Integrating design data with manufacturing data: Why you want to use a universal data model (UDM)

Technology complexity has led inevitably to specialization. As a result, most people know their own area well and have only limited access to or knowledge of what goes on in the other areas. Designers and chip customers often have limited understanding of the details of the manufacturing process, and wafer fab engineers seldom have direct access to designers for improvements which would maximize productivity and yield. Masks are often overly expensive because decisions made in design have unintended manufacturing consequences, and mask yields are unnecessarily low because too little information defining the image quality actually needed is available to the mask supplier. These limitations and others can be overcome by integrating the relevant manufacturing parameters, for both mask shops and wafer fabs, into the database and tools used by the designer. This paper discusses the design-to-manufacturing flow and the interfaces currently in use. It then discusses the creation of a Universal Data Model (UDM) and its relationship with standard interchange formats. Specific data items to be included in the UDM database are listed, and a phased approach to initiate implementation is discussed. The emphasis is on specific, practical extensions of existing technologies, and the specific benefits to be derived. Particular attention is focused on the benefits as perceived differently by different users.