Abstract: A master-slice semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a substrate for an input/output circuit section, which is segmented into a plurality of segments during a master processing step. In a slice processing step, slice cells are formed, using different substrate segments. Input/output circuits are formed by respective slice cells so that desired different supply voltages can be applied to input/output circuits on different substrate segments.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device in accordance with the present invention includes a plurality of n well regions and p well regions in a p type silicon substrate. One of the p well regions is connected to an external power supply. Peripheries of the p well region having a memory cell array formed therein are surrounded by an n well region having a potential held at a positive potential. The n well region held at the positive potential prevents electrons introduced into the substrate due to undershoot from entering into a p well region through the p well region connected to the external power supply.

Abstract: A gate array architecture is disclosed that utilizes significantly less silicon area than the prior art. The core cell includes a four transistor arrangement in which a substrate tap is located adjacent to the transistor pair. This provides for a more "symmetric" cell array than those in the prior art. Through the placement of the taps outside of the transistors the power line connections can be routed in a simple and efficient manner. In addition the gate array architecture mirrors pairs of transistor columns to allow for the sharing of substrate taps between pairs of columns. This mirroring feature further reduces routing complexity.

Abstract: A cell library for a semiconductor integrated circuit design, comprises a CMOS cell comprising two power source wires and a CMOS circuit placed between the two power source wires at a predetermined distance, and a BiCMOS cell comprising two power source wires which are placed at a distance equal to the distance between the power source wires in the CMOS cell, a CMOS circuit placed between the two power source wires in the BiCMOS cell, and bipolar transistor circuits placed at both outsides of the two power source wires in the BiCMOS cell.

Abstract: A gate array architecture is disclosed that utilizes significantly less silicon area than the prior art. The core cell includes a four transistor arrangement in which a substrate tap is located adjacent to the transistor pair. This provides for a more "symmetric" cell array than those in the prior art. Through the placement of the taps outside of the transistors the power line connections can be routed in a simple and efficient manner. The architecture includes an extension portion in the contact region of the cell to further reduce wiring complexity. In addition the gate array architecture mirrors pairs of transistor columns to allow for the sharing of substrate taps between pairs of columns. This mirroring feature further reduces routing complexity.

Abstract: The input/output circuit cells of a master-slice gate array device have the same diffusion and gate regions as the basic transistors so that the input/output of the device may be defined at the metallization stage rather than at the time the diffusion regions are formed. Thus a single size master-slice circuit device need to be kept in inventory. The array size is selected in accordance with the customer's specification and the inputs/outputs are defined accordingly using CAD. Thereafter, the die may be scribed into smaller. The transistors for sea-of-gate structures containing a pair of long channel transistors whose drain, gate and source regions lie on a single grid or track of the CAD design tool. By using a long channel transistor in the feedback loop of a memory cell, gating transistors may be eliminated to reduce transistors required for latches.

Abstract: P channel MOSFET and N channel MOSFET are formed in a (011) orientated semiconductor surface in such a manner that the channel of the P channel MOSFET is perpendicular to the channel of the N channel MOSFET. This arrangement can reduce a total channel resistance. The P channel MOSFET is formed so that the channel is parallel to the <011> direction, for example, and the N channel MOSFET is formed so that the channel is perpendicular to the <011> direction.

Abstract: Flexible routing of gate arrays increases routing efficiency, provides for the routing of functional blocks with other gates in the gate array, and provides structures for flexible power routing, particularly of gate arrays having functional blocks. In particular, a gate-array-implemented integrated circuit is designed using a computer by representing in computer memory a gate array base, placing gate array cells on the gate array base in placement rows each having a uniform height and separated by routing channels in which no gate array cells are placed, and routing in the routing channel connections between placement rows according to a netlist, during routing increasing the size of a routing channel if required and decreasing the size of a routing channel if possible by changing the placement of at least one placement row by an amount less than half the height of the placement row. Routing channel size is therefore flexibly adjusted "on-the-fly" during routing, increasing routing efficiency.

Abstract: A structure and method is provided for fabricating an integrated circuit having an N-type well and a P-type well, with the upper surfaces of the N-type well and the P-type well coplanar. An insulating layer is formed over the integrated circuit. A first masking layer is formed over the insulating layer to define locations of a first well to be formed. An impurity of a first conductivity type is implanted into the semiconductor substrate of the integrated circuit to form a first region. The first masking layer is removed, and a second masking layer is formed over the insulating layer to define locations of a second well to be formed. An impurity of a second conductivity type is implanted into the semiconductor substrate of the integrated circuit to form a second region. The second masking layer is then removed. The integrated circuit is thermally heated to form the first and second wells in the substrate.

Abstract: Disclosed is a semiconductor integrated circuit device of a gate array system making it possible to mount a digital circuit and a high-precision analog circuit on a common substrate. This semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a basic cell array formed by a plurality of NMOS transistors and a plurality of PMOS transistors formed in rows on a semiconductor substrate. The basic cell array includes a plurality of N well regions formed in rows on the semiconductor substrate, P well regions and well terminal regions. The P well regions or N well regions are divided into small regions of the other conductivity type.

Abstract: A highly efficient CMOS cell structure for use in a metal mask programmable gate array, such as a sea-of-gates type gate array, is disclosed herein. In a basic cell, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, three or more sizes of N-channel transistors and three or more sizes of P-channel transistors are used. The larger size transistors are incorporated in a drive section of a cell, while the smaller size transistors are incorporated in each compute section of a cell. The particular transistors in the compute and drive sections and the arrangements of the compute and drive sections provide a highly efficient use of silicon real estate while enabling the formation of a wide variety of macrocells to be formed.

Abstract: A semi-custom integrated circuit comprises a basic cell array comprising a plurality of basic cells aligned in a first direction, the basic cells comprising a transistor unit, a capacitor unit and a resistor unit arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The transistor unit is positioned between the capacitor unit and the resistor unit. The transistor unit has a terminal portion for connection of wiring, the capacitor unit having a terminal portion for connection of wiring, the resistor unit having a terminal portion for connection of wiring. The terminal portions of said transistor unit, capacitor unit and resistor unit are aligned along a line.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved Bi-CMOS gate array for increasing integration density. The gate array includes a predetermined region for forming PMOS transistors, a predetermined region for forming bipolar transistors, a predetermined region for forming resistance elements, and a predetermined region for forming NMOS transistors. The resistance element region is formed adjacent to the bipolar transistor region, and, therefore, it is not necessary to provide any interconnection for forming a logic circuit including the resistance element connected to the bipolar transistor. An area occupied by interconnections on the semiconductor substrate is thus reduced, and, therefore the integration density is increased.

Abstract: A bipolar transistor/insulated gate transistor hybrid semiconductor device comprises a well region formed on a semiconductor substrate to serve as a first active region of a bipolar transistor, an insulated gate transistor having source and drain regions formed in the well region, which acts as a back gate of the insulated gate transistor, and second and third active regions of the bipolar transistor formed in the well region. At least one of the second and third active regions is used in common to one of the source and drain regions of the insulated gate transistor. A plurality of well regions is regularly arranged to constitute a gate array.

Abstract: A gate array circuit includes a row of consecutively arranged n-channel transistors and an adjacent row of p-channel transistors. Both rows are composed of at least three subrows with two subrows of narrow transistors and one subrow of wide transistors, of which the channel width is at least three times the width of the narrow transistors. The gate electrodes are common to the three subrows. Preferably, the wide subrow is arranged centrally between the narrow subrows. This construction affords the advantage of a very high density and a very high flexibility in designing the functions to be realized.

Abstract: The invention is an improved layout for integrated circuits employing local interconnect pads, particularly six-transistor SRAM circuits, comprising a local interconnect pad which electrically bridges two segments of a conducting line and an active device, and a method for employing the layout.

Abstract: Transistor elements which are not initially wired are previously arranged in no-cell regions created in part of cell array regions in a standard cell layout according to the layout design. When the circuit is changed in the standard cell layout, a desired circuit is formed in the no-cell region by using the transistor elements which are not initially wired. After the circuit change, an unnecessary circuit is made inoperative. Wiring inhibition regions for inhibiting the normal wiring in the standard cell layout are provided in order to extend the input and output terminals of the desired circuit from the no-cell region to the wiring region.

Abstract: A CMOS master slice having a plurality of regularly arranged basic cells improves an integration efficiency by optimizing size and arrangement of MOS transistors in the basic cells. Each of the basic cells comprises a first pair of transistors having gates thereof arranged to parallelly face each other, and a second pair of transistors having gate electrodes shorter in gate width than that of the first pair of transistors and parallel to the gate electrodes of the first pair of transistors. In adjacent basic cells, the gate electrodes of adjacent second transistors are substantially on a line so that a wasteful space is eliminated.

Abstract: A semiconductor circuit has a logic cell comprising insulation gate type transistors wherein the structure of the cell can be easily corrected or changed improving the overall operational speed of the logic circuit produced while controlling the electrical power consumption of the circuit from being significantly increase. Input transistors and output transistors in a logic circuit layout employing the basic cell configuration of this invention are arranged at regular intervals along the power supply buses so that each channel width of the transistors is at right angles to these power wirings and the channel widths, W.sub.I (W.sub.IP, W.sub.IN), of the input transistors of the circuit are formed to be narrower than the channel widths, W.sub.O (W.sub.OP, W.sub.ON), of the output transistors of the circuit.

Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a semiconductor chip, and bonding pads used for interfacing with an external device. The bonding pads are arranged in an outer portion of a chip peripheral area on the semiconductor chip. A pair of N-channel and P-channel transistor areas is provided for two or more neighboring bonding pads among the bonding pads, and is arranged in the vicinity of the two or more neighboring bonding pads in the chip peripheral area. The pair of N-channel and P-channel transistor areas is used for forming a peripheral circuit used for interfacing with the external device through the related two or more bonding pads. The peripheral circuit related to the two or more neighboring bonding pads is formed by the pair of N-channel and P-channel transistor areas.