Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Etron Technology, Inc.

Chien-Te Wu

Yu-Hao Chen

Jui-Feng Kuan

Hui Yu Lee

Hui-Yu Lee

Shao-Yu Wang

Shang-Chih Hsieh

Chung-Ming Weng

Nick Tsai

Hung-Yi Kuo

Tsung-Yuan Yu

Chin-Chang Hsu

Tah-Kang Joseph Ting

Gyh-Bin Wang

Rachid Salik

Jun-Jyeh Hsiao

Jui-feng Kuan

An integrated circuit includes a semiconductor substrate and a plurality of circuit elements in or on the substrate. The circuit elements are defined by standard layout cells selected from a cell library. The circuit elements including a plurality of flip-flops. Each flip-flop has a data input terminal, a data output terminal, a clock input terminal, and a clock output terminal. A first one of the flip-flops directly abuts a second flip-flop such that the clock output terminal of the first flip-flop electrically connects with the clock input terminal of the second flip-flop.

Flip-flop cell

An optical circuit includes one or more input waveguides, a plurality of output waveguides, and a reflector structure. At least a portion of the reflector structure forms an interface with the one or more input waveguides. The portion of the reflector structure has a smaller refractive index than the one or more input waveguides. An electrical circuit is electrically coupled to the optical circuit. The electrical circuit generates and sends different electrical signals to the reflector structure. In response to the reflector structure receiving the different electrical signals, a carrier concentration level at or near the interface or a temperature at or near the interface changes, such that incident radiation received from the one or more input waveguides is tunably reflected by the reflector structure into a targeted output waveguide of the plurality of output waveguides.

Directionally tunable optical reflector

A method for making a IC is provided, including: identifying, in a schematic, first and second edge elements, which edge elements including devices whose layout patterns are configured to conform to a first layout grid; identifying all the elements between the first and second edge elements, at least one of the identified elements including a device whose layout pattern is configured to conform to a second layout grid that is finer than the first layout grid; and calculating a spatial quantity of a combined layout pattern of the identified elements between the first and second edge elements to determine whether the combined layout pattern conforms to the first layout grid.

Methods for making semiconductor-based integrated circuits

Disclosed are apparatus and methods for a silicon photonic (SiPh) structure comprising the integration of an electrical integrated circuit (EIC); a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) disposed on top of the EIC; two or more polymer waveguides (PWGs) disposed on top of the PIC and formed by layers of cladding polymer and core polymer; and an integration fan-out redistribution (InFO RDL) layer disposed on top of the two or more PWGs. The operation of PWGs is based on the refractive indexes of the cladding and core polymers. Inter-layer optical signals coupling is provided by edge-coupling, reflective prisms and grating coupling. A wafer-level system implements a SiPh structure die and provides inter-die signal optical interconnections among the PWGs.

Structures and process flow for integrated photonic-electric ic package by using polymer waveguide

A semiconductor structure includes, an optical component and a thermal control mechanism. The optical component includes a first main path that splits into a first side path and a second side path so that the first side path and the second side path are separated from one another. The thermal control mechanism configured to control a temperature of both the first side path and the second side path, wherein the first thermal control mechanism includes a first thermoelectric member and a second thermoelectric member that are positioned between the first side path and the second side path and the first thermoelectric member and the second thermoelectric member have opposite conductive types.

Semiconductor structure

A semiconductor device includes a substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a waveguide on a first side of the substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a photodetector (PD) on a second side of the substrate, opposite the first side of the substrate. The semiconductor device further includes an optical through via (OTV) optically connecting the PD with the waveguide, wherein the OTV extends through the substrate from the first side of the substrate to the second side of the substrate.

Semiconductor device including optical through via and method of making

Structures and process flow for integrated photonic-electric IC package by using polymer waveguide

Systems, methods, and devices are described herein for a deterministic approach that includes receiving an original layout of a semiconductor device that has a number of layers. A violation of a first design rule associated with a first layer of the number of layers is identified. A design rule compilation includes a plurality of design rules associated with each layer of the number of layers. A plurality of derived layers are generated based upon the plurality of design rules. Each derived layer of the plurality of derived layers includes one or more layers of the number of layers of the semiconductor device in which a physical movement to one layer impacts another layer. A forbidden region associated with a second layer of the plurality of layers is designated. A new layout of the number of layers having oriented differently than the original layout is generated such that no layer protrudes within the forbidden region.

Deterministic system for device layout optimization

A layout structure and method are described for the layout of chips having libraries of standard cells which minimizes voltage fluctuations on power buses caused by switching circuits in the standard cells. Typically these standard cells are arranged in a row between two power buses. In this invention the standard cells are partitioned into first cells and second cells which can be combined to form the standard cell circuit. The first cells are arranged in a first row and the second cells are arranged in a second row. A first power bus is located above the first row of first cells and a second power bus is located below the second row of second cells. The first power bus and second power bus are electrically connected together. The first power bus supplies a first power supply voltage to the first cells and the second power bus supplies the first power supply voltage to the second cells. A third power bus is located between the first row of first cells and second row of second cells and supplies a second power supply voltage to the first and second cells. The layout can be accomplished automatically using a computer program.

Structure of integrated circuit standard cell library for reducing power supply voltage fluctuation

An improved input buffer circuit of the type having a chain of FET inverter circuits has an FET connected in a feedback loop that functions like a Schmidt trigger and counteracts a hysteresis effect that causes variations in the delay of the inverter circuits and compensation for process variation. An FET is connected to conduct in its source-drain circuit between one of the power supply terminals and the interconnection node of two of the inverters in the chain. The gate of FET is connected to receive a signal from the output of one of the inverters. The hysteresis effect is characterized by different rising and falling paths at one knee of the transfer curve that describes the switching operation. The channel type of the FET and the polarity of the power supply terminal are selected to provide feedback during the transition where the knee occurs.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Chien-Te Wu