Patents Examined by Wensing Kuo
  • Patent number: 8928141
    Abstract: A first substrate provided with a receiving area made from a first metallic material is supplied. A second substrate provided with an insertion area comprising a base surface and at least two bumps made from a second metallic material is arranged facing the first substrate. The bumps are salient from the base surface. A pressure is applied between the first substrate and the second substrate so as to make the bumps penetrate into the receiving area. The first metallic material reacts with the second metallic material so as to form a continuous layer of an intermetallic compound having a base formed by the first and second metallic materials along the interface between the bumps and the receiving area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique et Aux Energies Alternatives
    Inventor: Jean-Charles Souriau
  • Patent number: 8927993
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an array substrate for a fringe field switching mode liquid crystal display includes: forming an auxiliary insulating layer on a second passivation layer and having a first thickness; forming first and second photoresist patterns on the auxiliary insulating layer and having second and third thicknesses, respectively, the second thickness greater than the third thickness; etching the auxiliary insulating layer, the second passivation layer and a first passivation layer to form a drain contact hole; performing an ashing to remove the second photoresist pattern and expose the auxiliary insulating layer therebelow; performing a dry etching to remove the auxiliary insulating layer not covered by the first photoresist pattern and expose the first passivation layer and to form an insulating pattern below the first photoresist pattern, the insulating pattern and the first photoresist pattern forming an undercut shape; forming a transparent conductive material layer having a fourth thickness
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young-Ki Jung, Seok-Woo Lee, Kum-Mi Oh, Dong-Cheon Shin, In-Hyuk Song, Han-Seok Lee, Won-Keun Park
  • Patent number: 8921968
    Abstract: Solar cells and methods for their manufacture are disclosed. An example solar cell may comprise a substrate comprising a p-type base layer and an n-type selective emitter layer formed over the p-type base layer. The n-type selective emitter layer may comprise one or more first doped regions comprising implanted dopant and one or more second doped regions comprising diffused dopant. The one or more first doped regions may be more heavily doped than the one or more second doped regions. A p-n junction may be formed at the interface of the base layer and the selective emitter layer, such that the p-n junction and the selective emitter layer are both formed during a single anneal cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Suniva, Inc.
    Inventors: Ajeet Rohatgi, Vijay Yelundur, Preston Davis, Vinodh Chandrasekaran, Ben Damiani
  • Patent number: 8916441
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a novel method and structure for forming finFET structures that comprise standard cells. An H-shaped cut mask is used to reduce the number of fins that need to be removed, hence increasing the fin efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc.
    Inventors: Mahbub Rashed, Juhan Kim, Yunfei Deng, Jongwook Kye, Suresh Venkatesan
  • Patent number: 8912069
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor substrate having first and second areas; an STI isolation region being made of an isolation trench formed in the semiconductor substrate and an insulating film burying the isolation trench and defining a plurality of active regions in the first and second areas; a first structure formed on an area from the active region in the first area to a nearby STI isolation region and having a first height; and a second structure formed on an area from the active region in the second area to a nearby STI isolation region and having a second height, wherein the surface of the said STI isolation region in the first area is lower than the surface of said STI isolation region in the second area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Taiji Ema, Kazuhiro Mizutani
  • Patent number: 8907468
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a substrate having external connection terminals, and a semiconductor chip mounted over a semiconductor-chip mounting portion of the substrate. The external connection terminals are formed by sequentially forming an electroless nickel plating layer, an electroless gold plating layer, and an electrolytic gold plating layer on a terminal portion formed on a surface of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Kouji Oomori
  • Patent number: 8907345
    Abstract: A photomask includes; a source electrode pattern including; a first electrode portion which extends in a first direction, a second electrode portion which extends in the first direction and is substantially parallel to the first electrode portion, and a third electrode portion which extends from a first end of the first electrode portion to a first end of the second electrode portion and is rounded with a first curvature, a drain electrode pattern which extends in the first direction and is disposed between the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion, wherein an end of the drain electrode pattern is rounded to correspond to the third electrode portion; and a channel region pattern which is disposed between the source electrode pattern and the drain electrode pattern, wherein a center location of the first curvature and a center location of the rounded portion of the end of the drain electrode pattern are the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yeon-Ju Kim, Sung-Jae Moon, Yun-Jung Cho, Bum-Ki Baek, Kwang-Hoon Lee, Byoung-Sun Na, Sung-Hoon Yang, Yoon-Jang Kim, Eun Cho
  • Patent number: 8907354
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an optoelectronic device, in particular to an arrangement for contacting an optoelectronic device. The optoelectronic device (200) includes an elastic electrode (208). A method for forming the elastic electrode (208) is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH
    Inventor: Andrew Ingle
  • Patent number: 8907323
    Abstract: A thermoelectric element comprises a substrate with a patterned discontinuous fullerene thin film. A method of applying a patterned discontinuous fullerene thin film to a substrate comprises applying a mask to the substrate, the mask defining a conductive electric network, applying a fullerene material to the masked substrate to deposit a patterned discontinuous fullerene thin film, applying a selected bond breaking force to the network to disassociate fullerene carbon to fullerene carbon bonds without disassociating fullerene carbon to substrate bonds to form a patterned discontinuous fullerene thin film substantially a single fullerene molecule in thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Inventor: Philip D. Freedman
  • Patent number: 8901705
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an electronic component, that comprises, on a substrate, at least one integrated MIM capacitor, (114) an electrically insulating first cover layer (120) which partly or fully covers the top capacitor electrode (118) and is made of a lead-containing dielectric material, and a top barrier layer (122) on the first cover layer. The top barrier layer serves for avoiding a reduction of lead atoms comprised by the first cover layer under exposure of the first cover layer to a reducing substance. An electrically insulating second cover layer (124) on the top barrier layer has a dielectric permittivity smaller than that of the first cover layer establishes a low parasitic capacitance of the cover-layer structure. The described cover-layer structure with the intermediate top barrier layer allows to fabricate a high-accuracy resistor layer (126.1) on top.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: NXP, B.V.
    Inventors: Aarnoud Laurens Roest, Mareike Klee, Rudiger Gunter Mauczok, Linda Van Leuken-Peters, Robertus Adrianus Maria Wolters
  • Patent number: 8895951
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a method of fabricating a semiconductor device layer and an associated memory cell. Empirical data may be used to generate a hysteresis curve associated with deposition for a metal-insulator-metal structure, with curve measurements reflecting variance of an electrical property as a function of cathode voltage used during a sputtering process. By generating at least one voltage level to be used during the sputtering process, where the voltage reflects a suitable value for the electrical property from among the values obtainable in mixed-mode deposition, a semiconductor device layer may be produced with improved characteristics and durability. A multistable memory cell or array of such cells manufactured according to this process can, for a set of given materials, be fabricated to have minimal leakage or “off” current characteristics (Ileak or Ioff, respectively) or a maximum ratio of “on” current to “off” current (Ion/Ioff).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Intermolecular, Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne R French, Tony P. Chiang, Pragati Kumar, Prashant B Phatak
  • Patent number: 8895335
    Abstract: A method for impurity-induced disordering in III-nitride materials comprises growing a III-nitride heterostructure at a growth temperature and doping the heterostructure layers with a dopant during or after the growth of the heterostructure and post-growth annealing of the heterostructure. The post-growth annealing temperature can be sufficiently high to induce disorder of the heterostructure layer interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan J. Wierer, Jr., Andrew A. Allerman
  • Patent number: 8895374
    Abstract: The present application discloses a semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (FET) structure and a method for manufacturing the same, wherein the method comprises: forming a semiconductor substrate comprising an SOI structure having a body-contact hole; forming a fin on the SOI structure of the semiconductor substrate; forming a gate stack structure on top and side faces of the fin; forming source/drain structures in the fin on both sides of the gate stack structure; and performing metallization. The present invention makes use of traditional quasi-planar based top-down processes, thus the manufacturing process thereof becomes simple to implement; the present invention exhibits good compatibility with CMOS planar process and can be easily integrated; the present invention also is favorable for suppressing short channel effects desirably, and boosts MOSFETs to develop towards a trend of downscaling size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Inventors: Huajie Zhou, Qiuxia Xu
  • Patent number: 8889522
    Abstract: Methods and devices related to a plurality of high breakdown voltage embedded capacitors are presented. A semiconductor device may include gate material embedded in an insulator, a plurality of metal contacts, and a plurality of capacitors. The plurality of capacitors may include a lower electrode, a dielectric formed so as to cover a surface of the lower electrode, and an upper electrode formed on the dielectric. Further, the plurality of contacts may connect each of the lower electrodes of the plurality of capacitors to the gate material. The plurality of capacitors may be connected in series via the gate material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Woo Tag Kang, Jonghae Kim
  • Patent number: 8890245
    Abstract: A transistor is provided that includes a buried oxide layer above a substrate. A silicon layer is above the buried oxide layer. A gate stack is on the silicon layer, the gate stack including a high-k oxide layer on the silicon layer and a metal gate on the high-k oxide layer. A nitride liner is adjacent to the gate stack. An oxide liner is adjacent to the nitride liner. A set of faceted raised source/drain regions having a part including a portion of the silicon layer. The set of faceted raised source/drain regions also include a first faceted side portion and a second faceted side portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Bruce Doris, Ali Khakifirooz, Pranita Kulkarni, Ghavam Shahidi
  • Patent number: 8883555
    Abstract: A film formation is performed using a target in which a material which is volatilized more easily than gallium when heated at 400° C. to 700° C., such as zinc, is added to gallium oxide by a sputtering method with high mass-productivity which can be applied to a large-area substrate, such as a DC sputtering method or a pulsed DC sputtering method. This film is heated at 400° C. to 700° C., whereby the added material is segregated in the vicinity of a surface of the film. Another portion of the film has a decreased concentration of the added material and a sufficiently high insulating property; therefore, it can be used for a gate insulator of a semiconductor device, or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 8884359
    Abstract: A field-effect transistor is integrated in a chip of semiconductor material of a first type of conductivity, which has a first main surface and a second main surface, opposite to each other. The transistor includes a plurality of body regions of a second type of conductivity, each one extending from the second main surface in the chip. A plurality of drain columns of the second type of conductivity are provided, each one extending from a body region towards the first main surface, at a pre-defined distance from the first main surface. A plurality of drain columns are defined in the chip, each one extending longitudinally between a pair of adjacent drain columns. The transistor includes a plurality of source regions of the first type of conductivity, each one of them extending from the second main surface in a body region; a plurality of channel areas are defined, each one in a body region between a source region of the body region and each drain channel adjacent to the body region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Antonio Giuseppe Grimaldi, Salvatore Pisano
  • Patent number: 8883623
    Abstract: Methods of facilitating replacement gate processing and semiconductor devices formed from the methods are provided. The methods include, for instance, providing a plurality of sacrificial gate electrodes with sidewall spacers, the sacrificial gate electrodes with sidewall spacers being separated by, at least in part, a first dielectric material, wherein the first dielectric material is recessed below upper surfaces of the sacrificial gate electrodes, and the upper surfaces of the sacrificial gate electrodes are exposed and coplanar; conformally depositing a protective film over the sacrificial gate electrodes, the sidewall spacers, and the first dielectric material; providing a second dielectric material over the protective film, and planarizing the second dielectric material, stopping on and exposing the protective film over the sacrificial gate electrodes; and opening the protective film over the sacrificial gate electrodes to facilitate performing a replacement gate process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignees: GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc., International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ruilong Xie, Xiuyu Cai, Pranatharthiharan Balasubramanian, Shom Ponoth
  • Patent number: 8878333
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor substrate having a main surface; an electrode in a device region on the main surface; a metal wiring on the main surface and having a first end connected to the electrode; an electrode pad outside the device region and spaced from the metal wiring; an air gap between the main surface and an air gap forming film on the main surface, enveloping the first end of the metal wiring and the electrode, and having a first opening; a resin closing the first opening and covering a second end of the metal wiring; a liquid repellent film facing the air gap and increasing contact angle of the resin, when liquid, relative to contact angles on the semiconductor substrate and the air gap forming film; and a metal film connecting the metal wiring to the electrode pad through a second opening located in the resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Youichi Nogami, Hidetoshi Koyama, Yoshitsugu Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8878342
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention are direct to nanoscale, reconfigurable, memristor devices. In one aspect, a memristor device comprises an electrode (301,303) and an alloy electrode (502,602). The device also includes an active region (510,610) sandwiched between the electrode and the alloy electrode. The alloy electrode forms dopants in a sub-region of the active region adjacent to the alloy electrode. The active region can be operated by selectively positioning the dopants within the active region to control the flow of charge carriers between the electrode and the alloy electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Nathaniel J. Quitoriano, Douglas Ohlberg, Philip J. Kuekes, Jianhua Yang