Tower Semiconductor Ltd.

Dalia Oud

David Cohen

Amit Shacham

A method of fitting a reticle pattern on a reticle, wherein the reticle pattern has dimensions that exceed the dimension of the reticle. The method includes the step of logically dividing the reticle pattern into a first window and a second window, wherein the first window and the second window overlap in a shared window region. The first and second windows are selected such that these separate windows are capable of being laid out within the dimensions of the reticle. The first window of the reticle pattern is converted from a first format, such as GDS or CIF, to a second format, such as MEBES, thereby creating a converted first window. The second window of the reticle pattern is also converted from the first format to the second format, thereby creating a converted second window. In one embodiment, resizing is performed during this conversion process. The resizing is restricted to one axis in the shared window region, thereby preventing alignment problems in a subsequent stitching process. The converted first and second windows are laid out on the reticle, such that these windows are separated from each other on the reticle. The first and second converted windows are then stitched together at the shared window region using a photolithographic stitching process, thereby forming the reticle pattern on a wafer.

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Haifa, Israel

Dalia Oud