Fast and high-fidelity curvilinear optical proximity correction using boundary iterative optimization

Curvilinear masks have gained significant attention for their advantages in optical lithography. To fully using these advantages, curvilinear optical proximity correction (OPC) methods are applied, in which the movement direction and distance of control points are key parameters. However, these methods often neglect the optimization of movement direction. This paper proposes a curvilinear mask OPC method using the boundary iteration optimization method to simultaneously adjust both movement direction and distance. This method enhances optimization degrees of freedom by defining the regions of interest around control points in mask patterns and their corresponding print images. Simulation results demonstrate that the boundary iteration optimization method achieves higher fidelity of print image while reducing the computational time.