Standard Cell Voltage Connection Area Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing integrated circuit design techniques lack flexibility in connecting voltage supplies to individual standard cells, leading to constraints on size, shape, and connectivity, particularly in low power implementations and performance-critical designs like CPUs.
Innovation Solution
The method involves arranging standard cells in rows with voltage connection areas aligned with routing tracks but not extending across the entire cell width, allowing each cell to connect independently to a specific voltage supply based on its requirements, using multiple voltage supplies and conductive connectors to facilitate flexible power management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If standard cells are arranged in rows with continuous power rails, then routing is simplified and cell placement is flexible, but power management flexibility is lost and cells with different voltage supplies cannot be physically separated
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous power rail is segmented into discrete voltage connection areas within each standard cell. Each cell's voltage connection area is aligned with the routing track but does not extend across the entire cell width, creating separable power domains while maintaining routing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the circuit can have different power supply characteristics. Each standard cell can be independently connected to appropriate voltage supplies based on its specific power requirements, enabling local optimization of power management without affecting the entire row.
2Adaptability or versatility
If special standard cells are designed with separate dedicated pins for always-on power supply, then power rail continuity is maintained, but design flexibility is reduced and additional cell types are required
Solution Approach 1:
A single standard cell design can serve multiple power supply configurations. The voltage connection area is positioned to align with the routing track, allowing the same cell type to be connected to different voltage supplies based on placement and routing decisions, eliminating the need for specialized cell variants.
3Adaptability or versatility
If alternating rows of power domains are used to implement interleaved power domains, then cells can be distributed, but placement is perturbed and wire lengths are increased
Solution Approach 1:
Power domain separation is achieved within the horizontal dimension of the row rather than requiring vertical separation into alternating rows. The voltage connection areas are positioned within the standard cell footprint to align with routing tracks, enabling power domain interleaving without disrupting the standard row-based placement methodology.
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated circuit, a method of generating a layout of such an integrated circuit using standard cells, and a standard cell library providing such standard cells, are disclosed. The method of generating the layout comprises forming a plurality of rows, and populating each row with a plurality of standard cells chosen in dependence on the functional components required by the integrated circuit, each standard cell having its abutment area abutting the abutment area of at least one adjacent standard cell in the row. Within each row, each standard cell in that row is arranged to have a voltage connection area that is aligned with a common routing track, but with each standard cell having its voltage connection area configured so as not to extend across the entire width of the standard cell. Within each row, for each standard cell in the row, the voltage connection area of that standard cell is then connected to one of a plurality of voltage supplies having regards to a voltage requirement of the corresponding functional component defined by the standard cell, and independent of the voltage supply to which each adjacent cell in the row is connected. This provides a particularly flexible mechanism for placing standard cells during the layout operation, since standard cells that are required to run off the same voltage supply no longer need to be placed together.