Texas Instruments Incorporated
Integrated circuit with inductors having electrically split scribe seal

Abstract:

An IC includes a substrate including metal levels thereon including a top and bottom metal level with at least a transmit (Tx) circuit and receive (Rx) circuit each having .gtoreq.1 isolation capacitor and an inductor. A scribe seal around the IC includes a first portion around the Tx circuit and second portion around the Rx circuit, utilizing .gtoreq.2 of the metal levels including at least an outer metal stack. The Tx and Rx circuits are side-by-side along a direction that defines a length for the scribe seal. The outer metal stack includes a neck region between the scribe seal portions including a shorting structure including metal level(s) for shorting together the outer metal stack of the scribe seal portions. An optional routing pass-through isolated from the shorting structure includes other metal layers connecting through the neck region between node(s) within the first and second scribe seal portion.