A stacked FinFET programmable inverter is provided that includes a pFET gate structure including a floating gate and a thicker gate dielectric material layer than a gate dielectric material layer of an nFET gate structure stacked either above, or below, the nFET gate structure. In one embodiment, the pFET gate structure is below the nFET gate structure. In another embodiment, the pFET gate structure is above the nFET gate structure. The pFET gate structure contacts a sidewall of one semiconductor fin portion of a fin stack, while the nFET gate structure contacts a sidewall of another of the semiconductor fin portion of the same fin stack; the two semiconductor fin portions are separated by an insulator fin portion.

An apparatus comprises a plurality of memory cells in rows and columns, a first word line electrically coupled to a first group of memory cells through a first word line strap structure comprising a first gate contact, a first-level via, a first metal line and a second-level via and a second word line electrically coupled to a second group of memory cells through a second word line strap structure, wherein the second word line strap structure and the first word line strap structure are separated by at least two memory cells.

A stacked FinFET programmable inverter is provided that includes a pFET gate structure including a floating gate and a thicker gate dielectric material layer than a gate dielectric material layer of an nFET gate structure stacked either above, or below, the nFET gate structure. In one embodiment, the pFET gate structure is below the nFET gate structure. In another embodiment, the pFET gate structure is above the nFET gate structure. The pFET gate structure contacts a sidewall of one semiconductor fin portion of a fin stack, while the nFET gate structure contacts a sidewall of another of the semiconductor fin portion of the same fin stack; the two semiconductor fin portions are separated by an insulator fin portion.

A method includes placing first and second oxide diffusion (OD) layout patterns in a layout design corresponding to first, second, third, and fourth memory cells of a memory circuit. The first OD layout pattern extends along a first direction and has a first source portion shared between the first and second memory cells, and the second OD layout pattern extends along the first direction and has a second source portion shared between the third and fourth memory cells. The method includes placing a first conductive layout pattern in the layout diagram, the first conductive layout pattern corresponding to a first conductive structure under a lowest via plug layer of the memory circuit, extending along a second direction, and overlapping the first source portion and the second source portion. The method is wholly or partially performed by using a hardware processor.

A read only memory (ROM) is provided in the present invention, which includes a plurality of bit lines extending in a first direction, a plurality of source lines extending in parallel to the plurality of bit lines, and a plurality of word lines extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Each two ROM cells share an active area and are electrically coupled to one of the plurality of source lines by a common source line contact.

An apparatus comprises a plurality of memory cells in rows and columns, a first word line electrically coupled to a first group of memory cells through a first word line strap structure comprising a first gate contact, a first-level via, a first metal line and a second-level via and a second word line electrically coupled to a second group of memory cells through a second word line strap structure, wherein the second word line strap structure and the first word line strap structure are separated by at least two memory cells.

A memory circuit layout design includes first, second, third, and fourth memory cell regions abutting one another and corresponding to respective first, second, third, and fourth memory cells of the memory circuit. A first oxide diffusion (OD) layout pattern corresponds to a first active structure for forming the first and second memory cells, extends along a first direction, and has a shared source portion overlapping the first and second memory cell regions. A second OD layout pattern corresponds to a second active structure for forming the third and fourth memory cells, extends along the first direction, and has a shared source portion overlapping the third and fourth memory cell regions. A first conductive layout pattern corresponds to a first conductive structure under a lowest via plug layer of the memory circuit, extends along a second direction, and overlaps the shared source portions of the first and second OD layout patterns.

A method of making a ROM structure includes the operations of forming an active area having a channel, a source region, and a drain region; depositing a gate electrode over the channel; depositing a conductive line over at least one of the source region and the drain region; adding dopants to the source region and the drain region of the active area; forming contacts to the gate electrode, the source region, and the drain; depositing a power rail, a bit line, and at least one word line of the integrated circuit against the contacts; and dividing the active area with a trench isolation structure to electrically isolate the gate electrode from the source region and the drain region.

An apparatus comprises a plurality of memory cells in rows and columns, a first word line electrically coupled to a first group of memory cells through a first word line strap structure comprising a first gate contact, a first-level via, a first metal line and a second-level via and a second word line electrically coupled to a second group of memory cells through a second word line strap structure, wherein the second word line strap structure and the first word line strap structure are separated by at least two memory cells.

An integrated circuit (IC) chip embodiment includes first and second ROM cells arranged in a same row of a ROM array. The first and second ROM cells include first portions of first and second gate structures, respectively. The IC chip further includes a strap cell disposed between the first and second ROM cells. The strap cell includes second portions of the first and second gate structures. The first gate structure is physically separated from the second gate structure.