Boundary Cell Active Pattern for Semiconductor Device Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
As semiconductor devices become more highly integrated, defining a clear boundary between the cell region and the peripheral region is challenging, leading to potential short circuits and reduced product reliability.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device with a substrate that includes a cell region, a peripheral region, and a boundary region, where active patterns and boundary patterns are strategically arranged to form distinct boundaries, and a method of fabricating this device by forming mask patterns and trenches to define these regions, ensuring clear separation and preventing short circuits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If semiconductor devices are highly integrated with miniaturized circuit patterns, then productivity and device density are improved, but the boundary definition between cell region and peripheral region deteriorates leading to potential short circuits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dedicated boundary region that segments the semiconductor device into distinct cell region, boundary region, and peripheral region. This segmentation provides clear spatial separation between functional areas, preventing short circuits while maintaining high device density through optimized layout arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
The boundary pattern acts as an intermediary structure between the cell region and peripheral region. It provides a transition zone that clearly defines the boundary while allowing both regions to maintain their respective functions, thus improving reliability without sacrificing integration density.
2Reliability
If boundary patterns are added to define clear boundaries, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The boundary pattern is applied locally only at the interface between cell and peripheral regions, rather than throughout the entire device. This localized approach provides necessary boundary definition where needed while maintaining simplicity in the bulk areas, thus improving reliability without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device includes a substrate having a cell region, a boundary region, a peripheral region sequentially arranged in a first direction, an active pattern extending in the cell region in a second direction forming a first acute angle with respect to the first direction, and a boundary pattern in the cell region and directly adjacent to the boundary region. The boundary pattern includes a first side surface extending in the second direction and a first boundary surface extending in a third direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction, from the first side surface, and the first boundary surface defines a boundary between the cell region and the boundary region.