Integrated circuit having tap cells and a method for positioning tap cells in an integrated circuit
First Claim
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1. An integrated circuit comprising:
- a plurality of tap cells, each tap cell including at least one of a well tap and a substrate tap, wherein said tap cells are fixed at intervals, and further wherein said intervals do not exceed a maximum allowable distance.
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Abstract
An integrated circuit includes a set of standard cells, referred to as tap cells, each having a well tap and a substrate tap for coupling a well region and a substrate region to a power source and ground, respectively. The tap cells are disposed at intervals that do not exceed a maximum allowable distance as specified by a set of design rules associated with the integrated circuit. A method for designing the integrated circuit includes determining the positions at which the tap cells will be fixed and creating a design layout for the integrated circuit using a place and route tool that incorporates the positions.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An integrated circuit comprising:
a plurality of tap cells, each tap cell including at least one of a well tap and a substrate tap, wherein said tap cells are fixed at intervals, and further wherein said intervals do not exceed a maximum allowable distance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An integrated circuit comprising:
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a placeable area that is partitioned into a set of rows;
a plurality of tap cells disposed in alternating rows of said placeable area, wherein each tap cell includes at least one of a well tap and a substrate tap, and wherein said tap cells are fixed at intervals in said alternating rows, and further wherein said intervals do not exceed a maximum allowable distance;
a plurality of logic cells disposed in said rows of said placeable area, wherein said logic cells are adapted to cause said integrated circuit to perform a set of desired functions, and wherein said logic cells disposed in said alternating rows with said tap cells are positioned in said intervals between said tap cells. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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12. A method for designing an integrated circuit, comprising the steps of:
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determining a set of positions at which a set of tap cells will be fixed in said integrated circuit, wherein each of said tap cells includes at least one of a well tap and a substrate tap, and wherein said positions are located at intervals, and further wherein said intervals do not exceed a maximum allowable distance; and
,creating a layout for said integrated circuit, wherein said layout incorporates said positions at which said tap cells will be fixed.
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19. A method for designing an integrated circuit, comprising the steps of:
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determining a set of positions at which a set of tap cells will be fixed in said integrated circuit, wherein each of said tap cells includes at least one of a well tap and a substrate tap, and wherein said positions are located at intervals, and further wherein said intervals do not exceed a maximum allowable distance;
providing said positions as data input to a place and route tool; and
,using said place and route tool to create a layout for said integrated circuit, wherein said layout incorporates said positions at which said tap cells will be fixed.
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Specification