Patents Examined by Toniae M. Thomas
  • Patent number: 7858980
    Abstract: A phase change memory structure and method for forming the same, the method including providing a substrate comprising a conductive area; forming a spacer having a partially exposed sidewall region at an upper portion of the spacer defining a phase change memory element contact area; and, wherein the spacer bottom portion partially overlaps the conductive area. Both these two methods can reduce active area of a phase change memory element, therefore, reducing a required phase changing electrical current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Li-Shyue Lai, Chao-Hsiung Wang, Denny Tang, Wen-Chin Lin
  • Patent number: 7855430
    Abstract: A method of mounting an electronic component on a substrate includes forming at least one trench in a surface of the substrate. The trenches formed in the substrate reduce a stiffness of the substrate, which provides less resistance to shear. Accordingly, the trenches reduce the amount of strain on the joints, which mount the electronic component to the substrate, which enhances the life of the joints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David Questad, Vijayeshwar D. Khanna, Jennifer V. Muncy, Arun Sharma, Sri M. Sri-Jayantha, Lorenzo Valdevit
  • Patent number: 7855442
    Abstract: A Silicon Based Package (SBP) is formed starting with a thick wafer, which serves as the base for the SBP, composed of silicon which has a first surface and a reverse surface which are planar. Then form an interconnection structure including metal capture structures in contact with the first surface and multilayer conductor patterns over the first surface. Form a temporary bond between the SBP and a wafer holder, with the wafer holder being a rigid structure. Thin the reverse side of the wafer to a desired thickness to form an Ultra Thin Silicon Wafer (UTSW) for the SBP. Form via holes with tapered or vertical sidewalls, which extend through the UTSW to reach the metal capture structures. Then form metal pads in the via holes which extend through the UTSW, making electrical contact to the metal capture structures. Then bond the metal pads in the via holes to pads of a carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John H. Magerlein, Chirag S. Patel, Edmund J. Sprogis, Herbert I. Stoller
  • Patent number: 7851847
    Abstract: A flash memory device includes a tunnel insulating layer formed over a semiconductor substrate, a charge trap layer formed over the tunnel insulating layer and configured to trap electric charges, a blocking insulating layer formed over the charge trap layer, and a gate electrode formed over the blocking insulating layer and including a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer doped with N and P impurities respectively. Further, a method of erasing a flash memory device includes providing a flash memory device including a gate electrode having a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer doped with N and P impurities respectively, and performing an erase operation in a state where a thickness of a depletion layer at an interface of a PN junction comprising the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer is increased due to a negative potential bias applied to the gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventor: Young-Ok Hong
  • Patent number: 7842973
    Abstract: A semiconductor device capable of avoiding generation of a barrier in a conduction band while maintaining high withstanding voltage and enabling high speed transistor operation at high current in a double hetero bipolar transistor, as well as a manufacturing method thereof, wherein a portion of the base and the collector is formed of a material with a forbidden band width narrower than that of a semiconductor substrate, a region where the forbidden band increases stepwise and continuously from the emitter side to the collector side is disposed in the inside of the base and the forbidden band width at the base-collector interface is designed so as to be larger than the minimum forbidden band width in the base, whereby the forbidden band width at the base layer edge on the collector side can be made closer to the forbidden band width of the semiconductor substrate than usual while sufficiently maintaining the hetero effect near the emitter-base thereby capable of decreasing the height of the energy barrier gene
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Miura, Katsuyoshi Washio, Hiromi Shimamoto
  • Patent number: 7838387
    Abstract: A silicon wafer includes a principal face for forming electronic devices; an end region; and a tapered region which is located between the principal face and the end region, in which the thickness of the silicon wafer is gradually reduced, and which has a slope that makes an angle of greater than zero degree and less than 9.5 degrees or an angle of greater than 19 degrees with the principal face. An SOI wafer prepared by forming a buried oxide layer in a silicon wafer includes a principal face, end region, and tapered region that are substantially the same as those described above. A method for manufacturing an SOI wafer includes the steps of implanting oxygen ions into a silicon wafer; and heat-treating the resulting silicon wafer such that a buried oxide layer is formed in the silicon wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Sumco Corporation
    Inventors: Eiji Kamiyama, Seiichi Nakamura, Tetsuya Nakai
  • Patent number: 7833837
    Abstract: A chip scale package includes a patterned circuit layer attached to the active surface of a semiconductor chip through an anisotropic conductive adhesive layer such that contact pads on a lower surface of the patterned circuit layer are electrically coupled to corresponding bonding pads on the semiconductor chip. The patterned circuit layer has a plurality of openings formed therein at locations corresponding to the contact pads such that each of the contact pads has a portion exposed from an upper surface of the patterned circuit layer through the corresponding opening. A plurality of metal bumps are respectively disposed in the openings and mounted to the exposed portions of the contact pads for making external electrical connection. The present invention further provides a method for manufacturing the chip scale package at the wafer-level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Jun Young Yang, You Ock Joo, Dong Pil Jung
  • Patent number: 7825441
    Abstract: A junction field effect transistor (JFET) has a hyperabrupt junction layer that functions as a channel of a JFET. The hyperabrupt junction layer is formed by two dopant profiles of opposite types such that one dopant concentration profile has a peak concentration depth at a tail end of the other dopant profile. The voltage bias to the channel is provided by a body that is doped with the same type of dopants as the gate. This is in contrast with conventional JFETs that have a body that is doped with the opposite conductivity type as the gate. The body may be electrically decoupled from the substrate by another reverse bias junction formed either between the body and the substrate or between a buried conductor layer beneath the body and the substrate. The capability to form a thin hyperabrupt junction layer allows formation of a JFET in a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ebenezer E. Eshun, Jeffrey B. Johnson, Richard A. Phelps, Robert M. Rassel, Michael J. Zierak
  • Patent number: 7825438
    Abstract: A CMOS image sensor cell includes a semiconductor active region of first conductivity type having a surface thereon and a P-N junction photodiode in the active region. A drive transistor is also provided in the semiconductor active region. The drive transistor has a gate electrode that is configured to receive charge generated in the P-N junction photodiode during an image capture operation (i.e., during capture of photons received from an image). This drive transistor has a gate electrode and a contoured channel region extending underneath the gate electrode. The contoured channel region has an effective channel length greater than a length of the gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jong-wan Jung, Duck-hyung Lee
  • Patent number: 7824989
    Abstract: A method for forming a field effect transistor (FET) device includes forming a gate conductor over a semiconductor substrate; forming a source region, the source region having a source extension that overlaps and extends under the gate conductor; and forming a drain region, the drain region having a drain extension that overlaps and extends under the gate conductor at selected locations along the width of the gate; and the drain region further comprising a plurality of recessed areas corresponding to areas where the drain extension does not overlap and extend under the gate conductor, wherein the plurality of recessed areas is formed only in the drain region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Huilong Zhu, Oleg Gluschenkov
  • Patent number: 7820508
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having a capacitor and a method of fabricating the same may be provided. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device may include forming an etch stop layer and a mold layer sequentially on a substrate, patterning the mold layer to form a mold electrode hole exposing a portion of the etch stop layer, etching selectively the exposed etch stop layer by an isotropic dry etching process to form a contact electrode hole through the etch stop layer to expose a portion of the substrate, forming a conductive layer on the substrate and removing the conductive layer on the mold layer on the mold layer to form a cylindrical bottom electrode in the mold and contact electrode holes. The isotropic dry etching process may utilize a process gas including main etching gas and selectivity adjusting gas. The selectivity adjusting gas may increase an etch rate of the etch stop layer by more than an etch rate of the mold layer by the isotropic wet etching process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jung-Min Oh, Jeong-Nam Han, Chang-Ki Hong, Woo-Gwan Shim, Im-Soo Park
  • Patent number: 7816660
    Abstract: A lateral phase change memory includes a pair of electrodes separated by an insulating layer. The first electrode is formed in an opening in an insulating layer and is cup-shaped. The first electrode is covered by the insulating layer which is, in turn, covered by the second electrode. As a result, the spacing between the electrodes may be very precisely controlled and limited to very small dimensions. The electrodes are advantageously formed of the same material, prior to formation of the phase change material region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Richard Dodge, Guy Wicker
  • Patent number: 7816219
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure and method for forming the same. First, a semiconductor structure is provided, including (a) a semiconductor layer including (i) a channel region and (ii) first and second source/drain (S/D) extension regions, and (iii) first and second S/D regions, (b) a gate dielectric region in direction physical contact with the channel region via a first interfacing surface that defines a reference direction essentially perpendicular to the first interfacing surface, and (c) a gate region in direct physical contact with the gate dielectric region, wherein the gate dielectric region is sandwiched between and electrically insulates the gate region and the channel region. Then, (i) a first shallow contact region is formed in direct physical contact with the first S/D extension region, and (ii) a first deep contact region is formed in direct physical contact with the first S/D region and the first shallow contact region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Xiangdong Chen, Sunfei Fang, Zhijiong Luo, Haining Yang, Huilong Zhu
  • Patent number: 7816252
    Abstract: A method for forming a bump on under bump metallurgy according to the present invention is provided. A bonding pad is first formed on the active surface of a wafer. Subsequently, a passivation layer is formed on the active surface of the wafer and exposes the bonding pad. An under bump metallurgy is formed on the bonding pad. A layer of film is formed on the passivation layer and overlays the under bump metallurgy. Afterward, the portion of the film on the under bump metallurgy is exposed to a UV light and the exposed portion of the film is removed to expose the under bump metallurgy. A solder paste is applied to the under bump metallurgy and the remaining film on the wafer is removed. Finally, the solder paste is reflowed to form a spherical bump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Jui I Yu, Li Cheng Tai
  • Patent number: 7811881
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure including a trench formed in a substrate and a buried isolation collar that extends about sidewalls of the trench. The buried isolation collar is constituted by an insulator formed from a buried porous region of substrate material. The porous region is formed from a buried doped region defined using masking and ion implantation or by masking the trench sidewalls and using dopant diffusion. Advantageously, the porous region is transformed to an oxide insulator by an oxidation process. The semiconductor structure may be a storage capacitor of a memory cell further having a buried plate about the trench and a capacitor node inside the trench that is separated from the buried plate by a node dielectric formed on the trench sidewalls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Jack Allan Mandelman
  • Patent number: 7811874
    Abstract: The object is to provide a method for the fabrication of a semiconductor device having undergone an anneal treatment for the purpose of forming such ohmic contact as enables decrease of ohmic contact resistance and being provided on the (000-1) plane of silicon carbide with an insulating film and provide the semiconductor device. The method for the fabrication of a silicon carbide semiconductor device includes the steps of performing thermal oxidation on the (000-1) plane of a silicon carbide semiconductor in a gas containing at least oxygen and moisture, thereby forming an insulating film in such a manner as to contact the (000-1) plane of the silicon carbide semiconductor, removing part of the insulating film, thereby forming an opening part therein, depositing contact metal on at least part of the opening part, and performing a heat treatment, thereby forming a reaction layer of the contact metal and silicon carbide, wherein the heat treatment is implemented in a mixed gas of an inert gas and hydrogen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventors: Shinsuke Harada, Makoto Katou, Kenji Fukuda, Tsutomu Yatsuo
  • Patent number: 7807536
    Abstract: A trench gate field effect transistor is formed as follows. A trench is formed in a semiconductor region, followed by a dielectric layer lining sidewalls and bottom of the trench and extending over mesa regions adjacent the trench. A conductive seed layer is formed in a bottom portion of the trench over the dielectric layer. A low resistance material is grown over the conductive seed layer, wherein the low resistance material is selective to the conductive seed layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Sreevatsa Sreekantham, Ihsiu Ho, Fred Session, Kent Naylor
  • Patent number: 7803690
    Abstract: Methods and structures for semiconductor devices with STI regions in SOI substrates is provided. A semiconductor structure comprises an SOI epitaxy island formed over a substrate. The structure further comprises an STI structure surrounding the SOI island. The STI structure comprises a second epitaxial layer on the substrate, and a second dielectric layer on the second epitaxial layer. A semiconductor fabrication method comprises forming a dielectric layer over a substrate and surrounding a device fabrication region in the substrate with an isolation trench extending through the dielectric layer. The method also includes filling the isolation trench with a first epitaxial layer and forming a second epitaxial layer over the device fabrication region and over the first epitaxial layer. Then a portion of the first epitaxial layer is replaced with an isolation dielectric, and then a device such as a transistor is formed second epitaxial layer within the device fabrication region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ming-Hua Yu, Tze-Liang Lee, Pang-Yen Tsai
  • Patent number: 7804130
    Abstract: Forming a high-?/metal gate field effect transistor using a gate last process in which the channel region has a curved profile thus increasing the effective channel length improves the short channel effect. During the high-?/metal gate process, after the sacrificial materials between the sidewall spacers are removed, the exposed semiconductor substrate surface at the bottom of the gate trench cavity is etched to form a curved recess. Subsequent deposition of high-? gate dielectric layer and gate electrode metal into the gate trench cavity completes the high-?/metal gate field effect transistor having a curved channel region that has a longer effective channel length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ka-Hing Fung
  • Patent number: 7795626
    Abstract: A flip chip type LED lighting device manufacturing method includes the step of providing a strip, the step of providing a submount, the step of forming a metal bonding layer on the strip or submount, the step of bonding the submount to the strip, and the step of cutting the structure thus obtained into individual flip chip type LED lighting devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Neobulb Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Chen, Chung Zen Lin