Method and apparatus for elimination of parasitic bipolar action in logic circuits for history removal under stack contention including complementary oxide semiconductor (CMOS) silicon on insulator (SOI) elements

• US 6,188,247 B1
• Filed: 01/29/1999
• Issued: 02/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tran, Jeff Van, Storino, Salvatore N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tokar, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAN, VIBOL
• Application Number:
  US09/239,289
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 326/98, 326/95, 326/93, 326/104, 326/14, 326/15
• US Class Current: 326/98
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/00361 in field effect transistor circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/0963 using transistors of complementary type H03K19/0966 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention is an apparatus and method to overcome the unwanted effects of parasitic bipolar discharge in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) field effect transistors (FET) by eliminating the effects the sneak current discharging path by applying a contention free arrangement methodology to realize the dynamic logic circuit. The SOI MOS devices are arranged so as to eliminate the effects of electrical connections between certain intermediate nodes of the dynamic logic circuit. Accordingly, eliminating any parasitic bipolar current leakage paths associated with such electrical connections between certain intermediate nodes of said stacked SOI MOS devices of said dynamic circuit.

Claims

1. An apparatus with reduced bipolar transistor action including a dynamic logic circuit and a Silicon on Insulator (SOI) Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) device, comprising:

a plurality of stacked SOI MOS devices interconnected to perform a predetermined logic function defining a shared node and an intermediate node; and

a plurality of series connected active discharging devices defining a discharge path between said intermediate node and a common discharge potential, said plurality of series connected active discharging devices being controlled by respective inputs to said stacked SOI MOS devices;

wherein said plurality of series connected active discharging devices selectively discharge said intermediate node through said discharge path to said common discharge potential to eliminate parasitic bipolar transistor action in said stacked SOI MOS devices.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pre-charging device coupled to said dynamic logic circuit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said pre-charging device is coupled to said shared node.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said pre-charging device is a Field Effect Transistor.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said stacked SOI MOS devices are coupled to a corresponding logic input.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the SOI MOS electronic devices further comprise transistors.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said transistors are N type Field Effect Transistors (NFET).

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said transistors are P type Field Effect Transistors (PFET).

9. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said stacked transistors further comprise:

a first transistor having a body, a drain terminal, a source terminal, and a gate input terminal;

a second transistor having a body, a drain terminal, a source terminal, and a gate input terminal; and

said first and second transistors being operatively coupled.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said source terminal of said first transistor is coupled to said drain terminal of said second transistor defining a node.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said active discharging device is a transistor having

a drain operatively coupled to said defined node;

a gate operatively coupled to said gate input terminal; and

a source operatively coupled to a circuit common node.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said transistors are N type Field Effect Transistors (NFET) and said active discharging device is a P type Field Effect Transistors (PFET).

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said transistors are P type Field Effect Transistors (PFET) and said active precharging device is a N type Field Effect Transistors (NFET).

14. The apparatus according to claim 11 further comprising a plurality of said stacked transistors.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said plurality of said stacked transistors are connected in a parallel configuration.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said stacked transistors are N type Field Effect Transistors (NFET) and said active discharging devices are P type Field Effect Transistors (PFET).

17. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said stacked transistors are P type Field Effect Transistors (PFET) and said active precharging device are N type Field Effect Transistors (NFET).

18. A method of providing an apparatus with reduced bipolar transistor action including a dynamic logic circuit and a Silicon on Insulator (SOI) Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) device, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of stacked SOI MOS devices interconnected to perform a predetermined logic function defining a shared node and an intermediate node;

providing a plurality of series connected active discharging devices defining a discharge path between said intermediate node and a common discharge potential, said plurality of series connected active discharging devices being controlled by respective inputs to said stacked SOI MOS devices; and

arranging said plurality of series connected active discharging devices to selectively discharge said intermediate node to said common discharge potential to eliminate parasitic bipolar transistor action in said stacked SOI MOS devices.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said step of providing a plurality of stacked SOI MOS devices further includes providing a pre-charging device coupled to said dynamic circuit.

20. The method according to claim 19, comprising coupling said pre-charging device to said shared node.

21. The method according to claim 19 wherein said pre-charging device is a Field Effect Transistor.

22. The method according to claim 18 wherein providing said SOI MOS electronic devices further includes providing transistors.

23. The method according to claim 22 wherein said transistors are N type Field Effect Transistors (NFET).

24. The method according to claim 22 wherein said transistors are P type Field Effect Transistors (PFET).

25. The method according to claim 22 wherein said step of providing said stacked transistors further comprises:

providing a first transistor having a body, a drain terminal, a source terminal, and a gate input terminal;

providing a second transistor having a body, a drain terminal, a source terminal, and a gate input terminal; and

operatively coupling said first and second transistors.

26. The method according to claim 25 further comprising

coupling said source terminal of said first transistor to said drain terminal of said second transistor defining a node.

27. The method according to claim 26 wherein said active discharging device is a transistor comprising

operatively coupling a drain of said transistor to said defined node;

operatively coupling a gate of said transistor to said gate input terminal; and

operatively coupling a source of said transistor to a circuit common node.

28. The method according to claim 27 wherein said transistors are N type Field Effect Transistors (NFET) and said active discharging device is a P type Field Effect Transistors (PFET).

29. The method according to claim 27 wherein said transistors are P type Field Effect Transistors (PFET) and said active precharging device is a N type Field Effect Transistors (NFET).

30. The method according to claim 27 further comprising providing a plurality of said stacked transistors.

31. The method according to claim 30 wherein providing said plurality of said stacked transistors comprises connecting said stacked transitors in a parallel configuration.

32. The method according to claim 31 wherein said stacked transistors are N type Field Effect Transistors (NFET) and said active discharging devices are P type Field Effect Transistors (PFET).

33. The method according to claim 31 wherein said stacked transistors are P type Field Effect Transistors (PFET) and said active precharging device are N type Field Effect Transistors (NFET).

34. A Silicon on Insulator (SOI) Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) circuit for implementing a logic function, comprising:

a precharge node precharged by a precharge device;

an output device coupled to said precharge node;

a logic network, said logic network selectively discharging said precharge node to a common discharge potential in response to a plurality of inputs to implement a pre-defined logic function, said logic network comprising an intermediate node; and

an active discharge path from said intermediate node to said common discharge potential, said active discharge path selectively discharging said intermediate node to said common discharge potential to prevent parasitic bipolar transistor action.

35. The SOI MOS circuit of claim 34, wherein said active discharge path comprises a plurality of field effect transistors being arranged in series, the source of a first of said plurality of field effect transistors being coupled to said common discharge potential, the drain of a second of said plurality of field effect transistors being coupled to said intermediate node, said active discharge path running from the source of said second transistor to the drain of said first transistor, the gates of said first and second transistors being coupled to respective inputs of said plurality of inputs of said logic network.

36. The SOI MOS circuit of claim 34, wherein said logic network includes a plurality of parallel paths from said precharge node to said intermediate node, each path comprising a respective field effect transistor having a drain, a source coupled to said intermediate node and a gate coupled to a respective input of said plurality of inputs of said logic network, each said path running from said precharge node to the drain of the respective field effect transistor.

37. The SOI MOS circuit of claim 36, wherein each said logic network includes a plurality of parallel paths from said precharge node to said intermediate node, each path comprising a respective field effect transistor having a drain, a source coupled to said intermediate node and a gate coupled to a respective input of said plurality of inputs of said logic network, each said path running from said precharge node to the drain of the respective field effect transistor.