Some embodiments of the invention provide vias that are not in shape of
quadrilaterals. In some embodiments, some or all vias are in shape of
non-quadrilateral polygons, such as octagons and hexagons. In some
embodiments, some or all vias have a circular shape. Some embodiments
provide a first set of vias that have a diamond shape and a second set of
vias that have a rectangular shape. In some embodiments, a via can also
be formed by a diamond contact and a rectangular contact. The diamond
contact has four sides. In the embodiments described below, all four
sides of a diamond via contact have equal sides. However, in other
embodiments, a via contact can be in shape of a diamond with a pair of
sides that are longer than the other pair of sides. Similarly, in the
embodiments described below, the rectangular via contacts are squares
with four equal sides. However, in other embodiments, the length and
width of a rectangular via contact can differ. Some embodiments of the
invention provide interconnect lines that have non-rectangular ends. In
some embodiments, the interconnect-line ends are partial octagons,
hexagons, and/or circles. Also, some embodiments provide Steiner points
that are not rectangular. In some embodiments, the Steiner points are
octagonal, hexagonal, or circles.