Modified design rules to improve device performance

A method of designing a layout of devices, comprising:

• designing a layout of gate structures and diffusion regions for a semiconductor device;
• identifying a first device having a first gate structure and an irregular diffusion region adjacent to a second device having a second gate structure and a diffusion region different from the irregular diffusion region;
• inserting a dummy device between the first gate structure and the second gate structure, wherein the diffusion region shared by the dummy device and the second gate structure is a regular diffusion region, and the regular diffusion region has a rectangular shape and the irregular diffusion region has a non-rectangular shape;
• extending the irregular diffusion region of the first gate structure to the dummy device;
• extending the regular diffusion region of the second gate structure to the dummy device resulting in a modified layout;
• and
• fabricating, based on the modified layout, at least one of a photolithography mask or at least one component in a layer of an inchoate semiconductor integrated circuit.

A method of designing a layout of devices, comprising:

• designing a layout of gate structures and diffusion regions for a semiconductor device;
• identifying a first device having a first gate structure and an irregular diffusion region adjacent to a second device having a second gate structure and a diffusion region different from the irregular diffusion region;
• inserting a dummy device between the first gate structure and the second gate structure, wherein the diffusion region shared by the dummy device and the second gate structure is a regular diffusion region, and the regular diffusion region has a rectangular shape and the irregular diffusion region has a non-rectangular shape;
• selecting one of the irregular diffusion region of the first gate structure or the regular diffusion region of the second gate structure as an extension-candidate for extension and thereby correspondingly selecting the other of the irregular diffusion region of the first gate structure or the regular diffusion region of the second gate structure as an addition-candidate for addition;
• extending the extension-candidate to a first side of the dummy device;
• adding an additional diffusion region between the addition-candidate and a second side of the dummy device resulting in a modified layout;
• and
• fabricating, based on the modified layout, at least one of a photolithography mask or at least one component in a layer of an inchoate semiconductor integrated circuit.