Patent ID: 9652581
Date: 2017-05-16
CPC Classifications: G06F

Claim:
1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions configured to, when executed, cause one or more computing devices to: generate a nodal graph for at least a portion of a layout for an integrated circuit design, wherein the nodal graph comprises a plurality of nodes that represent features in the portion of the layout for the integrated circuit design, wherein each of the plurality of nodes is directly connected to another node by a first type of edge or a second type of edge, wherein the first type of edge is used to connect a first set of two nodes from the plurality of nodes if the first set of two nodes represents features that must be assigned to different masks, and wherein the second type of edge is used to connect a second set of two nodes from the plurality of nodes if the second set of two nodes represents features that are to be grouped together for directed self-assembly (DSA) lithography or be assigned to different masks; identify a plurality of node groups based on the nodal graph, wherein each of the plurality of node groups comprises two or more nodes that are connected to each other via one or more first edges of the first type of edge, and wherein each of the plurality of node groups is connected to one or more other groups from the plurality of node groups based on one or more second edges of the second type of edge; assign, based on the plurality of node groups, each node in the nodal graph to one of a plurality of masks used for multiple patterning lithography such that directly-connected nodes within a node group are assigned to different masks from each other; convert, after assigning each node in the nodal graph to one of the plurality of masks, at least one of the one or more second edges into the first type of edge; and generate, after converting the at least one of the one or more second edges into the first type of edge, one or more guiding patterns based on the nodal graph.