COAG (Contact-Over-Active-Gate) is an advanced integration technique that allows metal contacts to be placed directly over the gate electrode in the active transistor region — eliminating the need for contacts to land only on the gate over isolation (field), dramatically reducing standard cell area.

COAG vs. Traditional

• Traditional: Gate contacts must land over STI (isolation) — requires extra space in the cell layout.
• COAG: Gate contacts can land over the active channel region — enabled by a robust SAC cap.
• Requirement: The SAC cap must perfectly prevent gate-to-contact shorts even when the contact overlaps the gate.
• Design: COAG enables single-fin cell designs and significantly smaller standard cells.

Why It Matters

• Area Reduction: COAG reduces standard cell height by 1-2 fin pitches — significant area savings.
• Scaling Enabler: Required for 7nm and below for competitive cell area.
• Design Flexibility: Gives place-and-route tools more freedom in contact placement.

COAG is putting contacts wherever needed — allowing gate contacts over the active area to shrink standard cell layouts dramatically.