Patent · US Active

Alpha-particle-tolerant semiconductor die systems, devices, components and methods for optimizing clock rates and minimizing die size

US7451418B2 · kind B2 · utility

3Cited by
20References
35Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 19, 2006
Grant dateNov 11, 2008
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 16, 2027

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L2924/16152
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for determining the placement of storage and non-storage cells or components, representing a semiconductor component in a design stage, on an integrated circuit die. In one embodiment, regions of a semiconductor die are analyzed with respect to the susceptibility of a region to be exposed to radiation and the distance between a storage component and a local clock buffer. The radiation, for instance, may be alpha particle radiation emitted from lead (Pb) isotopes in solder bumps formed on the integrated circuit die. The distance, spatial positioning and/or physical proximity of a selected local clock buffer and a storage component are preferably selected so that the skew between the storage component and the local clock buffer is about 30 picoseconds or less. Other maximum skews may be employed, however, such as about 100 picoseconds or less, about 90 picoseconds or less, about 80 picoseconds or less, about 70 picoseconds or less, about 60 picoseconds or less, about 50 picoseconds or less, about 40 picoseconds or less, about 20 picoseconds or less, about 10 picoseconds or less and about 5 picoseconds or less.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.