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Product category: Design and Development Software
News Release from: Mentor Graphics UK | Subject: Calibre MDP
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 8 October 2001

Verification extends to mask making

Mentor Graphics has extended its Calibre technology to include the capability to export IC layout data directly into mask-writer formats

Mask data preparation (MDP) is a serious bottleneck in the semiconductor industry, with data volumes exploding as dimensions shrink and data-intensive resolution enhancement technology (RET) is adopted. If data is handled incorrectly or flattened too early in the process, the volume of IC data can increase by a factor of 10 or more.

This increase creates a disproportionate increase in mask-writing and inspection time, severely impacting capital equipment usage for mask manufacturers.

This extension of Calibre, based on its powerful hierarchical engine, preserves design hierarchy well into the mask data preparation stage.

It allows users to continue using and developing RET solutions for advanced IC lithography while avoiding the complications and problems of data volume and hierarchy management of previous MDP solutions.

It also eliminates the need for a stand-alone fracturing utility and an extra conversion to a closed, proprietary intermediate data format.

The MDP problem has become so critical that SEMI, the worldwide semiconductor equipment and materials standards organization, has initiated a task force to address interoperability issues that occur between the design automation and mask-making communities.

To ensure the write-time efficiency of the export data generated by Calibre, Mentor Graphics has worked closely with mask-writer equipment engineers and advanced mask manufacturers.

"In 1996, Calibre brought modern hierarchy to DRC/LVS; in 1999, the Calibre architecture was extended to hierarchical RET.

This year, our customers gave us compelling reasons to extend into MDP and complete the flow", said Joseph Sawicki, general manager, Calibre Business Unit.

"We are very pleased at the collaboration with the mask equipment industry and leading-edge customers who want a modern, complete solution for design-to-silicon needs, especially at the 130 and 100nm nodes".

MDP contains three basic steps: geometry processing, export to mask-writer formats and frame-generation/reticle layout.

As design sizes escalate, and RET is used more aggressively at 0.13 micron and below, the first two of these steps become very difficult due to increased data volume.

Frame generation is generally not impacted by these changes.

MDP geometry-processing includes such steps as layer derivation, Booleans, sizing, mask rule checking (MRC), mask proximity correction (MPC) and planarisation fill, which are far more efficiently processed in open, standard hierarchical design formats, such as GDSII.

Calibre has been in commercial use for MDP/tape-out geometry processing for many years at semiconductor companies worldwide, with recent adoption at major mask suppliers as well.

MDP export to mask-writer formats is the process of converting hierarchical design data in an open, standard hierarchical format to a proprietary format optimized for specific mask-writer equipment.

This export step should be reserved to the last possible moment before reticle manufacture to preserve the inherent efficiency of industry-standard hierarchical processing.

Calibre's advanced geometric processing takes advantage of the repetition inherent in modern IC designs.

Rather than processing a cell and duplicating it each time it occurs in a design, Calibre selectively processes the hierarchical design data, using sophisticated database algorithms, such as Hierarchical Injection and Selective Promotion, as well as parallel processing and patent-pending MDP-specific innovations.

Calibre preserves hierarchy during verification, OPC and MDP geometry processing, greatly reducing the amount of data to be processed at export time.

Calibre carefully optimises the exported data shapes and data volume for fast mask-write time to minimise cost-of-ownership.

Intensive mask-writer-format export testing at customer sites has been in progress since June 2001 with expanded testing phases planned throughout the second half of 2001.

Calibre MDP technology will be commercially available in the first half of 2002 beginning with the MEBES format.

A follow-up announcement will provide product details, availability and pricing for mask-writer export formats.

Advanced vector shaped-beam formats are currently in development.

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