An efficient rule-based OPC approach using a DRC tool for 0.18 μm ASIC

The increasing complexity and data volume of VLSI designs demand an efficient optical proximity correction (OPC) technique. In this paper, we address the issues related to the gate bridge, which is serious in sub-quarter micron technology, and the wide range of contact CD (Critical Dimension) variation. We present the efficient gate CD control method by introducing the critical area correction. In addition, the contact CD variation is reduced under the target CD range due to the combination of the contact biasing and the process calibration. The correction time and output data volume are drastically reduced by the hierarchical data manipulation using a DRC (Design Rule Check) tool, which basically exploits the characteristics of the design layers in ASICs. The newly proposed incremental on-line violation filtering method also reduces the correction cycle time significantly