Abstract: A method of determining a mask pattern for a target pattern to be printed on a substrate. The method includes partitioning a portion of a design layout including the target pattern into a plurality of cells with reference to a given location on the target pattern; assigning a plurality of variables within a particular cell of the plurality of cells, the particular cell including the target pattern or a portion thereof; and determining, based on values of the plurality of variables, the mask pattern for the target pattern such that a performance metric of a patterning process utilizing the mask pattern is within a desired performance range.

Abstract: A method of determining a mask pattern for a target pattern to be printed on a substrate. The method includes partitioning a portion of a design layout including the target pattern into a plurality of cells with reference to a given location on the target pattern; assigning a plurality of variables within a particular cell of the plurality of cells, the particular cell including the target pattern or a portion thereof; and determining, based on values of the plurality of variables, the mask pattern for the target pattern such that a performance metric of a patterning process utilizing the mask pattern is within a desired performance range.

Abstract: A method for generating a mask pattern to be employed in a patterning process. The method including obtaining (i) a first feature patch including a first polygon portion of an initial mask pattern, and (ii) a second feature patch including a second polygon portion of the initial mask pattern; adjusting the second polygon portion at a patch boundary between the first feature patch and the second feature patch such that a difference between the first polygon portion and the second polygon portion at the patch boundary is reduced; and combining the first polygon portion and the adjusted second polygon portion at the patch boundary to form the mask pattern.

Abstract: A method for generating a mask pattern to be employed in a patterning process. The method including obtaining (i) a first feature patch including a first polygon portion of an initial mask pattern, and (ii) a second feature patch including a second polygon portion of the initial mask pattern; adjusting the second polygon portion at a patch boundary between the first feature patch and the second feature patch such that a difference between the first polygon portion and the second polygon portion at the patch boundary is reduced; and combining the first polygon portion and the adjusted second polygon portion at the patch boundary to form the mask pattern.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer software are disclosed for determining a mask pattern for use with a lithographic process. One method includes assigning locations of two-dimensional elements based on a target pattern, associating the two-dimensional elements based on association criteria to form a cluster that represents a mask feature, and adjusting the two-dimensional elements of the cluster to vary the mask feature.

Abstract: Selecting one or more lists of fields of view of a pattern layout for scanning electron microscope measurement and/or other inspection. A set of candidate fields of view is determined based on pattern groups of a pattern layout and a constraint on a characteristic of a given field of view. The characteristic of a given field of view includes a distance from the given field of view to another field of view and/or a size of the given field of view. The one or more lists are selected from the set of candidate fields of view according to prescribed criteria for combinations of fields of view included in the one or more lists. The prescribed criteria causes inclusion of an optimally diverse group of patterns in a predetermined number of lists of fields of view.

Abstract: Selecting an optimized, geometrically diverse subset of clips for a design layout for a semiconductor wafer is described. A complete representation of the design layout is received. A set of representative clips of the design layout is determined such that individual representative clips comprise different combinations of one or more unique patterns of the design layout. A subset of the representative clips is selected based on the one or more unique patterns. The subset of the representative clips is configured to include: (1) each geometrically unique pattern in a minimum number of representative clips; or (2) as many geometrically unique patterns of the design layout as possible in a maximum number of representative clips. The subset of representative clips is provided as training data for training an optical proximity correction or source mask optimization semiconductor process machine learning model, for example.

Abstract: Described are embodiments for generating a post-optical proximity correction (OPC) result for a mask using a target pattern and reference layer patterns. Images of the target pattern and reference layers are provided as an input to a machine learning (ML) model to generate a post-OPC image. The images may be input separately or combined into a composite image (e.g., using a linear function) and input to the ML model. The images are rendered from pattern data. For example, a target pattern image is rendered from a target pattern to be printed on a substrate, and a reference layer image such as dummy pattern image is rendered from dummy pattern. The ML model is trained to generate the post-OPC image using multiple images associated with target patterns and reference layers, and using a reference post-OPC image of the target pattern. The post-OPC image may be used to generate a post-OPC mask.

Abstract: A method for generating a mask pattern to be employed in a patterning process. The method including obtaining (i) a first feature patch including a first polygon portion of an initial mask pattern, and (ii) a second feature patch including a second polygon portion of the initial mask pattern; adjusting the second polygon portion at a patch boundary between the first feature patch and the second feature patch such that a difference between the first polygon portion and the second polygon portion at the patch boundary is reduced; and combining the first polygon portion and the adjusted second polygon portion at the patch boundary to form the mask pattern.

Abstract: A method for generating a mask pattern to be employed in a patterning process. The method including obtaining (i) a first feature patch including a first polygon portion of an initial mask pattern, and (ii) a second feature patch including a second polygon portion of the initial mask pattern; adjusting the second polygon portion at a patch boundary between the first feature patch and the second feature patch such that a difference between the first polygon portion and the second polygon portion at the patch boundary is reduced; and combining the first polygon portion and the adjusted second polygon portion at the patch boundary to form the mask pattern.

Abstract: A method to determine a curvilinear pattern of a patterning device that includes obtaining (i) an initial image of the patterning device corresponding to a target pattern to be printed on a substrate subjected to a patterning process, and (ii) a process model configured to predict a pattern on the substrate from the initial image, generating, by a hardware computer system, an enhanced image from the initial image, generating, by the hardware computer system, a level set image using the enhanced image, and iteratively determining, by the hardware computer system, a curvilinear pattern for the patterning device based on the level set image, the process model, and a cost function, where the cost function (e.g., EPE) determines a difference between a predicted pattern and the target pattern, where the difference is iteratively reduced.

Abstract: A method of determining a mask pattern for a target pattern to be printed on a substrate. The method includes partitioning a portion of a design layout including the target pattern into a plurality of cells with reference to a given location on the target pattern; assigning a plurality of variables within a particular cell of the plurality of cells, the particular cell including the target pattern or a portion thereof; and determining, based on values of the plurality of variables, the mask pattern for the target pattern such that a performance metric of a patterning process utilizing the mask pattern is within a desired performance range.

Abstract: A method to determine a curvilinear pattern of a patterning device that includes obtaining (i) an initial image of the patterning device corresponding to a target pattern to be printed on a substrate subjected to a patterning process, and (ii) a process model configured to predict a pattern on the substrate from the initial image, generating, by a hardware computer system, an enhanced image from the initial image, generating, by the hardware computer system, a level set image using the enhanced image, and iteratively determining, by the hardware computer system, a curvilinear pattern for the patterning device based on the level set image, the process model, and a cost function, where the cost function (e.g., EPE) determines a difference between a predicted pattern and the target pattern, where the difference is iteratively reduced.

Abstract: A method for generating a mask pattern to be employed in a patterning process. The method including obtaining (i) a first feature patch including a first polygon portion of an initial mask pattern, and (ii) a second feature patch including a second polygon portion of the initial mask pattern; adjusting the second polygon portion at a patch boundary between the first feature patch and the second feature patch such that a difference between the first polygon portion and the second polygon portion at the patch boundary is reduced; and combining the first polygon portion and the adjusted second polygon portion at the patch boundary to form the mask pattern.

Abstract: A method to determine a curvilinear pattern of a patterning device that includes obtaining (i) an initial image of the patterning device corresponding to a target pattern to be printed on a substrate subjected to a patterning process, and (ii) a process model configured to predict a pattern on the substrate from the initial image, generating, by a hardware computer system, an enhanced image from the initial image, generating, by the hardware computer system, a level set image using the enhanced image, and iteratively determining, by the hardware computer system, a curvilinear pattern for the patterning device based on the level set image, the process model, and a cost function, where the cost function (e.g., EPE) determines a difference between a predicted pattern and the target pattern, where the difference is iteratively reduced.

Abstract: A method including: obtaining a device design pattern layout having a plurality of design pattern polygons; automatically identifying, by a computer, a unit cell of polygons in the device design pattern layout; identifying a plurality of occurrences of the unit cell within the device design pattern layout to build a hierarchy; and performing, by the computer, an optical proximity correction on the device design pattern layout by repeatedly applying an optical proximity correction designed for the unit cell to the occurrences of the unit cell in the hierarchy.

Abstract: Methods of training machine learning models related to a patterning process, including a method for training a machine learning model configured to predict a mask pattern. The method including obtaining (i) a process model of a patterning process configured to predict a pattern on a substrate, wherein the process model comprises one or more trained machine learning models, and (ii) a target pattern, and training the machine learning model configured to predict a mask pattern based on the process model and a cost function that determines a difference between the predicted pattern and the target pattern.

Abstract: A method including: obtaining a device design pattern layout having a plurality of design pattern polygons; automatically identifying, by a computer, a unit cell of polygons in the device design pattern layout; identifying a plurality of occurrences of the unit cell within the device design pattern layout to build a hierarchy; and performing, by the computer, an optical proximity correction on the device design pattern layout by repeatedly applying an optical proximity correction designed for the unit cell to the occurrences of the unit cell in the hierarchy.

Abstract: A method including: obtaining a portion of a design layout; determining characteristics of assist features based on the portion or characteristics of the portion; and training a machine learning model using training data including a sample whose feature vector includes the characteristics of the portion and whose label includes the characteristics of the assist features. The machine learning model may be used to determine characteristics of assist features of any portion of a design layout, even if that portion is not part of the training data.

Abstract: Described herein is a method for obtaining a preferred layout for a lithographic process, the method comprising: identifying an initial layout including a plurality of features; and reconfiguring the features until a termination condition is satisfied, thereby obtaining the preferred layout; wherein the reconfiguring comprises evaluating a cost function that measures how a lithographic metric is affected by a 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.