Patent ID: 6340631
Filing Date: 2002-01-22
Classification: G03F,H01L

Abstract:
A method for laying out metal lines embedded with contacts/vias on a mask with improved process window comprising the steps of:laying out a first metal line having zig-zag borders a width of at least 5 &mgr;m and a first plurality of contacts/vias along at least one of the opposite edges of the line with said contacts/vias in protruded portions of the zig-zag on a mask, each of said first plurality of contacts/vias being spaced from its immediate adjacent contact/via at a preset spacing, and laying out a second metal line having zig-zag borders a width of at least 5 &mgr;m and a second plurality of contacts/vias along at least one of two opposite edges of the line with said contacts/vias in protruded portions of the zig-zag on said mask, each of said second plurality of contacts/vias being spaced from its immediate adjacent contact/via at said preset spacing, each of said second plurality of contacts/vias being further positioned to align with either a corresponding contact/via in said first metal line or a spacing between two adjacent contacts/vias in said first metal line such that a process window that is larger than a line-to-line spacing for metal lines having straight-line borders is obtained in a subsequent photolithographic process.