Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Chun-Hui Tai

Li-Chun Tien

Lee-Chung Lu

Chung-Hsing Wang

Ta-Pen Guo

Yung-Chin Hou

Ping Chung Li

Yi-Kan Cheng

Yuan-Te Hou

Gwan Sin Chang

Cliff Hou

Shun-Li Chen

Shih-Hsien Yang

Shu-Min Chen

Jen-Hang Yang

Hsien-Te Chen

Sheng-Hsin Chen

This invention discloses a voltage level shifter, which comprises a first P-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (PMOS) transistor having a gate, a source and a bulk coupled to an input terminal, a first positive voltage power supply and a second positive voltage power supply, respectively, and a second PMOS transistor having a source, a drain and a bulk coupled to a third positive voltage power supply, an output node and the second positive voltage power supply, respectively, wherein the first and second PMOS transistors are formed in a single Nwell.

Voltage level shifter with single well voltage

Integrated circuit libraries include a first standard cell having a first left boundary and a first right boundary, and a second standard cell having a second left boundary and a second right boundary. The first standard cell and the second standard cell are of a same cell variant. A first active region in the first standard cell has a different length of diffusion than a second active region in the second standard cell. The first active region and the second active region are corresponding active regions represented by a same component of a same circuit diagram representing both the first standard cell and the second standard cell.

Integrated circuit design using DFM-enhanced architecture

This invention discloses a method for automatically generating an integrated circuit (IC) layout, the method comprises determining a first cell height, creating a plurality of standard cells all having the first cell height, and generating the IC layout from the plurality of standard cells by placing and routing thereof.

Place-and-route layout method with same footprint cells

An integrated circuit structure includes an integrated circuit structure including a PMOS transistor including a first gate electrode; a first source region; and a first drain region; an NMOS transistor including a second gate electrode, wherein the first gate electrode and the second gate electrode are portions of a gate electrode strip; a second source region; and a second drain region. No additional transistors are formed between the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor. The integrated circuit further includes a VDD power rail connected to the first source region; a VSS power rail connected to the second source region; and an interconnection port electrically connected to the gate electrode strip. The interconnection port is on an outer side of a MOS pair region including the PMOS transistor, the NMOS transistor, and the region between the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor. The portion of the gate electrode strip in the MOS pair region is substantially straight.

Layout architecture for improving circuit performance

An integrated circuit structure includes a semiconductor substrate; a first active region in the semiconductor substrate; and a second active region in the semiconductor substrate and of an opposite conductivity type than the first active region. A gate electrode strip is over the first and the second active regions and forms a first MOS device and a second MOS device with the first active region and the second active region, respectively. A first spacer bar is in the semiconductor substrate and connected to the first active region. At least a portion of the first spacer bar is adjacent to and spaced apart from a portion of the first active region. A second spacer bar is in the semiconductor substrate and connected to the second active region. At least a portion of the second spacer bar is adjacent to and spaced apart from a portion of the second active region.

Standard cell without OD space effect in Y-direction

System and method for providing power to integrated circuitry with good power-on responsive time and reduced power-on transient glitches. A preferred embodiment comprises a daughter switch coupled to a circuit block, a first control circuit coupled to the daughter circuit, a second control circuit coupled to the first control circuit, and a mother circuit coupled to the circuit block and to the second control circuit. After the daughter switch is turned on by a control signal, the mother switch is not turned on until the daughter switch has discharged (charged) the voltage potential across power rails of the mother circuit to a point where glitches are minimized. The second control circuit turns on the mother circuit when the reduced voltage potential is reached, with a signal produced by the first control circuit reflects the voltage potential. Furthermore, a bypass circuit can be used to reduce leakage current.

Mother/daughter switch design with self power-up control

This invention discloses a decoupling capacitor in an integrated circuit, comprising a plurality of dedicated PN diodes with a total junction area greater than one tenth of a total active area of functional devices for which the dedicated PN diodes are intended to protect, a N-type region of the dedicated PN diodes coupling to a positive supply voltage (Vdd), and a P-type region of the dedicated PN diodes coupling to a complimentary lower supply voltage (Vss), wherein the dedicated PN diodes are reversely biased.

Reverse-biased PN diode decoupling capacitor

An integrated circuit it comprises a logic cell. The logic cell is without nwell contacts and comprises top and bottom voltage supply wires. The integrated circuit also comprises a first filler cell comprising top and d bottom voltage supply wires and an nwell region coupled to the bottom voltage supply wire. The integrated circuit further comprises a second filler cell with an nwell region coupled to a top voltage supply wire. The integrated circuit still further comprises a third filler cell comprising top and bottom voltage supply wires. The third filler cell also comprising a pair of nwell regions. One of nwell regions is coupled to the top voltage supply wire and the other nwell region is coupled to the bottom voltage supply wire. The standard cell and the filler cells each comprise a PRboundary overlapping a top portion of the nwell region in each cell by a first distance.

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Hsin-Chu, Taiwan

Chun-Hui Tai