Design Tools For Converting a FinFet Circuit into a Circuit Including Nanowires and 2D Material Strips

Abstract

An integrated circuit design tool includes a cell library. An entry in the cell library comprises a specification of the cell including a first transistor and a second transistor. The first transistor can include a first set of nanowires or 2D material strips arranged in parallel to form a channel structure, and a gate conductor disposed across the first set of nanowires or 2D material strips. The second transistor can include a second set of nanowires or 2D material strips arranged in parallel to form a channel structure, and a gate conductor disposed across the first set of nanowires or 2D material strips. The number of nanowires or 2D material strips in the first set can be different from the number of nanowires or 2D material strips in the second set, so that the drive power of the individual transistors can be set with finer granularity.

Description

PRIORITY APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14 / 312,040, filed 23 Jun. 2014 entitled “Design Tools for Integrated Circuit Components Including Nanowires and 2D Material Strips,” by Victor Moroz and Jamil Kawa (Atty. Docket No.: SYNP 2469-1). This application is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to integrated circuit devices, cell libraries, cell architectures and electronic design automation tools for integrated circuit devices.[0004]2. Description of Related Art[0005]In the design of integrated circuits, standard cell libraries are often utilized. The process of designing the cells specified by entries in the cell libraries can be intensive, where trade-offs among variables such as the size of the cells, the drive power of the cells, the speed of the cells and so on, are made by adjusting the materials, geometry and size of the components of the cell. The...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a method for designing circuits using nanowires or 2D material strips. The design includes transistors and interconnects. The transistors have a specific arrangement of nanowires or 2D material strips, which can be different between cells. This allows for finer control of drive power and performance characteristics. The resulting circuit has improved performance and can be used in common circuits that have different performance characteristics in each cell.

Problems solved by technology

The procedure of designing cells to be specified in a cell library is often a labor-intensive process, requiring highly skilled designers to manually design and refine the designs of the cells.

To fine tune finFET type circuits, complex reconfiguration of the fins or other structures may be required.

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