Im 2DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
(Text within parentheses is either a missing or a corrected information to character(s) in bold.)
P. 1, [0002] The description herein relates to a mechanism for determining mask rule check violations and mask design for photolithography masks to be employed in in semiconductor manufacturing.
P. 9, [0049] lines 11-14 A design layout model 35 represents optical characteristics (including changes to the radiation intensity distribution and/or the phase distribution caused by a given design layout 33(35)) of a design layout, which is the representation of an arrangement of features on or formed by a patterning device.
P. 13, [0066] lines 13-14 In one embodiment, the detector D4' may have different orientation axis 04 and 041 define(d) at different locations update regular ship.
P. 18, [0086] lines 21-22 An exemplary method 900 is discussed with respect to processes P902, P904, and (P)906.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 1-14, 16, 17, and 18-21 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 1 and 17
Claim 1 and 17 recites the limitation "instructions stored therein " in line 1-2 of these claims. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims.
It is suggested to insert “medium” after “computer-readable” on line 1 of both claims 1 and 17, see comments for claim-2 below.
Regarding claims 2-14 and 16
Claims 2-14 and 16 recite the limitation "The medium of claim 1" in line 1 of these claims. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Regarding claims 18-21
Claims 18-21 recite the limitation "The medium of claim 19" in line 1 of these claims. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-14, 16, 17-21 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 1
Emile Y. Sahouria (20140215414) hereinafter Sahouria discloses
A non-transitory computer-readable comprising instructions stored therein that,
(Sahouria, p. 4, [0032] “… Correspondingly, some other embodiments of the invention may be implemented by software-executable instructions, stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, for instructing a computing system to perform functions of one or both of the curvature determination unit 510 and the rule checking unit 520.”)
when executed by one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to at least:
(Sahouria, p. 1, [0007] “FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a multi-core processor unit that may be used to implement various embodiments of the invention.”)
obtain a non-circular detector having geometric properties corresponding to a mask rule check (MRC),
(Sahouria, p. 1, [0005] “Aspects of the invention relate to techniques for mask rule checking based on curvature information. The curvature information comprises convex curvature information and concave curvature information.”)
the non-circular detector configured to include a curved portion to detect a curvature violation,
(Sahouria, p. 1, [0005] “…The convex curvature information for a vertex of a mask feature may comprise a convex curvature value derived based on the size of a circle that passes through the vertex, is tangent to an edge and does not cross any other edges, and of which the center lies on the bisector of an angle associated with the vertex. The concave curvature information for the vertex may comprise a concave curvature value derived based on the size of a circle that is tangent to two edges that form the vertex and does not cross any other edges, and of which distance from the vertex measured from the nearest point is no more than a predetermined number. The generated curvature information is compared with threshold curvature information to determine mask rule violations.”)
It is evident that Sahouria teaches utilizing a circle and does not teach non-circular detector. Further neither Sahouria nor any other prior art teaches
the non-circular detector configured to include a curved portion to detect a curvature violation,
include an enclosed area,
include an orientation axis that is perpendicular to the curved portion, and
include a length along the orientation axis to detect a critical dimension violation
align the orientation axis with a prescribed axis of a location on a mask feature
to cause the length of the non-circular detector to extend along the prescribed axis of the mask feature and
identify, based on the aligned non-circular detector and the mask feature, an MRC violation corresponding to a region of the mask feature that intersects the enclosed area, wherein the alignment and geometry of the non-circular detector causes the detector to intersect the region of mask feature to identify a violation.
The claims 2-14 and 16 would also be allowable based on their dependency to claim 1
Regarding claim 17
Sahouria discloses sections a-b and e
A non-transitory computer-readable comprising instructions stored therein that
(Sahouria, p. 4, [0032] “… Correspondingly, some other embodiments of the invention may be implemented by software-executable instructions, stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, for instructing a computing system to perform functions of one or both of the curvature determination unit 510 and the rule checking unit 520.”)
when executed by one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to at least
(Sahouria, p. 1, [0007] “FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a multi-core processor unit that may be used to implement various embodiments of the invention.”)
and determine, via a detector, a portion of the mask features that violates a mask rule check (MRC),
(Sahouria, p. 4, [0031] “FIG. 5 illustrates an example of an MRC tool 500 that may be implemented according to various embodiments of the invention. As seen in this figure, the MRC tool 500 includes a curvature determination unit 510 and a rule checking unit 520. The curvature determination unit 510 derives curvature data 515 from mask target data 505. The rule checking unit 520 then uses the curvature data 515 to determine violation data 525.”)
Sahouria does not teach
simulate, using a design layout, a mask optimization process to determine mask features for a mask design,
d. the design layout corresponding to features to be printed for a semiconductor chip
However PENG XINGYUE et. al. (WO 2020216572 A1) hereinafter XINGYUE discloses
c. simulate, using a design layout, a mask optimization process to determine mask features for a mask design,
(XINGYUE, p. 14, [0073] “… In an embodiment, the source mask optimization process (e.g., in Figures 12-15) involves a model of the source, a mask model of the design layout, a model of the projection optics, or a combination thereof, where the models are configured to simulate an aerial image produced by the source, the portion of the design layout and the projection optics.”)
d. the design layout corresponding to features to be printed for a semiconductor chip
(XINGYUE, p. 20, [00113] “… In some instances, the structure may be a feature of semiconductor device, e.g., integrated circuit. In this case, the structure may be referred as a pattern or a desired pattern that comprises a plurality of feature of the semiconductor device.”)
Sahouria and XINGYUE do not teach
and responsive to a portion violating the MRC, modify a corresponding portion of the mask features to satisfy the MRC.
However Thomas Christopher Cecil (US 20200387660 A1) hereinafter Cecil discloses
and responsive to a portion violating the MRC, modify a corresponding portion of the mask features to satisfy the MRC.
(Cecil, p. 2, [0015] “In an embodiment, the system modifies the geometric shape to fix a mask rule violation. For example, the system may increase the width in certain portions of a geometric shape that violates a width mask rule such that the modified geometric shape conforms to the width mask rule. Similarly, the system may increase the angle associated with a vertex point, such that the modified geometric shape conforms to the acute angle mask rule.”)
Neither Sahouria and XINGYUE nor any other prior art teach
the detector configured to have a curved portion, have an enclosed area, and have an orientation axis that is perpendicular to a point of the curved portion, the orientation axis for guiding an orientation of the detector with respect to a mask feature to detect an MRC violation
The claims 18-21 assumed to be dependent on claim 17 would be allowable based on their dependency to claim 17.
Conclusion
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/R.S./Examiner, Art Unit 2851 /JACK CHIANG/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2851
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