A novel design-for-yield solution based on interconnect level layout improvements at 7nm technology node

Continuous scaling of CMOS process technology to 7nm (and below) has introduced new constraints and challenges in determining Design-for-Yield (DFY) solutions. In this work, traditional solutions such as improvements in redundancy and in compensating target designs for low process window margins are extended to meet the additional constraints of complex 7nm design rules. Experiments conducted on 7nm industrial designs demonstrate that the proposed solution achieves 9.1%-41% redundant-via-rate improvements while ensuring all 7nm design rule constraints are met.