Technical Paper

Physical design space exploration by synthetic layout generation

Imaging showing variation of patterns context

At the core of design-technology co-optimization (DTCO) processes, is design space exploration (DSE), where different design schemes and patterns are systematically analyzed and design rules and processes are co-optimized for optimal yield and performance before real products are designed.

Synthetic layout generation offers a solution for improving DSE. With rules-based synthetic layout generation, engineers design rules to generate realistic layout they will later see in real product designs. This paper shows two approaches to generating full coverage of the design space and providing contextual layout. One approach relies on Monte Carlo methods and the other depends on combining systematic and random methods to core patterns and their contextual layout. Also, in this paper we present a hierarchical classification system that catalogs layouts based on pattern commonality. The hierarchical classification is based on a novel algorithm of creating a genealogical tree of all the patterns in the design space.

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