Abstract: A transistor may include a semiconductor region such as a rectangular doped silicon well. Gate fingers may overlap the silicon well. The gate fingers may be formed from polysilicon and may be spaced apart from each other along the length of the well by a fixed gate-to-gate spacing. The edges of the well may be surrounded by field oxide. Epitaxial regions may be formed in the well to produce compressive or tensile stress in channel regions that lie under the gate fingers. The epitaxial regions may form source-drain terminals. The edges of the field oxide may be separated from the nearest gate finger edges by a distance that is adjusted automatically with a computer-aided-design tool and that may be larger than the gate-to-gate spacing. Dummy gate finger structures may be provided to ensure desired levels of stress are produced.

Abstract: Integrated circuits with multiport memory elements may be provided. A multiport memory element may include a latching circuit, a first set of address transistors, and a second set of address transistors. The latching circuit may include cross-coupled inverters, each of which includes a pull-up transistor and a pull-down transistor. The first set of address transistors may couple the latching circuit to a write port, whereas the second set of address transistors may couple the latching circuit to a read port. The pull-down transistors and the second set of address transistors may have body bias terminals that are controlled by a control signal. During data loading operations, the control signal may be temporarily elevated to weaken the pull-down transistors and the second set of address transistors to improve the write margin of the multiport memory element.

Abstract: A method to design an IC is disclosed to provide a uniform deposition of strain-inducing composites is disclosed. The method to design the IC comprises, determining a total strain-inducing deposition area on an IC design. Then, the total strain inducing deposition area is compared with a predefined size. A dummy diffusion area is modified to increase the total strain-inducing deposition area, when the total strain-inducing deposition area is below the predefined size. Finally, the strain-inducing deposition area is optimized. A method to manufacture the IC and the IC is also disclosed.

Abstract: A FinFET is described having first, second, and third pluralities of fins with gate structures and source and drain regions formed on the fins so that PMOS transistors are formed on the first plurality of fins, NMOS transistors are formed on the second plurality and PMOS transistors are formed on the third plurality. In one embodiment, the first and second pluralities of fins are made of strained silicon; and the third plurality of fins is made of a material such as germanium or silicon germanium that has a higher hole mobility than strained silicon. In a second embodiment, the first plurality of fins is made of silicon, the second plurality of strained silicon, germanium or a III-V compound; and the third plurality is made of germanium or silicon germanium.

Abstract: Integrated circuits with memory elements are provided. A memory element may include a storage circuit coupled to data lines through access transistors. Access transistors may be used to read data from and write data into the storage circuit. An access transistor may have asymmetric source-drain resistances. The access transistor may have a first source-drain that is coupled to a data line and a second source-drain that is coupled to the storage circuit. The second source-drain may have a contact resistance that is greater than the contact resistance associated with the first source-drain. Access transistors with asymmetric source-drain resistances may have a first drive strength when passing a low signal and a second drive strength when passing a high signal to the storage circuit. The second drive strength may be less than the first drive strength. Access transistors with asymmetric drive strengths may be used to improve memory read/write performance.

Abstract: A method to design an IC is disclosed to provide a uniform deposition of strain-inducing composites is disclosed. The method to design the IC comprises, determining a total strain-inducing deposition area on an IC design. Then, the total strain inducing deposition area is compared with a predefined size. A dummy diffusion area is modified to increase the total strain-inducing deposition area, when the total strain-inducing deposition area is below the predefined size. Finally, the strain-inducing deposition area is optimized. A method to manufacture the IC and the IC is also disclosed.

Abstract: Integrated circuits with multiport memory elements may be provided. A multiport memory element may include a latching circuit, a first set of address transistors, and a second set of address transistors. The latching circuit may include cross-coupled inverters, each of which includes a pull-up transistor and a pull-down transistor. The first set of address transistors may couple the latching circuit to a write port, whereas the second set of address transistors may couple the latching circuit to a read port. The pull-down transistors and the second set of address transistors may have body bias terminals that are controlled by a control signal. During data loading operations, the control signal may be temporarily elevated to weaken the pull-down transistors and the second set of address transistors to improve the write margin of the multiport memory element.

Abstract: A transistor may include a semiconductor region such as a rectangular doped silicon well. Gate fingers may overlap the silicon well. The gate fingers may be formed from polysilicon and may be spaced apart from each other along the length of the well by a fixed gate-to-gate spacing. The edges of the well may be surrounded by field oxide. Epitaxial regions may be formed in the well to produce compressive or tensile stress in channel regions that lie under the gate fingers. The epitaxial regions may form source-drain terminals. The edges of the field oxide may be separated from the nearest gate finger edges by a distance that is adjusted automatically with a computer-aided-design tool and that may be larger than the gate-to-gate spacing. Dummy gate finger structures may be provided to ensure desired levels of stress are produced.

Abstract: Integrated circuits with memory elements are provided. A memory element may include a storage circuit coupled to data lines through access transistors. Access transistors may be used to read data from and write data into the storage circuit. An access transistor may have asymmetric source-drain resistances. The access transistor may have a first source-drain that is coupled to a data line and a second source-drain that is coupled to the storage circuit. The second source-drain may have a contact resistance that is greater than the contact resistance associated with the first source-drain. Access transistors with asymmetric source-drain resistances may have a first drive strength when passing a low signal and a second drive strength when passing a high signal to the storage circuit. The second drive strength may be less than the first drive strength. Access transistors with asymmetric drive strengths may be used to improve memory read/write performance.

Abstract: In an example embodiment, an EDA application creates a physical PCell from a CAD database that relates the physical PCell to a collection of expected mask layers. The EDA application auto-places an identifying text label with the physical and converts the physical PCell and the text label to a format that represents the physical PCell and the text label as sequence of drawn layers. The EDA application generates an equation that performs transformational operations on the drawn layers to create a sequence of derived layers, where the sequence of derived layers defines a collection of logical mask layers. The EDA application executes the equation and compares a derived layer to the expected mask layers, if the derived layer interacts with the derived layer for the text label. If the compared derived layer varies from the expected mask layers, the EDA application reports a variance based on the text label.

Abstract: Integrated circuits with multiport memory elements may be provided. A multiport memory element may include a latching circuit, a first set of address transistors, and a second set of address transistors. The latching circuit may include cross-coupled inverters, each of which includes a pull-up transistor and a pull-down transistor. The first set of address transistors may couple the latching circuit to a write port, whereas the second set of address transistors may couple the latching circuit to a read port. The pull-down transistors and the second set of address transistors may have body bias terminals that are controlled by a control signal. During data loading operations, the control signal may be temporarily elevated to weaken the pull-down transistors and the second set of address transistors to improve the write margin of the multiport memory element.

Abstract: A memory circuit including a voltage divider with a first phase change memory (PCM) device and a second PCM device coupled to the first PCM device is described. In one embodiment, the first PCM device is in a set resistance state and the second PCM device is in a reset resistance state. Also, in one embodiment, the voltage divider further includes a first switch coupled to the first PCM device and a second switch coupled to the first switch and the second PCM device. In one embodiment, the memory circuit further includes a half latch coupled to the voltage divider and a cascade transistor coupled to the half latch and the voltage divider.

Abstract: Photolithographic reticles are provided that have electrostatic discharge protection features. A photolithographic reticle may be formed from metal structures such as chrome structures on a transparent substrate such as fused silica. Some of the metal structures on the reticle correspond to transistors and other electronic devices on integrated circuits that are fabricated when using the reticles in a step-and-repeat lithography tool. These metal device structures may be susceptible to damage due to electrostatic charge build up during handling of the reticle. To prevent damage, dummy ring structures are formed in the vicinity of device structures. The dummy ring structures may be constructed to be more sensitive to electrostatic discharge than the device structures, so that in the event of an electrostatic discharge, damage is confined to portions of the reticle that are not critical.

Abstract: An integrated circuit is provided with transistor body regions that may be independently biased. Some of the bodies may be forward body biased to lower threshold voltages and increase transistor switching speed. Some of the bodies may be reverse body biased to increase threshold voltages and decrease leakage current. The integrated circuit may be formed on a silicon substrate. Body bias isolation structures may be formed in the silicon substrate to isolate the bodies from each other. Body bias isolation structures may be formed from shallow trench isolation trenches. Doped regions may be formed at the bottom of the trenches using ion implantation. Oxide may be used to fill the trenches above the doped region. A deep well may be formed under the body regions. The deep well may contact the doped regions that are formed at the bottom of the trenches.

Abstract: An integrated circuit is provided with groups of transistors that handle different maximum voltage levels. The transistors may be metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors having body, source, drain, and gate terminals. The gate of each transistor may have a gate insulator and a gate conductor. The gate conductor may be formed from a semiconductor such as polysilicon. Adjacent to the gate insulator, the polysilicon gate conductor may have a depletion layer. The depletion layer may have a thickness that is related to the doping level in the polysilicon gate conductor. By reducing the doping level in the polysilicon gates of some of the transistors, the equivalent oxide thickness of those transistors is increased, thereby enhancing their ability to withstand elevated voltages without experiencing gate oxide breakdown due to hot carrier injection effects.

Abstract: A memory circuit including a voltage divider with a first phase change memory (PCM) device and a second PCM device coupled to the first PCM device is described. In one embodiment, the first PCM device is in a set resistance state and the second PCM device is in a reset resistance state. Also, in one embodiment, the voltage divider further includes a first switch coupled to the first PCM device and a second switch coupled to the first switch and the second PCM device. In one embodiment, the memory circuit further includes a half latch coupled to the voltage divider and a cascade transistor coupled to the half latch and the voltage divider.

Abstract: Photolithographic reticles are provided that have electrostatic discharge protection features. A photolithographic reticle may be formed from metal structures such as chrome structures on a transparent substrate such as fused silica. Some of the metal structures on the reticle correspond to transistors and other electronic devices on integrated circuits that are fabricated when using the reticles in a step-and-repeat lithography tool. These metal device structures may be susceptible to damage due to electrostatic charge build up during handling of the reticle. To prevent damage, dummy ring structures are formed in the vicinity of device structures. The dummy ring structures may be constructed to be more sensitive to electrostatic discharge than the device structures, so that in the event of an electrostatic discharge, damage is confined to portions of the reticle that are not critical.

Abstract: A first high resolution pattern is defined in a first layer of photoresist on a work surface and portions of the first layer are removed to expose the pattern on the work surface. The exposed portions of the work surface and the remaining portions of the first layer are then covered by a second layer of photoresist. A second lower resolution pattern is then defined in the second layer and portions of the second layer are removed to expose on the work surface a third pattern that is a subset of the first pattern. Standard (non-custom) masks may be used to define the first pattern while custom but lower resolution masks are used to define the second pattern.

Abstract: A semiconductor system and method for repairing failures of a packaged integrated circuit system are provided. The method includes detecting a failure associated with a packaged integrated circuit system after the packaged integrated circuit system is packaged, and repairing the failure by activating a redundancy circuit in the packaged integrated circuit system and deactivating a defective circuit associated with the failure. The process for repairing the failure includes applying a repair voltage to a polysilicon fuse to change a conductivity state of the polysilicon fuse from a first state to a second state. In another embodiment, the polysilicon fuse is replaced by a metal fuse, an anti-fuse, or a non-volatile random access memory.

Abstract: Provided is a “castled” active area mask. A castled active area mask is one which has been lengthened to extend beyond its intended intersection with a tunnel dielectric to form the tunnel window of an EEPROM cell, and has also been widened in at least a portion of the extension. For example, in one preferred embodiment, a castled extension may have a “T” shape. The castled active area generated by such a mask provides a buffer to absorb field oxide encroachment before it reaches the EEPROM cell's TD window. A mask in accordance with the present invention may be used to fabricate EEPROM cells which are not subject to TD window size variations due to field oxide encroachment, and EEPROM cell arrays of increased density.