This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-121388, filed on Apr. 19, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
This invention generally relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit device and, more particularly, to a semiconductor integrated circuit device designed in a standard cell system.
In order to improve design accuracy and shorten a period of time for development, automatic design is carried out for a large scale semiconductor integrated circuit (LSI) device in accordance with a standard cell system disposed of predetermined height standard cells. Design rules of boundary patterns are set up for layouts of well boundaries, electric-power-supply lines, distances from the well boundaries to internal patterns, etc. to dispose standard cells closely. Since the standard cells are disposed closely, the standard cells are connected to each other and the electric power supply lines are connected to the wells as described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0078769A1, for instance.
Recently, large scale logic LSI devices for graphic processors or the like are provided with many memory blocks of small scale SRAM (static random access memory) or the like in addition to standard cell regions in which standard cells are disposed. The design of such memory blocks is customized to comply with requirements for the reduction of areas and high performances. Layout design for the memory blocks is carried our depending on pitches of the memory cells disposed in the memory blocks. In other words, since the memory blocks are different in design rules from the standard cell, space regions are provided regions between the memory blocks and the standard cells to avoid conflict of each design rule. Particularly, in the case that many small memory blocks are used, space regions are provided between memory blocks and standard cell regions, respectively, so that chip areas are increased. Alternatively, even if regions with no patterns were provided on boundary sides between standard cell regions in memory blocks to prevent troubles due to the contact by standard cells to memory blocks, chip areas should be increased eventually.
One aspect of the present invention is directed to an LSI device designed in accordance with a standard cell system which is capable of suppressing the increase of chip areas due to disposition of memory blocks.
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to an LSI device defined by (a) standard cell regions for standard cells, (b) memory cells in memory blocks and (c) boundary positions of the standard cells. The standard cells are equal in height to each other and disposed in a vertical direction in the standard cell regions. The memory blocks contact the standard cell regions while the memory cells which is equal to the height of the standard cells or which is the height of the standard cells divided by an integer are disposed in a horizontal direction. The boundary positions between neighboring ones of the standard cells are consist with those between neighboring ones of the memory cells.
A more complete appreciation of the present invention and many of its attendant advantages will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed descriptions when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Embodiments of the present invention will be explained below with reference to the attached drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments but covers their equivalents. Throughout the attached drawings, similar or same reference numerals show similar, equivalent or same components. The drawings, however, are shown schematically for the purpose of explanation so that their components are not necessarily the same in shape or dimension as actual ones. In other words, concrete shapes or dimensions of the components should be considered as described in these specifications, not in view of the ones shown in the drawings. Further, some components shown in the drawings may be different in dimension or ratio from each other.
LSI device 100 of the first embodiment in accordance with the present invention is provided with standard cell region 10 and memory block 11 as shown in
As shown in
Each of standard cells 20 shown in
In standard cells 20 shown in
In memory blocks 11, on the other hand, layout design is carried out based on a pitch of memory cells. As shown in
Reading and writing circuits 31-34 read data from memory cells 21 and write data in memory cells 21 as the occasion demands. Height “Hrw” of reading and writing circuits 31-34 are multiple times by integers of those that are “Hm”. In the present embodiment, height “Hrw” of reading and writing circuits 31-34 are consistent with those that are “Hm” of memory cells 21, i.e., Hrw=Hm.
I/F circuits 41 and 42 transfer data read from memory cells 21 to standard cells 20 and transfer data transmitted from standard cells 20 to memory cells 21 as the need arises. Height “Hi” of I/F circuits 41 and 42 are two times those that are “Hm” of memory cells 21 or those that are “Hrw” of reading and writing circuits 31-34. In other words, height “Hi” of I/F circuits 41 and 42 are two times those that are “Hs” of standard cells 20. Further, peripheral circuit 45 is disposed in the vicinity of a vertical end portion of memory cells 21. Height “Hp” of peripheral circuit 45 is equal to height “Hm” of memory cells 21.
Here, a boundary position of standard cells 20 neighboring each other in the vertical direction coincides with that of memory cells 21 neighboring each other in the vertical direction. Thus, electric power supply lines 51-54 can be provided to extend linearly in the horizontal direction from memory blocks 11 through standard cell regions 10 on boundaries of standard cells 20 neighboring each other in the vertical direction as well as on those of memory cells 21 neighboring each other in the vertical direction. Electric power supply lines 51-54 can provide standard cells 20 and memory cells 21 with power supply voltage VDD or reference ground voltage GND.
Further, p-type wells ROWj+1, ROWj+3, ROWj+5, . . . and n-type wells ROWj+2, ROWj+4, ROWj+6, . . . are provided to extend in the horizontal direction from memory blocks 11 through standard cell region 10 as shown in
In this way, electric power supply lines 51-54 commonly provided for memory block 11 and standard cell region 10 and p-type wells ROWj+1, ROWj+3, ROWj+5, . . . and n-type wells ROWj+2, ROWj+4, ROWj+6, . . . can be used in boundary positions in memory blocks 11 with respect to standard cell region 10 in the horizontal direction. That is, as shown in
A comparative example with LSI device 100 of
Since LSI device 100 shown in
Further, memory block 311 shown in
In contrast to that, LSI device 100 shown in
In addition, wells of memory block 311 cannot be connected to those of standard cell region 310 in the comparative LSI device shown in
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above with reference to the drawings. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and/or alternatives without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the attached claims.
Height “Hm” of memory cells 21, for example, may be a half, ⅓, . . . , or 1/n, (n=integer=1, 2, 3, . . . ) of those that are “Hs” of standard cells 20. As shown in
As described above, the present invention includes various other embodiments not described in detail as a matter of course. Thus, the reasonable scope of the invention should be determined in accordance with the claims.
In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for descriptive purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed. Moreover, the embodiments of the improved construction illustrated and described herein are by way of example, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction. Having now described the invention, the construction, the operation and use of embodiments thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby, the new and useful construction, and reasonable equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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P2005-121388 | Apr 2005 | JP | national |
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