JPH0822115A - Method for producing plotting data for plotting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a processing method by which a time required for converting hierarchized graphic data to plotting data specific to a plotting device can be shortened. CONSTITUTION:This is the method for producing the plotting data of the plotting device from the pattern data having hierarchized cell structure. Then, it is constituted of a process (A) that a graphic is synthesized and separated by a cell unit after the data in contact with the boundary of cells is transformed to the coordinate system of the high-order cell toward the top cell from the bottom cell and developed to the high-order cell, a process (B) that the graphic data in the whole root cells based on matrix information which is obtained from cell citation information and which shows the information of the citing cell and the arrangement, the rotation and the repetition of the cells is produced as the graphic data in the root cell by transforming the graphic data to the coordinate system of the root cell based on the information and the graphic data obtained by synthesizing and separating the graphic by the cell unit and a process (C) that the whole graphic data of the root cells is format-converted to the plotting data for the plotting device.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of creating drawing data for a drawing apparatus used for creating patterns such as photomasks.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, semiconductor devices have become LSI ASICs.
As shown in (1), higher integration and higher functionality have been achieved, but large-scale integration (high integration) of such LSI
Is based on the progress of fine processing technology in the wafer process, and it is required to accommodate more gates in one chip and further reduce the chip size.
Along with this, when performing microfabrication in the above-mentioned wafer process, even in a photomask for patterning the wafer by projection exposure or transfer exposure on the photosensitizer on the wafer, high integration and miniaturization of the pattern are required. It was

By the way, the patterning of the photomask itself is usually carried out by using an electron beam drawing apparatus, but it is necessary to use predetermined graphic data such as trapezoidal data suitable for each electron beam apparatus, and general purpose graphic data creation. It is necessary to perform format conversion of general-purpose graphic data created by the apparatus into graphic data of a predetermined format such as trapezoidal data suitable for each electron beam drawing apparatus. At this time, since the drawing data for the electron beam drawing apparatus is flat data without a hierarchical structure, pattern data having a hierarchical cell structure is used to create the drawing data for the electron beam drawing apparatus with a hierarchical structure. The structured graphic data was simply expanded into flat data, and the format conversion was performed on the drawing data for the electron beam drawing device. Therefore, in this format conversion, the processing time for the format conversion increases as the number of general-purpose graphic data handled increases. Therefore, LSI
Due to the large-scale integration (high integration) and high functionality of, the proportion of this processing time has gradually increased, and has become a problem.

[0004]

As described above, with the high integration and high functionality of semiconductor elements, photomasks for semiconductor elements are also required to have high integration and miniaturization, and are used for general-purpose graphics used for photomask fabrication. The amount of general-purpose graphic data created by the data creation device is also increasing.
To increase the amount of general-purpose graphic data, it is possible to reduce the amount of data handled by using a hierarchical cell structure, but when using it in an electron beam lithography system, the hierarchical structure It is necessary to expand the graphic data that they have into a flat pattern and perform format conversion into the drawing data for the electron beam lithography system.The fact is that the characteristics of layered graphic data cannot be used well in the format conversion process. Therefore, there has been a demand for a processing method for minimizing the time required for the format conversion peculiar to each electron beam drawing apparatus from hierarchical figure data. Under such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a processing method capable of reducing the time required for format conversion and creating drawing data having a unique format for each electron beam drawing apparatus.

[0005]

A method for creating drawing data for an electron beam drawing apparatus according to the present invention is a method for creating drawing data for an electron beam drawing apparatus from pattern data having a hierarchical cell structure. At least, input data with hierarchical structure (A) in order, convert the data that touches the cell boundary from the bottom cell to the top cell to the coordinate system of the upper cell, expand it to the upper cell, and then draw the figure in cell units. Step (B) of synthesizing and separating cells, and (B) cell citation information is used to create matrix information that is list information indicating citation cells, cell placement, rotation, repetition, etc., and graphic data in all root cells based on this information. From this information and the figure data obtained by combining and separating figures in cell units, the figure data is converted into the coordinate system of the root cell to obtain a diagram in the root cell. The step of creating as data,
(C) converting all the graphic data of the root cell including the graphic data in the converted and created root cell into the drawing data for the drawing apparatus, according to the format conversion. Then, the process of creating the above matrix information, converting all the figure data into the coordinate system of the root cell based on this information, and making it the figure data in the root cell, the trapezoid figure data is contacted based on the matrix information. For the rectangular figure data that is not included, the first step of obtaining all the root cell figure data by converting into the coordinate system of the root cell, 0 °, 1 for the trapezoid figure data or the rectangular figure data in contact with the trapezoid figure data.
The second step of obtaining only the graphic data of the root cell by converting into the coordinate system of the root cell only the ones quoted in the 80 ° system,
For other 90 ° and 270 ° systems, create the corresponding cells by rotating the cell frame and the in-cell figure by 90 °,
For each cell obtained, the figures are combined and separated for each figure, and the figure data is separated into rectangular figure data that is not in contact with trapezoidal figure data and trapezoidal figure data or rectangular figure data that is in contact with trapezoidal figure data. And the correction information about the angle quoted by the quoted cell is added to the matrix information created from the cell quoted information, and the 90 ° and 270 ° data is -90.
The third step is to obtain the root cell graphic data by converting the rotated graphic data in the 0 ° and 180 ° system and converting it into the coordinate system of the root cell. Further, the drawing data of the drawing device described above has the upper bottom and the lower bottom only in one direction of X or Y.
The apex trapezoidal format is used to represent all figures, and in particular, the drawing apparatus is an electron beam drawing apparatus or an optical exposure apparatus.

[0006] In this case, expansion to the upper cell means
This is a process of incorporating lower-order graphic data into a higher-order cell that is citing a lower-order cell, and removing the graphic data from the lower-order cell. Further, the 0 ° and 180 ° systems mean that when a cell is referred to as a higher-order cell, it is referred to as 0 ° rotation (no rotation) or 180 ° rotation.
The term “270 ° system” means that when a cell is quoted by an upper cell, it is quoted by 90 ° rotation and 270 ° rotation.
Only the four types, °, 90 °, 180 ° and 270 ° are common.

[0007] Matrix information is, from cell citation information,
It is a list of information that indicates quoted cells, cell placement, rotation, repetition, etc., and has information about how each figure data is placed in the root cell and how much it is placed. Can be directly converted into the coordinate system of the root cell to obtain the figure in the root cell.

[0008]

According to the method of creating drawing data for an electron beam drawing apparatus of the present invention, the pattern data having a hierarchical structure can be efficiently and surely used for the drawing apparatus by utilizing the hierarchical structure. It is assumed that the drawing data can be converted to format. For details, reduce the number of minute figures at the cell boundary by converting the figure data that touches the cell boundary (cell frame) of the input data to the coordinate system of the upper cell and then combining and separating the figures in cell units. , The number of graphic data to be processed is reduced. When converting to the coordinate system of the root cell, if the cell is quoted with a rotation of 0 ° or 180 °, the graphic data is converted to the coordinate system of the root cell as it is, and the cell is quoted with a rotation of 90 ° or 270 °. If the cell frame and the figure in the cell are
By creating rotated data, performing figure composition and separation, adding 90 ° correction to the matrix information, and converting to the coordinate system of the root cell, the quoted cell is 0 °,
Whether it is a 180 ° system, a 90 ° system, or a 270 ° system,
Further, even if the cell is used a plurality of times, efficient conversion can be performed because the synthesizing and separating arithmetic processing is performed only twice for each cell. In the flat state, since there are only trapezoids in one direction in the X to Y directions and rectangles, the drawing data of the drawing apparatus draws X and X in the upper and lower bases.
In the case where all the figures are represented by the four-vertex trapezoidal format having only one direction of Y, it is possible to suppress an increase in the number of figures due to the format conversion processing.

[0009]

EXAMPLE An example of a method of creating drawing data for a drawing apparatus according to the present invention will be described. For simplification, the case of converting the pattern data having the cell structure shown in FIG. 2 into the drawing data will be described with reference to the flowchart of the present embodiment of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2A, the root cell (cell TO
P) refers to cells A and B, and cell A has 1
Times, cell B is quoted twice. For cell B,
One is quoted without rotation, the other is rotated + 90 °. As shown in FIG. 3, the root cell (cell TOP) includes the figures 31, 3 in addition to the cells A, B.
I have 2, 33, 34, 35.

First, focusing on the cell A, as shown in FIG. 2B, there are figures 21 and 22 in contact with the cell boundary 20A in this cell. So these figures 21, 2
2 was converted into the coordinate system of the upper cell (cell TOP) quoting the cell A and expanded to obtain the upper cell shown in FIG. 4 ((a) in FIG. 1). Figures 41 and 42 are figures expanded from the cell A to the cell TOP. Then, for the expanded cell A, figures are combined and separated ((b) in FIG. 1).
The rectangular graphic data not in contact with the trapezoidal graphic data and the trapezoidal graphic data or the rectangular graphic data in contact with the trapezoidal graphic data are classified and output ((c) of FIG. 1). At this stage, the cell A becomes as shown in FIG. In FIG. 5A, the figures are classified into rectangular figure data not in contact with the trapezoidal figure data, and figures are classified into trapezoidal figure data or rectangular figure data in contact with the trapezoidal figure data. next,
Focusing on the cell B, as shown in FIG.
For, there is no figure in contact with the cell boundary 20B, so conversion processing to the coordinate system of the upper cell is not performed. Cell B
5B, the figures are combined and separated as shown in FIG. 5B, and the figures are classified as trapezoidal figure data or a rectangular figure in contact with the trapezoidal figure data and output. Cell T
Since the OP is the root cell, only the figures in the cell are combined, but here, the figure converted from the coordinate system of the cell A to the coordinate system of the upper cell and the figure in the cell TOP are combined to form the figure. As shown in 6. The graphic 61 is the graphic 41 expanded from the cell A and the cell TOP in FIG.
It is shown that the graphic 62 is originally combined with the graphic 31 shown in FIG. 3, and the graphic 62 is expanded from the cell A in FIG. 4 and the graphic 32 and 33 shown in FIG. It is shown that they are synthesized from. All the figures of the cell TOP, which is the root cell, are classified into rectangular figure data that do not contact the trapezoidal figure data.

Next, the process of converting the graphic data of the quoted cell into the root cell coordinate system and creating the graphic data of the root cell will be described. When converting each cell to the coordinate system of the root cell, the quoted cell obtained from the quoted information shown in FIG.
The conversion is performed with reference to the matrix information M, which is a list of information such as arrangement and rotation. When the cell A is converted into the coordinate system of the root cell, since this cell is not rotated when being quoted from the matrix information M, both the rectangular figure data and the trapezoid figure data are converted into the coordinate system of the root cell as they are (see FIG. 1). (D)), the graphic data of the root cell. At this point, the root cell is as shown in FIG. The white shape is the converted shape from cell A. When transforming cell B into the coordinate system of the root cell, it can be seen from the matrix information that there are those quoted after being rotated by 0 ° (without rotation) and those quoted after being rotated by + 90 °. As shown in 8, if there is no rotation,
As it is, it is converted into the coordinate system of the root cell ((e) in FIG. 1) and used as the graphic data of the root cell. Cell B 9
Regarding the one which is referred to by being rotated by 0 °, the cell frame and the in-cell graphic of the corresponding cell A are once rotated by −90 ° without being converted to the coordinate system of the root cell as they are, and the result is shown in FIG.
Data as shown in (a) is created. ((F) of FIG. 1) Next, with respect to the data rotated by −90 °, figures are synthesized and divided in cell units ((g) of FIG. 1).
As shown in FIG. 9B, this graphic data is classified into rectangular graphic data not in contact with the trapezoidal data and trapezoidal graphic data or rectangular graphic data in contact with the trapezoidal data. ((H) of FIG. 1) Regarding the classified graphic data, based on the matrix information M obtained from the cell citation information file with + 90 ° correction information (M1), it is rotated by −90 ° previously. It is determined that the cell is quoted in the 0 °, 180 ° system, and converted into the root cell unit system ((i) in FIG. 1) to be used as the root cell graphic data. As described above, by using the figure of each cell to be quoted, all the figure data in the root cell based on the matrix information can be obtained by converting the figure data of each cell to be cited into the root cell coordinate system.
As a result, the root cell is represented by only the graphic data as shown in FIG. In the above, since the matrix information M is rotated by −90 °, the matrix information M to which + 90 ° correction information is added (M1) is used, but it may be rotated by + 90 °.
In this case, matrix information M to which −90 ° correction information is added is used.

According to the above description, whether the quoted cell is 0, 180 ° system, 90 °, 270 ° system as viewed from the root cell and the cell is used a plurality of times, Since the combining and dividing operations are performed only twice at maximum for each cell, efficient conversion is possible.

Then, all of the graphic data of the root cell represented only by the graphic data is converted into the drawing data for the electron beam drawing apparatus. ((J) of FIG. 1) Next, the drawing of the photomask is performed using the drawing data subjected to the format conversion. ((K) in Figure 1)

[0014]

As described above, the method for creating drawing data for an electron beam drawing apparatus of the present invention can shorten the time for creating drawing data and the number of graphic data to be processed, and as a result, a semiconductor. It is said that it will be possible to perform drawing data creation work of a photomask with a high degree of integration and a fine pattern, which corresponds to high integration and high functionality of the device, at a practical level.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method of creating drawing data for an electron beam drawing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a hierarchical structure of hierarchical cells and cell-free graphic data for explaining the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cell T of a layered cell for explaining the present embodiment.
Diagram for explaining OP

FIG. 4 is a diagram in which a figure in contact with a cell boundary in cell A is expanded in a higher-level cell.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the classification of divided figures in cell A after composition.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining graphic composition in cell TOP.

FIG. 7 shows the graphic data of cell A as an upper cell (cell TOP)
Figure converted to the coordinate system of

FIG. 8 is a diagram in which the graphic data of the cell B quoted without rotation is converted into the coordinate system of the upper cell (cell TOP).

FIG. 9 is a diagram in which cell B is rotated by −90 ° and a division diagram after combination.

FIG. 10 is a diagram in which all figure data is converted into a root cell coordinate system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 TOP, A, B cells 20A, 20B, 30 cell boundaries 21, 22 figures 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 figures 41, 42 figures 61, 62 figures ,,, figures

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A method of producing drawing data of a drawing apparatus from pattern data having a hierarchical cell structure, wherein at least (A) data having a hierarchical structure is input in order from a bottom cell to a top cell. , A step of converting the data in contact with the cell boundary into the coordinate system of the upper cell and expanding it into the upper cell, and then synthesizing and separating the figures in cell units, (B) from the cell citation information, the citation cell, the cell arrangement, Matrix information, which is list information indicating rotation, repetition, etc., is created, and the graphic data in all root cells based on this information is calculated from this information and graphic data obtained by synthesizing and separating graphics in cell units. A step of converting the graphic data into a coordinate system of the root cell and creating it as graphic data in the root cell, (C) the graphic data in the root cell created by the conversion A method for creating drawing data for a drawing device, comprising the step of performing format conversion for all the graphic data of the root cell including the drawing data into drawing data for the drawing device. 2. The matrix information of claim 1 is created, and on the basis of this information, all the graphic data obtained by synthesizing and separating graphics on a cell-by-cell basis are converted into a root cell unit system, and the root cell is converted. The process of making the figure data in
Based on the matrix information, the figure data obtained by synthesizing and separating figures on a cell-by-cell basis are converted into root cell coordinate data by converting all the rectangular figure data not in contact with the trapezoidal figure data into the coordinate system of the root cell. Regarding the first step of obtaining, trapezoidal figure data or rectangular figure data in contact with the trapezoidal figure data, only those quoted in the 0 ° and 180 ° systems are converted into the coordinate system of the root cell to obtain the figure data of the root cell. Process, other 90
For 270 ° and 270 ° systems, use 9
A cell rotated by 0 ° is created correspondingly, and for each cell, the figures are combined and separated for the figure data, and the rectangular figure data not in contact with the trapezoidal figure data and the trapezoidal figure data or trapezoidal figure The graphic data separated from the rectangular graphic data in contact with the data is created, and the correction information about the quoted angle of the quoted cell is added to the matrix information created from the cell quoted information. As for the data of ° system, the figure data rotated by 90 ° is referred to as 0 ° and 180 ° system.
A method of creating drawing data for a drawing device, comprising the step of converting to a coordinate system of a root cell to obtain root cell graphic data. 3. The drawing data of the drawing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein all the figures are represented by a four-vertex trapezoidal format having an upper bottom and a lower bottom only in one direction of X or Y. Method of creating drawing data for a drawing device. 4. A drawing data creating method for a drawing apparatus, wherein the drawing apparatus according to claim 1 is an electron beam drawing apparatus or an optical exposure apparatus.