Yield Analysis and Optimization

ion of manufacturing constraints into a set geometric of constraints or design rules for the layout designers to follow have traditionally been foundry’s main method to ensure high probability of correct fabrication of integrated circuits. Typical design rules are constraints on width, spacing or pattern density. Origins of design rules lie various manufacturing steps such as lithography, etch, implant, CMP, etc. Other factors influencing design rule values include preserving scaling, area overhead, layout migratability 7 and ability of design tools and flows to handle them. Manufacturability implications of technology scaling have led to three major trends in design rules: • More complicated rule sets. The sheer number of design rules has been growing at a rapid pace with every technology generation. More process constraints have required Automatic migration of layouts from one technology generation to next is an important concern, especially for custom layouts.