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:
Nov. 21, 2017
Filed:
Apr. 27, 2016
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hsin-Chu, TW;
Hsien Yu-Tseng, Tongxiao Township, TW;
Shih-Kai Lin, Taipei, TW;
Chin-Shen Lin, Taipei, TW;
Yu-Sian Jiang, Kaohsiung, TW;
Heng-Kai Liu, Pingzhen, TW;
Mu-Jen Huang, Taipei, TW;
Chien-Wen Chen, Hsinchu, TW;
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., Hsin-Chu, TW;
Abstract
A method comprises: accessing data representing a layout of a layer of an integrated circuit (IC) comprising a plurality of polygons defining circuit patterns to be divided among a number (N) of photomasks for multi-patterning a single layer of a semiconductor substrate, where N is greater than one. For each set of N parallel polygons in the layout closer to each other than a minimum separation for patterning with a single photomask, at least N−1 stitches are inserted in each polygon within that set to divide each polygon into at least N parts, such that adjacent parts of different polygons are assigned to different photomasks from each other. Data representing assignment of each of the parts in each set to respective photomasks are stored in a non-transitory, computer readable storage medium that is accessible for use in a process to fabricate the N photomasks.