Abstract: A gate array semiconductor integrated circuit device allowing less clock skews is disclosed. The device includes a clock signal driver formed in the part under a power supply interconnection for input-output buffer in a power supply pin region or a ground pin region. The clock signal driver is formed in the power supply pin region and so on which, conventionally, was not utilized, so that the clock signal driver can be large enough to provide a clock signal to each basic cell column. Therefore, the input-output buffer region is not unduly occupied by the clock signal driver, and the connecting pads do not become useless.

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 method of automatic wiring in a semiconductor integrated circuit device having four or more wiring layers, with the lowest layer being a terminal layer, is intended to overcome the prior art problem in which lower layers are mostly used for wiring and upper layers are not used efficiently. The method is designed to assign longer lines to upper layers distant from the terminal layer, and upper layers can have increased wiring densities with minimal numbers of lines, bends and through holes, thereby using upper layers efficiently.

Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device wherein a plurality of macros are formed on a master chip and wirings are provided striding across a specific macro and thereon through a thick insulating film, whereby parasitic capacitance is reduced and high speed operation of a circuit is attained.

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 gate array chip (33) has an array (41) of strip-shaped active areas (18) formed on a semiconductor substrate (40). Wiring-dedicated areas (34), each having capacity for two to four wires, are provided between respective adjacent pairs of the active areas (18). In a logic circuit region, one or more active areas (18) are employed as wiring areas. In memory blocks, wiring is performed by employing only the wiring-dedicated areas (34). A master slice integrated circuit manufactured from the gate array chip (33) has a high degree of integration and high operating speed.

Abstract: In a semiconductor integrated circuit device adopting a master slice system, a plurality of lattice points of an X-Y lattice-shaped channel region set by an automatic arrangement and routing system correspond to one input/output terminal of a prescribed basic cell (or logic circuit), thereby a plurality of signal wirings can be connected to the one input/output terminal.

Abstract: A plurality of cells providing constituent elements for a semiconductor integrated circuit are provided in and on a major surface of a semiconductor substrate of a semiconductor integrated circuit chip. A plurality of wires are each provided between a cell and a cell to provide cell-to-cell wires. A plurality of dummy wires are connected to an internal power source terminal of a second power source potential which is different from a first power source terminal. A capacitance is created between the dummy wire and the semiconductor substrate to prevent a voltage fluctuation at the power source. The dummy wires are selectively cut off the internal power source terminal of the second potential to correct a wrong connection line or a signal delay time.