Semiconductor Metal Layout With Virtual Blocks for Lower Parasitic Capacitance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The non-uniform distribution of signal lines on semiconductor metal layers leads to parasitic capacitance issues and manufacturing challenges, such as etching difficulties and yield reduction due to the load effect and excessive parasitic capacitance, which affect the performance and efficiency of semiconductor integrated circuits.
Innovation Solution
The semiconductor structure incorporates virtual metal blocks on adjacent metal layers, staggered in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, with varying distances from signal lines to reduce parasitic capacitance and ensure wiring uniformity, thereby improving manufacturing yield and reducing parasitic capacitance between virtual metal blocks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If signal lines are non-uniformly distributed on metal layers, then wiring flexibility is improved, but parasitic capacitance increases and manufacturing yield decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Virtual metal blocks are introduced as intermediary elements between signal lines to mediate the electrical field distribution. These virtual metal blocks act as shields that redistribute electric field lines, thereby reducing the parasitic capacitance between non-uniformly distributed signal lines while preserving the flexible wiring layout.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the metal layer by adding virtual metal blocks with specific geometries and positions. By adjusting the area, shape, and location of these virtual metal blocks, the parasitic capacitance parameters are optimized without altering the signal line configuration, thus maintaining wiring flexibility while reducing harmful capacitance effects.
2Adaptability or versatility
If signal lines are non-uniformly distributed on metal layers, then design freedom is improved, but etching difficulty increases due to load effect
Solution Approach 1:
Virtual metal blocks serve as intermediary structures that modify the etching load distribution across the metal layer. By strategically placing these blocks, the etching process experiences more uniform loading conditions, reducing the severity of the load effect and improving etching uniformity while allowing non-uniform signal line distributions for design freedom.
3Manufacturing precision
If virtual metal blocks are placed close to signal lines, then wiring uniformity is improved, but parasitic capacitance between virtual metal blocks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making virtual metal blocks have non-uniform electrical properties in different regions. Virtual metal blocks closer to signal lines have different characteristics (such as smaller area or different connectivity) compared to those farther away, optimizing the local parasitic capacitance management while maintaining overall wiring uniformity.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor structure includes a plurality of metal layers and a substrate. The plurality of metal layers are provided with a plurality of virtual metal blocks and at least one signal line. A first projection of a first virtual metal block on the substrate is a polygon, the first projection has a plurality of effective sides opposite to a second projection of a target signal line on the substrate, and differences from the plurality of effective sides of the first projection to a straight line where the second projection is located are different, and the first virtual metal block is a virtual metal block, closest to the target signal line, on the target metal layer, and the target metal layer is a metal layer where the target signal line is located.