Patent ID: 8214775

Claim:
A method for generating a mask pattern to be used on a photo-mask in a photolithographic process, comprising: partitioning a target pattern into subsets of the target pattern, wherein the photo-mask is to print the target pattern during the photolithographic process, wherein the subsets of the target pattern are selected so that at least some of the subsets are approximately identical, thereby dividing the subsets of the target pattern into a degenerate group of subsets of the target pattern and a non-degenerate group of subsets of the target pattern, wherein at least a group of the subsets of the target patterns include multiple shapes, and wherein a given target pattern in at least the group of subsets is significantly larger than a pre-determined length scale and a given shape in the multiple shapes is smaller than the pre-determined length scale; distributing the non-degenerate group of subsets of the target pattern to a plurality of processors; using the plurality of processors to determine subsets of the mask pattern in accordance with the non-degenerate group of subsets of the target pattern, wherein a respective subset of the mask pattern corresponds to a respective subset of the target pattern, and wherein at least portions of adjacent subsets of the target pattern partially overlap each other; and combining the subsets of the mask pattern to generate the mask pattern.