A fast triple patterning solution with fix guidance

Logic manufacturers are looking towards a triple patterning solution for their 10nm node Metal1 layer, and possibly for Via0, and local interconnect layers. Given the NP-completeness for the 3-colorability problem, a challenge is how to go beyond a standard cell to efficiently decompose a layout at a block or chip level. Using decomposed or pre-colored standard cells does not always mean decomposable standard cell layouts can be placed next to each other. Posing constraints on how cells can be placed next to each other could cause area loss. A preferred way is to perform the decomposition at a block or chip level. We have successfully developed a triple patterning decomposition methodology that can effectively decompose an entire layout block or a chip. Formulating a triple patterning decomposition problem into a graph 3-color problem, the system first builds a graph to represent the layout. It then tries to reduce and partition the graph without changing its 3-colorability property. To color the reduced graph, we adopt a hybrid approach with a fast heuristic for coloring and an exact coloring algorithm for backup and conflict verification. Unlike an odd cycle in double patterning, a triple patterning coloring conflict can’t be represented in a single loop. Another challenge for triple patterning is then how to report errors that the user can effectively use to fix them. For this purpose, minimum fix guidance – minimum to fix a conflict, and maximal minimum fix guidance – maximal choices are presented.