Semiconductor Leading Edge Technologies, or Selete, has selected the Calibre nm platform from Mentor Graphics for simulation and correction of flare in its extreme UV lithography research program for memory and logic integrated circuits.
Mentor Graphics noted that extreme UV (EUV) lithography is one of the strong candidates for production of integrated circuits below 22nm. EUV exposure systems utilize a 13.5nm wavelength illumination source to enable printing of feature sizes expected at future nodes. The expected flare levels will create unacceptably large distortions in printed features, leading to degraded circuit performance if not properly compensated.
According to Mentor Graphics, the Calibre hierarchical polygon processing engine with its ‘density convolve’ capability simulates the level of scattered light at all points within the chip utilizing fractal kernel convolution models, and then compensates for the scattered light’s effect on the printed image. Teams of researchers from Selete and Mentor Graphics have validated the accuracy and performance of the Calibre flare compensation flow at Selete.
Joseph Sawicki, vice president and general manager for the design-to-silicon division at Mentor Graphics, said: We have a very strong partnership with Selete that has already resulted in significant successes on the Calibre nm platform. We’re looking forward to extending our research as we continue to meet the critical need for pattern fidelity at new semiconductor nodes.
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