Patent ID: 8701054

Claim:
A method for revising a layout of a circuit design, for use in forming a set of lithographic reticles for use in fabricating an integrated circuit, the method being for use by a computer system having a processor and memory, the method comprising the steps of: providing a first layout of the circuit design; the computer system identifying in the first layout a subject transistor having shapes for defining on the integrated circuit source and drain diffusion regions and a gate conductor overlying a channel region, for which the source diffusion region is no wider than the drain diffusion region where they respectively meet the channel region, the first layout including a first shape for defining at least the source diffusion region of the subject transistor, and a second shape for defining at least the gate conductor of the subject transistor, the first shape having transversely opposite first and second longitudinal sides along the length of the diffusion regions, the corner of the first shape which is on the first longitudinal side thereof, and which is on the same side of the gate conductor longitudinally as is the source diffusion region, and which is located nearest to the gate conductor longitudinally, being sufficiently spaced from the gate conductor longitudinally such that any corner rounding introduced during lithographic printing of the first shape onto the integrated circuit will not extend into the channel region; the computer system revising the first layout by adding a first transversely extending protrusion to the first shape on the first longitudinal side thereof, the first protrusion having at least a portion which is on the same side of the gate conductor longitudinally as is the source diffusion region, the first protrusion having an inner corner located relative to the gate conductor longitudinally such that during lithographic printing of the first protrusion onto the integrated circuit, the inner corner will round and extend at least partly within the channel region, the gate conductor being closer in the revised layout to the inner corner of the first protrusion than to any corner of the drain diffusion region, and providing for making a set of lithographic reticles, a layout in dependence upon the revised layout.