Semiconductor Layout With Mixed Channel Widths for Low Leakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The semiconductor industry faces challenges in achieving both high speed and low power consumption in integrated circuits due to the scaling down of geometry sizes, which affects the layout efficiency and increases leakage in devices with wider channel widths.
Innovation Solution
A mixed layout of semiconductor devices with varying active region widths and gate electrode configurations is implemented, including gate-all-around and fin-type field effect transistors, to achieve compact layouts and reduce leakage, allowing for both high speed and low power consumption requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If geometry size is scaled down to increase functional density, then production efficiency is improved and costs are lowered, but leakage increases and manufacturing challenges arise
Solution Approach 1:
The active region is divided into multiple segments with different widths (first active region with wider width, second active region with narrower width). This segmentation allows different regions to serve different functions: wider regions for high current drive and narrower regions for low leakage, thereby resolving the contradiction between productivity and energy loss.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the active region are assigned different widths to optimize local performance. The first active region has a wider width optimized for high current drive capability, while the second active region has a narrower width optimized for low leakage. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing each region to excel at its specific function.
2Speed
If devices with wider channel widths are used to achieve high speed, then speed is improved, but leakage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The active region is segmented into a first active region with wider width for high-speed operation and a second active region with narrower width for low leakage. This segmentation enables the device to achieve both high speed and low leakage by distributing different functional requirements to different segments.
Solution Approach 2:
Different widths are assigned to different portions of the active region to optimize local performance characteristics. The wider first active region provides high-speed performance while the narrower second active region provides low leakage, resolving the speed-leakage contradiction through local optimization.
3Device complexity
If uniform active region width is used for simplicity, then device complexity is reduced, but layout efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The active region is divided into multiple segments with different widths that can be efficiently arranged in adjacent circuits. This segmentation enables compact layout by allowing wider and narrower regions to be placed side-by-side, optimizing space utilization while maintaining manageable device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Adjacent circuits with different width requirements can be merged into a single active region structure, sharing common boundaries and reducing overall layout area. This merging approach improves layout efficiency while keeping the device structure relatively simple.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device includes a first region and a second region disposed adjacent to each other and having a boundary therebetween. The first region includes a first active region, a second active region and a third active region extending in a first direction and having different widths measured along a second direction. The first region includes a first gate electrode, a second gate electrode and a third gate electrode extending in the second direction and disposed across the first active region, the second active region and the third active region respectively. From a top view, the first active region has a first edge and a second edge opposite to each other, the first edge of the first active region is aligned with an edge of the second active region, and the second edge of the first active region is aligned with an edge of the third active region.