
50 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 33 , wherein the delta plane of a particular cell having child cells comprises data representative of a difference between a correction plane of the particular cell and the delta planes corresponding to the child cells of the particular cell.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
63 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 34 , wherein the correction plane for each cell in the plurality of cells having child cells comprises data that would generate an output data representative of the result of performing the operation on the cell if the correction plane were applied to flattened cell data for the cell and its child cells.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
55 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 35 wherein the delta plane for each cell having child cells in the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout accounts for interaction between each of the cell's child cells and interaction between a primitive geometry represented by the cell and each of the cell's child cells.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
24 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 34 wherein the first program data comprises a set of arithmetically described delta planes.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
24 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 34 wherein the first program data comprises a set of logically described delta planes.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
118 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 33 wherein generating the first program data comprises: compiling the hierarchically described layout, wherein compiling comprises generating a first correction layer for each cell of the plurality of cells in response to the particular set of operating criteria; and linking the hierarchically described layout, wherein linking comprises modifying the correction layer of each cell in response to the particular set of operating criteria to generate the delta plane for each cell having child cells such that the delta plane of each cell accounts for interaction between each of the cell's child cells and interaction between a primitive geometry of the cell and each of the cell's child cells.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
85 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 39 wherein for each cell in the hierarchically described layout the sum of the cell's delta plane and the delta planes of the cell's child cells comprises a correction plane of the cell wherein the correction plane for each cell in the plurality of cells comprises data that would generate an output data representative of the result of performing the operation on the cell if the correction plane were applied to the flattened cell data.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
22 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 39 wherein compiling comprises a depth-wise traversing of the hierarchically described layout.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
22 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 39 wherein linking comprises a depth-wise traversing of the hierarchically described layout.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
23 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 33 wherein the first program data is provided on a computer readable media.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
26 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 33 wherein the operation comprises one of a group of operations including logical and arithmetic operations.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
24 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 33 wherein the first program data comprises data described by a GDS-II data file.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
28 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 33 wherein the first program data comprises data which corrects the hierarchically described layout for optical proximity effects.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
34 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 33 wherein the first program data comprises data which corrects the hierarchically described layout for a logical operation performed on the hierarchically described layout.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
30 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 47 wherein the logical operation comprises one of a group of logical operations including AND, NOT, OR, NOR and NAND.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
27 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 33 wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises one of a bright field and a dark field layout.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
21 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 33 wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises a phase shifting layout.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
21 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 33 wherein the program storage device comprises a hard disk drive.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
21 words
The program storage device readable by a machine of claim 33 wherein the program storage device comprises storage in a server.
Claim 56
Independent Claim
178 words
An apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout, the apparatus comprising: a resource for receiving the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout as a first input, wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises a plurality of cells, the hierarchically described layout having a flattened layout which comprises a rendering of geometric features of the plurality of cells in the hierarchically described layout; a resource for receiving a particular set of operating criteria as a second input; an operation engine which performs a layout operation in accordance with the particular set of operating criteria on the hierarchically described layout; and a hierarchy preserver which generates a first program data comprising hierarchically configured correction data corresponding to the hierarchically described layout, the hierarchically configured correction data comprising a plurality of delta planes corresponding to the plurality of cells, in response to the layout operation such that if the first program data were applied to the flattened layout an output comprising data representative of the result of performing the operation on the hierarchically described layout would be generated.
Claim 57
Independent Claim
178 words
An apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout, the apparatus comprising: a resource for receiving the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout as a first input, wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises a plurality of cells, the hierarchically described layout having a flattened layout which comprises a rendering of geometric features of the plurality of cells in the hierarchically described layout; a resource for receiving a particular set of operating criteria as a second input; an operation engine which performs a layout operation in accordance with the particular set of operating criteria on the hierarchically described layout; and a hierarchy preserver which generates a first program data comprising hierarchically configured correction data corresponding to the hierarchically described layout, the hierarchically configured correction data comprising a plurality of delta planes corresponding to the plurality of cells, in response to the layout operation such that if the first program data were applied to the flattened layout an output comprising data representative of the result of performing the operation on the hierarchically described layout would be generated.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
54 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 53 wherein the delta plane of a particular cell having child cells comprises data representative of a difference between a correction plane of the particular cell and the delta planes corresponding to the children cells of the particular cell.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
69 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 54 , wherein the correction plane for each cell having child cells in the plurality of cells comprises data that would generate an output data representative of the result of performing the operation on the cell if the correction plane were applied to flattened cell data for the particular cell and its child cells.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
59 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 55 wherein the delta plane for each cell having child cells in the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout accounts for interaction between each of the cell's child cells and interaction between a primitive geometry of the cell and each of the cell's child cells.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 54 wherein the first program data comprises a set of arithmetically described delta planes.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 54 wherein the first program data comprises a set of logically described delta planes.
Claim 63
Dependent Claim
125 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 53 wherein the first program data comprises a plurality of delta planes corresponding to the plurality of cells, and wherein the hierarchy preserver comprises: a compiler which generates a first correction layer for each cell in response to the particular set of operating criteria; and a linker which modifies the first correction layer of each cell in response to the particular set of operating criteria to generate the delta plane for each cell such that the delta plane of each cell having child cells accounts for interaction between each of the cell's child cells and interaction between a primitive geometry of the cell and each of the cell's child cells.
Claim 64
Dependent Claim
98 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 59 wherein for each cell having child cells in the hierarchically described layout the sum of the cell's delta plane and delta planes of the cell's child cells comprises a correction plane of the cell wherein the correction plane for each cell in the plurality of cells comprises data that would generate an output data representative of the result of performing the operation on the cell if the correction plane were applied to flattened cell data for the cell and its child cells.
Claim 65
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 59 wherein the generation of the first correction layers comprises a depth-wise traversing of the hierarchically described layout.
Claim 66
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 59 wherein the generation of the delta planes comprises a depth-wise traversing of the hierarchically described layout.
Claim 67
Dependent Claim
79 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 53 further comprising: a resource for combining the first program data with the data describing the integrated circuit layout to produce a second program data that describes a first corrected layout; and a design rule checker apparatus which receives the second program data and which provides an output that indicates whether the first corrected layout falls within a set of integrated circuit design rules.
Claim 68
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 53 wherein the first program data is provided on a computer readable media.
Claim 69
Dependent Claim
31 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 53 wherein the operation comprises one of a group of operations including logical and arithmetic operations.
Claim 70
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 53 wherein the first program data comprises data described by a GDS-II data file.
Claim 71
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 53 wherein the first program data comprises data which corrects the hierarchically described layout data for optical proximity effects.
Claim 72
Dependent Claim
40 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 53 wherein the first program data comprises data which corrects the hierarchically described layout for a logical operation performed on the hierarchically described layout data.
Claim 73
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 68 wherein the logical operation comprises one of a group of logical operations including AND, NOT, OR, NOR and NAND.
Claim 74
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 53 wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises one of a bright field and a dark field layout.
Claim 75
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 53 wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises a phase shifting layout.
Claim 76
Dependent Claim
53 words
The apparatus for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout of claim 53 wherein the apparatus comprises a computer program product which comprises a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer to perform the operation on the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout.
Claim 77
Dependent Claim
215 words
A photolithography mask which has been produced according to a method for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout, the method comprising: providing the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout as a first input wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises a plurality of cells, the hierarchically described layout having a flattened layout which comprises a rendering of geometric features of the plurality of cells in the hierarchically described layout; providing a particular set of operating criteria as a second input; performing a layout operation in accordance with the particular set of operating criteria on the hierarchically described layout; and generating a first program data comprising hierarchically configured correction data corresponding to the hierarchically described layout, the hierarchically configured correction data comprising a plurality of delta planes corresponding to the plurality of cells, in response to the layout operation such that if the first program data were applied to the flattened layout an output comprising data representative of a result of performing the operation on the hierarchically described layout would be generated; providing the first program data and data describing the hierarchically described layout to a mask making apparatus; and generating the photolithography mask with the mask making apparatus in response to the data describing the hierarchically described layout and the first program data.
Claim 78
Dependent Claim
215 words
A photolithography mask which has been produced according to a method for performing an operation on a hierarchically described integrated circuit layout, the method comprising: providing the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout as a first input wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises a plurality of cells, the hierarchically described layout having a flattened layout which comprises a rendering of geometric features of the plurality of cells in the hierarchically described layout; providing a particular set of operating criteria as a second input; performing a layout operation in accordance with the particular set of operating criteria on the hierarchically described layout; and generating a first program data comprising hierarchically configured correction data corresponding to the hierarchically described layout, the hierarchically configured correction data comprising a plurality of delta planes corresponding to the plurality of cells, in response to the layout operation such that if the first program data were applied to the flattened layout an output comprising data representative of a result of performing the operation on the hierarchically described layout would be generated; providing the first program data and data describing the hierarchically described layout to a mask making apparatus; and generating the photolithography mask with the mask making apparatus in response to the data describing the hierarchically described layout and the first program data.
Claim 79
Dependent Claim
45 words
The photolithography mask of claim 73 , wherein the delta plane of a particular cell having child cells comprises data representative of a difference between a correction plane of the particular cell and the delta planes corresponding to the child cells of the particular cell.
Claim 80
Dependent Claim
58 words
The photolithography mask of claim 74 , wherein the correction plane for each cell having child cells in the plurality of cells comprises data that would generate an output data representative of a result of performing the operation on the cell if the correction plane were applied to flattened cell data for the cell and its child cells.
Claim 81
Dependent Claim
49 words
The photolithography mask of claim 75 wherein the delta plane for each cell having child cells in the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout accounts for interaction between each of the cell's child cells and interaction between a primitive geometry of the cell and each of the cell's child cells.
Claim 82
Dependent Claim
19 words
The photolithography mask of claim 74 wherein the first program data comprises a set of arithmetically described delta planes.
Claim 83
Dependent Claim
19 words
The photolithography mask of claim 74 wherein the first program data comprises a set of logically described delta planes.
Claim 84
Dependent Claim
113 words
The photolithography mask of claim 73 wherein generating the first program data comprises: compiling the hierarchically described layout, wherein compiling comprises generating a first correction layer for each cell of the plurality of cells in response to the particular set of operating criteria; and linking the hierarchically described layout, wherein linking comprises modifying the correction layer of each cell in response to the particular set of operating criteria to generate the delta plane for each cell such that the delta plane of each cell having child cells accounts for interaction between each of the cell's child cells and interaction between a primitive geometry of the cell and each of the cell's child cells.
Claim 85
Dependent Claim
89 words
The photolithography mask of claim 79 wherein for each cell having child cells in the hierarchically described layout the sum of the cell's delta plane and the delta planes of the cell's child cells comprises a correction plane of the cell wherein the correction plane for each cell in the plurality of cells comprises data that would generate an output data representative of the result of performing the operation on the cell if the correction plane were applied to flattened cell data for the cell and its child cells.
Claim 86
Dependent Claim
17 words
The photolithography mask of claim 79 wherein compiling comprises a depth-wise traversing of the hierarchically described layout.
Claim 87
Dependent Claim
17 words
The photolithography mask of claim 79 wherein linking comprises a depth-wise traversing of the hierarchically described layout.
Claim 88
Dependent Claim
70 words
The photolithography mask of claim 73 wherein the method further comprises: combining the first program data with the data describing the integrated circuit layout to produce a second program data that describes a first corrected layout; providing the second program data to a design rule checker apparatus; and operating the design rule checker apparatus to determine whether the first corrected layout falls within a set of integrated circuit design rules.
Claim 89
Dependent Claim
18 words
The photolithography mask of claim 73 wherein the first program data is provided on a computer readable media.
Claim 90
Dependent Claim
21 words
The photolithography mask of claim 73 wherein the operation comprises one of a group of operations including logical and arithmetic operations.
Claim 91
Dependent Claim
19 words
The photolithography mask of claim 73 wherein the first program data comprises data described by a GDS-II data file.
Claim 92
Dependent Claim
23 words
The photolithography mask of claim 73 wherein the first program data comprises data which corrects the hierarchically described layout for optical proximity effects.
Claim 93
Dependent Claim
29 words
The photolithography mask of claim 73 wherein the first program data comprises data which corrects the hierarchically described layout for a logical operation performed on the hierarchically described layout.
Claim 94
Dependent Claim
25 words
The photolithography mask of claim 88 wherein the logical operation comprises one of a group of logical operations including AND, NOT, OR, NOR and NAND.
Claim 95
Dependent Claim
22 words
The photolithography mask of claim 73 wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises one of a bright field and a dark field layout.
Claim 96
Dependent Claim
16 words
The photolithography mask of claim 73 wherein the hierarchically described layout comprises a phase shifting layout.
Claim 97
Dependent Claim
43 words
The photolithography mask of claim 73 wherein the method steps for performing the operation on the hierarchically described integrated circuit layout are executed by a machine in response to a program of instructions embodied in a program storage device readable by the machine.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-09-16 | 2006-03-18 | 2006-09-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-09-16 | 2010-03-18 | 2010-09-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-09-16 | 2014-03-18 | 2014-09-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |