Patents Examined by Kevin McAndrews
  • Patent number: 4839303
    Abstract: A bipolar transistor is constructed to include a substrate, a collector layer epitaxial grown on the substrate and a base layer ion implanted in the collector layer. Next a further epitaxial layer is grown on the collector layer over the ion implanted base layer. A base contact region is ion implanted in this further epitaxial layer between the surface of this further layer and the base layer. The base contact region surrounds and defines an emitter in the further layer. A base ohmic contact is formed on the surface of the further layer in a location overlaying and contacting the base contact region. An emitter ohmic contact is also formed on the surface of the further layer in contact with the emitter. Additionally a collector ohmic contact is also formed on this same surface in a position isolated from the emitter by the base contact region. The collector ohmic makes an electrical contact with the collector by utilizing the further layer as a contact pathway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 13, 1989
    Assignee: Northrop Corporation
    Inventors: John W. Tully, Benedict B. O'Brien, William Hant, King L. Hu
  • Patent number: 4837176
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for fabricating improved integrated circuit devices. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention integrated devices are fabricated by a process which produces small device areas without relying upon restrictive photolithography tolerances. The process uses four polycrystalline silicon layers to fabricate and contact the device regions, to achieve a relatively planar structure, and to reduce the size of device regions below normal photolithographic tolerances. The process uses a master mask to define the basic footprint of the device in combination with easy to align block-out masks in each lithography step. Means and methods for many types of devices such as complementary lateral and vertical bipolar transistors, JFETs, Sits, MOSFETs, resistors, diodes, capacitors and other devices which can be simultaneously fabricated are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 6, 1989
    Assignee: Motorola Inc.
    Inventors: Peter J. Zdebel, Raymond J. Balda, Bor-Yuan Hwang, Allen J. Wagner
  • Patent number: 4835118
    Abstract: A process of manufacturing selectively restructurable conductive links between circuit elements and corresponding spare elements on a semiconductor. A continuous green light laser directed at a non-conductive amorphous region in the links causes the region to recrystallize. This makes the link electrically conductive thereby joining the circuit elements to a corresponding spare element on the semiconductor. The method permits for high density packing of circuit elements and creates a link without producing bulk material movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 30, 1989
    Assignee: INMOS Corporation
    Inventors: Robert E. Jones, Jr., Lee Kammerdiner, Michael R. Reeder
  • Patent number: 4830973
    Abstract: A means and method for forming improved merged complementary bipolar, complementary MOS (CBICMOS) structures is described. The N-channel and N-base devices are grouped in a first isolated semiconductor region and the P-channel and P-base devices are grouped in a second isolated semiconductor region. The two regions are separated by lateral isolation. By sharing internal device regions and arranging the internal device regions in the proper sequence a particularly compact structure is obtained which may be wired to implement a variety of CBICMOS circuits using a single wiring layer. Both CMOS and vertical NPN and PNP bipolar devices are produced in a common substrate by a common process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 16, 1989
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Sal Mastroianni
  • Patent number: 4830972
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an ultra-miniaturized bipolar transistor is disclosed, wherein an insulating film and a first polysilicon film doped with an impurity of a second conductivity type are formed, in this order, as a collector on a semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type. After an opening is formed in a predetermined portion of the first polysilicon film, the insulating film is etched, using the first polysilicon film as a mask, to expose part of a surface of the substrate. Thereafter, an undoped second polysilicon film is deposited on the resultant structure, and is annealed without etching. Then, the impurity doped in the first polysilicon film is diffused into part of the second polysilicon film and simultaneously into the substrate to form an external base region of a second conductivity type. The second polysilicon film is etched by use of an etching method wherein the etching rate in an undoped region is much higher than that in an impurity-doped region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 16, 1989
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Toshihiko Hamasaki
  • Patent number: 4829025
    Abstract: An improved process is described for patterning films or layers, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuit structures including bipolar and MOS devices on a silicon substrate, without damaging areas of the underlying substrate material, e.g., those portions of the substrate wherein active elements of an integrated circuit components will be formed. The process comprises patterning films or layers of dissimilar materials which respond differently to etchants to form a portion of masking materials over a selected area of an underlying substrate material and subsequently removing these masking materials using wet etching, at those steps in the process when damage to the underlying substrate material by dry etching may occur, to avoid damage to the underlying material by dry etching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 9, 1989
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventor: Ali Iranmanesh
  • Patent number: 4829015
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a fully self-adjustsed bipolar transistor in which the emitter zone, the base zone, and the collector zone are aligned vertically in a silicon substrate; the collector is connected by means of a deeply extending terminal in the substrate, the inactive base zone is embedded in an insulating trench to separate the inactive base zone from the collector; the emitter terminal zone is composed of doped polycrystalline silicon and is separated from the inactive base zone by a silicon oxide layer. A fully self-adjusted bipolar transistor is produced wherein the emitter is self-adjusted relative to the base and the base is self-adjusted relative to the insulation. The number of method steps involving critical mask usage is low, and parasitic regions are minimized so that the switching speed of the component is increased. The transistor is used for integrated bipolar transistor circuits having high switching speeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 9, 1989
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hans-Christian Schaber, Hans-Willi Meul
  • Patent number: 4826780
    Abstract: In a semiconductor IC, a vertical pnp or npn transistor of a uniform characteristic and a high breakdown voltage is made by forming, for example, a p.sup.- -collector region (39) in an n-type epitaxial region, an n-well base region (41) formed in the p.sup.- -collector region (39) and a p-emitter region (42) formed in the n-well base region (41); and furthermore, for example as shown in FIG. 9, p.sup.- -regions (40) and (49) are formed simultaneously with the p.sup.- -collector region (39) and an n-region (53) is formed simultaneously with the n-well base region (41), thereby constituting IIL of superior characteristics and a high resistance device at the same time as forming of the vertical transistor without substantial increase of manufacturing steps; and in the similar way, by combining the p.sup.- -region and n-region formed in the above-mentioned simultaneous steps with other region formed simultaneously with the forming of the vertical transistor, high h.sub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 2, 1989
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toyoki Takemoto, Tadao Komeda, Haruyasu Yamada, Tsutomu Fujita
  • Patent number: 4826781
    Abstract: A method for preparing an improved semiconductor device having a transistor and a capacitor or an element isolating region in or on a semiconductor substrate by a self-alignment process is provided. Each of the elements is formed using a previously formed element as a mask so that no additional processes are necessary to align the elements at the desired position. Specifically, a gate electrode is formed first and then a capacitor, element isolating region and contact hole are formed in such a way that the room required for alignment of the gate electrode and the capacitor, the gate electrode and the element isolating region and the gate electrode and the contact hole is reduced. The process is extremely advantageous for miniaturization of the semiconductor device. The device prepared by such a process is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 2, 1989
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Michio Asahina, Makio Goto
  • Patent number: 4826785
    Abstract: A metallic interconnect includes a fuse portion that is readily vaporized upon exposure to the radiant energy of a laser. A layer of optically absorptive material is formed on top of an aluminum based metallic interconnect and together they are formed by a photolithographic and etch technique into a fuse portion. A low energy laser having a Gaussian energy distribution focused on the absorptive layer produces heat in the absorptive layer. The heat is transferred to the underlying aluminum based interconnect. The concentration of energy made possible by the absorptive layer allows the low energy laser to blow the fuse thereby producing an electrical open in the interconnect without damaging surrounding silicon substrate and/or polysilicon structures below or nearby the metal fuse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 2, 1989
    Assignee: INMOS Corporation
    Inventors: Paul J. McClure, Robert E. Jones, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4824797
    Abstract: Disclosed is a process of forming channel stops which starts with a, for example, N type silicon substrate having on the surface thereof an insulator trench mask defining the region of silicon where an isolation trench is desired. A blockout layer having an opening in correspondence with the portion of the would-be silicon mesa where a channel stop is desired is formed. N type dopant is introduced into the exposed silicon followed by an anneal step to and vertically diffuse the dopant into the silicon body. The exposed silicon is etched forming a deep trench which delineates silicon mesa having at a section of the peripheral portion thereof a shallow and highly N doped region. Upon forming a pair of highly P doped regions on either side of the shallow highly N doped region, the latter functions as a channel stop to arrest charge leakage between the P doped regions due to parasitic FET action at the trench walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 25, 1989
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: George R. Goth
  • Patent number: 4824794
    Abstract: A bipolar transistor having self-aligned base and emitter regions is fabricated in a silicon layer which is epitaxially grown on a substrate so as to fill up a cavity formed through a polysilicon layer deposited on the substrate. The polysilicon layer is doped with impurities for creating an extrinsic base region in the epitaxially grown silicon layer and is insulated from the emitter electrode by a dielectric layer formed thereon. The dielectric layer can be provided by selectively oxidizing the polysilicon layer. Thus, the step formed at the emitter electrode is small and equal to the thickness of the dielectric layer, about 3000 .ANG., for example, thereby eliminating the faulty step coverage in the prior art self-aligned bipolar transistor usually having the step as large as 1 micron.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 25, 1989
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Akira Tabata, Motoshu Miyajima, Kazushi Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 4824805
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a heterojunction bipolar transistor comprising the sequential steps of; forming an extra epitaxial layer (9) on a layered structure which consists of a collector layer (2), a base layer (3), and an emitter layer (4) provided on a semiconductor substrate (1) in that order; forming a recess (10) by selectively etching the extra epitaxial layer (9); and forming an emitter electrode (70a) and a resist mask (70a) in the recess (10) by way of self alignment scheme, where the resist mask (70a) covers the emitter electrode (60e). An extremely small-sized resist mask (70a) can be formed, and extremely small-sized emitter mesa (4a) is formed by applying wet etching to the epitaxial layer (9) and the emitter layer (4) using the resist mask (70a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 25, 1989
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasutomo Kajikawa
  • Patent number: 4814292
    Abstract: In a process of fabricating a semiconductor device, an amorphous semiconductor layer is formed on a substrate, densified by heat-treatment, and is subjected to further heat-treatment to be changed into a polycrystalline semiconductor layer. A MOS transistor can be formed using the polycrystalline semiconductor layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1987
    Date of Patent: March 21, 1989
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayoshi Sasaki, Teruo Katoh
  • Patent number: 4810637
    Abstract: A method of fabrication of non-linear control elements as applicable to electrooptical displays and in particular to large-area liquid-crystal displays of the flat-panel type, in which the following layers are stacked successively on a substrate: a first layer of metallic material, a first layer of undoped amorphous semiconductor material, a layer of doped amorphous semiconductor material, a second layer of undoped amorphous semiconductor material, and a second layer of metallic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1988
    Date of Patent: March 7, 1989
    Assignee: Thomson-Csf
    Inventors: Nicolas Szydlo, Jean N. Perbet, Rolande Kasprzak
  • Patent number: 4806502
    Abstract: A method for producing a doped semiconductor layer on a semiconductor substrate, employing particle radiation, including the steps of initially applying an adsorbed layer containing a doping substance to the semiconductor substrate; controlling the concentration of the doping substance in the adsorbed layer; growing a semiconductor layer having a crystal lattice structure on the substrate; performing a secondary implantation operation for incorporating the doping substance in the crystal lattice of the semiconductor layer; and performing a heat treatment for removing crystal lattice imperfections and incorporating the doping substance into crystal lattice positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1989
    Assignee: Licentia Patent-Verwaltungs-GmbH
    Inventors: Helmut Jorke, Horst Kibbel
  • Patent number: 4803179
    Abstract: A method for the manufacture of neighboring wells 9, implanted with dopant ions of differing conductivity type in silicon substrates provided with an epitaxial layer. A lateral under-etching having high selectivity to specified layers is designationally introduced into a silicon nitride layer provided for masking the n-well regions in the implantation of the p-wells. Thus, the edge of a silicon oxide layer serving as a masking in the following oxidation shifts in the direction of the n-wells. As a result of this type of self-adjusted well production, the influence of the counter-doping in the region of the well boundaries is noticeably reduced. In addition, a polysilicon layer can also be employed under the silicon nitride layer as a masking layer, this layer eing co-oxidized after the under-etching of the silicon nitride layer. Thus a box-shaped course is produced in the masking oxide instead of the prior art bird's bill course, whereby a steeper diffusion front is achieved in the n-well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1989
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Franz Neppl, Carlos-Alberto Mazure-Espejo
  • Patent number: 4803175
    Abstract: A method for making a bipolar semiconductor device having silicide contacts which is compatible with the processing steps used in the fabrication of MOS devices. The present invention includes the use of sidewall spacers to limit the self-aligned implants of the extrinsic base and the silicide contact. The device is annealed so that the diffusion of the polysilicon layer which forms the emitter may be controlled. Since the emitter size may be controlled, the emitter to base contact area may be reduced resulting in improved device performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1989
    Assignee: Motorola Inc.
    Inventors: Antonio R. Alvarez, James A. Kirchgessner
  • Patent number: 4801554
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing a power semiconductor component having a component of this type is presented which has at least three consecutive layers and possessing a high current capacity and small power losses. For contacting the first two layers, the component has first second metallized contact planes, which impress a step-like structure onto a first surface of the component. The steps have a height of between 10 and 20 .mu.m and a width of between 20 and 300 .mu.m. The ratio between the surface area of the first contact plane and the surface area of the second contact plane is between 1 and 4. The first layer is heavily doped and has a maximum thickness of 8 .mu.m, and the second layer is lightly doped and has a maximum thickness of 40 .mu.m. According to the process for manufacturing the component, the surface structure according to the invention is produced essentially by a reactive ion-etching process with a single aluminum mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1989
    Assignee: BBC Brown, Boveri & Company, Limited
    Inventors: Jens Gobrecht, Peter Roggwiller, Roland Sittig, Jan Voboril
  • Patent number: 4800171
    Abstract: An improved method is described for constructing one or more integrated circuit components including bipolar and MOS devices on a silicon substrate without damaging areas of the substrate wherein active elements of the integrated circuit components will be formed. The method comprises forming multilayer pedestals of masking materials over the active regions of the substrate and subsequently removing these masking materials using wet etching to avoid damage to the substrate by dry etching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1989
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Ali Iranmanesh, Mammen Thomas