Patent ID: 7293249

Claim:
A method of processing a data layout file defining a plurality of features to be created in an integrated device, comprising: receiving at least a portion of a data layout file that defines a number of features to be created in an integrated device; fragmenting each of the features received into a number of edge fragments; estimating a contrast value for each of the edge fragments; determining an original distribution of contrast values for the edge fragments; selecting a threshold contrast value; selecting at least one resolution enhancement parameter for application to one or more of the edge fragments; determining new distributions of contrast values for values of the selected resolution enhancement parameter applied to the one or more edge fragments in the data layout file; comparing the new distributions of contrast values with the original distribution of contrast values; and creating a revised version of the portion of the data layout file using a value of the selected resolution enhancement parameter that produces a distribution with more edge fragments having contrast values that are higher than the threshold contrast value than were present in the original distribution.