Standard Cell Layout Flexibility for IC Area Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
The design of integrated circuits faces challenges in balancing competing parameters such as area efficiency, cost, and manufacturing complexity, particularly in standard cell design where optimizing one parameter often compromises others, limiting flexibility and increasing the complexity of the manufacturing process.
Innovation Solution
The approach involves creating integrated circuits with standard cells that lack predetermined contacts for information carrying signals or substrate connections, allowing for flexible placement and routing of signal lines and substrate contacts within the standard cell area, enabling more efficient use of space and improved performance by reducing conflicts between power supply rails and signal lines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If predetermined contacts are provided in standard cells for information carrying signals, then manufacturing process complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but area efficiency deteriorates due to wasted space and conflicts between power supply rails and signal lines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the contact placement decision from the standard cell design itself, allowing contacts to be placed flexibly during the manufacturing process based on actual routing needs. This separates the standard cell definition (which contains only power supply rails and functional structures) from the contact placement (which is determined later based on signal line routing), thereby eliminating the area waste caused by predetermined contacts while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic flexibility by allowing contact positions to be determined adaptively during the manufacturing process rather than being fixed in advance. The standard cells can accommodate contacts at various locations depending on the specific routing requirements of each circuit implementation, enabling the design to adapt to different area constraints and signal line configurations.
2Device complexity
If predetermined contacts are provided in standard cells, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability deteriorates due to limited flexibility in signal line routing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the standard cell design into distinct functional components (power supply rails, functional structures) and contact elements. By separating these components, the standard cell definition remains simple and standardized, while contact placement can be independently optimized for each specific application, thereby maintaining low device complexity while achieving high adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates universal standard cells that can serve multiple functions and configurations. The same standard cell design can be used across different circuits with varying contact requirements, as the contact placement is not fixed but can be adapted to different routing needs, power supply configurations, and signal line arrangements, thereby achieving universality without sacrificing adaptability.
3Area of moving object
If flexible routing without predetermined contacts is used, then area efficiency is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary preparation by defining standard cells with clearly marked allowable contact locations and power supply rail configurations before the actual manufacturing process. This preliminary structuring enables flexible routing decisions to be made systematically during manufacturing without creating excessive complexity, as the framework for contact placement is already established in advance.
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated circuit according to an embodiment of the invention includes a substrate having a first cell and a second cell, the first and the second cells being adapted to perform a substantially same functionality. Corresponding functional structures of the first and the second cell are electrically connected, at different locations inside the standard cells, to information carrying signal interconnection lines, wherein the functional structures are adapted to serve as an information carrying signal input or as an information carrying signal output.