Patents by Inventor Kenneth Settlemyer

Kenneth Settlemyer 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).

  • Patent number: 8853746
    Abstract: The present invention relates to improved complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices with stressed channel regions. Specifically, each improved CMOS device comprises an field effect transistor (FET) having a channel region located in a semiconductor device structure, which has a top surface oriented along one of a first set of equivalent crystal planes and one or more additional surfaces oriented along a second, different set of equivalent crystal planes. Such additional surfaces can be readily formed by crystallographic etching. Further, one or more stressor layers with intrinsic compressive or tensile stress are located over the additional surfaces of the semiconductor device structure and are arranged and constructed to apply tensile or compressive stress to the channel region of the FET. Such stressor layers can be formed by pseudomorphic growth of a semiconductor material having a lattice constant different from the semiconductor device structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Xiangdong Chen, Thomas W. Dyer, Kenneth Settlemyer, Haining S. Yang
  • Publication number: 20080001182
    Abstract: The present invention relates to improved complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices with stressed channel regions. Specifically, each improved CMOS device comprises an field effect transistor (FET) having a channel region located in a semiconductor device structure, which has a top surface oriented along one of a first set of equivalent crystal planes and one or more additional surfaces oriented along a second, different set of equivalent crystal planes. Such additional surfaces can be readily formed by crystallographic etching. Further, one or more stressor layers with intrinsic compressive or tensile stress are located over the additional surfaces of the semiconductor device structure and are arranged and constructed to apply tensile or compressive stress to the channel region of the FET. Such stressor layers can be formed by pseudomorphic growth of a semiconductor material having a lattice constant different from the semiconductor device structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2006
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Xiangdong Chen, Thomas W. Dyer, Kenneth Settlemyer, Haining S. Yang
  • Publication number: 20070167024
    Abstract: A method is presented for fabricating a non-planar field effect device. The method includes the production of a Si based material Fin structure that has a top surface substantially in parallel with a {111} crystallographic plane of the Si Fin structure, and the etching of the Si Fin structure with a solution which contains ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH). In this manner, due to differing etch rates in ammonium hydroxide of various Si based material crystallographic planes, the corners on the Fin structure become clipped, and angles between the horizontal and vertical planes of the Fin structure increase. A FinFET device with clipped, or rounded, corners is then fabricated to completion. In a typical embodiment the FinFET device is selected to be a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yujun Li, Kenneth Settlemyer, Jochen Beintner
  • Publication number: 20070166900
    Abstract: A method of fabrication and a field effect device structure are presented that reduce source/drain capacitance and allow for device body contact. A Si based material pedestal is produced, the top surface and the sidewalls of which are oriented in a way to be substantially parallel with selected crystallographic planes of the pedestal and of a supporting member. The pedestal is wet etched with an anisotropic solution containing ammonium hydroxide. The sidewalls of the pedestal become faceted forming a segment in the pedestal with a reduced cross section. The dopant concentration in the reduced cross section segment is chosen to be sufficiently high for it to provide for electrical continuity through the pedestal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yujun Li, Kenneth Settlemyer, Jochen Beintner
  • Publication number: 20070072429
    Abstract: A method for producing predetermined shapes in a crystalline Si-containing material that have substantially uniform straight sides or edges and well-defined inside and outside corners is provided together with the structure that is formed utilizing the method of the present invention. The inventive method utilizes conventional photolithography and etching to transfer a pattern, i.e., shape, to a crystalline Si-containing material. Since conventional processing is used, the patterns have the inherent limitations of rounded corners. A selective etching process utilizing a solution of diluted ammonium hydroxide is used to eliminate the rounded corners providing a final shape that has substantially straight sides or edges and substantially rounded corners.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2005
    Publication date: March 29, 2007
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas Dyer, Kenneth Settlemyer, James Toomey, Haining Yang
  • Publication number: 20060275974
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a bottle trench and a bottle trench capacitor. The method including: providing a substrate; forming a trench in the substrate, the trench having sidewalls and a bottom, the trench having an upper region adjacent to a top surface of the substrate and a lower region adjacent to the bottom of the trench; forming an oxidized layer of the substrate in the bottom region of the trench; and removing the oxidized layer of the substrate from the bottom region of the trench, a cross-sectional area of the lower region of the trench greater than a cross-sectional area of the upper region of the trench.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2006
    Publication date: December 7, 2006
    Inventors: Oh-Jung Kwon, Kenneth Settlemyer, Ravikumar Ramachandran, Min-Soo Kim
  • Publication number: 20060172486
    Abstract: The surface area of the walls of a trench formed in a substrate is increased. A barrier layer is formed on the walls of the trench such that the barrier layer is thinner near the corners of the trench and is thicker between the corners of the trench. A dopant is introduced into the substrate through the barrier layer to form higher doped regions in the substrate near the corners of the trench and lesser doped regions between the corners of the trench. The barrier layer is removed, and the walls of the trench are etched in a manner that etches the lesser doped regions of the substrate at a higher rate than the higher doped regions of the substrate to widen and lengthen the trench and to form rounded corners at the intersections of the walls of the trench.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2005
    Publication date: August 3, 2006
    Inventors: Helmut Tews, Stephan Kudelka, Kenneth Settlemyer
  • Publication number: 20060128055
    Abstract: A field effect transistor formed by a sacrificial gate process has a simplified process and improved yield by using a tunable resistant anti-reflective coating (TERA) as the cap layer over the sacrificial gate layer. The TERA layer serves as a tunable anti-reflection layer for photolithography patterning, a hardmask for etching the sacrificial gate, a polish stopping layer for planarization, and a blocking layer for preventing silicide formation over the sacrificial gate. The TERA is stripped by a two-step process that is highly selective to the nitride spacers, so that the spacers are not damaged in the process of stripping the sacrificial gate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2004
    Publication date: June 15, 2006
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Ramachandra Divakaruni, Kenneth Settlemyer
  • Publication number: 20060105526
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a bottle trench and a bottle trench capacitor. The method including: providing a substrate; forming a trench in the substrate, the trench having sidewalls and a bottom, the trench having an upper region adjacent to a top surface of the substrate and a lower region adjacent to the bottom of the trench; forming an oxidized layer of the substrate in the bottom region of the trench; and removing the oxidized layer of the substrate from the bottom region of the trench, a cross-sectional area of the lower region of the trench greater than a cross-sectional area of the upper region of the trench.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2004
    Publication date: May 18, 2006
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Oh-Jung Kwon, Kenneth Settlemyer, Ravikumar Ramachandran, Min-Soo Kim
  • Patent number: 6967136
    Abstract: A method is provided for making a trench capacitor by forming a trench in a substrate. The trench is then widened and a sacrificial collar is formed on sidewalls of the widened trench. The trench is then vertically deepened to extend below the sidewalls of the sacrificial collar. Subsequently, a capacitor is formed in the trench below the sacrificial collar. An integrated circuit includes a deep trench structure formed in a single-crystal region of a semiconductor substrate including an upper trench portion, the upper trench portion having an opening of rectangular shape. A lower trench portion is formed below the upper trench portion. The lower portion may be widened to have a bottle shape. Alternatively, the upper trench portion may be widened relative to the lower trench portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Akatsu, Kangguo Cheng, Kenneth Settlemyer
  • Publication number: 20050255386
    Abstract: Increased protection of areas of a chip are provided by both a mask structure of increased robustness in regard to semiconductor manufacturing processes or which can be removed with increased selectivity and controllability in regard to underlying materials, or both. Mask structures are provided which exhibit an interface of a chemical reaction, grain or material type which can be exploited to enhance either or both types of protection. Structures of such masks include TERA material which can be converted or hydrated and selectively etched using a mixture of hydrogen fluoride and a hygroscopic acid or organic solvent, and two layer structures of similar or dissimilar materials.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2004
    Publication date: November 17, 2005
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Deok-kee Kim, Kenneth Settlemyer, Kangguo Cheng, Ramachandra Divakaruni, Carl Radens, Dirk Pfeiffer, Timothy Dalton, Katherina Babich, Arpan Mahorowala, Harald Okorn-Schmidt
  • Publication number: 20050179112
    Abstract: Isolation trenches and capacitor trenches containing vertical FETs (or any prior levels p-n junctions or dissimilar material interfaces) having an aspect ratio up to 60 are filled with a process comprising: applying a spin-on material based on silazane and having a low molecular weight; pre-baking the applied material in an oxygen ambient at a temperature below about 450 deg C.; converting the stress in the material by heating at an intermediate temperature between 450 deg C. and 800 deg C. in an H20 ambient; and heating again at an elevated temperature in an O2 ambient, resulting in a material that is stable up to 1000 deg C., has a compressive stress that may be tuned by variation of the process parameters, has an etch rate comparable to oxide dielectric formed by HDP techniques, and is durable enough to withstand CMP polishing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2005
    Publication date: August 18, 2005
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael Belyansky, Rama Divakaruni, Laertis Economikos, Rajarao Jammy, Kenneth Settlemyer, Padraic Shafer
  • Publication number: 20050121412
    Abstract: A method of forming integrated circuits having FinFET transistors includes a method of forming sub-lithographic fins, in which a mask defining a block of silicon including a pair of fins in reduced in width or pulled back by the thickness of one fin on each side, after which a second mask is formed around the first mask, so that after the first mask is removed, an aperture remains in the second mask having the width of the separation distance between the pair of fins. When the silicon is etched through the aperture, the fins are protected by the second mask, thereby defining fin thickness by the pullback step. An alternative method uses lithography of opposite polarity, first defining the central etch aperture between the two fins lithographically, then expanding the width of the aperture by a pullback step, so that filling the widened aperture with an etch-resistant plug defines the outer edges of the pair of fins, thereby setting the fin width without an alignment kstep.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2003
    Publication date: June 9, 2005
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jochen Beintner, Dureseti Chidambarrao, Yujun Li, Kenneth Settlemyer
  • Publication number: 20050026382
    Abstract: A method is provided for making a trench capacitor by forming a trench in a substrate. The trench is then widened and a sacrificial collar is formed on sidewalls of the widened trench. The trench is then vertically deepened to extend below the sidewalls of the sacrificial collar. Subsequently, a capacitor is formed in the trench below the sacrificial collar. An integrated circuit includes a deep trench structure formed in a single-crystal region of a semiconductor substrate including an upper trench portion, the upper trench portion having an opening of rectangular shape. A lower trench portion is formed below the upper trench portion. The lower portion may be widened to have a bottle shape. Alternatively, the upper trench portion may be widened relative to the lower trench portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2003
    Publication date: February 3, 2005
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Akatsu, Kangguo Cheng, Kenneth Settlemyer