Integrated circuit (IC) portholes and related techniques
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsKevin B. Bush, Matthew D. Hicks, Timothy D. Trippel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An integrated circuit (IC) structure includes a device layer including a security-critical wire and a metal layer disposed over the device layer. The metal layer includes at least one wire and an IC porthole. The IC porthole has a perimeter that defines a shape such that, when the perimeter of the IC porthole is projected onto the device layer, the projection of the IC porthole perimeter includes at least a segment of the security-critical wire, and the at least one wire in the metal layer does not overlap the security-critical wire within the projection of the IC porthole perimeter to thereby allow post-fabrication optical inspection of the security-critical wire through the IC porthole.
Claims20
An integrated circuit (IC) structure, comprising:
- a device layer including a security-critical wire;
- and
- a metal layer disposed over the device layer, the metal layer including at least one wire and an IC porthole, the IC porthole having a perimeter that defines a shape such that when the perimeter of the IC porthole is projected onto the device layer, the projection of the IC porthole perimeter includes at least a segment of the security-critical wire, wherein the at least one wire in the metal layer does not overlap the security-critical wire within the projection of the IC porthole perimeter to thereby allow post-fabrication optical inspection of the security-critical wire through the IC porthole.
A method for forming an integrated circuit (IC) structure, the method comprising:
- providing a device layer including a security-critical wire;
- and
- forming a metal layer over the device layer, the metal layer including at least one wire and an IC porthole, the IC porthole having a perimeter that defines a shape such that when the perimeter of the IC porthole is projected onto the device layer, the projection of the IC porthole perimeter includes at least a segment of the security-critical wire, wherein the at least one wire in the metal layer does not overlap the security-critical wire within the projection of the IC porthole perimeter to thereby allow post-fabrication optical inspection of the security-critical wire through the IC porthole.
An integrated circuit (IC) structure, comprising:
- a device layer including a security-critical wire;
- and
- one or more metal and interlayer dielectric layers disposed over the device layer, each metal layer including at least one wire and an IC porthole, the IC porthole in each metal layer having a perimeter that defines a shape such that when the perimeter of the IC porthole is projected onto the device layer, the projection of the IC porthole perimeter includes a segment of the security-critical wire, wherein the at least one wire in each metal layer does not overlap the security-critical wire within the projection of the IC porthole perimeter defined in each metal layer to thereby allow post-fabrication optical inspection of the security-critical wire through the IC porthole defined in each metal layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.