Space efficient integrated circuit with passive devices
View Patent ↗A multimodal integrated circuit (IC) is provided, comprising, first ( 74 ) and second ( 76 ) semiconductor (SC) devices, and first ( 78 ) and second ( 80 ) integrated passive devices (IPDs) coupled, respectively, to the first ( 74 ) and second ( 76 ) SC devices, wherein the first IPD ( 78 ) overlies the second SC device ( 76 ) and the second IPD ( 80 ) overlies the first SC device ( 74 ) chosen such that the underlying SC device ( 74, 76 ) is not active at the same time as its overlying IPD ( 80, 78 ). By placing the IPDs ( 78, 80 ) over the SC devices ( 76, 74 ) a compact IC layout is obtained. Since the overlying IPD ( 78, 80 ) and underlying SC ( 76, 74 ) are not active at the same time, undesirable cross-talk ( 68, 69 ) between the IPDs ( 78, 80 ) and the SC devices ( 76, 74 ) is avoided. This arrangement applies to any IC having multiple signal paths (RF 1 , RF 2 ) where the IPDs ( 78, 80 ) of a first path (RF 1 , RF 2 ) may be placed over the SC devices ( 76, 74 ) of a second path (RF 2 , RF 1 ) not active at the same time. This is especially useful with high frequencies ICs.
1. A multimodal integrated circuit, comprising:
first and second semiconductor devices;
first and second integrated passive devices, wherein the first integrated passive device is coupled to the first semiconductor device and the second integrated passive device is coupled to the second semiconductor device; and
wherein the first integrated passive device overlies the second semiconductor device and the second integrated passive device overlies the first semiconductor device and each underlying semiconductor device is not active at the same time as the overlying integrated passive device.
2. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein the integrated passive devices comprise a thin film inductor or thin film capacitor or thin film resistor or a combination thereof.
3. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein the integrated passive devices comprise a filter or transmission line or interconnections or combinations thereof.
4. The integrated circuit of claim 3 , wherein the integrated passive devices comprise a filter having therein an acoustic resonator or micro-electrical-mechanical system resonator or a combination thereof.
5. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , where in the first integrated passive device is serially coupled to the first semiconductor device.
6. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , where in the first integrated passive device is serially coupled to the first semiconductor device ( 74 ) and the second integrated passive device is serially coupled to the second semiconductor device.
7. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein the first and second integrated passive devices are separated from the second and first semiconductor devices by an interlayer dielectric.
8. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , where in the semiconductor devices are field effect transistors.
9. A monolithic integrated circuit, comprising:
a substrate having therein first and second semiconductor devices, each with first and second principal electrodes and a control electrode;
an interlayer dielectric overlying the first and second semiconductor devices; first and second integrated passive devices overlying the interlayer dielectric; and
wherein the first integrated passive device overlies the second semiconductor device and the second integrated passive device overlies the first semiconductor device, configured so that the first and second semiconductor devices are not ON at the same time that their overlying integrated passive device is active.
10. The integrated circuit of claim 9 , wherein the first integrated passive device is coupled to a principal electrode of the first semiconductor device and the second integrated passive device is coupled to a principal electrode of the second semiconductor device.
11. The integrated circuit of claim 9 , wherein the first integrated passive device is serially coupled to the first semiconductor device and the second integrated passive device is serially coupled to the second semiconductor device.
12. The integrated circuit of claim 9 , wherein the integrated passive devices comprise planar inductances, planar capacitances or planar resistances or a combination thereof.
13. The integrated circuit of claim 9 , wherein the integrated passive devices comprise a planar filter, transmission line or interconnections or a combination thereof.
14. The integrated circuit of claim 13 , wherein the integrated passive devices comprise a filter having therein an acoustic resonator or a micro-electrical-mechanical system resonator or a combination thereof.
15. The integrated circuit of claim 9 , wherein semiconductor devices are field effect transistors with control gates and the integrated passive devices overlie the control gates ( 66 ).
16. An electronic structure, comprising:
a substrate; multiple semiconductor devices formed in or on the substrate; and
multiple integrated passive devices formed on the substrate, overlying at least some of the multiple semiconductor devices; arranged so that, when the electronic structure is energized, an overlying integrated passive device and its underlying semiconductor device are not active at the same time.
17. The electronic structure of claim 16 , further comprising an interlayer dielectric located between the overlying integrated passive devices and underlying semiconductor devices.
18. The electronic structure of claim 16 , wherein the integrated passive devices comprise planar inductors.
19. The electronic structure of claim 16 , wherein the semiconductor devices comprise field effect devices.
20. The electronic structure of claim 16 , wherein an integrated passive device overlying a first SC device is electrically coupled to a second semiconductor device different than the first semiconductor device.