Mentor Graphics has entered into a partnership deal with JEOL to provide integrated software and hardware solutions for sophisticated integrated circuit (IC) mask writing.
At present, Mentor Graphics and JEOL are working on the viability of an advancement known as multi-resolution writing for reducing shot count up to 30% when compared to the traditional writing technique in order to decrease the mask writing time.
The new partnership deal is signed with a focus on developing the multi-resolution writing technology and offering optimized interfaces between JEOL e-beam lithography device, and the Mentor mask process correction and mask data preparation software.
The innovative multi-resolution writing technology is allowing patterns ‘shot’ over the mask blank to swap between simplified and meticulous versions for every pass through a multi-pass, vector e-beam writing system, resulting in the reduction of mask writing time. The Mentor mask process correction software ensures the printing of the exact image from the sum of exposure.
Earlier, JEOL and Mentor joined hands on illustrating the dose encoding algorithm utilized as per the data standards of JEOL and devising solutions to rectify process impacts related with 50 keV ebeam mask writing. The new partnership deal includes the JBX-9000MV, JBX-30XXMV, and JBX-3200MV mask writer line of JEOL and the complete line of Mentor Calibre mask data prep products.
The Mentor tools have been utilized by JEOL to validate features of new products, provide customer support and study advancements during research and development. Mentor software has been used by customers to rectify process variations in order to validate mask data and enhance the final mask pattern’s reliability.
Source: http://www.mentor.com