Granted Patent B2

US 7,895,550 · App. 12/103,825 · Granted Feb 22, 2011

Assignee: LSI Corporation

Abstract

Claims (50)

1. A processor-based method for reducing variation in a desired property between transistors in an integrated circuit that is fabricated with a given process, the method comprising the steps of:

using the processor, characterizing the given process to form a mathematical model that,

associates changes in polysilicon density and active density in a design for the integrate circuit with changes in gate length and gate width in the transistors, and

associates changes in the gate length and the gate width to the desired property,

laying out the integrated circuit design with space sufficient to adjust the gate length and the gate width of the transistors without violating design rules of the transistors,

dividing the integrated circuit design into virtual portions,

for at least a given one of the portions of the integrated circuit design, measuring the polysilicon density and the active density of the portion,

determining whether an adjustment to at least one of the gate length and the gate width will reduce variation in the desired property between the transistors in the portion of the integrated circuit design,

using the processor, for at least one of the transistors in the given portion of the integrated circuit design, selectively adjusting at least one of the gate length and the gate width of the transistor according to the mathematical model based on at least one of the polysilicon density and the active density of the portion, to reduce variation in the desired property between the transistors in the integrated circuit design, and

fixing the integrated circuit design into a non-transitory medium.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the desired property of the transistors are electrical properties.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the desired property of the transistors include at least one of current density and voltage threshold.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polysilicon density and the active density are measured for all portions of the integrated circuit.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the gate length and the gate width is adjusted for all of the transistors in the at least one portion.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gate width is adjusted before adjusting the gate length, and if the variation is reduced to a desired degree by the adjustment to the gate width, then the gate length is not adjusted.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gate width is adjusted if the adjustment does not violate the design rules.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gate length is adjusted before adjusting the gate width, and if the variation is reduced to a desired degree by the adjustment to the gate length, then the gate width is not adjusted.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gate length is adjusted if the adjustment does not violate the design rules.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein both the gate width and the gate length are adjusted.

11. A processor-based method for reducing variation in desired electrical properties between transistors in an integrated circuit that is fabricated with a given process, the method comprising the steps of:

using the processor, characterizing the given process to form a mathematical model that,

associates changes in polysilicon density and active density in a design for the integrate circuit with changes in gate length and gate width in the transistors, and

associates changes in the gate length and the gate width to the desired electrical properties,

laying out the integrated circuit design with space sufficient to adjust the gate length and the gate width of the transistors without violating design rules of the transistors,

dividing the integrated circuit design into virtual portions,

for at least one of the portions of the integrated circuit design, measuring the polysilicon density and the active density of the portion,

determining whether an adjustment to at least one of the gate length and the gate width will reduce variation in the desired property between the transistors in the portion of the integrated circuit design,

using the processor, for at least one of the transistors in each portion of the integrated circuit design, selectively adjusting at least one of the gate length and the gate width of the transistor according to the mathematical model based on at least one of the polysilicon density and the active density of the portion, to reduce variation in the desired property between the transistors in the integrated circuit design, wherein

if an adjustment to the gate width does not violate the design rules, then the gate width is adjusted before adjusting the gate length, and if the variation is reduced to a desired degree by the adjustment to the gate width, then the gate length is not adjusted, and

fixing the integrated circuit design into a non-transitory medium.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the desired electrical properties of the transistors include at least one of current density and voltage threshold.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the polysilicon density and the active density are measured for all portions of the integrated circuit.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the gate length and the gate width is adjusted for all of the transistors in the at least one portion.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the gate length is only adjusted if the adjustment does not violate the design rules.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein both the gate width and the gate length are adjusted if the adjustment does not violate the design rules.

17. A processor-based method for reducing variation in desired electrical properties, including at least one of current density and voltage threshold, between transistors in an integrated circuit that is fabricated with a given process, the method comprising the steps of:

using the processor, characterizing the given process to form a mathematical model that,

associates changes in polysilicon density and active density in a design for the integrate circuit with changes in gate length and gate width in the transistors, and

associates changes in the gate length and the gate width to the desired electrical properties,

laying out the integrated circuit design with space sufficient to adjust the gate length and the gate width of the transistors without violating design rules of the transistors,

dividing the integrated circuit design into virtual portions,

for at least one of the portions of the integrated circuit design, measuring the polysilicon density and the active density of the portion,

determining whether an adjustment to at least one of the gate length and the gate width will reduce variation in the desired property between the transistors in the portion of the integrated circuit design,

using the processor, for at least one of the transistors in each portion of the integrated circuit design, selectively adjusting at least one of the gate length and the gate width of the transistor according to the mathematical model based on at least one of the polysilicon density and the active density of the portion, to reduce variation in the desired property between the transistors in the integrated circuit design, wherein

if an adjustment to the gate width does not violate the design rules, then the gate width is adjusted before adjusting the gate length, and if the variation is reduced to a desired degree by the adjustment to the gate width, then the gate length is not adjusted, and

the gate length is only adjusted if the adjustment does not violate the design rules, and

fixing the integrated circuit design into a non-transitory medium.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the polysilicon density and the active density are measured for all portions of the integrated circuit.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein at least one of the gate length and the gate width is adjusted for all of the transistors in the at least one portion.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein both the gate width and the gate length are adjusted.

Assignments (9)

Continuity (1)