Patent ID: 9741723
Date: 2017-08-22
CPC Classifications: H01L

Claim:
1. An apparatus comprising: an active cell area including a plurality of first active regions isolated from each other, a plurality of word lines extending in a first direction substantially parallel to each other and a plurality of bit lines extending in a second direction substantially parallel to each other, the second direction crossing the first direction; a dummy cell area provided outside the active cell area, the dummy cell area including a plurality of second active regions arranged in a column along the first direction and isolated from each other; an isolation area provided outside the dummy cell area; and a guard active region intervening between the isolation area and the dummy cell area, the guard active region comprising a first guard active region extending longitudinally along the first direction, the first guard active region having a comb shape comprising a continuous straight-linear active region comb shaft extending along the first direction and spaced active region comb teeth angling from the comb shaft away from the isolation area, the spaced active region comb teeth individually alternating with individual of the dummy second active regions in the column along the first direction, the individual comb teeth along the first direction being between every immediately-adjacent of the individual dummy second active regions with no additional active region being between immediately-adjacent of the individual comb teeth.