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Si-Photonics is the technology in which data is transferred by photons (i. e. light). On a Photonic Integrated Circuit
(PIC), light is processed and routed on a chip by means of optical waveguides. The Si-Photonics waveguides
functionality is determined by its geometrical design which is commonly curved, skew and non-Manhattan. That is
why printing fidelity is very challenging on photonics patterns.
In this paper, we present two different Optical Proximity Correction (OPC) flows for Si-Photonics patterning. The
first flow is regular model based OPC and the second one is based on Inverse Lithography Technology (ILT). The
first OPC flow needs first to retarget the input layout while the ILT flow does support skew edges input by tool
design and does not need any retargeting step before OPC. We will compare these two flows on various Si-
Photonics waveguides from lithography quality, run time and MRC compliance of mask output. We will observe
that ILT flow gives the best Edge Placement Error (EPE) and the lowest ripples along the devices. The ILT flow
also takes into account the mask rules so that the generated mask is mask rule compliant (MRC). We will also
discuss the silicon wafer data where Si-Photonics devices are printed within the two different OPC flows at process
window conditions. Finally, for both OPC flows, we will present the total OPC run time which is acceptable in an
industrial environment.
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