Abstract: Techniques are provided for fuse/anti-fuse structures, including an inner conductor structure, an insulating layer spaced outwardly of the inner conductor structure, an outer conductor structure disposed outwardly of the insulating layer, and a cavity-defining structure that defines a cavity, with at least a portion of the cavity-defining structure being formed from at least one of the inner conductor structure, the insulating layer, and the outer conductor structure. Methods of making and programming the fuse/anti-fuse structures are also provided.

Abstract: Semiconductor device structures with self-aligned doped regions and methods for forming such semiconductor device structures. The semiconductor structure comprises first and second doped regions of a first conductivity type defined in the semiconductor material of a substrate bordering a sidewall of a trench. An intervening region of the semiconductor material separates the first and second doped regions. A third doped region is defined in the semiconductor material bordering the sidewall of the trench and disposed between the first and second doped regions. The third doped region is doped to have a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type. Methods for forming the doped regions involve depositing either a layer of a material doped with both dopants or different layers each doped with one of the dopants in the trench and, then, diffusing the dopants from the layer or layers into the semiconductor material bordering the trench sidewall.

Abstract: Methods of forming a semiconductor structure having FinFET's and planar devices, such as MOSFET's, on a common substrate by a damascene approach, and semiconductor structures formed by the methods. A semiconductor fin of the FinFET is formed on a substrate with damascene processing in which the fin growth may be interrupted to implant ions that are subsequently transformed into a region that electrically isolates the fin from the substrate. The isolation region is self-aligned with the fin because the mask used to form the damascene-body fin also serves as an implantation mask for the implanted ions. The fin may be supported by the patterned layer during processing that forms the FinFET and, more specifically, the gate of the FinFET. The electrical isolation surrounding the FinFET may also be supplied by a self-aligned process that recesses the substrate about the FinFET and at least partially fills the recess with a dielectric material.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure with an insulating layer on a silicon substrate, a plurality of electrically-isolated silicon-on-insulator (SOI) regions separated from the substrate by the insulating layer, and a plurality of electrically-isolated silicon bulk regions extending through the insulating layer to the substrate. Each of one number of the SOI regions is oriented with a first crystal orientation and each of another number of the SOI regions is oriented with a second crystal orientation that differs from the first crystal orientation. The bulk silicon regions are each oriented with a third crystal orientation. Damascene or imprinting methods of forming the SOI regions and bulk silicon regions are also provided.

Abstract: A finFET structure and a method of fabricating the finFET structure. The method includes: forming a silicon fin on a top surface of a silicon substrate; forming a gate dielectric on opposite sidewalls of the fin; forming a gate electrode over a channel region of the fin, the gate electrode in direct physical contact with the gate dielectric layer on the opposite sidewalls of the fin; forming a first source/drain in the fin on a first side of the channel region and forming a second source/drain in the fin on a second side of the channel region; removing a portion of the substrate from under at least a portion of the first and second source/drains to create a void; and filling the void with a dielectric material. The structure includes a body contact between the silicon body of the finFET and the substrate.

Abstract: A structure. The structure includes: a substrate; a first electrode in the substrate; a dielectric layer on top of the substrate and the electrode; a second dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer, said second dielectric layer comprising a second dielectric material; a fuse element buried in the first dielectric layer, wherein the fuse element (i) physically separates, (ii) is in direct physical contact with both, and (iii) is sandwiched between a first region and a second region of the dielectric layer; and a second electrode on top of the fuse element, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are electrically coupled to each other through the fuse element.

Abstract: Methods of fabricating a semiconductor structure in which a body of monocrystalline silicon is formed on a sidewall of a sacrificial mandrel and semiconductor structures made by the methods. After the body of monocrystalline silicon is formed, the sacrificial material of the mandrel is removed selective to the monocrystalline silicon of the body. The mandrel may be composed of porous silicon and the body may be fabricated using either a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate or a bulk substrate. The body may be used to fabricate a fin body of a fin-type field effect transistor.

Abstract: A method (and system) of reducing contact resistance on a silicon-on-insulator device, including controlling a silicide depth in a source-drain region of the device.

Abstract: Device structure embodied in a machine readable medium for designing, manufacturing, or testing a design in which the design structure includes latch-up resistant devices formed on a hybrid substrate. The hybrid substrate is characterized by first and second semiconductor regions that are formed on a bulk semiconductor region. The second semiconductor region is separated from the bulk semiconductor region by an insulating layer. The first semiconductor region is separated from the bulk semiconductor region by a conductive region of an opposite conductivity type from the bulk semiconductor region. The buried conductive region thereby the susceptibility of devices built using the first semiconductor region to latch-up.

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.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for implementing an enhanced hand shake protocol for microelectronic communication systems. A transmitter and a receiver is coupled together by a transmission link. The transmitter receives an idle input. The idle input is activated when the transmitter is not transmitting data and the transmitter applies a first common 10 mode level to the receiving unit. The idle input is deactivated when the transmitter is ready to transmit data and the transmitter raises the common mode level to the receiving unit. Responsive to the receiver detecting the common mode level up-movement, then the receiver receives the transmitted data signals. After the desired data has been sent, the 15 transmitter terminates communications, drops the common mode level with the idle input being activated.

Abstract: Methods of forming semiconductor structures characterized by a thin active silicon layer on an insulating substrate by a crystal imprinting or damascene approach. The methods include patterning an insulating layer to define a plurality of apertures, filling the apertures in the patterned insulating layer with amorphous silicon to define a plurality of amorphous silicon features, and re-growing the amorphous silicon features to define a thin active silicon layer consisting of regrown silicon features. The amorphous silicon features may be regrown such that a number have a first crystal orientation and another number have a different second crystal orientation.

Abstract: Semiconductor structures and methods for suppressing latch-up in bulk CMOS devices. The semiconductor structure comprises a shaped-modified isolation region that is formed in a trench generally between two doped wells of the substrate in which the bulk CMOS devices are fabricated. The shaped-modified isolation region may comprise a widened dielectric-filled portion of the trench, which may optionally include a nearby damage region, or a narrowed dielectric-filled portion of the trench that partitions a damage region between the two doped wells. Latch-up may also be suppressed by providing a lattice-mismatched layer between the trench base and the dielectric filler in the trench.

Abstract: In a first aspect, a first method of manufacturing a high-voltage transistor is provided. The first method includes the steps of (1) providing a substrate including a bulk silicon layer that is below an insulator layer that is below a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) layer; and (2) forming one or more portions of a transistor node including a diffusion region of the transistor in the SOI layer. A portion of the transistor node is adapted to reduce a voltage greater than about 5 V within the transistor to a voltage less than about 3 V. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Abstract: A structure fabrication method. The method includes providing a structure. The structure includes (a) a substrate layer, (b) a first fuse electrode in the substrate layer, and (c) a fuse dielectric layer on the substrate layer and the first fuse electrode. The method further includes (i) forming an opening in the fuse dielectric layer such that the first fuse electrode is exposed to a surrounding ambient through the opening, (ii) forming a fuse region on side walls and bottom walls of the opening such that the fuse region is electrically coupled to the first fuse electrode, and (iii) after said forming the fuse region, filling the opening with a dielectric material.

Abstract: A method for fabricating and back-end-of-line (BEOL) metalization structures includes simultaneous high-k and low-k dielectric regions. An interconnect structure includes a first inter-level dielectric (ILD) layer and a second ILD layer with the first ILD layer underlying the second ILD layer. A plurality of columnar air gaps is formed in the first ILD. The columnar air gap structure is created using a two-phase photoresist material for providing different etching selectivity during subsequent processing.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure that includes a monocrystalline germanium-containing layer, preferably substantially pure germanium, a substrate, and a buried insulator layer separating the germanium-containing layer from the substrate. A porous layer, which may be porous silicon, is formed on a substrate and a germanium-containing layer is formed on the porous silicon layer. The porous layer may be converted to a layer of oxide, which provides the buried insulator layer. Alternatively, the germanium-containing layer may be transferred from the porous layer to an insulating layer on another substrate. After the transfer, the insulating layer is buried between the latter substrate and the germanium-containing layer.

Abstract: Latch-up resistant semiconductor structures formed on a hybrid substrate and methods of forming such latch-up resistant semiconductor structures. The hybrid substrate is characterized by first and second semiconductor regions that are formed on a bulk semiconductor region. The second semiconductor region is separated from the bulk semiconductor region by an insulating layer. The first semiconductor region is separated from the bulk semiconductor region by a conductive region of an opposite conductivity type from the bulk semiconductor region. The buried conductive region thereby the susceptibility of devices built using the first semiconductor region to latch-up.

Abstract: Design structure embodied in a machine readable medium for designing, manufacturing, or testing a design in which the design structure includes devices formed in a hybrid substrate characterized by semiconductor islands of different crystal orientations. An insulating layer divides the islands of at least one of the different crystal orientations into mutually aligned device and body regions. The body regions may be electrically floating relative to the device regions.

Abstract: A well isolation trenches for a CMOS device and the method for forming the same. The CMOS device includes (a) a semiconductor substrate, (b) a P well and an N well in the semiconductor substrate, (c) a well isolation region sandwiched between and in direct physical contact with the P well and the N well. The P well comprises a first shallow trench isolation (STI) region, and the N well comprises a second STI region. A bottom surface of the well isolation region is at a lower level than bottom surfaces of the first and second STI regions. When going from top to bottom of the well isolation region, an area of a horizontal cross section of the well isolation region is an essentially continuous function.