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Lithography development has become extremely computationally intensive. For a particular technology node being developed, it is critical to determine the optimum source and OPC/RET for each layer. In this paper we present a flexible new computation system for automation of source, OPC and RET optimization of advanced lithography layers. Of course, before determining the optimum source/RET/OPC of any layer, it is equally critical to determine the design rules which can be manufactured at a particular technology node. The design rule computational lithography problem is a superset of the source/OPC/RET optimization problem. With an automated methodology, time for process development can be reduced dramatically if a process development engineer can determine the design rules through accurate, automated simulation of the entire flow.

This work presents software tools that enable engineers to make relevant SEM measurement decisions in the EDA environment, presented in the optimal context for the engineer, and pass them seamlessly into the SEM environment. We present the tools and interfaces leveraged in this solution and explore the benefits of enabling OPC modeling engineers to make metrology-related decisions within the OPC environment. New opportunities for automation of metrologyrelated OPC tasks are also discussed.