IC Compiler II Incremental Training

Legalization
Version M-2016.12

IC Compiler II CAE
December 2016

© 2016 Synopsys, Inc. 1

 Agenda

• Mask Color Swap Legalization

• Error Brower for Illegal Cells

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 Mask Color Swap Legalization

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 Manufacturing Challenges for 10nm Technologies

• 10nm technologies encounter the double patterning limitation with 193nm

lithography wavelength.
• For better scaling to the10nm process, advanced patterning techniques are
applied, which requires the IC Compiler II tool to honor color rules and support
a full color implementation flow

• Note:
–The terms color and mask mean the same, and they are used interchangeably in
this presentation

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 Color Swapping Library

• In some processes, the library cells are allowed to switch the color of shapes
– For example, mask1 is switched with mask2, and vice versa.
• The color swapping capability enable cell to abut, even when the adjacent pins have a color
conflict

Abutting two cells causes a color conflict

(same color spacing rule violation)

Space out to meet same Swap color for

color spacing rules color-swappable cell

Color
swapped

>= Same color spacing

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 Library Data Requirements

Library Data Requirement

TF Same color spacing rules (sameColor*) in TF
GDS No extra requirement
LEF No extra requirement
Attributes Swap color need mask shiftable attributes in the NDM
• Library defined by is_mask_shiftable attribute
• Library cell defined by is_mask_shiftable attribute

• Library preparation: For color swapping, ensure mask shiftable attributes are
set

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 Enabling Color Swapping Legalization

• To enable color swapping legalization, set the

place.legalize.enable_color_aware_placement application option to true
–The default is false

• By default, the multiple-height (MH) cell handling is conservative, and no color

swapping is performed on abutted multiple-height cells that have a color conflict
–Spacing is used to resolve color conflict
–To enabled color swapping for multiple-height cells, set the
place.legalize.enable_conservative_multiheight_placement application option to
false
– The default is true

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 Example Script

open_lib input.nlib
open_block temp_d

set_app_options –name place.legalize.enable_color_aware_placement -value true

set_app_options –name place.legalize.enable_conservative_multiheight_placement -value false

check_legality

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 Error Browser for Illegal Cells

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 Benefit

• Staring with version L-2016.03-SP2, the check_legality reports illegal violations in the Error
Browser
• The Error Browser automatically zooms in to the violation, enabling easy debugging

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 Example  Error Browser shows illegal cells

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