The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 09, 2006
Filed:
Sep. 13, 2002
Qi-de Qian, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Linyong Pang, Castro Valley, CA (US);
Qi-De Qian, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Linyong Pang, Castro Valley, CA (US);
Synopsys, Inc., Mountain View, CA (US);
Abstract
Masks that include optical proximity correction or phase shifting regions are increasingly being used in the manufacturing process. These masks, either initially or after repair, can have 'soft' defects, e.g. phase and/or transmission defects. In accordance with one feature of the invention, soft defect information can be computed from standard test images of a mask. This soft defect information can be used to generate an accurate simulated wafer image, thereby providing valuable defect impact information to a user. Knowing the impact of the soft defect can enable a user to make better decisions regarding the mask. Specifically, a user can now with confidence accept the mask for the desired lithographic process, repair the mask at certain critical locations, or reject the mask, all without exposing a wafer.