Patent Document ID: 7853920
Application ID: 11437594
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for analyzing areas in a mask having features with a potential to fail, comprising: simulating a lithography process to produce a simulated image corresponding to the mask; analyzing the simulated image to identify areas in the mask having features with a potential to fail in the simulated image; categorizing the areas in the mask having features with a potential to fail into groups of similar patterns; prioritizing the groups of areas in the mask having features with a potential to fail based on severity; creating a sampling plan for obtaining data about the prioritized groups of areas in the mask having features with a potential to fail by applying a weighting factor to each prioritized group based on a priority assigned to that group; generating an aerial image using the mask using a single setting of the lithographic process; and inspecting portions of the aerial image corresponding to one or more of the identified areas from the simulated image according to the sampling plan.