Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

TSMC Nanjing Company, Limited

Tzu-Ying Lin

Hui-Zhong Zhuang

Jerry Chang Jui Kao

Yung-Chen Chien

Jung-Chan Yang

Jerry Chang-Jui Kao

Xiangdong Chen

Lee-Chung Lu

Sung-Yen Yeh

Li-Chung Hsu

Chih-Liang Chen

Chi-Lin Liu

Po-Chun Wang

Seid Hadi Rasouli

Li-Chun Tien

Ting-Wei Chiang

Ting Yu Chen

Pochun Wang

Jian-Sing Li

Shao-Lun Chien

Chung-hsing Wang

Chung-Hsing Wang

Sheng-Hsiung Chen

Huang-Yu Chen

Chin-Shen Lin

Yung-Chin Hou

Wei-Hsiang Ma

Qingchao Meng

Huaixin Xian

Ming-Tao Yu

Kuang-Ching Chang

Jung-chan Yang

Liu Han

Jia-Hong Gao

Johnny Chiahao Li

Meng-Kai Hsu

I-Wen Wang

Po-Chih Cheng

Yung-Chen Chen

Xiang-Dong Chen

A flip-flop circuit includes a first inverter configured to receive a first clock signal and output a second clock signal, a second inverter configured to receive the second clock signal and output a third clock signal, a master latch including a transmission circuit, and a slave latch including a first feedback inverter. The first feedback inverter includes a first transistor configured to receive the first clock signal and a second transistor configured to receive the second clock signal, and the transmission circuit includes a third transistor configured to receive the third clock signal.

Flip-flop circuit and method

An integrated circuit provided here includes a N-bit flip-flop and a first clock cell. The N-bit flip-flop includes first cell of a first bit and a second cell of a second bit. An output signal from the first cell is inputted into the second cell in response to a first clock signal. The first and second cells have different widths and are arranged in a first row of multiple first cell rows and a first row of multiple second cell rows respectively. The first cell rows and the second cell rows have different row heights. The first clock cell outputs the first clock signal and is arranged in the first row of the second cell rows to abut the first cell.

Footprint for multi-bit flip flop

An integrated circuit includes first bit cells, second bit cells, and clock cells. Each of first bit cells is arranged in one of multiple first cell rows having a first row height. Each of the second bit cells is arranged in one of multiple second cells rows having a second row height different from the first row height. The second bit cells extend to pass the first bit cells in a first direction. The clock cells are arranged in peripheral regions of a multi-bit flip flop cell in the first cell rows. The first and second bit cells and the clock cells are included in the multi-bit flip flop cell.

An integrated circuit is provided and includes first transistors of a first circuit arranged in a first cell row having a first number of fin structures and a second transistor of a second circuit. The second transistor is coupled in parallel with a first element in the first transistors between first and second terminals of the first circuit, and arranged in a second cell row having a second number, different from the first number, of fin structures. The first element and the second transistor share a first gate extending in a first direction to pass through the first and second cell rows in a layout view. The second transistor is a duplication of the first element.

Integrated circuit in hybrid row height structure

A layout method includes generating a design data comprising an electronic circuit, and generating a design layout by placing a first cell corresponding to the electronic circuit. The first cell includes a first source/drain region and a second source/drain region extending in a first direction in a first layer, a gate electrode extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in a second layer, and a first conductive line arranged in a third layer over the second layer and electrically connected to one of the first source/drain region, the second source/drain region and the gate electrode. The first cell is defined by a left cell side and a right cell side. At least one of the left cell side, the right cell side, the gate electrode and the first conductive line extends in a third direction not parallel to the first and second directions.

Structure and method of rectangular cell in semiconductor device

A device is disclosed that includes multiple channels and multiple processing nodes. Each processing node includes input/output (I/O) ports coupled to the channels and channel control modules coupled to the I/O ports. Each processing node is configured to select, by the channel control module in a first operation, a first I/O port of the I/O ports; communicate a first message, via the first I/O port, to a first processing node over a first channel or a second processing node over a second channel orthogonal to the first channel in a logic representation; select, by the channel control module in a second operation, a second I/O port of the I/O ports; and communicate a second message, via the second I/O port, to a third processing node over a third channel extending in a diagonal direction and non-orthogonal to the first and second channels in the logic representation.

Diagonal torus network

An integrated circuit includes a first clocked forwarding-switch and a second clocked forwarding-switch each implemented with strong transistors in at least one strong active-region structure. The integrated circuit also includes a first clocked inverter and a second clocked inverter each implemented with weak transistors in at least one weak active-region structure. The integrated circuit further includes a first inverter cross coupled with the first clocked inverter and a second inverter cross coupled with the second clocked inverter. An output of the first clocked forwarding-switch is conductively connected with an output of the first clocked inverter, and an output of the second clocked forwarding-switch is conductively connected with an output of the second clocked inverter.

Flip-flops having strong transistors and weak transistors

A scan flip-flop circuit includes a selection circuit including first and second input terminals coupled to first and second I/O nodes, a flip-flop circuit coupled to the selection circuit, a first driver coupled between the flip-flop circuit and the first I/O node, and a second driver coupled between the flip-flop circuit and the second I/O node. The selection circuit and drivers receive a scan direction signal. In response to a first logic level of the scan direction signal, the selection circuit responds to a first signal received at the first input terminal, and the second driver outputs a second signal responsive to a flip-flop circuit output signal. In response to a second logic level of the scan direction signal, the selection circuit responds to a third signal received at the second input terminal, and the first driver outputs a fourth signal responsive to the flip-flop circuit output signal.

Bi-directional scan flip-flop circuit and method

A clock gating circuit includes an input circuit, a cross-coupled pair of transistors, a first transistor of a first type and a first pull-up transistor of the first type. The input circuit is configured to set a first control signal of a first node in response to a first or second enable signal. The cross-coupled pair of transistors is coupled between the first node and an output node. The first transistor is coupled between the first and a second node. The first pull-up transistor includes a first gate terminal, a first drain terminal and a first source terminal. The first gate terminal is configured to receive an inverted clock input signal. The first drain terminal is coupled to the second node and the first transistor. The first pull-up transistor is configured to adjust a clock output signal responsive to the inverted clock input signal.

Clock gating circuit and method of operating the same

A semiconductor device includes several first cell row an several second cell rows. The first cell rows extend in a first direction. Each of the first cell rows has a first row height. A first row of the first cell rows is configured for a first cell to be arranged. The second cell rows extend in the first direction. Each of the second cell rows has a second row height that is different from the first row height. At least one row of the second cell rows includes a portion for at least one second cell to be arranged. The portion has a third row height that is different from the first row height and the second row height.

Semiconductor device and integrated circuit in hybrid row height structure

Systems, methods, and devices are described herein for pre-setting scan flip-flops using combinational logic circuits. A system includes a plurality of flip-flop devices and a first pre-setting combinational logic circuit. The plurality of flip-flop devices are coupled together in series and configured to receive a scan input signal, capture data output from each flip-flop device of the plurality of flip-flop devices based on the scan input signal, and generate a scan output signal comprising the captured data. The first pre-setting combinational logic circuit is coupled to a first flip-flop device of the plurality of flip-flop devices. The first pre-setting combinational logic circuit includes a plurality of transistors and is configured to override and set either the scan input signal to the first flip-flop device or the scan output signal of the first flip-flop device based on selective operation of the plurality of transistors.

Scan flip-flops with pre-setting combinational logic

A flip-flop circuit includes a first inverter configured to receive a first clock signal and output a second clock signal, a second inverter configured to receive the second clock signal and output a third clock signal, a master stage, and a slave stage including a first feedback inverter and a first transmission gate. The first feedback inverter includes a first transistor configured to receive the first clock signal and a second transistor configured to receive the second clock signal, and the first transmission gate includes first and second input terminals configured to receive the second and third clock signals.

Circuits, systems, and methods are described herein for increasing a hold time of a master-slave flip-flop. A flip-flop includes circuitry configured to receive a scan input signal and generate a delayed scan input signal; a master latch configured to receive a data signal and the delayed scan input signal; and a slave latch coupled to the master latch, the master latch selectively providing one of the data signal or the delayed scan input signal to the slave latch based on a scan enable signal received by the master latch.

Low hold multi-bit flip-flop

Structure and method of non-rectangular cell in semiconductor device

A clock gating circuit includes a NOR logic gate, a transmission gate, a cross-coupled pair of transistors, and a first transistor. The NOR logic gate is coupled to a first node, and receives a first and a second enable signal, and outputs a first control signal. The transmission gate is coupled between the first and a second node, and receives the first control signal, an inverted clock input signal and a clock output signal. The cross-coupled pair of transistors is coupled between the second node and an output node, and receives at least a second control signal. The first transistor includes a first gate terminal configured to receive the inverted clock input signal, a first drain terminal coupled to the output node, and a first source terminal coupled to a reference voltage supply. The first transistor adjusts the clock output signal responsive to the inverted clock input signal.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Tzu-Ying Lin