Abstract: Optimizing an integrated circuit design to improve manufacturing yield using manufacturing data and algorithms to identify areas with high probability of failures, i.e. critical areas. The process further changes the layout of the circuit design to reduce critical area thereby reducing the probability of a fault occurring during manufacturing. Methods of identifying critical area include common run, geometry mapping, and Voronoi diagrams. Optimization includes but is not limited to incremental movement and adjustment of shape dimensions until optimization objectives are achieved and critical area is reduced.

Abstract: A swath printing system and under/overprinting method compensate for the effects of defective printing elements by adjusting the under/overprinting map used during printing regions of a uniform color, typically black, to minimize the adverse impact on print quality of unprinted “white space” caused by the defective printing elements. A printing element quality detector determines which printing elements are functional and which are defective. Based on this information, a print controller then selects or constructs an under/overprinting map having under/overprinting pixel positions chosen to reduce these adverse effects on print quality caused by the defective printing elements, thus maintaining high image quality for the printed output.

Abstract: A swath printing system and pixel depletion methods compensate for the effects of defective printing elements by adjusting the pixel depletion mask used during printing to minimize the amount and location of extraneous unprinted spaces caused by the defective printing elements. A printing element quality detector determines which printing elements are functional and which are defective. Based on this information, an image processor then selects or constructs a depletion mask having depleted pixel positions chosen to reduce the adverse effects on print quality caused by the defective printing elements, thus maintaining high image quality for the printed output. Pixel depletion is preferably performed at the image pixel level, but can alternatively be performed at the color plane pixel level.