Gate Contact Width Variation for IC Area Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in integrated circuit devices is to reduce the area occupied by contacts and wirings while maintaining reliability and insulating distances, as well as increasing integration density.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a substrate with distinct device and field areas, featuring gate contacts with varying minimum widths and heights, and gate capping layers that extend through these structures, allowing for reduced area usage and improved reliability by optimizing contact sizes and positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If gate contacts are disposed at a level lower than the upper end of the gate structure with different minimum widths, then the area of the integrated circuit device is reduced, but the manufacturing precision becomes more difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the minimum widths of gate contacts based on their location: first gate contacts in the device area have a first minimum width, while second gate contacts in the field area have a second minimum width. This localized differentiation optimizes area utilization in different regions while maintaining manufacturing control through defined width parameters for each contact type.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the substrate into distinct device area and field area, with corresponding first and second gate contacts having different minimum widths. This segmentation allows independent optimization of contact dimensions in each region, reducing overall device area while maintaining manufacturability through standardized width definitions for each segment.
2Productivity
If gate contacts are reduced in size to decrease area, then integration density increases, but reliability may deteriorate due to increased parasitic capacitance and resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different minimum widths to gate contacts in different areas: first gate contacts in the device area have a first minimum width optimized for device performance, while second gate contacts in the field area have a second minimum width optimized for area reduction. This localized optimization achieves high integration density while maintaining reliability in critical device regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes vertical dimensionality by disposing gate contacts at a level lower than the upper end of the gate structure, extending through gate capping layers. This three-dimensional arrangement reduces planar area occupation while maintaining electrical connectivity, thereby increasing integration density without compromising reliability through excessive miniaturization.
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated circuit device includes: a substrate including a device area and a field area; active regions extending in a first direction in the device area; a first gate structure extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction in the device area and the field area; a second gate structure spaced apart from the first gate structure in the first direction; a first gate contact disposed on the first gate structure in the device area; and a second gate contact disposed on the second gate structure in the field area, wherein the first gate contact and the second gate contact are disposed at a level lower than an upper end of the first gate structure, and wherein a first minimum width of the first gate contact and a second minimum width of the second gate contact are different from each other.