A facilitator is effective for ensuring smooth and appropriate decision-making in group discussions. In this study, we developed the “Discussion Board System” for the purpose of reproducing a part of the facilitator's function and grasping the intentions of discussion participants in real time. Each discussion participant had their own terminal on which the application was installed. The participants could show the agreement or disagreement with each keyword extracted from the other participants' utterances by moving the keywords to item boxes on their individual screens. The movements of the keywords were not visible to other participants before the discussion was over, thus each participant's screen could be considered a “semi-personal space.” In an experiment using the system, the progress and decisions of all participants were compared with each individual participant's intentions, as shown by their moving of keywords. A final decision could include the intentions of a “silent denier,” which is difficult to elicit in consideration of human relationships during typical discussions. Moreover, even though the screens were not shared among participants, the moving of each keyword to the item box could be regarded as a simple approval action of the participant's opinion. Thus, one of the positive effects of a facilitator, “fostering a sense of satisfaction” among participants, may be realized by the system.

Although self-aligned double and quadruple patterning (SADP, SAQP) have promising processes for sub-20 nm node advanced technologies and beyond, not all layouts are compatible with them. In advanced technologies, feasible wafer image should be generated effectively by utilizing SADP and SAQP where a wafer image is determined by a selected mandrel pattern. However, predicting a mandrel pattern is not easy since it is different from the wafer image (or target pattern). In this paper, we propose new routing methods for spacer-is-dielectric (SID)-type SADP, SID-type SAQP, and spacer-is-metal (SIM)-type SADP to generate a feasible layout satisfying the connection requirements. Routing algorithms comprising simple connecting and cutting rules are performed on a new grid structure where two (SID-type SADP) or three colors (SID-type SAQP and SIM-type SADP) are assigned alternately to grid-nodes. Then a mandrel pattern is selected without complex coloring or decomposition methods. Also, we try to reduce hotspots (potentially defective regions) by the proposed dummy pattern flipping for SID-type SADP. In experiments, feasible layouts meeting the connection requirements are generated and the effectiveness of the proposed framework is confirmed.

Although Self-Aligned Double and Quadruple Patterning (SADP, SAQP) have become the most promising processes for sub-20 nm and sub-14 nm node advanced technologies, not all wafer images are realized by them. In advanced technologies, feasible wafer images should be generated effectively by utilizing SADP and SAQP where a wafer image is uniquely determined by a selected mandrel pattern. However, predicting the wafer image of a mandrel pattern is not easy. In this paper, we propose a routing method of generating a feasible wafer image satisfying the connection requirements. Routing algorithms comprising simple connecting and cutting rules are performed on a new grid structure where two (SADP) or three colors (SAQP) are assigned alternately to grid-nodes. Then a mandrel pattern is selected without complex coloring or decomposition methods. Also, hotspot reduction by dummy pattern flipping is proposed. In experiments, feasible wafer images meeting the connection requirements are generated and the effectiveness of the proposed framework is confirmed.