Defectivity-immune technique of implementing MIM-based decoupling capacitors
AssigneeLSI Corporation
InventorsRamnath Venkatraman, Ruggero Castagnetti
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An integrated circuit power supply decoupling circuit includes a capacitor and a protection circuit. The capacitor has a first terminal and a second terminal. The protection circuit includes a first transistor having a first conduction path, and a second transistor having a second conduction path. One terminal of the first conduction path is connected to the first terminal of the capacitor, and another terminal of the first conduction path is connected to a first power supply rail. One terminal of the second conduction path is connected to the second terminal of the capacitor, and another terminal of the second conduction path is connected to a second power supply rail.
Claims20
An integrated circuit power supply decoupling circuit, comprising:
- a capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal;
- and
- a protection circuit comprising:
- a first transistor having a first conduction path and a first control terminal for controlling said first conduction path, one terminal of said first conduction path being connected to said first terminal, another terminal of said first conduction path being connected to a first power supply rail and said first control terminal being connected to said second terminal;
- and
- a second transistor having a second conduction path and a second control terminal for controlling said second conduction path, one terminal of said second conduction path being connected to said second terminal, another terminal of said second conduction path being connected to a different second power supply rail and said second control terminal being connected to said first terminal.
An integrated circuit, comprising:
- a device substrate;
- active circuitry located over said substrate and configured to be powered by a first power supply rail and a second power supply rail;
- a capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, being configured to reduce power supply noise on said first and second power supply rails;
- and
- a protection circuit configured to limit a current through said capacitor, comprising:
- a first transistor having a first conduction path and a first control terminal for controlling said first conduction path, one terminal of said first conduction path being connected to said first terminal, another terminal of said first conduction path being connected to said first power supply rail and said first control terminal being connected to said second terminal;
- and
- a second transistor having a second conduction path and a second control terminal for controlling said second conduction path, one terminal of said second conduction path being connected to said second terminal, another terminal of said second conduction path being connected to said second power supply rail and said second control terminal being connected to said first terminal.
A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit, comprising:
- providing a substrate;
- forming active circuitry over said substrate;
- configuring said active circuitry to be powered by a first power supply rail and a second power supply rail;
- configuring a decoupling capacitor located over said substrate to filter power supply noise on said first and second power supply rails;
- and
- locating over said substrate a protection circuit configured to limit a current through said capacitor, said protection circuit comprising:
- a first transistor having a first conduction path and a first control terminal for controlling said first conduction path, one terminal of said first conduction path being connected to a first terminal of said capacitor, another terminal of said first conduction path being connected to said first power supply rail and said first control terminal being connected to said second terminal;
- and
- a second transistor having a second conduction path and a second control terminal for controlling said second conduction path, one terminal of said second conduction path being connected to a second terminal of said capacitor, another terminal of said second conduction path being connected to said second power supply rail and said second control terminal being connected to said first terminal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.