Patents Examined by George C. Eckert, II
  • Patent number: 6492736
    Abstract: A multiple layer mesh design that provides that a bridge associated with a second layer connects a rail on a first layer to a trunk on a fourth layer. If the trunk on the third layer shadows a plurality of rails on the first layer, preferably the bridge is at least as wide as a sum of the widths of the rails on the first layer which are shadowed by the trunk on the third layer. If the trunk on the third layer shadows a single rail on the first layer, preferably the bridge is at least as wide as twice the width of the rail on the first layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation
    Inventors: Chun Chan, Bo Shen
  • Patent number: 6489662
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device comprises a thin film layer formed on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, a laser-trimmable fuse element, a laser trimming positioning pattern for facilitating trimming of the fuse element, a high speed MOS transistor of a complete depletion type, and a high withstand voltage type MOS transistor and an ESD protecting circuit region connected to the high speed MOS transistor to prevent electrostatic breakdown of the thin film layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2002
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Hiroaki Takasu
  • Patent number: 6489663
    Abstract: An integrated semiconducting device comprises a semiconducting substrate, a plurality of grounding strips disposed above the substrate in a lower metal level of the semiconducting device, an inductor positioned in an upper metal level of the semiconducting device, and a plurality of conducting vias connected to and extending away from the grounding strips towards the inductor. The inductor, conducting via, ground strips structure forms a Faraday cage that acts as a shield against electromagnetic radiation. The number and placement of the conductive vias are adjustable and can be optimized based on the relative importance of maximizing the quality factor Q of the inductor or minimizing the capacitance between the inductor and ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Arne W. Ballantine, Robert A. Groves, Michael B. Rice, Anthony K. Stamper
  • Patent number: 6489657
    Abstract: A semiconductor device comprising a high withstand voltage MOS transistor of an offset drain/offset source structure easing a high electric field generated between a channel and a parasitic channel stopper in an operating state and preventing changes of a threshold voltage Vth, on-resistance Ron, or other characteristics, said device characterized in that a parasitic channel stopper layer containing an impurity is formed with a concentration gradient wherein the impurity concentration decreases along with approaching a channel region and a method of producing the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2002
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hideki Mori
  • Patent number: 6483143
    Abstract: In a semiconductor device including a plurality of memory cells, a deposition preventing film is formed on an interlayer insulating film in which a plurality of holes are formed, or a seed film is selectively formed on the interlayer insulating film and on an inner surface and a bottom surface of the holes. A film of Ru, Ir or Pt is deposited by chemical vapor deposition on the deposition preventing film, or on the interlayer insulating film by utilizing the seed film, under the condition where underlayer dependency occurs. In consequence, lower electrodes are formed in accordance with a pattern of the deposition preventing film or the seed film. A dielectric film is formed on the lower electrodes and the deposition preventing film at a predetermined temperature. The material of the lower electrodes does not lose conduction even when exposed to the predetermined temperature employed for forming the dielectric film. Upper electrodes are further formed on the dielectric film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichi Matsui, Masahiko Hiratani, Yasuhiro Shimamoto, Yoshitaka Nakamura, Toshihide Nabatame
  • Patent number: 6479854
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure includes a dielectric layer having first and second opposing sides. A conductive layer is adjacent to the first side of the dielectric layer and is coupled to a first terminal, and a conductive barrier layer is adjacent to the second side of the dielectric layer and is coupled to a second terminal. The conductive barrier layer may be formed from tungsten nitride, tungsten silicon nitride, titanium silicon nitride or other barrier materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2002
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Randhir P. S. Thakur, Garry A. Mercaldi, Michael Nuttall
  • Patent number: 6479882
    Abstract: The current-limiting device 1 includes a silicon substrate 2 having surfaces opposite to each other, and two electrodes 3 deposited respectively on the opposite surfaces of the silicon substrate. The silicon substrate 2 is of a three-layered structure including an N− layer 4 of a low impurity density and an N+ layers 5 of a high impurity density formed respectively on opposite surfaces of the N− layer 4. The electrodes 3, are deposited on an outer surface of each of the N+ layers 5 remote from the N− layer 4. The constant current substantially flows in the current-limiting device 1 if the applied voltage is higher than a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2002
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Yamaguchi, Takeaki Asaeda, Katsumi Satoh, Noritoshi Hirano
  • Patent number: 6476483
    Abstract: In an electronic device with an active region on top of and isolated from an substrate, a first material region is defined on top of and/or adjacent to and electrically isolated from the active region and a second material region is attached to a surface of the first material region to form an interface defining a Peltier cooling junction therebetween. A current source connected in series to the first and the second material regions produces a cooling effect at the Peltier cooling junction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric Adler, James S. Dunn, Kent E. Morrett, Edward J. Nowak, Stephen A. St. Onge
  • Patent number: 6472705
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a microelectric device and especially a Field effect transistor comprising a source, drain, channel, an insulating layer overlying said channel containing at least one closed cage molecule, said closed cage molecule being capable of exhibiting a Coulomb blockade effect upon application of a voltage between said source and drain. Two different microelectronic devices are described containing the closed cage molecule, a logic cell and a memory cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Donald Stimson Bethune, Sandip Tiwari
  • Patent number: 6469360
    Abstract: A method for fabricating an integrated circuit device includes the steps of forming first and second conductive regions on a substrate. The second conductive region is divided into first and second subregions wherein the first subregion is adjacent the first conductive region. More particularly, the surface area of the first subregion is not more than ten times greater than the surface area of the first conductive region. The first and second subregions can then be electrically connected to complete the second conductive region. Related structures are also discussed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Yong-suk Jin
  • Patent number: 6469332
    Abstract: A pinned photodiode is operated without a transfer gate. This is done by forming a pinned photodiode which has a selective connection to the substrate. When the connection is turned on, the photodiode is pinned to the substrate, and kept at a specified potential. When the connection is off, the photodiode is disconnected from the substrate and hence floats. In this way, the area above the photoreceptor can be used both for a reception area and for a charge transfer area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Vladimir Berezin
  • Patent number: 6459121
    Abstract: A method for producing a non-volatile semiconductor memory device, comprising the steps of providing a semiconductor substrate having a surface; forming trench isolations on the substrate, the trench isolations being projected from the surface; forming source and drain regions between the neighboring trench isolations, so that the source and drain regions are faced each other across a channel region; and forming a floating gate electrode on the channel region through a tunnel film which is formed on the channel region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Sakamoto, Naoki Tsuji, Satoshi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 6459137
    Abstract: A ferroelectric capacitor and method for making the same are disclosed. The ferroelectric capacitor may be constructed on a silicon substrate such as SiO2 or Si3N4. The ferroelectric capacitor includes a bottom electrode, a layer of ferroelectric material, and a top electrode. The bottom electrode is constructed from a layer of platinum which is bonded to the silicon substrate by a layer of metallic oxide. The metallic oxide does not diffuse into the platinum; hence, a thinner layer of platinum may be utilized for the electrode. This reduces the vertical height of the capacitor and other problems associated with diffusion of the layer used to bond, the bottom electrode to the substrate surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Radiant Technologies, Inc
    Inventors: Jeff Allen Bullington, Carl Elijah Montross, Jr., Joseph Tate Evans, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6455898
    Abstract: An ESD protection structure for protecting an internal circuit comprising a primary protection device, a secondary protection device, and a substrate pickup is presented. The primary protection device and secondary protection device share a common source, and this common source implementation lowers the trigger voltage of the primary protection device to be about the same as the trigger voltage of the secondary protection device, thereby eliminating the need to use an isolation resistor between the primary and secondary protection devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Assignee: Macronix International Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Meng-Hwang Liu, Tao-Cheng Lu, Mam-Tsung Wang
  • Patent number: 6452233
    Abstract: A lightly doped region (3) of N-type or P-type isolated from one component region and another is formed out of a surface silicon layer of an SOI substrate (1), a gate electrode (21) is provided above the lightly doped region (3) with a gate oxidation film (15) therebetween, a drain region (5) and a source region (7) made by making the lightly doped region (3) on the front face side different in conduction type from the lightly doped region (3) are provided respectively on both sides of the gate electrode (21), and a leakage stopping layer (13) which is the same in conduction type as the lightly doped region (3) and higher in impurity concentration than the lightly doped region (3) is provided between the source region (7) and a buried oxidation film (19).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takashi Masuda
  • Patent number: 6448647
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a BGA package substrate capable of forming a thin and light BGA package which causes no crack in solder balls during temperature cycling tests and which permits fine-pitch packaging. According to the present invention, a conductive pattern 3 is formed on a solder resist layer 2 made of polyimide and a cover film 4 is formed on the conductive pattern 3. The conductive pattern 3 includes a land 3a for connection to a mother board and a bonding pad 3b for connection to an IC. The solder resist layer 2 has an opening 5 to leave an overlap on the periphery of the land 3a, and an end of the opening 5 is tapered. A solder ball 6 is formed on the land 3a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Sony Chemicals Corporation
    Inventors: Hideyuki Kurita, Masahiro Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 6448606
    Abstract: A reduced device geometry semiconductor memory device is provided which has increased device efficiency because of an increased gate coupling coefficient. Shallow trench isolations are formed in a semiconductor substrate. The shallow trench isolations are selectively shaped in order to form a control gate dielectric layer later with a large width relative to the width between the floating gates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Allen S. Yu, Thomas C. Scholer, Paul J. Steffan
  • Patent number: 6448627
    Abstract: An improved antifuse design has been achieved by using a structure comprising a region of heavily doped N type silicon coated with a layer of ONO (oxide-nitride-oxide). Top contact to the ONO is made through a layer of tungsten silicide sandwiched between two layers of N type polysilicon. A cost effective method for manufacturing said antifuse structure is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd.
    Inventor: Calvin Leung Yat Chor
  • Patent number: 6441466
    Abstract: The fixed charge in a borophosphosilicate glass insulating film deposited on a semiconductor device is reduced by reacting an organic precursor such as TEOS with O3. When done at temperatures higher than approximately 480 degrees C., the carbon level in the resulting film appears to be reduced, resulting in a higher threshold voltage for field transistor devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ravi Iyer, Randhir P. S. Thakur, Howard E. Rhodes
  • Patent number: 6441430
    Abstract: A semiconductor device including a plurality of floating gates where each floating gate includes a lower floating gate whose sidewalls are substantially vertical to the semiconductor substrate and an upper floating gate having opposing sidewall portions that gradually widen in a convex manner towards the top of the floating gate. The device further includes an interlayer insulating film, and a control gate formed on the insulating film. An insulating film (10) is provided between and contacting adjacent floating gates, and has vertically aligned lower sidewall portions which contact the lower floating gates and curved upper sidewall portions which contact the upper floating gates and gradually narrow toward the top of the insulating film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuji Tanigami