Method and apparatus for data hierarchy maintenance in a system for mask description
US6453452B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 16, 1998 |
| Grant date | Sep 17, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 16, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F30/39
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for performing an operation on hierarchically described integrated circuit layouts such that the original hierarchy of the layout is maintained is provided. The method comprises providing a hierarchically described layout as a first input and providing a particular set of operating criteria corresponding to the operation to be performed as a second input. The mask operation, which may include operations such as OPC and logical operations such as NOT and OR, is then performed on the layout in accordance with the particular set of operating criteria. A first program data comprising hierarchically configured correction data corresponding to the hierarchically described layout is then generated in response to the layout operation such that if the first program data were applied to the flattened layout an output comprising data representative of the result of performing the operation on the layout would be generated. As the first program data is maintained in a true hierarchical format, layouts which are operated upon in accordance with this method are able to be processed through conventional design rule checkers. Further, this method is capable of being applied …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.