Semiconductor Gate Structures with Cut Dummy Gates
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing density of integrated circuits (ICs) leads to design and fabrication challenges due to the complexity of routing resources and parasitic capacitance, particularly with dummy gates contributing to power consumption and capacitance.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of cut gate structures, where dummy gates are removed, allowing for improved routing resources and reduced parasitic capacitance by directly connecting drains and omitting additional conductive traces, and employing a replacement gate process to form functional gate structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dummy gates are retained in the semiconductor device, then the gate structures are complete and functional, but parasitic capacitance increases and power consumption rises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes dummy gates from the semiconductor device structure. Specifically, dummy gates located in non-active regions are extracted and eliminated, thereby reducing parasitic capacitance and power consumption while maintaining the functionality of actual gate structures that control active transistors.
2Reliability
If dummy gates are retained in the semiconductor device, then the gate structures are complete, but routing resources are consumed and parasitic capacitance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes dummy gates from the device structure, eliminating unnecessary conductive traces and connections associated with non-functional gate regions. This reduces routing complexity and frees up routing resources for other circuit elements.
3Speed
If higher density IC design is implemented, then speed and functionality improve, but design and fabrication difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent simplifies the fabrication process by removing the need to form and pattern dummy gates. This extraction of unnecessary structure formation steps reduces fabrication complexity while maintaining the high-density active gate structures that enable fast device performance.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of forming complete gate structures and then deactivating some, the patent inverts the approach by directly forming only the necessary active gate structures, eliminating the creation of dummy gates from the outset. This simplifies both design and fabrication.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a first gate structure, a second gate structure, a third gate structure, and a first source/drain region. The first, second, and third gate structures are above the substrate and arranged in a first direction. The first, second, and third gate structures extend in a second direction different from the first direction, and the second gate structure is between the first and third gate structures. The first source/drain region is between the first and third gate structures, and the first source/drain region is at one end of the second gate structure.