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US 8,507,957 B2Granted
Integrated circuit layouts with power rails under bottom metal layer
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsYung-Chin Hou, Shyue-Shyh Lin, Li-Chun Tien, Shu-Min Chen, Pin-Dai Sue
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Abstract
A circuit includes a semiconductor substrate; a bottom metal layer over the semiconductor substrate, wherein no additional metal layer is between the semiconductor substrate and the bottom metal layer; and a cell including a plug-level power rail under the bottom metal layer.
Claims18
A circuit comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate;
- a bottom metal layer over the semiconductor substrate, wherein no additional metal layer is between the semiconductor substrate and the bottom metal layer;
- a cell comprising a plug-level power rail under the bottom metal layer;
- and
- an M1 power rail in the cell and in the bottom metal layer, wherein the M1 power rail is electrically connected to the plug-level power rail through a via, and wherein the M1 power rail extends to three boundaries of the cell.
2 more elements
A circuit comprising:
- a cell comprising:
- a first, a second, a third, and a four boundary, wherein the first and the second boundaries are parallel to each other, and wherein the third and the fourth boundaries are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the first and the second boundaries;
- a plug-level VDD power rail extending to the first, the second, and the third boundaries;
- a plug-level VSS power rail extending to the first, the second, and the fourth boundaries;
- a M1 VDD power rail extending to the first, the second, and the third boundaries, wherein the M1 VDD power rail is in a bottom metal layer and is directly over and electrically coupled to the plug-level VDD power rail;
- and
- a M1 VSS power rail extending to the first, the second, and the fourth boundaries, wherein the M1 VSS power rail is in the bottom metal layer and is directly over and electrically coupled to the plug-level VSS power rail.
4 more elements
A circuit comprising:
- a first row of cells;
- a second row of cells abutting the first row of cells;
- a plug-level power rail extending along an interface of the first and the second rows, wherein the plug-level power rail comprises a portion extending into each cell in the first and the second rows of cells;
- a M1 power rail extending along the interface of the first and the second rows, wherein the M1 power rail comprises a portion extending into each cell in the first and the second rows of cells, and wherein the M1 power rail is in a bottom metal layer immediately over the plug-level power rail;
- and
- a plurality of vias connecting the plug-level power rail to the M1 power rail.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.