Shared Clock Gate Lines for Latch Circuit Area Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to improve the performance of semiconductor device output drivers, such as latches and flip-flops, while minimizing the increase in layout area, which is essential for reducing the area of integrated circuits (ICs) while enhancing their performance.
Innovation Solution
The semiconductor device incorporates a clock gate line and an inverted clock gate line that supply clock signals and inverted clock signals, respectively, shared by first and second latch circuits, allowing these circuits to perform latch operations efficiently and reducing the need for additional layout space by sharing wiring lines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate clock gate lines are provided for each latch circuit, then each circuit can operate independently, but the layout area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the clock gate lines by providing a single clock gate line that is shared by multiple latch circuits. This is achieved by connecting the clock gate line to the clock input terminals of different latch circuits through shared wiring, thereby reducing the overall layout area while maintaining circuit functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The clock gate line is designed to serve multiple functions by being shared across different latch circuits (first latch circuit and second latch circuit). This multi-functional approach allows a single wiring structure to control timing for multiple circuits, reducing redundancy and optimizing space utilization.
2Adaptability or versatility
If more wiring lines are added to support additional latch circuits, then circuit functionality increases, but parasitic resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines wiring lines for clock signals and inverted clock signals into a shared infrastructure. By having multiple latch circuits share the same clock gate line and inverted clock gate line, the total number of wiring lines is reduced, which directly decreases the cumulative parasitic resistance in the circuit.
3Adaptability or versatility
If wiring lines are extended to reach more circuits, then circuit coverage increases, but signal response speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the spatial arrangement of wiring lines by extending them in the column direction (vertical dimension) rather than spreading horizontally. This dimensional approach allows multiple latch circuits arranged in columns to share common clock gate lines and inverted clock gate lines, providing wide circuit coverage while maintaining compact signal paths and fast response times.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes a clock gate line supplying a clock signal, an inverted clock gate line disposed in parallel to the clock gate line and supplying an inverted clock signal, a first latch circuit performing a first latch operation based on the clock signal and the inverted clock signal and a second latch circuit disposed on a side of the first latch circuit in a first direction, receiving an output of the first latch circuit, and operating based on the clock signal and the inverted clock, wherein the clock gate line and the inverted clock gate line extend in the first direction and are shared by the first and second latch circuits.