Abstract: A gripper for the advantageously robotized handling of one or more silicon wafers (5) comprises a part (2, 102) which allows the gripper (1, 101) to be secured to an operating arm or other handling member (3), the part (2, 102) being rigid with a support structure (4, 104) for the silicon wafers. The structure (4, 104) comprises at least two mutually cooperating opposing jaws (9, 10; 109, 110) mobile relative to each other; the jaws (9, 10; 109, 110) are provided with at least one seat (16, 116) for adapting to the shape of the lateral edge (17) of the wafer (5) supported by the jaws during its handling. Advantageously, on one side (108) of the wafer support structure (104) there are provided at least two members (174) mobile relative to the side (108) and arranged to cooperate with a silicon wafer holder or boat, to enable this latter to be supported and handled.

Abstract: Structure and method for metallization patterns of different thicknesses on a semiconductor device or integrated circuit. The improved structure and method utilizes three layers of metal in order to reduce the required number of processing steps. One preferred embodiment entails a single metal deposition sequence followed by two etch steps, while a second embodiment, suitable for thicker metallization, requires only two depositions and two etch steps.

Abstract: The method provides for the formation of a layer of metal silicide on the gate layer of polycrystalline silicon and, for each transistor of the CMOS pair, the simultaneous doping of the active regions and the gate polycrystalline silicon. In the structure produced by this method, the gate electrodes are of polycrystalline silicon covered by metal silicide and the gate electrode of the n-channel transistor is doped with n-type material, while the gate electrode of the p-channel transistor is doped with p-type impurities. This enables the production of low threshold voltages for both transistors even in the case of very high integration densities.

Abstract: A silicon wafer, having a front surface with disjointed contact areas and a uniform rear surface, is provided at the contact areas of its front surface with respective pads each comprising a base layer of aluminum, a first intermediate layer of chromium or titanium, a second intermediate layer of nickel and an outer layer of gold or palladium. The rear surface is covered with a base layer of gold (or of a gold/arsenic alloy in the case of N-type silicon), a first intermediate layer of chromium, a second intermediate layer of nickel and an outer layer of gold or palladium to which a film of low-melting bonding agent (lead/tin solder) is applied. After testing and elimination of unsatisfactory wafer sections, the remaining sections are separated into dies placed on a conductive substrate; an extremity of a respective terminal lead, encased in a similar bonding agent, is then placed on the outer layer of each contact pad. All soldering operations are simultaneously performed in a furnace.