Six-track Standard Cell Libraries with Fin Depopulation, Contact over Active Gate, and Narrower Diffusion Break in 7nm Technology

In this article we present three 6-track standard cell libraries based on ASAP7 PDK which is extended to include three technologies, contacts over active gates (COAG), fin depopulation, and a diffusion break taking a space of one contacted poly pitch (CPP). All these three technologies are invented to reduce standard cell area and thus chip area. Experimental results show that fin depopulation solely can achieve 8.3% area saving, COAG brings about another 9.3%, and a diffusion break of 1 CPP adds another 2.5% more. These three technologies all together bring about 20% area saving when compared with that obtained by employing a 7.5-track cell library without excising these three technologies.