Described herein is a ROM architecture featuring a ROM bitcell without a transistor, a ROM architecture wherein the bitcell device gate goes to a column address and the local bitline is sensed per row per mux, a ROM architecture wherein the bitcell device gate goes to the column address and the full row of bitcells is enabled by a row enable signal, and a ROM architecture wherein the bitcell device gate goes to the row address and the full column of bitcells is enabled by a column enable signal. The presently described architectures provide large advantages in terms of PPA.

Described herein is a ROM architecture featuring a ROM bitcell without a transistor, a ROM architecture wherein the bitcell device gate goes to a column address and the local bitline is sensed per row per mux, a ROM architecture wherein the bitcell device gate goes to the column address and the full row of bitcells is enabled by a row enable signal, and a ROM architecture wherein the bitcell device gate goes to the row address and the full column of bitcells is enabled by a column enable signal. The presently described architectures provide large advantages in terms of PPA.

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.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate having a first active region; first and second gate electrodes disposed on the first active region; first, second and third impurity regions disposed in the first active region; first, second and third active contacts disposed on and connected to the first, second and third impurity regions; a first power line electrically connected to the first impurity region through the first active contact; and a first bit line electrically connected to the second and third impurity regions through the second and third active contacts. The first gate electrode and the first and second impurity regions form a first transistor of a first memory cell. The second gate electrode and the second and third impurity regions form a second transistor of a second memory cell. The second impurity region is a drain of the first and second transistors of the first and second 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.

In some implementations, fluorine is oxidized after dry etching an oxide layer above a source/drain contact and before cleaning. Accordingly, less hydrofluoric acid is formed during cleaning, which reduces unexpected wet etching of the source/drain contact. This allows for forming a recess in the source/drain contact with a depth to width ratio in a range from approximately 1.0 to approximately 1.4 and prevents damage to a layer of silicide below the source/drain that can be caused by excessive hydrofluoric acid. Additionally, or alternatively, the recess is formed using multiple wet etch processes, and any residual fluorine is oxidized between the wet etch processes. Accordingly, each wet etching process may be shorter and less corrosive, which allows for greater control over dimensions of the recess. Additionally, less hydrofluoric acid may be formed during cleaning processes between the wet etch processes, which reduces the etching of the source/drain contact between processes.

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.

A memory circuit includes a first active structure extending along a first direction, a second active structure extending along the first direction, a first conductive structure extending along a second direction, and a lowest via plug layer over the first conductive structure. The first active structure has a shared source portion corresponding to a source node of a first memory cell of the memory circuit and a source node of a second memory cell of the memory circuit. The second active structure has a shared source portion corresponding to a source node of a third memory cell of the memory circuit and a source node of a fourth memory cell of the memory circuit. The first conductive structure electrically connects the shared source portion of the first active structure with the shared source portion of the second active structure.

A memory circuit includes first and second read-only memory (ROM) cells aligned along a first active structure including a first shared source portion of the first and second ROM cells, third and fourth ROM cells aligned along a second active structure including a second shared source portion of the third and fourth ROM cells, a first bit line overlying the first and second ROM cells, a second bit line overlying the third and fourth ROM cells, and a reference voltage line positioned between the first and second bit lines and in a same metal layer as the first and second bit lines. A conductive structure is electrically connected to each of the first and second shared source portions and the reference voltage line and is positioned in a metal layer below the same metal layer.

A ROM cell includes first and second three-dimensional transistors. The second transistor is formed above the first transistor, and the channel portions of the first and second transistors overlap each other. First data is stored depending on whether first and second local interconnects connected to the nodes of the first transistor are connected to a same line, or different lines, out of a bit line and a ground power supply line. Second data is stored depending on whether third and fourth local interconnects connected to the nodes of the second transistor are connected to a same line, or different lines, out of a bit line and a ground power supply line.