International Business Machines Corporation

Globalfoundries Inc.

Judith H McCullen

Dureseti Chidambarrao

Shreesh Narasimha

Paul A Hyde

Gerald M Davidson

Peter Anton Habitz

Ning Lu

Edward W Seibert

Cole E Zemke

L William Dewey, Iii

Terence B Hook

James Albert Slinkman

John Maxwell Cohn

Richard Quimby Williams

Eric Adler

Lewis William Dewey, Iii

Mark Eliot Masters

Tina Jane Wagner

Michael J Sullivan

David M Onsongo

Sarah C Braasch

Serge Biesemans

Arnold E Baizley

Michael H Sitko

Donald L Jordan

Micah S Galland

Richard Dauphin

Matt Boucher

Eric S Phipps

William C Bakker

Ralph M Alfano

Tina Wagner

Disclosed are a system and a method for integrated circuit (IC) performance modeling, wherein a design layout of an IC is analyzed to identify a first conductive shape (e.g., an internal local interconnect or contact bar shape) on a diffusion boundary shape of a semiconductor device and to also identify the first conductive shape's connectivity to any second conductive shapes (e.g., a via, via bar, or external local interconnect shapes) inside and/or outside the limits of the diffusion boundary shape. A condensed resistance model for the first conductive shape is selected from a model library based on the previously identified connectivity. The selected condensed resistance model will have a lesser number of nodes and/or resistive elements than a full resistance model for the conductive shape. The selected condensed resistance model is used to construct a condensed netlist, which is used in a combined netlist to simulate IC performance.

Integrated circuit performance modeling using a connectivity-based condensed resistance model for a conductive structure in an integrated circuit

A method calculates a total source/drain resistance for a field effect transistor (FET) device. The method counts the number (N) of contacts in each source/drain region of the FET device, partitions each source/drain region into N contact regions and calculates a set of resistances of elements and connections to the FET device. The measured dimensions of widths, lengths, and distances of layout shapes forming the FET and the connections to the FET are determined and a set of weights based on relative widths of the contact regions are computed. The total source/drain resistance of the FET device is determined by summing products of the set of resistances and the set of weights for each of a plurality of contacts in series, the summing being performed for all of the plurality of contacts in one of a source region and a drain region of the FET. A netlist is formed based on the total source resistance and total drain resistance of the FET device.

Method of determining FET source/drain wire, contact, and diffusion resistances in the presence of multiple contacts

A method and computer program product for modeling a semiconductor transistor device structure having an active device area, a gate structure, and including a conductive line feature connected to the gate structure and disposed above the active device area, the conductive line feature including a conductive landing pad feature disposed near an edge of the active device area in a circuit to be modeled. The method includes determining a distance between an edge defined by the landing pad feature to an edge of the active device area, and, from modeling a lithographic rounding effect of the landing pad feature, determining changes in width of the active device area as a function of the distance between an edge defined by the landing pad feature to an edge of the active device area. From these data, an effective change in active device area width (deltaW adder) is related to the determined distance. Then, transistor model parameter values in a transistor compact model are updated for the transistor device to include deltaW adder values to be added to a built-in deltaW value. A netlist used in a device simulation may then include the deltaW adder values to quantify the influence of the lithographic rounding effect of the landing pad feature.

Compact model methodology for PC landing pad lithographic rounding impact on device performance

A system and method for modeling a semiconductor transistor device structure having a conductive line feature of a designed length connected to a gate of a transistor device in a circuit to be modeled, the transistor including an active device (RX) area over which the gate is formed and over which the conductive line feature extends. The method includes providing an analytical model representation including a function for modeling a lithographic flare effect impacting the active device area width; and, from the modeling function, relating an effective change in active device area width (deltaW adder) as a function of a distance from a defined edge of the RX area. Then, transistor model parameter values in a transistor compact model for the device are updated to include deltaW adder values to be added to a built-in deltaW value. A netlist used in a simulation includes the deltaW adder values to more accurately describe the characteristics of the transistor device being modeled including modeling of lithographic corner rounding effect on transistor device parametrics.

Methodology for improving device performance prediction from effects of active area corner rounding

A method and computer program product for modeling a semiconductor transistor device structure having an active device area, a gate structure, and including a conductive line feature connected to the gate structure and disposed above the active device area, the conductive line feature including a conductive landing pad feature disposed near an edge of the active device area in a circuit to be modeled. The method includes determining a distance between an edge defined by the landing pad feature to an edge of the active device area, and, from modeling a lithographic rounding effect of the landing pad feature, determining changes in width of the active device area as a function of the distance between an edge defined by the landing pad feature to an edge of the active device area. From these data, an effective change in active device area width (deltaW adder) is related to the determined distance.

The invention provides a method, system, and program product for diagnosing an integrated circuit. In particular, the invention captures one or more images for each relevant circuit layer of the integrated circuit. Based on the image(s), a component netlist is generated. Further, a logic netlist is generated by applying hierarchical composition rules to the component netlist. The component netlist and/or logic netlist can be compared to a reference netlist to diagnose the integrated circuit. The invention can further generate a schematic based on the component netlist or logic netlist in which components are arranged according to port, power, and/or component pin connection information determined from the netlist. Further, the schematic can be displayed in a manner that wiring connections are selectively displayed to assist a user in intelligently arranging the circuit components.

Integrated circuit diagnosing method, system, and program product

System and method for compact model algorithms to accurately account for effects of layout-induced changes in nitride liner stress in semiconductor devices. The layout-sensitive compact model algorithms account for the impact of large layout variation on circuits by implementing algorithms for obtaining the correct stress response approximations and layout extraction algorithms for obtaining the correct geometric parameters that drive the stress response. In particular, these algorithms include specific information from search 'buckets' that are directionally-oriented and include directionally-specific distance measurements for analyzing in detail the specific shape neighborhood of the semiconductor device. The algorithms are additionally adapted to enable the modeling and stress impact determination of a device having single stress liner film and dual-stress liners (two different liner films that abut at an interface).

Methodology for layout-based modulation and optimization of nitride liner stress effect in compact models

A method for calibrating a software model for a given structure of interest for a variable imposed by an adjacent structure. First determine the spatial extent of the variable imposed by the adjacent structure. Then assign a value to the spatial extent, which varies as a function of distance from the adjacent structure to the given structure. Finally, attach that value to the model of the given structure.

Device modeling for proximity effects

A method and structure for performing parasitic extraction for a multi-fingered device comprising of establishing a maximum processing width of a finger of the device, dividing fingers of the device that exceed the maximum width into sub-fingers, determining whether ones of the fingers and the sub-fingers have similar characteristics, combining ones of the fingers and the sub-fingers that have similar characteristics into combined fingers, and extracting parasitic values from the fingers, the sub-fingers and the combined fingers.

Method of performing parasitic extraction for a multi-fingered transistor

A method and structure for a method of determining characteristics of parasitic elements in an integrated circuit comprising, identifying manufacturing process parameters of devices in the integrated circuit, calculating a parasitic performance distribution for each of the devices based on the manufacturing process parameters, combining the parasitic performance distribution for each of the devices into a net parasitic value, and forming a parameterized model based on the net parasitic values.

Process and system for maintaining 3 sigma process tolerance for parasitic extraction with on-the-fly biasing

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Essex Junction, VT, United States of America

Judith H McCullen