Abstract: A method for cell characterization with Miller capacitance includes characterizing input capacitance of an input of a first stage in a cell by considering a first current transition at the input of the first stage up to a first stop time. The first stop time occurs during the first current transition exhibits a substantial tail portion contributed by the later of a first input voltage transition and a first output voltage transition reaching a corresponding steady state voltage. The first input voltage transition is associated with the input of the first stage. The first output voltage transition is associated with an output of the first stage coupled to the input through a capacitor.

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor arrangement is provided. The semiconductor arrangement includes an interconnection arrangement comprising a first connection between a driver and a receiver. At least one buffer is disposed along the first connection to reduce delay associated with the interconnection arrangement. However, buffers increase power consumption, and thus a determination is made as to whether a buffer is unnecessary. A buffer is determined to be unnecessary where removal of the buffer does not violate a timing constraint regarding an amount of time a signal takes to go from the driver to the receiver. If a buffer is determined to be unnecessary, the buffer is removed to reduce power consumption.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a first and a second standard cell. The first standard cell includes a first gate electrode, and a first channel region underlying the first gate electrode. The first channel region has a first channel doping concentration. The second standard cell includes a second gate electrode, and a second channel region underlying the second gate electrode. The second channel region has a second channel doping concentration. A dummy gate includes a first half and a second half in the first and the second standard cells, respectively. The first half and the second half are at the edges of the first and the second standard cells, respectively, and are abutted to each other. A dummy channel is overlapped by the dummy gate. The dummy channel has a third channel doping concentration substantially equal to a sum of the first channel doping concentration and the second channel doping concentration.

Abstract: In some embodiments, in a method, placement of a design layout is performed. The design layout includes a power rail segment, several upper-level power lines and several cells. The upper-level power lines cross over and bound the power rail segment at where the upper-level power lines intersect with the power rail segment. The cells are powered through the power rail segment. For each cell, a respective current through the power rail segment during a respective SW of the cell is obtained. One or more groups of cells with overlapped SWs are determined. One or more EM usages of the power rail segment by the one or more groups of cells using the respective currents of each group of cells are obtained. The design layout is adjusted when any of the one or more EM usages of the power rail segment causes an EM susceptibility of the power rail segment.

Abstract: A method of designing a circuit includes receiving a circuit design, and determining a temperature change of at least on back end of line (BEOL) element of the circuit design. The method further includes identifying at least one isothermal region within the circuit design; and determining, using a processor, a temperature increase of at least one front end of line (FEOL) device within the at least one isothermal region. The method further includes combining the temperature change of the at least one BEOL element with the temperature change of the at least one FEOL device, and comparing the combined temperature change with a threshold value.

Abstract: In some embodiments, in a method, cell layouts of a plurality of cells are received. For each cell, a respective constraint that affects a geometry of an interconnect to be coupled to an output pin of the cell in a design layout is determined based on a geometry of the output pin of the cell in the cell layout.

Abstract: A method includes providing a first layout of a semiconductor device comprising a plurality of cells representing circuit elements, and providing a cell library comprising a plurality of cells in a processor. The circuit elements comprise a plurality of fin field effect transistors (Fin-FETs). Each of the plurality of cells in the cell library is displayed with a respectively different marker indicating a respective fin height. The method further includes generating a second layout for the semiconductor device to be fabricated, by placing or replacing at least one cell from the cell library in a respective location in the first layout. The at least one cell from the cell library comprises a Fin-FET with a respective fin height different from an adjacent Fin-FET in the second layout.

Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) memory device that includes a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer electrically coupled to the first conductive layer, the second conductive layer formed over the first conductive layer, a third conductive layer separated from the second conductive layer, the third conductive layer formed over the second conductive layer, a fourth conductive layer electrically coupled to the third conductive layer, the fourth conductive layer formed over the third conductive layer, a 2P2E pin box formed in and electrically coupled to the first conductive layer or the second conductive layer and a 1P1E pin box formed in and electrically coupled to the third conductive layer or the fourth conductive layer.

Abstract: A method comprises providing a non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium storing a partial netlist of at least a portion of a previously taped-out integrated circuit (IC) layout, representing a set of photomasks for fabricating an IC having the IC layout such that the IC meets a first specification value. A computer identifies a proper subset of a plurality of first devices in the IC layout, such that replacement of the proper subset of the first devices by second devices in a revised IC layout satisfies a second specification value different from the first specification value. At least one layout mask is generated and stored in at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium, accessible by a tool for forming at least one additional photomask, such that the set of photomasks and the at least one additional photomask are usable to fabricate an IC according to the revised IC layout.

Abstract: A method of inserting dummy metal and dummy via in an integrated circuit design includes inserting, by a computer, dummy metals using a place and route tool, wherein the place and route tool has timing-awareness to improve a timing performance of the integrated circuit design, and the dummy metals have a length less than or equal to a predetermined maximum length. The method further includes inserting, by the computer, dummy vias using a design-rule-checking utility separately from the inserting of the dummy metals.

Abstract: Among other things, one or more systems and techniques for tier based layer modification, such as promotion or demotion, for a design layout are provided herein. A metal scheme describes one or more metal layers of the design layout, which are grouped into a set of tiers based upon resistivity similarity between the metal layers. Wire segments of the design layout are evaluated for promotion to tiers providing improved performance, for demotion to tiers providing decreased performance so that relatively faster routing resources are freed up for other wire segments, or for modification such as widening of wire segments. Via count penalties corresponding to timing delays of additional vias used to reassign wire segments are taken into account during promotion. Routing resource gains associated with reassigning wire segments are taken into account during demotion. In this way, wire segments of the design layout are promoted, demoted, or modified.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a semiconductor arrangement comprises a stacked interconnect structure comprising a first interconnect structure and a second interconnect structure. The stacked interconnect structure has a relatively larger aspect ratio than the first interconnect structure or the second interconnect structure, which reduces resistivity and improves performance. In some embodiments, a duplicate interconnect path is inserted into a design layout for a semiconductor arrangement. The duplicated interconnect path provides an additional path between a first net and a second net connected by an interconnect path. Connecting the first net and the second net by the interconnect path and the duplicated interconnect path reduces resistivity and improves performance. In some embodiments, a semiconductor arrangement comprises cell pin operatively coupled to a duplicate cell pin. The cell pin and the duplicate cell pin are operatively coupled to a logic structure to reduce resistivity and improve performance.

Abstract: In some embodiments, in a method performed by at least one processor, a cell is characterized, by the at least one processor, with respect to an input transition characteristic considering different circuit topologies of a pre-driver driving the cell resulting in the same input transition characteristic.

Abstract: A method of generating a netlist comprises extracting a first capacitance value between the first set of electrical components inside a defined region using a first extraction technique. The method additionally comprises extracting a second capacitance value between a second set of electrical components comprising at least one electrical component outside the defined region using a second extraction technique different from the first extraction technique. The method also comprises generating the netlist including the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value. The first extraction technique is capable of extracting capacitance values between electrical components arranged in a first quantity of directions with respect to one another and the second extraction technique is capable of extracting capacitance values between electrical components arranged in a second quantity of directions with respect to one another. The first quantity of directions is greater than the second quantity of directions.

Abstract: A system and method of producing an integrated circuit using abutted cells having shared polycrystalline silicon on an oxide definition region edge (PODE) includes modeling inter-cell leakage current in a plurality of different cells. Each of the plurality of different cells is abutted with another cell and having the shared PODE. The method also comprises verifying a pre-determined acceptable power consumption of the integrated circuit based on the inter-cell leakage current.

Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) memory device that includes a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer electrically coupled to the first conductive layer, the second conductive layer formed over the first conductive layer, a third conductive layer separated from the second conductive layer, the third conductive layer formed over the second conductive layer, a fourth conductive layer electrically coupled to the third conductive layer, the fourth conductive layer formed over the third conductive layer, a 2P2E pin box formed in and electrically coupled to the first conductive layer or the second conductive layer and a 1P1E pin box formed in and electrically coupled to the third conductive layer or the fourth conductive layer.

Abstract: A die includes at least one standard cell, which includes a first boundary and a second boundary opposite to the first boundary. The first boundary and the second boundary are parallel to a first direction. The at least one standard cell further includes a first plurality of FinFETs including first semiconductor fins parallel to the first direction. The die further includes at least one memory macro, which has a third boundary and a fourth boundary opposite to the third boundary. The third boundary and the fourth boundary are parallel to the first direction. The at least one memory macro includes a second plurality of FinFETs including second semiconductor fins parallel to the first direction. All semiconductor fins in the at least one standard cell and the at least one memory macro have pitches equal to integer times of a minimum pitch of the first and the second semiconductor fins.

Abstract: A method comprises (a) providing an integrated circuit (IC) layout comprising data representing a plurality of circuit patterns to be formed on or in a single layer of an IC by multi-patterning; (b) dividing the plurality of circuit patterns into two or more groups; (c) assigning the circuit patterns within each group to a respective mask to provide mask assignment data, for forming each group of circuit patterns on or in the single layer of the IC; (d) compressing the mask assignment data; and (e) storing the compressed mask assignment data to a non-transitory machine readable storage medium for use by an electronic design automation tool configured for reconstructing the mask assignment data from the compressed data.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a first and a second standard cell. The first standard cell includes a first gate electrode, and a first channel region underlying the first gate electrode. The first channel region has a first channel doping concentration. The second standard cell includes a second gate electrode, and a second channel region underlying the second gate electrode. The second channel region has a second channel doping concentration. A dummy gate includes a first half and a second half in the first and the second standard cells, respectively. The first half and the second half are at the edges of the first and the second standard cells, respectively, and are abutted to each other. A dummy channel is overlapped by the dummy gate. The dummy channel has a third channel doping concentration substantially equal to a sum of the first channel doping concentration and the second channel doping concentration.

Abstract: A method includes providing a first layout of a semiconductor device comprising a plurality of cells representing circuit elements, and providing a cell library comprising a plurality of cells in a processor. The circuit elements comprise a plurality of fin field effect transistors (Fin-FETs). Each of the plurality of cells in the cell library is displayed with a respectively different marker indicating a respective fin height. The method further includes generating a second layout for the semiconductor device to be fabricated, by placing or replacing at least one cell from the cell library in a respective location in the first layout. The at least one cell from the cell library comprises a Fin-FET with a respective fin height different from an adjacent Fin-FET in the second layout.