Litho-Friendly Decomposition Method for Self-Aligned Double Patterning

This paper establishes self-aligned double patterning (SADP) decomposition requirements and proposes a litho-friendly layout decomposition method. First, we explain the SADP-specific printability requirements that should be considered during decomposition. In silico experiments indicate that layout patterns that are printed by the trim mask may experience the highest levels of image distortion. Therefore, these patterns should be assisted by sidewalls of spacer patterns to improve printing robustness. Next, we present an integer linear programming-based decomposition method that avoids decomposition conflicts and sensitive trim edges simultaneously. To improve runtime and extend its application to partially decomposable layouts, too, a partitioning-based decomposition is also proposed. Our experiments reveal that the proposed methods decrease the total length of sensitive trim patterns and consequently reduce the total edge placement error significantly.