Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Mediatek Corporation

Chi-Yeh Yu

Wen-Hao Chen

Chih-Liang Chen

Ru-Gun Liu

Chih-Ming Lai

Jiann-Tyng Tzeng

Charles Chew-Yuen Young

Kam-Tou Sio

Chun-Kuang Chen

Kuo-Nan Yang

Chin-Shen Lin

Chung-Min Fu

Chung-Hsing Wang

Shih-Wei Peng

Yung-Sung Yen

Pin-Dai Sue

Wei-Yi Hu

Chun-Ming Kuo

Ho-Chi Huang

I-Ping Chang

Shih-Kung Chang

Jerry Chang-Jui Kao

Yi-Chuin Tsai

Chou-Kun Lin

Nitesh Katta

Stefan Rusu

Hiranmay Biswas

Ping-Heng Yeh

Chih-Ming Chao

Po-Hsiang Huang

Yuan-Te Hou

Huang-Yu Chen

William Wu Shen

Ming-Hsien Lin

Meng-Kai Hsu

King-Ho Tam

Nan-Hsin Tseng

Ho Che Yu

Meng-Xiang Lee

Li-Chung Hsu

You-Cheng Xiao

Ya-Chi Chou

Meng-Fu You

Jerry Kao

Shih-Hsuan Chien

A device including functional blocks and dummy cells. The functional blocks include a first functional block and a second functional block. Each dummy cell having a cell boundary defined by non-functioning active areas and non-functioning gates for filling space between the functional blocks and including a dummy cell configured to be situated between the first functional block and the second functional block such that the dummy cell directly abuts each of the first functional block and the second functional block.

Dummy cells placed adjacent functional blocks

A conductive line structure includes: first and second offset sets of long pillars that are substantially coaxial on an intra-set basis; a third set of offset short pillars, the short pillars being: overlapping of long pillars in the first and second sets; and organized into groups of first quantities of the short pillars; each of the groups being overlapping of and electrically coupled between a pair of one of the long pillars in the first set and a one of the long pillars in the second set such that, in each of the groups, each short pillar being overlapping of and electrically coupled between the pair; and each long pillar in each of the first and second sets being overlapped by a second quantity of short pillars in the third set and being electrically coupled to same; and the first quantity being less than the second quantity.

Conductive line structures and method of forming same

Integrated circuits (IC) are provided. An IC includes a plurality of macros and a top channel. Each macro includes a macro boundary and a main pattern surrounded by the macro boundary. The top channel includes a plurality of first and second sub-channels. Each first sub-channel is arranged between a first macro and a second macro, and is formed by a plurality of first dummy boundary cells. Each second sub-channel is arranged between two of the second macros, and is formed by a plurality of second dummy boundary cells. The macro boundaries of the first macros are formed by the first dummy boundary cells, and the macro boundaries of the second macros are formed by the second dummy boundary cells. A first gate length of dummy patterns within the first dummy boundary cells is greater than a second gate length of dummy patterns within the second dummy boundary cells.

Integrated circuit with dummy boundary cells

A method of forming an IC structure includes forming first and second power rails at a power rail level. First metal segments are formed at a first metal level above the power rail level. Each first metal segment of the plurality of first metal segments overlap one or both of the first power rail or the second power rail. First vias are formed between the power rail level and the first metal level. Second metal segments are formed at a second metal level above the first metal level. At least one second metal segment of the plurality of second metal segments overlaps the first power rail. At least one second metal segment of the plurality of second metal segments overlaps the second power rail. A plurality of second vias are formed between the first metal level and the second metal level.

Method of forming power grid structures

Methods for inserting dummy boundary cells in an integrated circuit (IC) are provided. A plurality of macros and a top channel are merged into floorplan of the IC. The top channel is arranged between the macros and is filled with a plurality of first dummy boundary cells, and each of the macros includes a macro boundary and a main pattern surrounded by the macro boundary. The first dummy boundary cells within the top channel and between a first macro and a second macro are replaced with a plurality of second dummy boundary cells. The macro boundaries of the first and second macros are formed by the second dummy boundary cells. First gate length of dummy patterns within the first dummy boundary cells is greater than second gate length of dummy patterns within the second dummy boundary cells. The first and second dummy boundary cells are the same size.

Method of inserting dummy boundary cells for macro/IP and IC

An integrated circuit (IC) structure includes a power rail oriented in a power rail direction and first metal segments above the power rail, oriented in a first metal level direction perpendicular to the power rail direction. First vias positioned between the power rail and the first metal segments are positioned at locations where first metal segments overlap the power rail. A second metal segment is positioned above the first metal segments, overlaps the power rail, and is oriented in the power rail direction. Second vias are positioned above the first vias between the first metal segments and the second metal segments, and a power strap is positioned above the second metal segment. The power strap is electrically connected to the power rail, each first metal segment of the plurality of first metal segments has a minimum width, and the power strap has a width greater than a minimum width.

Power grid structures and method of forming the same

The present disclosure relates to a method of forming an integrated chip. The method may be performed by forming first and second source regions within a substrate. The first and second source regions are separated by a drain region along a first direction. First and second middle-end-of-the-line (MEOL) structures are formed over the substrate. The first and second MEOL structures have bottom surfaces that continually extend past edges of the first and second source regions, respectively, along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. A power rail is formed that is electrically coupled to the first and second MEOL structures. The power rail has a first interconnect wire, a via rail on and in contact with the first interconnect wire, and a second interconnect wire on and in contact with the via rail. The via rail continuously extends along the first direction past the first and second MEOL structures.

Via rail solution for high power electromigration

The present disclosure, in some embodiments, relates to an integrated chip. The integrated chip includes a first conductive interconnect wire extending in a first direction over a substrate. A second conductive interconnect wire is arranged over the first conductive interconnect wire. A via rail is configured to electrically couple the first conductive interconnect wire and the second conductive interconnect wire. The first conductive interconnect wire and the second conductive interconnect wire extend as continuous structures past one or more sides of the via rail.

The present disclosure, in some embodiments, relates to an integrated chip. The integrated chip includes a source region and a drain region separated by a channel region within a substrate. A middle-end-of-the-line (MEOL) structure is over the drain region and a gate structure is over the channel region. The MEOL structure is vertically disposed between the drain region and a plane extending along an upper surface of the gate structure. A first interconnect wire is connected to the MEOL structure by a first conductive contact that is directly over the drain region and that extends between the first interconnect wire and the MEOL structure. A conductive strap is located over the first interconnect wire. The conductive strap connects the first interconnect wire to a power rail having a larger width than the first interconnect wire.

Power strap structure for high performance and low current density

The present disclosure relates to an integrated circuit having a via rail that prevents reliability concerns such as electro-migration. In some embodiments, the integrated circuit has a first plurality of conductive contacts arranged over a semiconductor substrate. A first metal interconnect wire is arranged over the first plurality of conductive contacts, and a second metal interconnect wire is arranged over the first metal interconnect wire. A via rail is arranged over the first metal interconnect wire and electrically couples the first metal interconnect wire and the second metal interconnect wire. The via rail has a length that continuously extends over two or more of the plurality of conductive contacts. The length of via rail provides for an increased cross-sectional area both between the first metal interconnect wire and the second metal interconnect wire and along a length of the via rail, thereby mitigating electro-migration within the integrated circuit.

The present disclosure, in some embodiments, relates to a method of forming an integrated chip. The method is performed by forming gate structures and middle-end-of-the-line (MEOL) structures extending in a first direction over an active area of a substrate. The MEOL structures are interleaved between the gate structures along a second direction. The method further forms a power rail and a first metal wire extending in the second direction. The first metal wire is over the MEOL structures. A double patterning process is performed to form second and third metal wires extending in the first direction over the first metal wire and separated in the second direction. The second metal wire is cut according to a first cut region of a first cut mask to define a first metal strap connecting a first one of the MEOL structures to the power rail.

The present disclosure relates to an integrated chip that uses a metal strap to improve performance and reduce electromigration by coupling a middle-end-of-the-line (MEOL) layer to a power rail. In some embodiments, the integrated chip has an active area with a plurality of source/drain regions. The active area contacts a MEOL structure extending in a first direction. A first metal wire extends in a second direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction, at a location overlying the MEOL structure. A metal strap extending in a first direction is arranged over the first metal wire. The metal strap is configured to connect the first metal line to a power rail (e.g., which may be held at a supply or ground voltage), which extends in the second direction. By connecting the MEOL structure to the power rail by way of a metal strap, parasitic capacitance and electromigration may be reduced.

A switch cell structure includes a switch cell of a first type, which includes a master switch cell and a plurality of slave switch cells. The master switch cell includes a buffer having an input and an output and a transistor having a gate coupled to the output of the buffer. The slave switch cell includes a respective signal line having an input and output and a transistor having a gate coupled to the signal line, the signal lines of the slave switch cells are coupled to one another, with the output of one coupled to the input of another of the signal lines. The output of the buffer of the master switch cell is coupled to an input of one of the signal lines of slave switch cells to drive the plurality of slave switch cells.

Switch cell structure and method

In some embodiments, a semiconductor arrangement comprises a stacked interconnect structure comprising a first interconnect structure and a second interconnect structure. The stacked interconnect structure has a relatively larger aspect ratio than the first interconnect structure or the second interconnect structure, which reduces resistivity and improves performance. In some embodiments, a duplicate interconnect path is inserted into a design layout for a semiconductor arrangement. The duplicated interconnect path provides an additional path between a first net and a second net connected by an interconnect path. Connecting the first net and the second net by the interconnect path and the duplicated interconnect path reduces resistivity and improves performance. In some embodiments, a semiconductor arrangement comprises cell pin operatively coupled to a duplicate cell pin. The cell pin and the duplicate cell pin are operatively coupled to a logic structure to reduce resistivity and improve performance.

Duplicate layering and routing

A method of checking joule heating of an integrated circuit design, the method includes dividing the integrated circuit design into a plurality of windows, determining a power index of each window, adjusting the specification current value associated with each of the corresponding windows, and generating a current violation report, by a processor, of the integrated circuit. Each window includes one or more circuit elements. Each circuit element is associated with a corresponding current value. Each window is associated with a corresponding specification current value. Each power index is associated with a corresponding window. An amount of adjustment of the specification current value is a function of the power index of each corresponding window. The current violation report includes one or more entries. Each entry is associated with at least a corresponding window and one or more corresponding current values which exceed the corresponding adjusted specification current value.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Chi-Yeh Yu