Mask Data Rank (MDR) and its Application

One of the ASET/MaskD2I target is the mask data prioritization and it effective uses for mask manufacturing issues. The MaskD2I and STARC have been working together to build efficient data flow based on the information transition from the design to the manufacturing level. By converting design level information called as "Design Intent" to the priority information of mask manufacturing data called as "Mask Data Rank (MDR)", MDP or manufacturing process based on the importance of reticle patterns is possible. Our main purpose is to build a novel data flow with the priority information of mask patterns extracted from the design intent. In this paper, we introduce the basic activities of the MaskD2I, and address the effectiveness of MDR information. Then we explain how to apply it to mask writing, inspection, MDP and MRC. We will show the new experimental results by extracted MDR from actual mask data provided by STARC.