The present invention relates to the design of semiconductor chips such as RF switches.
CMOS device performance is affected, often critically, by dimension control of the device's gate length. A manufacturable gate definition process includes both gate patterning and etching. For example, while it is generally desirable to use as little polysilicon as possible in the formation of the gates of RF CMOS devices, the typical polysilicon etch process used in the formation of such CMOS devices requires the use of more polysilicon than is desired for these gates.
That is, gate etching is sensitive to the “micro-loading” effect. Micro-loading is usually defined as the utilization of the chip area between the gate and the chip. Micro-loading is generally not a concern for typical LSI circuits which have ratios of 10% or more of gate area to total chip area. However, for certain types of applications, such as RF switches, which demand both extremely high performance and a limited gate area, a significant adjustment of the gate etch chemistry or bias condition is usually exploited because of the need for a low gate area.
The present invention permits the use of conventional gate etch processes by placing polysilicon pads underneath probe pads during chip layout. Accordingly, the overall ratio of polysilicon to chip area can be increased so that conventional gate etching processes can be used, while the ratio of gate polysilicon to chip area can be kept small for better device operation. In addition, by increasing the polysilicon area in the chip layout, the gate etch process margin for deep sub-micron applications is improved.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor device comprises first and second polysilicon and metal pads. The first polysilicon forms circuit elements of the semiconductor device on a chip, and at least some of the circuit elements comprise polysilicon gates. The second polysilicon forms polysilicon pads of the semiconductor device on the chip. The metal pads cover the polysilicon pads.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor device chip comprises first, second, and third transistors, a plurality of polysilicon resistors, a plurality of polysilicon pads, and contacts. The first transistor comprises gate regions and alternating source and drain regions. Each gate region of the first transistor is between a pair of adjacent source and drain regions, and each gate region of the first transistor comprises polysilicon. The second transistor comprises gate regions and alternating source and drain regions. Each gate region of the second transistor is between a pair of adjacent source and drain regions, and each gate region of the second transistor comprises polysilicon. The third transistor comprises gate regions and alternating source and drain regions. Each gate region of the third transistor is between a pair of adjacent source and drain regions, and each gate region of the third transistor comprises polysilicon. The contacts cover the polysilicon pads.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, a method of making an RF switch comprises forming a plurality of polysilicon gates on a chip, and forming a plurality of polysilicon pads on the chip so that there is substantially little RF coupling between the polysilicon pads and the polysilicon gates.
These and other features and advantages will become more apparent from a detailed consideration of the invention when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:
The transistor 14 has a source 40, a drain 42, and a gate 44. The source 40 is coupled to a metal layer 46, the drain 42 is coupled to the metal layer 26, and the gate 44 is coupled to a metal layer 48. A resistor 50 couples the metal layer 48 to the metal layer 32. The channel of the transistor 14 is coupled to a metal layer 52 which is coupled by a resistor 54 to a metal layer 56.
The transistor 16 has a source 58, a drain 60, and a gate 62. The source 58 is coupled to the metal layer 26, the drain 60 is coupled to a metal layer 64, and the gate 62 is coupled to a metal layer 66. A resistor 68 couples the metal layer 66 to a metal layer 70.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Also as shown in
The metal layer 46 extends below the window 130 and couples the source 40 of the transistor 14 to the probe pad 110. The probe pad 110, for example, may function as an output terminal that carries an output signal, such as an output RF signal, from the transistor 14. The metal layer 70 extends below the metal template 126 and couples the gate 62 of the transistor 16 and the resistor 68 to the probe pad 116. The probe pad 116, for example, may function as a control terminal that carries a control signal to the gate 62 of the transistor 16.
The metal layer 38 couples the channel of the transistor 12 and the resistor 36 to a portion 134 of the metal template 126. Similarly, the metal layer 56 couples the channel of the transistor 14 and the resistor 54 to a portion 136 of the metal template 126. Finally, the metal layer 64 couples the drain 60 of the transistor 16 to a portion 138 of the metal template 126. The transistors 12, 14, and 16, as well as the resistors 30, 36, 50, 54, and 68, of the semiconductor device 10 are all located within the window 130 of the metal template 126.
The polysilicon pad 142 is formed under the probe pad 102, the polysilicon pad 144 is formed under the probe pad 104, the polysilicon pad 146 is formed under the probe pad 106, the polysilicon pad 148 is formed under the probe pad 108, the polysilicon pad 150 is formed under the probe pad 110, the polysilicon pad 152 is formed under the probe pad 112, the polysilicon pad 154 is formed under the probe pad 114, the polysilicon pad 156 is formed under the probe pad 116, the polysilicon pad 158 is formed under the probe pad 118, the polysilicon pad 160 is formed under the probe pad 120, the polysilicon pad 162 is formed under the probe pad 122, and the polysilicon pad 164 is formed under the probe pad 124.
Each of the polysilicon gate regions 76 may have a length of 0.35 μ with a tolerance of 0.05 μ. As viewed in
The polysilicon pads 142, 144, 146, 148, 150, 152, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162, and 164 are provided in order to add additional polysilicon so that the polysilicon gate regions 76, 86, and 96 are formed properly during polysilicon etching. For example, if the area of the chip is commensurate with the metal template 126 shown in
However, the ratio of the area of the polysilicon gates 22, 44, and 62 plus the area of the polysilicon pads 142, 144, 146, 148, 150, 152, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162, and 164 to the chip area is on the order of 14%. As a result, after gate etching, the polysilicon gate regions 76, 86, and 96 will have substantially vertical sides as shown in FIG. 8.
Moreover, by placing the polysilicon pads 142, 144, 146, 148, 150, 152, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162, and 164 under their corresponding probe pads 102, 106, 108, 112, 114, 118, 120, and 124, the polysilicon pads 142, 144, 146, 148, 150, 152, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162, and 164 do no adversely affect the operation of the semiconductor device 10. For example, if the semiconductor device 10 is operated as an RF switch, this placement of the polysilicon pads 142, 144, 146, 148, 150, 152, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162, and 164 results in substantially little RF coupling between the polysilicon of the polysilicon pads 142, 144, 146, 148, 150, 152, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162, and 164 and the polysilicon of the transistors 12, 14, and 16.
Modifications of the present invention will occur to those practicing in the art of the present invention. Accordingly, the description of the present invention is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention. The details may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive use of all modifications which are within the scope of the appended claims is reserved.
This is a Divisional application of Ser. No. 09/745,239, filed Dec. 20, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,674,108.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20040021157 A1 | Feb 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 09745239 | Dec 2000 | US |
Child | 10631596 | US |