Method for Increasing the Decoupling Capacity in a Microelectronic Circuit

Abstract

A method for increasing the decoupling capacitance in a microelectronic circuit. The method comprises producing a circuit design of the microelectronic circuit, analyzing the produced circuit design, and subsequently filling gaps in the circuit design by cells with decoupling capacitor.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for increasing the decoupling capacity in a microelectronic circuit comprising: producing with a computer a circuit design of a microelectronic circuit; analyzing with said computer the produced circuit design; and filling of gaps in the circuit design with said computer by cells with decoupling capacitors.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising: analyzing with said computer the positions of conductor paths around the cells with decoupling capacitor; and rearranging with said computer the conductor paths when problem cases occur.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising: replacing with said computer at least one of the cells with the decoupling capacitor by at least one cell with a supply line when problem cases occur that are irresolvable otherwise.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: dividing the gaps into several sections with said computer; and separately analyzing with said computer the positions of the conductor paths around the respective sections, in order to recognize problem cases.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising, upon occurrence of problem cases in individual ones of the sections, rearranging with said computer the conductor paths or replacement of at least one of the cells with a decoupling capacitor by at least one cell with a supply line.

6. The method according to according to claim 5, further comprising the positioning with said computer at least one of the cells with a decoupling capacitor in the circuit design.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising rearranging with said computer conductor paths around the at least one cell with decoupling capacitor in order to remove at least a part of the problem cases.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising replacing with said computer at least one of the cells with decoupling capacitor by at least one cell with supply voltage when irresolvable problems occur.

9. A system with a server for carrying out the method for increasing the decoupling capacity in a microelectronic circuit, the method comprising: producing with said server a circuit design of the microelectronic circuit; analyzing with said server the produced circuit design; and filling of gaps in the circuit design by cells with decoupling capacitor with said server.

10. A computer program product comprising program logic for carrying out a method for increasing the decoupling capacity in a microelectronic circuit, the method comprising: producing a circuit design of the microelectronic circuit; analyzing the produced circuit design; and filling of gaps in the circuit design by cells with decoupling capacitor, wherein the program logic is stored in a memory.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the following figures. It will be understood that the embodiments and aspects of the invention described in the figures are only examples and do not limit the protective scope of the claims in any way. The invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents. It will be understood that features of one aspect or embodiment of the invention can be combined with a feature of a different aspect or aspects of other embodiments of the invention. This invention becomes more obvious when reading the following detailed descriptions of some examples as part of the disclosure under consideration of the enclosed drawings. Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of this disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 1 is an overview of a system for producing circuit designs and layouts for a microelectronic circuit;

[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates a layout of elements in the microelectronic circuit;

[0022] FIG. 3 illustrates a sequence of a method in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIGS. 4A-4C illustrates the replacement of cells;

[0024] FIGS. 5A-5D illustrates the division of the cells into sections; and

[0025] FIGS. 6A-6E illustrates different elements in different sections.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The object of the present invention is fully described below using examples for the purpose of disclosure, without limiting the disclosure to the examples. The examples present different aspects of the present invention. To implement the present technical teaching, it is not required to implement all of these aspects combined. Rather, a person skilled in the art will select and combine those aspects that appear sensible and required for the corresponding application and implementation.

[0027] FIG. 1 shows an overview of an exemplary system 10 for producing a circuit design and a layout 100 on the basis of the circuit design for a microelectronic circuit. The system 10 comprises a work station 20 connected to a server 30 via a network 25. An EDA software 40 runs on the server 30. The EDA software 40 can be from Synopsys, Cadence or Mentor, for example. A designer at the work station 20 uses the EDA software 40 for specifying a circuit design for the microelectronic circuit. The EDA software 40 checks the circuit design and creates the layout 100 automatically. The designer can view the circuit design and the layout 100 at the work station 20 and create changes in the circuit design or layout 100.

[0028] FIG. 2 shows a part of a typical layout 100 of the microelectronic circuit. This layout 100 comprises a plurality of cells 105 which comprise a plurality of elements, for example switching elements. The cells 105 are arranged in rows. In FIG. 2 merely one single row is represented. In practice, the layout 100 comprises a very large number of cells in a large number of rows. Between the cells 105 there are gaps 110. In FIG. 2 all cells 105 are shown to be of equal size. In practice, these cells 105 can be of different sizes.

[0029] Between the cells 105 conductor paths 140 are arranged. These conductor paths 140 connect the elements in the cells 105. FIG. 2 shows only one level of the layout 100. The finished microelectronic circuit comprises a multiplicity of levels with cells 105 and conductor paths 140. Between the levels “vias” or connections or through-connections are present which connect the conductor paths 140 on the individual levels (metal layers) electrically/physically.

[0030] The method for producing a layout 100 for the microelectronic circuit is shown in FIG. 3. In a first step 300 the circuit design is produced by the designer. This circuit design is produced by the EDA software 40. After the production of the circuit design, the EDA software 40 automatically creates the layout 100 for a semiconductor chip of the microelectronic circuit in step 310. The EDA software 40 produces the layout 100 by positioning the cells 105 and the corresponding conductor paths 140 on a plurality of levels. In the gaps 110 between the cells 105 so-called FILLER cells are integrated in the step 320. These FILLER cells contain either decoupling capacitors (so-called DECAP cells standing for decoupling capacitors) or empty cells that only have a supply line (called FEED cells).

[0031] In the non-limiting embodiment of this method the decoupling capacitors in the DECAP cells merely have M1 structures, wherein a M1 structure is a metallization layer above the cell 105, and form a small capacitor between the supply line and the neutral wire. In this embodiment example the decoupling capacitors are placed merely in the gaps 110 by the EDA software 40, where no M1 layer of the decoupling capacitor touches the conductor paths 140 of the produced layout 100. In the other gaps 110 FEED cells are integrated. In the microelectronic circuits so far, this automatic placing of the DECAP cells leads to a low value for the decoupling capacity of the microelectronic circuit. Tests have shown that less than five percent of the FILLER cells contain decoupling capacitors.

[0032] In a further step 325 the FEED cells are replaced by DECAP cells with decoupling capacitors in the layout 100, as long as the replacement has only a minor influence on the existing conductor paths 140 or time specifications of the microelectronic circuit. This step 325 is created by a script in the EDA software 40. In this step 325 largely only those FEED cells are replaced by DECAP cells in which only few conductor paths 140 are present above the cells, otherwise a negative influence would have to be expected. This replacement of the cells can cause a short circuit between the conductor paths 140 in the M1 layer, however, and for this reason in a further step 330 a further run of the EDA software 40 is effected, in order to newly place the conductor paths 140 in the M1 metallization layer above the replaced cell or to lay them in higher levels, in order to eliminate such short circuits. This repositioning of the conductor paths 140 is possible only when the number of conductor paths 140 above the replaced cells does not have a high density of the conductor paths 140. Otherwise, this further run of the EDA software 40 cannot replace the conductor paths 140 optimally. In principle, a repositioning of the conductor paths 140 is possible independently of the density of the conductor paths, the density of the conductor paths is merely analyzed here in order not to have the EDA software 40 effect excessive changes of the existing conductor paths 140; this could change a timing of the circuit, for example.

[0033] FIGS. 4A-C show an example of this step. In FIG. 4a a gap 110 between two cells is represented. In FIG. 4B this gap is filled by the EDA software 40 with FEED cells 130. In FIG. 4C the FEED cells 130 are replaced by DECAP cells 120 with decoupling capacitors and the conductor paths 140 are newly replaced or rearranged or positioned in order to avoid a short circuit.

[0034] After carrying out the step 330, the microelectronic circuit has a substantially higher number of decoupling capacitors. However, the layout 100 can still have too few decoupling capacitors. Unlike the prior art method known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,618,847 B1, the decoupling capacitors can be inserted throughout the microelectronic circuit.

[0035] In a further embodiment of the method the step 325 can be complemented. In this further aspect, the respective cells 105 are divided into a plurality of sections.

[0036] In FIGS. 5A-D it can be seen that the cells 105 are divided into three sections in each case, and the replacement of FEED cells by DECAP cells is performed for each of the three sections in each case. In this exemplary method step, three sections are taken into account. Of course, a larger or smaller number of sections can be taken into account.

[0037] It can be seen in FIG. 5A that the replacement of the FEED cells is not possible since the density of the conductor paths 150 and 150a-c is too high. In FIG. 5B the cell is divided into three sections and it can be recognized that the problem is present merely in the right section with the three conductor paths 150a-c. In the left and central section the partial FEED cell can be replaced by a DECAP cell with a corresponding decoupling capacitor. Thus, the cell in FIG. 5C is formed with a decoupling capacitor in the left section and empty cells on the right side.

[0038] After carrying out the method step 330, the conductor path 150 will be rearranged and brought to an upper level by vias 155. This rearrangement is shown in FIG. 5D.

[0039] In FIG. 6 the different possibilities are shown for the cells represented in FIG. 5A-5D. It can be seen that each cell 105 has been/is divided into three sections and the respective sections are analyzed. The decoupling capacitor can be integrated either in the left and central section (FIG. 6A), in the right and central section (FIG. 6B) or only in the left section (FIG. 6C), in the central section (FIG. 6D) or in the right section (FIG. 6E). It would also be possible that none of the three sections can accommodate a decoupling capacitor 120 and in this case the cell 105 is not divided into sections (FIG. 6F).

[0040] In a further aspect of the method merely DECAP cells with decoupling capacitors 120 are integrated in the gaps 110 in the step 120. These “forcefully integrated” cells cause many short circuits in the microelectronic circuit. In this case, some of the problematic conductor paths 140 causing these short circuits are rearranged in a further run of the EDA software 140. However, the EDA software does not attempt to rearrange all problematic conductor paths 140 where short circuits occur.

[0041] A further run of the EDA software 40 subsequently removes all FEED cells where short circuits possibly still occur after rearrangement of the conductor paths 140. This further aspect of the method has the result that the microelectronic circuit has additional DECAP cells with decoupling capacitors.

[0042] In several tests, rules were determined for carrying out the method step. It was determined that the highest number of conductor paths for the analysis of the short circuits amounts to four or five levels. When a conductor path 140 is disposed above the cell 105 on the fifth level, it is assumed that this conductor path cannot cause any short circuits. The conductor paths 140 outside of the cells are not taken into account, since these hardly contribute to short circuits.

[0043] The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, and their equivalents. The entirety of each of the aforementioned documents is incorporated by reference herein.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0044] 10 system [0045] 20 work station [0046] 25 network [0047] 30 server [0048] 40 EDA software [0049] 100 layout [0050] 105 cell [0051] 110 gap [0052] 120 DECAP cell with decoupling capacitor [0053] 130 FEED cell with supply voltage [0054] 140 conductive path [0055] 150 conductive path [0056] 155 via