SHF: SMALL: GOALI: Design for Manufacturability in Extreme Scaling with Emerging Nanolithography

使特征尺寸能够缩放的先进光刻图案化一直是半导体工业的圣杯。 有几种领先的纳米光刻技术用于14 nm，11nm，7 nm和1x nm的极端缩放，包括多重图案化光刻（MPL），极紫外光刻（EUVL）和电子束光刻（EBL）。该项目旨在开发新的设计可制造性算法，工具和方法，通过这些新兴的纳米光刻技术制造纳米集成电路（IC）。拟议的研究将协同链接纳米光刻工艺建模/抽象与多尺度布局优化。对于MPL，将开发鲁棒性和可扩展的多目标布局分解算法和支持MPL的物理设计工具。 对于下一代纳米光刻技术，如EUVL和EBL，将研究新的设计和工艺集成问题。混合纳米光刻（例如，结合MPL与EBL）也将被探索，以揭示未来IC布局设计的最终纳米图案化。拟议的解决方案将跨越多个技术层面，汇集学术界和工业界的专家。这个拟议的项目解决了在极端规模下弥合IC设计和制造之间差距的根本挑战。因此，它对半导体工业以及相关的信息和高科技工业的潜在影响不能被夸大。德克萨斯大学和IBM之间的合作承诺创新和高风险的学术研究，加上现实的行业数据/基准，并通过IBM及其全球合作伙伴及时进行技术转让，以使整个行业受益。这项研究的高度跨学科性质将紧密结合到各种课程开发和多样化的学生辅导计划中。

Advancing lithography patterning, which enables feature size scaling, has been a holy grail for the semiconductor industry. There are several leading nanolithography technologies for 14nm, 11nm, 7nm and 1x nm for extreme scaling, including multiple patterning lithography (MPL), extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) and e-beam lithography (EBL). This project aims at developing novel design for manufacturability algorithms, tools, and methodologies for nanometer integrated circuits (IC) manufactured through these emerging nanolithography technologies. The proposed research will synergistically link nanolithography process modeling/abstraction with multi-scale layout optimization. For MPL, robust and scalable multi-objective layout decomposition algorithms and MPL-aware physical design tools will be developed. For next-generation nanolithography such as EUVL and EBL, new design and process integration issues will be studied. Hybrid nanolithography (e.g., combining MPL with EBL) will also be explored to shed light on ultimate nano-patterning for future IC layout design. The proposed solutions will span multiple technology layers and bring together experts from both academia and industry.This proposed project addresses fundamental challenges to bridge the gap between IC design and manufacturing in extreme scaling. Thus its potential impacts to the semiconductor industry and associated information and high-tech industries cannot be overstated. The academia-industry collaboration between University of Texas and IBM promises innovative and high-risk academia research coupled with realistic industry data/benchmarks and timely technology transfer through IBM and its global partners to benefit the overall industry. The highly interdisciplinary nature of this research will be tightly integrated into a variety of curriculum development and diverse student mentoring programs.