Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Wei-Hsiang Ma

Shang-Chih Hsieh

Chi-Lin Liu

Jerry Chang Jui Kao

Lee-Chung Lu

Yung-Chen Chien

Kai-Chi Huang

Sheng-Hsiung Chen

Yu-Lun Ou

Ruei-Wun Sun

Ji-Yung Lin

Fong-yuan Chang

Jerry Chang-Jui Kao

Hui-Zhong Zhuang

Ting-Wei Chiang

Chi-Yu Lu

Yu-Ti Su

Pin-Dai Sue

Jiun-Jia Huang

Cheok-Kei Lei

Jian-Sing Li

Yi-Hsun Chen

Huang-Yu Chen

Yu-Jheng Ou-Yang

Chung-Hsing Wang

Jack Liu

Tzu-Ying Lin

The present disclosure provides a semiconductor device which includes a multiplexer, a master latch, and a slave latch. The multiplexer outputs an inverse of an input data signal or an inverse scan input signal according to a scan enable signal. The master latch is coupled to an output terminal of the multiplexer, and is configured to latch the inverse of the input data signal based on an input clock signal in response to the scan enable signal being in a low-logic state. The slave latch is coupled to the output terminal of the multiplexer through a first clocked CMOS inverter, and is configured to receive the input data signal and to output a latched slave latch data based on the input clock signal. A leakage-free dummy cell is disposed in a non-critical path of the master latch and the slave latch.

Leakage-free dummy cell for semiconductor devices

A circuit includes a multi-bit flip flop, an integrated clock gating circuit connected to the multi-bit flip flop, and a control circuit connected to the integrated clock gating circuit and the multi-bit flip flop. The control circuit compares output data of the multi-bit flip flop corresponding to input data with the input data. The control circuit generates an enable signal based on comparing the output data of the multi-bit flip flop corresponding to the input data with the input data of the multi-bit flip flop. The control circuit provides the enable signal to the integrated clock gating circuit, wherein the integrated clock gating circuit provides, based on the enable signal, a clock signal to the multi-bit flip flop causing the multi-bit flip flop to toggle.

Multi-bit flip flop

A circuit includes a first power node having a first voltage level, a second power node having a second voltage level different from the first voltage level, a reference node having a reference voltage level, a master latch that outputs a first bit based on a received bit, a slave latch that outputs a second bit based on the first bit and an output bit based on a selected one of the first bit or a third bit, a first level shifter that outputs the third bit based on a complementary bit pair, and a retention latch including a second level shifter and a pair of inverters that outputs the complementary bit pair based on the second bit. The slave latch and the first level shifter are coupled between the first power and reference nodes, and the retention latch is coupled between the second power and reference nodes.

Data retention circuit and method

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

A logic circuit (for providing a multibit flip-flop (MBFF) function) includes: a first inverter to receive a clock signal and generate a corresponding clock_bar signal; a second inverter to receive the clock_bar signal and generate a corresponding clock_bar_bar signal; a third inverter to receive a control signal and generate a corresponding control_bar signal; and a series-chain of 1-bit transfer flip-flop (TXFF) circuits, each including: a NAND circuit to receive data signals; and a 1-bit transmit gate flip-flop (TGFF) circuit to output signals Q and q, and receive an output of the NAND circuit, the signal q from the TGFF circuit of a preceding TXFF circuit in the series-chain, the clock_bar and clock_bar_bar signals, and the control and control_bar signals; and the first transfer TXFF circuit in the series-chain being configured to receive a start signal in place of the signal q from an otherwise preceding TGFF circuit.

Logic circuits with reduced transistor counts

A multiplexer circuit includes first and second fins each extending in an X-axis direction. First, second, third and fourth gates extend in a Y-axis direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction and contact the first and second fins. The first, second, third and fourth gates are configured to receive first, second, third and fourth data signals, respectively. Fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth gates extend in the Y-axis direction and contact the first and second fins, the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth gates, and are configured to receive the first, second, third and fourth select signals, respectively. An input logic circuit is configured to provide an output at an intermediate node. A ninth gate extends in the Y-axis direction and contacts the first and second fins. An output logic circuit is configured to provide a selected one of the first, second, third and fourth data signals at an output terminal.

Multiplexer

Disclosed herein are embodiments related to a power efficient multi-bit storage system. In one configuration, the multi-bit storage system includes a first storage circuit, a second storage circuit, a prediction circuit, and a clock gating circuit. In one aspect, the first storage circuit updates a first output bit according to a first input bit, in response to a trigger signal, and the second storage circuit updates a second output bit according to a second input bit, in response to the trigger signal. In one aspect, the prediction circuit generates a trigger enable signal indicating whether at least one of the first output bit or the second output bit is predicted to change a state. In one aspect, the clock gating circuit generates the trigger signal based on the trigger enable signal.

Power efficient multi-bit storage system

A circuit includes an input circuit, a level shifter circuit, an output circuit, and a first and a second feedback circuit. The input circuit is coupled to a first voltage supply, and configured to receive a first input signal, and to generate at least a second input signal. The level shifter circuit is coupled to a second voltage supply, and configured to generate at least a first and second signal responsive to at least the enable signal or the first input signal. The output circuit is coupled to at least the level shifter circuit and the second voltage supply, and configured to generate at least an output signal, a first and second feedback signal responsive to the first signal. The first and second feedback circuit are configured to receive the enable signal, and the inverted enable signal, and the corresponding first and second feedback signal.

Level shifter circuit and method of operating the same

A circuit includes a first transistor, a second type-one transistor, a first type-two transistor, a third type-one transistor, a fourth type-one transistor, and a fifth type-one transistor. The first type-one transistor has a gate configured to have a first supply voltage of a first power supply. The first type-two transistor has a gate configured to have a second supply voltage of the first power supply. The third type-one transistor has a first active-region conductively connected with an active-region of the first type-one transistor. Third type-one transistor has a second active-region and a gate conductively connected to each other. The fifth type-one transistor has a first active-region conductively connected with the gate of the third type-one transistor and has a second active-region configured to have a first supply voltage of a second power supply. The fifth type-one transistor is configured to be at a conducting state.

Isolation circuit between power domains

A clock distribution system includes a clock mesh structure which has a plurality of first metal patterns extending along a first axis, a plurality of second metal patterns extending along a second axis, a plurality of third metal patterns extending along a third axis. The plurality of first metal patterns, the plurality of second metal patterns, and the plurality of third metal patterns are electrically coupled with each other. The second axis is transverse to the first axis. The third axis is oblique to both the first axis and the second axis.

Clock signal distribution system, integrated circuit device and method

A circuit includes first and second power nodes having differing first and second voltage levels, and a reference node having a reference voltage level. A master latch outputs a first data bit based on a received data bit; a slave latch includes a first inverter that outputs a second data bit based on the first data bit and a second inverter that outputs an output data bit based on a selected one of the first data bit or a third data bit; a level shifter outputs the third data bit based on a fourth data bit; and a retention latch outputs the fourth data bit based on the second data bit. The first and second inverters and the level shifter are coupled between the first power node and the reference node, and the retention latch includes a plurality of transistors coupled between the second power node and the reference node.

A logic circuit including first and second inverters, first and second NAND circuits, a transmission gate, and a transmission-gate-substitute (TGS) circuit, and wherein: for each of the first and second NAND circuits, a first input is configured to receive corresponding first and second data signals, and a second input is configured to receive an enable signal; the first inverter is configured to receive an output of the first NAND circuit; the transmission gate and the TGS circuit are arranged as a combination circuit which is configured to receive an output of the second NAND circuit as a data input, and outputs of the first inverter and the second NAND circuit as control inputs; the second inverter is configured to receive an output of the combination circuit; and an output of the second inverter represents one of an enable XOR (EXOR) function or an enable XNR (EXNR) function.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Wei-Hsiang Ma