System management with relational database for mask tape-out

Abstract

Mask tooling document is a crucial component in the mask making process, it provides information to the mask maker on the specification and instruction on how to build the mask based on the mask data provided. This paper discusses the automation of this tedious and error prone process. A mask tooling system was designed to help minimize manual intervention during mask tooling document preparation and remove probability of human error, and thus save cost by saving on engineering resources and mask iterations. The system is developed with data management system that enables huge data storage and relational information. The automation of the mask tooling documentation has significantly improved the productivity by achieving 81.13% improvement and contributed to cost avoidance of buying replacement mask.