Patents by Inventor Hsin-Ming Hou

Hsin-Ming Hou has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20130221407
    Abstract: A multi-gate transistor device includes a substrate, a fin structure extending along a first direction formed on the substrate, a gate structure extending along a second direction formed on the substrate, a drain region having a first conductivity type formed in the fin structure, a source region having a second conductivity type formed in the fin structure, and a first pocket doped region having the first conductivity type formed in and encompassed by the source region. The first conductivity type and the second conductivity type are complementary to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Inventors: Hsin-Ming Hou, Ji-Fu Kung
  • Publication number: 20130110272
    Abstract: A wafer fabrication outcome, such as wafer yield or wafer lifetime, is predicted by excluding uncontrollable but measurable internal/external noises of a DOE system, and by rendering relations between wafer design variables and wafer outcome outputs to be more causal, as well as the relations between variances for each of the wafer design variables and the wafer outcome outputs. With the aid of a wafer fabrication outcome predicting model formed by the more causal relations, precision of predicting wafer outcomes can be raised, and performance of wafer fabrication can be thus raised as a result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Inventors: Hsin-Ming Hou, Ji-Fu Kung
  • Patent number: 8434030
    Abstract: An integrated circuit design and fabrication method includes the following steps. Firstly, an integrated circuit design layout is provided. Then, a first hotspot group and a second hotpot group are searched from the integrated circuit design layout. Then, a hotspot score is acquired according to the first hotspot group, the second hotpot group and a product functionality. If the hotspot score is higher than a criterion, the integrated circuit design layout is corrected according to the first hotspot group and the second hotpot group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: United Microelectronics Corporation
    Inventors: Hsin-Ming Hou, Ji-Fu Kung
  • Patent number: 8410571
    Abstract: A layout of dummy patterns on a wafer having a plurality of pads disposed thereon is described. The layout of the dummy patterns includes having a plurality of dummy patterns spaced apart from each other and enclosing the plurality of the pads. The plurality of dummy patterns also include a plurality of peripheral dummy patterns and a plurality of central dummy patterns, wherein a minimum distance between the plurality of the central dummy patterns and the plurality of the pads is greater a minimum distance between the plurality of the peripheral dumpy patterns and the plurality of the pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: United Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventor: Hsin-Ming Hou
  • Publication number: 20130076388
    Abstract: A transistor array for testing is provided. The transistor array includes a plurality of tested units. Each of the tested unit includes a tested transistor and a first to third switches. The tested transistor has a control terminal, a first and a second terminals and a bulk. The first switch is coupled between the first terminal and a leakage transporting line. The second switch is coupled between the second terminal and the leakage transporting line. The third switch is coupled between the control terminal and a bias providing line. The first to third switches are turned on or turned off according to a control signal. When the tested transistor is selected to be tested, the first to third switches are turned on according to the control signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: United Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: HSIN-MING HOU, JI-FU KUNG
  • Publication number: 20130061188
    Abstract: For improving wafer fabrication, yield and lifetime of wafers are predicted by determining coefficients of a yield/lifetime domain, an integral domain, an electric/layout domain, a metrology/defect domain, and a machine sensor domain in a hierarchical manner. With the aid of the hierarchically-determined coefficients, noises in prediction can be reduced so that precision of prediction results of the yields or the lifetimes of wafers can be raised.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2011
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Inventors: Hsin-Ming Hou, Ji-Fu Kung
  • Patent number: 7566647
    Abstract: A method of disposing dummy patterns is described, which is used for increasing the pattern density of an aluminum pad layer. A substrate is provided, and an aluminum pad material layer is formed on the substrate. Then, the aluminum pad material layer is patterned to form the aluminum pad layer which includes a plurality of aluminum pads and a plurality of dummy patterns, wherein the dummy patterns are distributed in the spaces between the aluminum pads. Besides, routings can be further disposed in the aluminum pad layer and the dummy patterns are distributed in the spaces between the aluminum pads, between the aluminum pads and the routings, or between the routings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: United Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventor: Hsin-Ming Hou
  • Publication number: 20090008803
    Abstract: A layout of dummy patterns on a wafer having a plurality of pads disposed thereon is described. The layout of the dummy patterns includes having a plurality of dummy patterns spaced apart from each other and enclosing the plurality of the pads. The plurality of dummy patterns also include a plurality of peripheral dummy patterns and a plurality of central dummy patterns, wherein a minimum distance between the plurality of the central dummy patterns and the plurality of the pads is greater a minimum distance between the plurality of the peripheral dumpy patterns and the plurality of the pads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2008
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Applicant: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventor: Hsin-Ming Hou
  • Publication number: 20080124910
    Abstract: A method of disposing dummy patterns is described, which is used for increasing the pattern density of an aluminum pad layer. A substrate is provided, and an aluminum pad material layer is formed on the substrate. Then, the aluminum pad material layer is patterned to form the aluminum pad layer which includes a plurality of aluminum pads and a plurality of dummy patterns, wherein the dummy patterns are distributed in the spaces between the aluminum pads. Besides, routings can be further disposed in the aluminum pad layer and the dummy patterns are distributed in the spaces between the aluminum pads, between the aluminum pads and the routings, or between the routings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2006
    Publication date: May 29, 2008
    Applicant: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventor: Hsin-Ming Hou