Manufacturing-friendly curvilinear standard cell design

Abstract

The integration of curvilinear shapes in semiconductor technology is explored. Curvilinear shapes are classified into forms using Manhattan, rectilinear, and curvilinear representations. The primary objectives of employing curvilinear shapes in Optical Proximity Correction (OPC) and mask technology are identified as error reduction and the effective representation of complex shapes. Leveraging the path optimization characteristic inherent in curvilinear shapes, their utilization was studied for semiconductor layout design. Standard cell design serves as a demonstrative example to highlight these benefits. Using the DTCO Power-Performance-Area-Cost (PPAC) assessment metric, enhancements in both electrical performance and cost efficiency are showcased, compared with designs using Manhattan shapes. We propose a step-by-step adoption strategy of curvilinear design, ranging from restrictive to partial use, and even free-form routing. In addition, we address concerns regarding data volume, outlining how curvilinear representation can effectively mitigate such issues, in OPC, mask technology and layout designs.