WO2018013472A1 - Integrated circuit implementing standard cells with metal layer segments extending out of cell boundary - Google Patents

Integrated circuit implementing standard cells with metal layer segments extending out of cell boundary Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2018013472A1
WO2018013472A1 PCT/US2017/041349 US2017041349W WO2018013472A1 WO 2018013472 A1 WO2018013472 A1 WO 2018013472A1 US 2017041349 W US2017041349 W US 2017041349W WO 2018013472 A1 WO2018013472 A1 WO 2018013472A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
cell
metal
edge
boundary
distance
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/US2017/041349
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Omid Rowhani
Ioan Cordos
Kerry HAMEL
Donald Clay
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
ATI Technologies ULC
Advanced Micro Devices Inc
Original Assignee
ATI Technologies ULC
Advanced Micro Devices Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by ATI Technologies ULC, Advanced Micro Devices Inc filed Critical ATI Technologies ULC
Priority to CN201780043776.3A priority Critical patent/CN109791930B/zh
Priority to JP2019500874A priority patent/JP7015824B2/ja
Priority to KR1020197003688A priority patent/KR102294210B1/ko
Publication of WO2018013472A1 publication Critical patent/WO2018013472A1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H10SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H10DINORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
    • H10D84/00Integrated devices formed in or on semiconductor substrates that comprise only semiconducting layers, e.g. on Si wafers or on GaAs-on-Si wafers
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F30/00Computer-aided design [CAD]
    • G06F30/30Circuit design
    • G06F30/39Circuit design at the physical level
    • G06F30/392Floor-planning or layout, e.g. partitioning or placement
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F30/00Computer-aided design [CAD]
    • G06F30/30Circuit design
    • G06F30/39Circuit design at the physical level
    • G06F30/394Routing
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H10SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H10DINORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
    • H10D89/00Aspects of integrated devices not covered by groups H10D84/00 - H10D88/00
    • H10D89/10Integrated device layouts
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F2111/00Details relating to CAD techniques
    • G06F2111/20Configuration CAD, e.g. designing by assembling or positioning modules selected from libraries of predesigned modules
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H10SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H10DINORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
    • H10D84/00Integrated devices formed in or on semiconductor substrates that comprise only semiconducting layers, e.g. on Si wafers or on GaAs-on-Si wafers
    • H10D84/90Masterslice integrated circuits
    • H10D84/903Masterslice integrated circuits comprising field effect technology
    • H10D84/907CMOS gate arrays
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H10SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H10DINORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
    • H10D84/00Integrated devices formed in or on semiconductor substrates that comprise only semiconducting layers, e.g. on Si wafers or on GaAs-on-Si wafers
    • H10D84/90Masterslice integrated circuits
    • H10D84/903Masterslice integrated circuits comprising field effect technology
    • H10D84/907CMOS gate arrays
    • H10D84/968Macro-architecture
    • H10D84/974Layout specifications, i.e. inner core regions
    • H10D84/975Wiring regions or routing

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates generally to integrated circuit devices and, more particularly, standard-cell based design and fabrication of integrated circuit devices.
  • CMOS complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor
  • ASICs application-specific integrated circuits
  • SoCs Systems-on-a-chip
  • IC complex integrated circuit
  • a standard cell is a collection of gate-level elements and interconnection structures standardized at a functional level.
  • EDA Electronic design automation
  • IC integrated circuit
  • One such EDA tool is a place and route tool, which builds the physical layout of an IC design from the cells represented by the standard cell library. The place and route tool places the cells side-by-side and uses a routing tool to electrically connect the cells in a specified way to implement corresponding logic of the IC design.
  • the semiconductor foundry typically supplies the designer with a set of design rules that apply to a specified technology process, whereby these design rules specify various parameters pertaining to spacing, width, enclosure, and extension for the physical elements within the physical layout of the IC design.
  • a design rule check (DRC) tool thus applies the specified design rules to the IC design to verify that all design rules are met and thus the IC may be fabricated as designed using the specified technology process.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example two-cell layout with design rule check violations and a corresponding conventional standard cell design to mitigate the design rule check violations in accordance with some embodiments.
  • FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example cell layout with metal tracks permitting extension of metal segments beyond a cell boundary in accordance with some embodiments.
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example layout of two abutting cells with metal segments that overlap metal tracks in accordance with some embodiments.
  • FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating expanded Metal 1 (M1 ) layer to Metal 2 (M2) layer connections facilitated by the cell layout of FIG. 2 in accordance with some embodiments.
  • FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for designing and fabricating an integrated circuit structure in accordance with some embodiments.
  • the design and fabrication process of an IC structure using a cell-based methodology typically entails the verification of the physical layout of the IC design in view of various design rules provided by a semiconductor foundry for a specified technology process. These design rules often include a subset of design rules pertaining to the spacing and other interactions between metal segments of abutting or adjacent cells at the Metal 1 (M1 ) layer.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates examples of such design rules, and the conventional approach to standard cell design so as to conform with such rules. As depicted by the plan view diagram 100 of FIG.
  • the physical layout for an IC structure using cell-based methodology typically involves the placement of two or more standard cells in a row, such as the depicted abutting standard cells 101 , 102 (with the row having a vertical arrangement in relation to the orientation of FIG. 1 ).
  • each standard cell represents a corresponding function of the IC design (e.g., a Boolean logic function or a storage function) and is formed of transistor elements and the conductive interconnects that connect the various transistor elements of the cell.
  • each cell has a cell boundary containing one or more P-type or N-type active regions formed in a semiconductor substrate or, for a silicon- on-insulator (SOI) implementation, an epitaxial layer of doped or undoped
  • polysilicon polycrystalline silicon
  • metal gate segments metal gate segments
  • One or more metal layers are then formed over the active area and patterned so as to form metal segments at one or more layers, whereby these metal segments serve to interconnect circuit elements within the cell or to interconnect circuit elements between cells.
  • Each cell includes a plurality of metal tracks that define the positions and dimensions the metal segments may occupy at a given metal layer.
  • the cell 101 includes metal tracks 103, 104, 105, 106 that extend from edge 107 to opposing edge 108 of a cell boundary 1 10 for the cell 101
  • the cell 102 includes, for the M1 layer, metal tracks 1 1 1 , 1 12, 1 13 that extend from edge 1 14 to opposing edge 1 15 of a cell boundary 1 16 for the cell 102.
  • metal tracks that are to contain at least one metal segment are filled with metal, and then one or more cut masks (or "trim” masks) are used to pattern the metal within the metal tracks so as to form the intended pattern of metal segments at the given metal layer.
  • cut masks also are used to cut the metal at cell boundaries so as to prevent shorts or other undesirable electrical interactions between metal segments of adjacent, or abutting, cells.
  • one or more cut masks may introduce metal cuts 1 17, 1 18 at the cell boundaries 1 10, 1 16 so as to electrically isolate the M1 metal segments of cell 101 from the M1 metal segments of cell 102, and vice versa.
  • a semiconductor foundry may supply a set of design rules that includes design rules pertaining to the termination of metal segments in relation to the location of various boundary metal cuts.
  • the design rule set may include a tip-to-tip minimum distance requirement that specifies that unless the tips of two metal segments in the same track in abutting cells are immediately adjacent to each other (that is, the metal runs continuously across the abutting cell boundaries), the tips must be a minimum distance apart that typically represents the width of the metal cut layer.
  • a metal segment 122 in metal track 104 of cell 101 would trigger a cell boundary design rule violation 124 as the tip of the metal segment 122 terminates in the region of the metal cut 1 18 while there is no abutting tip of a metal segment in the corresponding metal track 1 1 1 of the cell 102.
  • the metal segment 126 in metal track 106 of cell 101 and the metal segment 128 in the metal track 1 13 of cell 102 together would trigger a tip-to-tip minimum distance design rule violation 130 as the facing tips of the metal segments 126, 128 are not separated by a minimum specified distance (given that they are not immediately abutting so that a continuous metal segment is formed across the metal cut 1 18).
  • abutment offset zone on each edge of a cell 142 that may abut another cell in the same row (e.g., abutment offset zones 144, 146 at opposing edges 148, 150, respectively, of cell boundary 152).
  • a metal segment may either terminate at the cell boundary (e.g., metal segment 154) or terminate short of the abutment offset zone (e.g., metal segments 156, 158), but may not terminate within the abutment offset zone.
  • the length of the abutment offset zone is set to approximately half the minimum tip-to-tip spacing required by the design rules.
  • the length of the abutment offset zone may be set to approximately 60 nm, and thus when two cells are placed in adjacent locations, the two facing abutment offset zones together provide the 120 nm minimum tip-to-tip spacing.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates an improved standard cell design approach that conforms to boundary cut design rules and tip-to-tip spacing design rules while also facilitating M1 routing and increased pin access to higher metal layers in accordance with some embodiments.
  • a cell 200 includes one or more active regions (e.g., active regions 202, 204), polysilicon segments (e.g., polysilicon segments 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 21 1 ), and other circuit elements formed on a semiconductor substrate 201 (or SOI substrate) and contained within a cell boundary 212, with the cell layout extending in both the orthogonal X and Y directions as shown.
  • active regions e.g., active regions 202, 204
  • polysilicon segments e.g., polysilicon segments 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 21 1
  • other circuit elements formed on a semiconductor substrate 201 (or SOI substrate) and contained within a cell boundary 212, with the cell layout extending in both the orthogonal X and
  • the cell 200 further includes, at the M 1 metal layer, a plurality of metal tracks extending along the Y direction, such as metal tracks 221 , 222, 223, 224, 225.
  • each metal track either is devoid of metal segments, or contains one or more metal segments that extend within the corresponding metal track.
  • the design of cell 200 does not incorporate abutment exclusion zones that require termination of metal tips at either the cell boundary or a minimum distance from the cell boundary. Rather, as shown in the example of FIG.
  • the design of cell 200 provides that the tip of a M1 metal segment must either (1 ) terminate at least a specified minimum distance 226 from the corresponding edge of the cell boundary 212, or (2) extend beyond the corresponding edge of the cell boundary 212 by a specified distance 228. That is, rather than using an abutment offset zone contained entirely within the cell boundary of a cell, the design approach for cell 200 is to employ, at each opposing edge 230, 232 of the cell boundary 212, a corresponding tip exclusion zone 234, 236 that extends from within the cell boundary 212 to beyond the cell boundary to a plane that is the specified distance 228 from the corresponding boundary edge. For each tip exclusion zone, a metal segment is specified so as to terminate at or before the in-boundary edge 240, or the metal segment must terminate outside of the cell boundary 212 at the out-of-boundary edge 242.
  • the depicted example implementation of cell 200 includes four metal segments: metal segment 252 in track 222, and having a tip terminating at out- of-boundary edge 242 of the tip exclusion zone 234 and a tip terminating at out-of- boundary edge 242 of the tip exclusion zone 236; metal segment 253 in track 223, and having a tip terminating at out-of-boundary edge 242 of the tip exclusion zone 234 and a tip terminating at or before the in-boundary edge 240 of the tip exclusion zone 236; metal segment 254 in track 224, and having a tip terminating at out-of- boundary edge 242 of the tip exclusion zone 234 and a tip terminating at out-of- boundary edge 242 of the tip exclusion zone 236; and metal segment 255 in track 225, and having a tip terminating at or before the in-boundary edge 240 of the tip exclusion zone 234 and a tip terminating at or before the in-boundary edge 240 of the tip exclusion zone 236.
  • This design approach has a number of advantages. By ensuring that the tip of a metal segment either terminates at least the minimum distance 226 from the cell boundary edge or extends beyond the cell boundary edge by the distance 228, two adjacent cells employing this design approach will result in a physical layout for the two cells in which, for any given metal segment in one cell, the distance between the tip of this metal segment is at least the minimum specified tip-to-tip distance from the facing tip of the metal segment in the corresponding track of the other cell, or the tip of the metal segment of one cell extends into the corresponding track of the other cell, and thus complies with the design rule that specifies that M 1 metal must either completely absent from a set of abutting tracks within a metal cut region, or the M1 metal must extend entirely across the metal cut region for the set of abutting tracks. Further, in at least one embodiment, the distances 226, 228 are set to be
  • FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the beneficial implementation of the cell design approach outlined above in accordance with some embodiments.
  • an IC structure 300 e.g., an ASIC or system on a chip (SOC)
  • SOC system on a chip
  • the cell 301 comprises circuit elements defined within a cell boundary 304, and the cell 302 likewise comprises circuit elements defined within a cell boundary 306, wherein the cell boundaries 304, 306 abut at boundary edges 308, 310, respectively.
  • the cell 301 includes metal tracks 31 1 , 312, 313, 314, 315 at the M1 layer, and the cell 302 includes corresponding metal tracks 321 , 322, 323, 324, 325 at the M1 layer.
  • the cell 301 includes metal segments 331 , 332, 335 in tracks 31 1 , 312, 315, respectively, and metal tracks 313, 314 are unused by the cell 301 .
  • the cell 302 includes metal segments 342, 343, 344, 345 in tracks 322, 323, 324, 325, respectively, and metal track 321 is unused by the cell 302.
  • the cells 301 , 302 employ the tip exclusion zones at their opposing row boundaries, as described above. Accordingly, in compliance with this cell design, the metal segment 331 has one tip that terminates within the cell boundary 304 at, or before, the distance 226 (FIG.
  • the metal segment 332 has one tip that that terminates within the cell boundary 304 at, or before, the distance 226 from the boundary edge 308 and an opposite tip that extends beyond the cell boundary 304 to the distance 228 from the boundary edge 316; and the metal segment 335 has opposing tips that terminate within the cell boundary 304 at, or before, the distance 226 from the boundary edges 308, 316, respectively.
  • the metal segment 342 has one tip that terminates outside of the cell boundary 306 at the distance 228 from the boundary edge 310 and an opposing tip that terminates outside the cell boundary 306 at the distance 228 from a boundary edge 318 (that opposes boundary edge 310);
  • the metal segment 343 has one tip that terminates within the cell boundary 306 at, or before, the distance 226 from the boundary edge 310 and an opposing tip that terminates outside of the cell boundary 306 at the distance 228 from the boundary edge 318;
  • the metal segment 344 has one tip that terminates outside of the cell boundary 306 at the distance 228 from the boundary edge 310 and an opposing tip that terminates outside the cell boundary 306 at the distance 228 from the boundary edge 318, and the metal segment 344 has opposing tips that terminate within the cell boundary 306 at, or before, the distance 226 from the boundary edges 310, 316, respectively.
  • the metal segment 331 extends from the boundary edge 308 into a portion of the track 321 of the cell 302, and thus complying with the boundary cut design rule that would be applied for a metal cut 350 that would be employed to electrically isolate metal segments of the cells 301 , 302 from each other.
  • the metal segment 342 extends from cell 302 into the unoccupied region of the metal track 312 of cell 301 , thus complying with the boundary cut design rule applied for the metal cut 350.
  • the distances 226 and 228 are equal, and thus the out-of-boundary tip of the metal segment 342 abuts or overlaps the facing in-boundary tip of metal segment 332, thereby forming a single metal segment that spans both tracks 312, 322 until the metal cut 350 is performed.
  • the metal segment 343 terminates outside of the metal cut 350, and thus complies with the boundary cut design rule.
  • the metal segment 344 has a tip that extends from cell 302 into the corresponding track 314 of cell 301 , and to an extent that spans the breadth of the metal cut 350, and thus ensuring that the metal segment 344 complies with the boundary cut design rule.
  • Metal segments 335, 345 each terminate at least the distance 226 before their respective abutting boundary edges 308, 310. Thus, assuming that the distance 226 is set to be at least one-half of the minimum tip-to-tip distance specified by the design rules, the spacing between the tip of the metal segment 335 and the facing tip of the metal segment 345 complies with this minimum tip-to-tip spacing.
  • the cell design approach outlined above and employed in the example of FIG. 3 facilitates compliance with the boundary-related design rules described above.
  • this cell design approach has additional benefits pertaining to inter- cell routing and intra-cell routing.
  • metal segments 335, 345 are not cut at either boundary, other M1 segments (not shown) of the cells 301 , 302, respectively may be routed so as to connect to these segments in the unused portions of the metal tracks 315, 325, respectively.
  • output pin routing may require corresponding M 1 segments to reach one boundary for pin hookup, the other side of the metal track may be used for M1 stub routing.
  • tracks 31 1 , 313, 314, 315, 321 , 325 have unused regions 351 , 353, 354, 355, 361 , 365, respectively, available for M 1 stub routing (e.g., metal stub 356 in region 353).
  • M 1 stub routing e.g., metal stub 356 in region 353
  • a benefit of this cell design is that the M1 layer can be used to connect to the cell's M1 pins, as opposed to being forced to use the M2 layer to hook up to the pins. So for example, if one wants to connect segments 335 and 345, one M1 segment can be used to form the connection.
  • the M1 segment would have been extended and cut on the boundary so the connection would be forced to go up to the M2 layer (horizontal) and then a segment of vertical M3 metal would have connected the two horizontal M2 segments. This adds resistance and capacitance to the pins in addition to blocking precious M2 and M3 routing resources.
  • FIG. 4 depicts an example standard cell 400 for which the M2 layer includes a plurality of M2 metal segments 401 , 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407 that run horizontally within a cell boundary 408 of the cell 400.
  • cell 400 includes metal segments 410, 41 1 , 412, 413 extending along the vertical direction (Y direction) and thus orthogonally intersecting one or more of the M2 metal segments from the perspective of the illustrated plan view of the cell 400.
  • metal segments 410-413 adhere to the cell design approach described above, and thus the metal segments 410, 41 1 , 412 extend a set distance beyond the respective edges of the cell boundary 408.
  • metal segment 413 terminates at both ends at least the distance 226 before the respective edges of the cell boundary 408, and thus represents a metal segment as typically found in a conventional approach to M1 metal design for a standard cell.
  • the metal segment 413 is capable of connecting to only one M2 metal segment (M2 metal segment 404) using a via (e.g., via 414), whereas metal segment 41 1 , by virtue of its extension beyond the bottom edge of the cell boundary 408, can connect to up to three M2 metal segments (M2 metal segments 404, 405, 406) using corresponding vias and metal segments 410, 412, by virtue of their extensions beyond both the top edge and the bottom edge of the cell boundary 408, can connect to up to five M2 metal segments (M2 metal segments 402, 403, 404, 405, 406) using corresponding vias.
  • M2 metal segment 404 M2 metal segment 404
  • a via e.g., via 414
  • metal segment 41 1 by virtue of its extension beyond the bottom edge of the cell boundary 408, can connect to up to three M2 metal segments (M2 metal segments 404, 405, 406) using corresponding vias
  • metal segments 410, 412 by virtue of their extensions beyond both the top edge and the bottom edge of the cell boundary 408,
  • the cell design approach described herein enables an M1 metal segment to run under a greater number of M2 metal segments, and thus facilitates greater M1 - M2 routing resources.
  • FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method 500 for the design and fabrication of an ASIC, SoC, or other IC structure implementing one or more aspects in accordance with some embodiments.
  • the code generated for each of the following processes is stored or otherwise embodied in non-transitory computer readable storage media for access and use by the corresponding design tool or fabrication tool.
  • a functional specification for the IC structure is generated.
  • the functional specification (often referred to as a micro architecture specification (MAS)) may be represented by any of a variety of programming languages or modeling languages, including C, C++, SystemC, Simulink, or MATLAB.
  • the functional specification is used to generate hardware description code representative of the hardware of the IC structure.
  • the hardware description code is represented using at least one Hardware Description Language (HDL), which comprises any of a variety of computer languages, specification languages, or modeling languages for the formal description and design of the circuits of the IC structure.
  • HDL Hardware Description Language
  • the generated HDL code typically represents the operation of the circuits of the IC structure, the design and
  • HDL examples include Analog HDL (AHDL), Verilog HDL, SystemVerilog HDL, and VHDL.
  • AHDL Analog HDL
  • Verilog HDL Verilog HDL
  • SystemVerilog HDL Verilog HDL
  • VHDL VHDL
  • the hardware descriptor code may include register transfer level (RTL) code to provide an abstract representation of the operations of the synchronous digital circuits.
  • RTL register transfer level
  • the hardware descriptor code may include behavior-level code to provide an abstract representation of the circuitry's operation.
  • the HDL model represented by the hardware description code typically is subjected to one or more rounds of simulation and debugging to pass design verification.
  • a synthesis tool is used to synthesize the hardware description code to generate code representing or defining an initial physical implementation of the circuitry of the IC structure.
  • the synthesis tool generates one or more netlists comprising circuit device instances (e.g., gates, transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, etc.) and the nets, or connections, between the circuit device instances.
  • circuit device instances e.g., gates, transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, etc.
  • all or a portion of a netlist is generated manually without the use of a synthesis tool.
  • the netlists may be subjected to one or more test and verification processes before a final set of one or more netlists is generated.
  • a schematic editor tool is used to draft a schematic of circuitry of the IC structure and a schematic capture tool then is used to capture the resulting circuit diagram and to generate one or more netlists (stored on a computer readable media) representing the components and connectivity of the circuit diagram.
  • the captured circuit diagram may then be subjected to one or more rounds of simulation for testing and verification.
  • one or more EDA tools use the netlists produced at block 506 to generate code representing the physical layout of the circuitry of the IC structure. This process includes, for example, a place and route tool using the netlists to determine or fix the location of each element of the circuitry of the IC structure.
  • the resulting code represents a three-dimensional model of the IC structure.
  • the code is represented in a database file format, such as, for example, the Graphic Database System II (GDSI I) format. Data in this format typically represents geometric shapes, text labels, and other information about the circuit layout in hierarchical form.
  • GDSI I Graphic Database System II
  • the physical layout code e.g., GDSII code
  • a semiconductor foundry which uses the physical layout code to configure or otherwise adapt fabrication tools of the semiconductor foundry (e.g., through mask works) to fabricate the IC structure.
  • sub-process 512 illustrates the generation of the physical layout code using a standard cell methodology that employs the tip exclusion zone approach for the M1 layer as described above.
  • a place and route tool uses the netlist to identify a function (e.g., logic or storage) to be performed by the represented design and at block 516 the place and route tool accesses one or more standard cell libraries to identify a standard cell corresponding to the identified function.
  • the standard cell includes a cell design incorporating the tip exclusion zones.
  • the place and route tool identifies a location in a row of the physical layout of the IC design to place the selected standard cell and places the standard cell in this selected location in the physical layout.
  • metal segments extending beyond the cell boundary of the standard cell may extend into the empty/unused portions of the corresponding metal tracks of the standard cells abutting the cell on either side in the row, as described above.
  • the process of 514-518 then may repeat for each identified function in the netlist or a portion thereof.
  • a computer readable storage medium may include any non-transitory storage medium, or combination of non-transitory storage media, accessible by a computer system during use to provide instructions and/or data to the computer system.
  • Such storage media can include, but is not limited to, optical media (e.g., compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-Ray disc), magnetic media (e.g., floppy disc, magnetic tape, or magnetic hard drive), volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) or cache), non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM) or Flash memory), or microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based storage media.
  • optical media e.g., compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-Ray disc
  • magnetic media e.g., floppy disc, magnetic tape, or magnetic hard drive
  • volatile memory e.g., random access memory (RAM) or cache
  • non-volatile memory e.g., read-only memory (ROM) or Flash memory
  • MEMS microelectromechanical systems
  • the computer readable storage medium is embedded in the computing system (e.g., system RAM or ROM), fixedly attached to the computing system (e.g., a magnetic hard drive), removably attached to the computing system (e.g., an optical disc or Universal Serial Bus (USB)-based Flash memory), or coupled to the computer system via a wired or wireless network (e.g., network accessible storage (NAS)).
  • a wired or wireless network e.g., network accessible storage (NAS)
  • NAS network accessible storage
  • certain aspects of the techniques described above may implemented by one or more processors of a processing system executing software.
  • the software comprises one or more sets of executable instructions stored or otherwise tangibly embodied on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium.
  • the software can include the instructions and certain data that, when executed by the one or more processors, manipulate the one or more processors to perform one or more aspects of the techniques described above.
  • the non-transitory computer readable storage medium can include, for example, a magnetic or optical disk storage device, solid state storage devices such as Flash memory, a cache, random access memory (RAM) or other non-volatile memory device or devices, and the like.
  • the executable instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium is in source code, assembly language code, object code, or other instruction format that is interpreted or otherwise executable by one or more processors.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Evolutionary Computation (AREA)
  • Geometry (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Architecture (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Design And Manufacture Of Integrated Circuits (AREA)
  • Semiconductor Integrated Circuits (AREA)
PCT/US2017/041349 2016-07-12 2017-07-10 Integrated circuit implementing standard cells with metal layer segments extending out of cell boundary Ceased WO2018013472A1 (en)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN201780043776.3A CN109791930B (zh) 2016-07-12 2017-07-10 实现具有延伸出单元边界的金属层段的标准单元的集成电路
JP2019500874A JP7015824B2 (ja) 2016-07-12 2017-07-10 セル境界外に延在する金属層セグメントを有する標準セルを実装する集積回路
KR1020197003688A KR102294210B1 (ko) 2016-07-12 2017-07-10 전지 경계로부터 연장되는 금속층 부분을 가진 표준 전지를 구현하는 집적 회로

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US15/207,691 US9977854B2 (en) 2016-07-12 2016-07-12 Integrated circuit implementing standard cells with metal layer segments extending out of cell boundary
US15/207,691 2016-07-12
EP16205250.0A EP3270414A1 (en) 2016-07-12 2016-12-20 Integrated circuit implementing standard cells with metal layer segments extending out of cell boundary
EP16205250.0 2016-12-20

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2018013472A1 true WO2018013472A1 (en) 2018-01-18

Family

ID=57890630

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2017/041349 Ceased WO2018013472A1 (en) 2016-07-12 2017-07-10 Integrated circuit implementing standard cells with metal layer segments extending out of cell boundary

Country Status (7)

Country Link
US (1) US9977854B2 (enExample)
EP (1) EP3270414A1 (enExample)
JP (1) JP7015824B2 (enExample)
KR (1) KR102294210B1 (enExample)
CN (1) CN109791930B (enExample)
TW (1) TWI732900B (enExample)
WO (1) WO2018013472A1 (enExample)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11290109B1 (en) * 2020-09-23 2022-03-29 Qualcomm Incorporated Multibit multi-height cell to improve pin accessibility

Families Citing this family (16)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR102458446B1 (ko) * 2016-03-03 2022-10-26 삼성전자주식회사 스탠다드 셀을 포함하는 반도체 장치 및 그것의 전자 설계 자동화 방법
US10691849B2 (en) * 2017-09-28 2020-06-23 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Metal cut optimization for standard cells
DE102018122541A1 (de) 2017-09-29 2019-04-04 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Stiftmodifizierung für standardzellen
US10559558B2 (en) * 2017-09-29 2020-02-11 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Pin modification for standard cells
TWI681309B (zh) * 2018-05-10 2020-01-01 瑞昱半導體股份有限公司 電子裝置測試資料庫產生方法
US10784869B2 (en) * 2018-07-16 2020-09-22 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. Integrated circuit and method of manufacturing the same
US10997348B2 (en) * 2018-09-28 2021-05-04 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. Metal cut region location method and system
DE102019125900B4 (de) 2018-09-28 2022-03-24 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Metallschnittgebiet-positionierungsverfahren und system
US10769342B2 (en) * 2018-10-31 2020-09-08 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. Pin access hybrid cell height design
KR102539066B1 (ko) * 2018-11-09 2023-06-01 삼성전자주식회사 서로 다른 타입의 셀들을 포함하는 집적 회로, 그 설계 방법 및 설계 시스템
US11011417B2 (en) 2019-05-31 2021-05-18 International Business Machines Corporation Method and structure of metal cut
US10909297B1 (en) * 2019-08-15 2021-02-02 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited Deterministic system for device layout optimization
EP4073677A1 (en) * 2019-12-09 2022-10-19 Synopsys, Inc. Electrical circuit design using cells with metal lines
CN111931450B (zh) * 2020-08-11 2024-09-20 上海华力微电子有限公司 一种集成电路数字后端设计的方法和系统
CN115117052A (zh) 2021-03-18 2022-09-27 三星电子株式会社 提供增加的引脚接入点的集成电路及其设计方法
CN118551721B (zh) * 2024-07-30 2024-10-18 上海聪链信息科技有限公司 N12设计中的防违例绕线方法、装置、设备及存储介质

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6351841B1 (en) * 2000-03-21 2002-02-26 Cadence Design Systems, Inc. Method and apparatus for creating multi-gate transistors with integrated circuit polygon compactors
US6903389B1 (en) * 2004-06-15 2005-06-07 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. Variable layout design for multiple voltage applications
US20100155783A1 (en) * 2008-12-18 2010-06-24 Law Oscar M K Standard Cell Architecture and Methods with Variable Design Rules
US20130234212A1 (en) * 2010-07-28 2013-09-12 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Electromigration resistant standard cell device
US8742464B2 (en) * 2011-03-03 2014-06-03 Synopsys, Inc. Power routing in standard cells

Family Cites Families (25)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH04216668A (ja) * 1990-12-15 1992-08-06 Sharp Corp 半導体集積回路
US6174742B1 (en) 1998-10-30 2001-01-16 Lsi Logic Corporation Off-grid metal layer utilization
US7036103B2 (en) * 1999-10-14 2006-04-25 Synopsys, Inc. Detailed placer for optimizing high density cell placement in a linear runtime
US7089521B2 (en) * 2004-01-27 2006-08-08 International Business Machines Corporation Method for legalizing the placement of cells in an integrated circuit layout
US7194717B2 (en) * 2004-09-08 2007-03-20 Lsi Logic Corporation Compact custom layout for RRAM column controller
JP4796817B2 (ja) 2005-10-31 2011-10-19 エルピーダメモリ株式会社 基本セル設計方法、レイアウト設計方法、設計装置およびプログラム
US7640522B2 (en) * 2006-01-14 2009-12-29 Tela Innovations, Inc. Method and system for placing layout objects in a standard-cell layout
US7564077B2 (en) * 2006-05-05 2009-07-21 Texas Instruments Incorporated Performance and area scalable cell architecture technology
US7888705B2 (en) 2007-08-02 2011-02-15 Tela Innovations, Inc. Methods for defining dynamic array section with manufacturing assurance halo and apparatus implementing the same
MY152456A (en) * 2008-07-16 2014-09-30 Tela Innovations Inc Methods for cell phasing and placement in dynamic array architecture and implementation of the same
US8136072B2 (en) 2008-11-03 2012-03-13 Arm Limited Standard cell placement
US8661392B2 (en) * 2009-10-13 2014-02-25 Tela Innovations, Inc. Methods for cell boundary encroachment and layouts implementing the Same
JP5325162B2 (ja) * 2010-05-18 2013-10-23 パナソニック株式会社 半導体装置
US8423946B1 (en) * 2010-05-25 2013-04-16 Marvell International Ltd. Circuitry having programmable power rails, architectures, apparatuses, and systems including the same, and methods and algorithms for programming and/or configuring power rails in an integrated circuit
US8612914B2 (en) * 2011-03-23 2013-12-17 Synopsys, Inc. Pin routing in standard cells
US8513978B2 (en) * 2011-03-30 2013-08-20 Synopsys, Inc. Power routing in standard cell designs
US8451026B2 (en) * 2011-05-13 2013-05-28 Arm Limited Integrated circuit, method of generating a layout of an integrated circuit using standard cells, and a standard cell library providing such standard cells
US8987831B2 (en) 2012-01-12 2015-03-24 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. SRAM cells and arrays
US9659129B2 (en) 2013-05-02 2017-05-23 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. Standard cell having cell height being non-integral multiple of nominal minimum pitch
CN104134657B (zh) * 2013-05-02 2018-01-26 台湾积体电路制造股份有限公司 单元高度为标称最小间距的非整数倍的标准单元
KR102152772B1 (ko) * 2013-11-18 2020-09-08 삼성전자 주식회사 레이아웃 디자인 시스템, 레이아웃 디자인 방법, 및 이를 이용하여 제조된 반도체 장치
US9887209B2 (en) * 2014-05-15 2018-02-06 Qualcomm Incorporated Standard cell architecture with M1 layer unidirectional routing
US9876017B2 (en) 2014-12-03 2018-01-23 Qualcomm Incorporated Static random access memory (SRAM) bit cells with wordline landing pads split across boundary edges of the SRAM bit cells
US9727685B2 (en) * 2015-05-14 2017-08-08 Globalfoundries Inc. Method, apparatus, and system for improved standard cell design and routing for improving standard cell routability
KR102504289B1 (ko) * 2016-04-07 2023-02-28 삼성전자 주식회사 인접 핀들 사이의 라우팅 간섭을 제거하는 구조를 갖는 표준 셀과 이를 포함하는 장치

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6351841B1 (en) * 2000-03-21 2002-02-26 Cadence Design Systems, Inc. Method and apparatus for creating multi-gate transistors with integrated circuit polygon compactors
US6903389B1 (en) * 2004-06-15 2005-06-07 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. Variable layout design for multiple voltage applications
US20100155783A1 (en) * 2008-12-18 2010-06-24 Law Oscar M K Standard Cell Architecture and Methods with Variable Design Rules
US20130234212A1 (en) * 2010-07-28 2013-09-12 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Electromigration resistant standard cell device
US8742464B2 (en) * 2011-03-03 2014-06-03 Synopsys, Inc. Power routing in standard cells

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11290109B1 (en) * 2020-09-23 2022-03-29 Qualcomm Incorporated Multibit multi-height cell to improve pin accessibility

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
TW201813050A (zh) 2018-04-01
US20180018419A1 (en) 2018-01-18
CN109791930B (zh) 2021-08-27
JP2019526170A (ja) 2019-09-12
KR102294210B1 (ko) 2021-08-27
CN109791930A (zh) 2019-05-21
JP7015824B2 (ja) 2022-02-03
US9977854B2 (en) 2018-05-22
TWI732900B (zh) 2021-07-11
EP3270414A1 (en) 2018-01-17
KR20190018542A (ko) 2019-02-22

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US9977854B2 (en) Integrated circuit implementing standard cells with metal layer segments extending out of cell boundary
CN103544333B (zh) 半导体器件设计方法、系统和计算机程序产品
US9330219B2 (en) Integrated circuit design method
Kahng et al. VLSI physical design: from graph partitioning to timing closure
US9852253B2 (en) Automated layout for integrated circuits with nonstandard cells
US10553574B2 (en) Standard cell for removing routing interference between adjacent pins and device including the same
CN107066681B (zh) 集成电路和制造集成电路的计算机实现方法
US9928337B2 (en) Integrated circuit and design method for same
US12032896B2 (en) Generation of layout including power delivery network
Choi et al. PROBE3. 0: a systematic framework for design-technology pathfinding with improved design enablement
Newton Computer-aided design of VLSI circuits
US9064081B1 (en) Generating database for cells routable in pin layer
KR102717096B1 (ko) 집적 회로 및 상기 집적 회로의 제조를 위한 컴퓨터 구현 방법
US8966429B2 (en) Bit slice elements utilizing through device routing
US20040003363A1 (en) Integrated circuit design and manufacture utilizing layers having a predetermined layout
US9293450B2 (en) Synthesis of complex cells
US12009260B2 (en) Method and system of forming integrated circuit
Lienig et al. Methodologies for Physical Design: Models, Styles, Tasks, and Flows
US20240086609A1 (en) Integrated circuit design method, system and computer program product
Tien et al. GALA-an automatic layout system for high density CMOS gate arrays
Chavez-Martinez et al. Modified standard cell methodology for VLSI layout compaction
JP2004318716A (ja) 半導体装置の配置配線方法

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 17828241

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1

ENP Entry into the national phase

Ref document number: 2019500874

Country of ref document: JP

Kind code of ref document: A

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: DE

ENP Entry into the national phase

Ref document number: 20197003688

Country of ref document: KR

Kind code of ref document: A

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase

Ref document number: 17828241

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1