e-dougherty@tamu.edu

No abstract

The process of using the Hough transform (HT) to detect lines in an image involves the computation of the HT for the entire image, accumulating votes in an accumulator array and searching the array for peaks which hold information of potential lines present in the input image. The process of peak formation generates a butterfly shaped spread of votes in the accumulator array. The authors have used this property to aa'aptively define windows of interest around a detected peak to facilitate the description of multiple line segments within an image in terms of the coordinates of their end points. The developed technique has been employed to test several images composed of multiple line segments and the results in terms of accuracy of the determination of line segment mid points have been presented, While most methods which employ the HT to detect line segments cannot handle the case of separate line segments formed by a colinear set of points, it has been shown that the developed method can successfully do so. This algorithm would Bnd applications in different areas of machine vision like Robotics and Manufacturing Systems. Results of the application of the developed method, to detect lane markers and curve signs from a road scene captured by a CCD camera, to aid in the maneuvering of autonomous vehicles has been presented.

No abstract

Double patterning technology (DPT) provides the extension to immersion lithography before EUV lithography or other alternative lithography technologies are ready for manufacturing. Besides the additional cost due to DPT processes over traditional single patterning process, DPT design restrictions are of concerns for potential additional design costs. This paper analyzes design restrictions introduced by DPT in the form of DPT restricted design rules, which are the interface between design and technology. Both double patterning approaches, Litho-Etch-Litho-Etch (LELE) and Self-Aligned Double Patterning with spacer lithography (SADP), are studied. DPT design rules are summarized based on drawn design layers instead of decomposed layers. It is shown that designs can be made DPT compliant designs if DPT design rules are enforced and DPT coloring check finds no odd cycles. This paper also analyzes DPT design rules in the design rule optimization flow with examples. It is essential to consider DPT design rules in the integrated optimization flow. Only joint optimization in design rules between design, decomposition and process constraints can achieve the best scaled designs for manufacturing. This paper also discusses DPT enablement in the design flow where DPT aware design tools are needed so that final designs can meet all DPT restricted design rules.