New approach to data preparation and processing for high-density patterns
Anders Thuren, Tor Sandstrom · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 1997
A modern pattern generator needs very high data-handling capacity, partly because the number of features per mask is growing, partly because OPC and other sophisticated lithographic enhancements increase the complexity. MICRONIC makes a wide range of laser pattern generators for display, reticles and other electronics applications, and therefore needs a hardware/software datapath that is configurable over a wide range of requirements and cost levels. An extendible multiprocessor architecture offers this flexibility: possibility for multiprocessing for very high power, and at the same time ability to configure small systems for low-end applications. Preliminary benchmarks show a speed increase over previous systems by 10 to 60 times for a single processor.