Patents by Inventor Scott E. Thompson

Scott E. Thompson 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: 11887895
    Abstract: Some structures and methods to reduce power consumption in devices can be implemented largely by reusing existing bulk CMOS process flows and manufacturing technology, allowing the semiconductor industry as well as the broader electronics industry to avoid a costly and risky switch to alternative technologies. Some of the structures and methods relate to a Deeply Depleted Channel (DDC) design, allowing CMOS based devices to have a reduced ?VT compared to conventional bulk CMOS and can allow the threshold voltage VT of FETs having dopants in the channel region to be set much more precisely. The DDC design also can have a strong body effect compared to conventional bulk CMOS transistors, which can allow for significant dynamic control of power consumption in DDC transistors. Additional structures, configurations, and methods presented herein can be used alone or in conjunction with the DDC to yield additional and different benefits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: United Semiconductor Japan Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Scott E. Thompson, Damodar R. Thummalapally
  • Publication number: 20210313231
    Abstract: Some structures and methods to reduce power consumption in devices can be implemented largely by reusing existing bulk CMOS process flows and manufacturing technology, allowing the semiconductor industry as well as the broader electronics industry to avoid a costly and risky switch to alternative technologies. Some of the structures and methods relate to a Deeply Depleted Channel (DDC) design, allowing CMOS based devices to have a reduced ?VT compared to conventional bulk CMOS and can allow the threshold voltage VT of FETs having dopants in the channel region to be set much more precisely. The DDC design also can have a strong body effect compared to conventional bulk CMOS transistors, which can allow for significant dynamic control of power consumption in DDC transistors. Additional structures, configurations, and methods presented herein can be used alone or in conjunction with the DDC to yield additional and different benefits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2021
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Applicant: United Semiconductor Japan Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Scott E. Thompson, Damodar R. Thummalapally
  • Patent number: 11062950
    Abstract: Some structures and methods to reduce power consumption in devices can be implemented largely by reusing existing bulk CMOS process flows and manufacturing technology, allowing the semiconductor industry as well as the broader electronics industry to avoid a costly and risky switch to alternative technologies. Some of the structures and methods relate to a Deeply Depleted Channel (DDC) design, allowing CMOS based devices to have a reduced ?VT compared to conventional bulk CMOS and can allow the threshold voltage VT of FETs having dopants in the channel region to be set much more precisely. The DDC design also can have a strong body effect compared to conventional bulk CMOS transistors, which can allow for significant dynamic control of power consumption in DDC transistors. Additional structures, configurations, and methods presented herein can be used alone or in conjunction with the DDC to yield additional and different benefits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: United Semiconductor Japan Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Scott E. Thompson, Damodar R. Thummalapally
  • Patent number: 10325986
    Abstract: An advanced transistor with punch through suppression includes a gate with length Lg, a well doped to have a first concentration of a dopant, and a screening region positioned under the gate and having a second concentration of dopant. The second concentration of dopant may be greater than 5×1018 dopant atoms per cm3. At least one punch through suppression region is disposed under the gate between the screening region and the well. The punch through suppression region has a third concentration of a dopant intermediate between the first concentration and the second concentration of dopant. A bias voltage may be applied to the well region to adjust a threshold voltage of the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: MIE FUJITSU SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED
    Inventors: Lucian Shifren, Pushkar Ranade, Paul E. Gregory, Sachin R. Sonkusale, Weimin Zhang, Scott E. Thompson
  • Patent number: 10250257
    Abstract: Digital circuits are disclosed that may include multiple transistors having controllable current paths coupled between first and second logic nodes. One or more of the transistors may have a deeply depleted channel formed below its gate that includes a substantially undoped channel region formed over a relatively highly doped screen layer formed over a doped body region. Resulting reductions in threshold voltage variation may improve digital circuit performance. Logic circuit, static random access memory (SRAM) cell, and passgate embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: MIE Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Scott E. Thompson, Lawrence T. Clark
  • Publication number: 20190080967
    Abstract: Some structures and methods to reduce power consumption in devices can be implemented largely by reusing existing bulk CMOS process flows and manufacturing technology, allowing the semiconductor industry as well as the broader electronics industry to avoid a costly and risky switch to alternative technologies. Some of the structures and methods relate to a Deeply Depleted Channel (DDC) design, allowing CMOS based devices to have a reduced ?VT compared to conventional bulk CMOS and can allow the threshold voltage VT of FETs having dopants in the channel region to be set much more precisely. The DDC design also can have a strong body effect compared to conventional bulk CMOS transistors, which can allow for significant dynamic control of power consumption in DDC transistors. Additional structures, configurations, and methods presented herein can be used alone or in conjunction with the DDC to yield additional and different benefits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Publication date: March 14, 2019
    Applicant: Mie Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Scott E. Thompson, Damodar R. Thummalapally
  • Patent number: 10224244
    Abstract: Some structures and methods to reduce power consumption in devices can be implemented largely by reusing existing bulk CMOS process flows and manufacturing technology, allowing the semiconductor industry as well as the broader electronics industry to avoid a costly and risky switch to alternative technologies. Some of the structures and methods relate to a Deeply Depleted Channel (DDC) design, allowing CMOS based devices to have a reduced ?VT compared to conventional bulk CMOS and can allow the threshold voltage VT of FETs having dopants in the channel region to be set much more precisely. The DDC design also can have a strong body effect compared to conventional bulk CMOS transistors, which can allow for significant dynamic control of power consumption in DDC transistors. Additional structures, configurations, and methods presented herein can be used alone or in conjunction with the DDC to yield additional and different benefits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: MIE FUJITSU SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED
    Inventors: Scott E. Thompson, Damodar R. Thummalapally
  • Patent number: 10217668
    Abstract: Some structures and methods to reduce power consumption in devices can be implemented largely by reusing existing bulk CMOS process flows and manufacturing technology, allowing the semiconductor industry as well as the broader electronics industry to avoid a costly and risky switch to alternative technologies. Some of the structures and methods relate to a Deeply Depleted Channel (DDC) design, allowing CMOS based devices to have a reduced ?VT compared to conventional bulk CMOS and can allow the threshold voltage VT of FETs having dopants in the channel region to be set much more precisely. The DDC design also can have a strong body effect compared to conventional bulk CMOS transistors, which can allow for significant dynamic control of power consumption in DDC transistors. Additional structures, configurations, and methods presented herein can be used alone or in conjunction with the DDC to yield additional and different benefits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: MIE FUJITSU SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED
    Inventors: Scott E. Thompson, Damodar R. Thummalapally
  • Patent number: 10074568
    Abstract: Some structures and methods to reduce power consumption in devices can be implemented largely by reusing existing bulk CMOS process flows and manufacturing technology, allowing the semiconductor industry as well as the broader electronics industry to avoid a costly and risky switch to alternative technologies. Some of the structures and methods relate to a Deeply Depleted Channel (DDC) design, allowing CMOS based devices to have a reduced sigma VT compared to conventional bulk CMOS and can allow the threshold voltage VT of FETs having dopants in the channel region to be set much more precisely. The DDC design also can have a strong body effect compared to conventional bulk CMOS transistors, which can allow for significant dynamic control of power consumption in DDC transistors. Additional structures, configurations, and methods presented herein can be used alone or in conjunction with the DDC to yield additional and different benefits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: MIE Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Scott E. Thompson, Damodar R. Thummalapally
  • Publication number: 20180248548
    Abstract: Digital circuits are disclosed that may include multiple transistors having controllable current paths coupled between first and second logic nodes. One or more of the transistors may have a deeply depleted channel formed below its gate that includes a substantially undoped channel region formed over a relatively highly doped screen layer formed over a doped body region. Resulting reductions in threshold voltage variation may improve digital circuit performance. Logic circuit, static random access memory (SRAM) cell, and passgate embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Applicant: Mie Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Scott E. Thompson, Lawrence T. Clark
  • Patent number: 9991300
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating such devices are provided. The devices include source and drain regions on one conductivity type separated by a channel length and a gate structure. The devices also include a channel region of the one conductivity type formed in the device region between the source and drain regions and a screening region of another conductivity type formed below the channel region and between the source and drain regions. In operation, the channel region forms, in response to a bias voltage at the gate structure, a surface depletion region below the gate structure, a buried depletion region at an interface of the channel region and the screening region, and a buried channel region between the surface depletion region and the buried depletion region, where the buried depletion region is substantially located in channel region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: MIE Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Teymur Bakhishev, Lingquan Wang, Dalong Zhao, Pushkar Ranade, Scott E. Thompson
  • Patent number: 9985631
    Abstract: Digital circuits are disclosed that may include multiple transistors having controllable current paths coupled between first and second logic nodes. One or more of the transistors may have a deeply depleted channel formed below its gate that includes a substantially undoped channel region formed over a relatively highly doped screen layer formed over a doped body region. Resulting reductions in threshold voltage variation may improve digital circuit performance. Logic circuit, static random access memory (SRAM) cell, and passgate embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: MIE FUJITSU SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED
    Inventors: Scott E. Thompson, Lawrence T. Clark
  • Patent number: 9966130
    Abstract: An integrated circuit can include multiple SRAM cells, each including at least two pull-up transistors, at least two pull-down transistors, and at least two pass-gate transistors, each of the transistors having a gate; at least one of the pull-up transistors, the pull-down transistors, or the pass-gate transistors having a screening region a distance below the gate and separated from the gate by a semiconductor layer, the screening region having a concentration of screening region dopants, the concentration of screening region dopants being higher than a concentration of dopants in the semiconductor layer, the screening region providing an enhanced body coefficient for the pull-down transistors and the pass-gate transistors to increase the read static noise margin for the SRAM cell when a bias voltage is applied to the screening region; and a bias voltage network operable to apply one or more bias voltages to the multiple SRAM cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: MIE Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Lawrence T. Clark, Scott E. Thompson, Richard S. Roy, Robert Rogenmoser, Damodar R. Thummalapally
  • Patent number: 9922977
    Abstract: A structure and method of fabrication thereof relate to a Deeply Depleted Channel (DDC) design, allowing CMOS based devices to have a reduced ?VT (variation in VT) compared to conventional bulk CMOS and can allow the threshold voltage VT of FETs having dopants in the channel region to be set much more precisely. A novel dopant profile indicative of a distinctive notch enables tuning of the VT setting within a precise range. This VT set range may be extended by appropriate selection of metals of a gate electrode material so that a very wide range of VT settings is accommodated on the die. The DDC design also can have a strong body effect compared to conventional bulk CMOS transistors, which can allow for significant dynamic control of power consumption in DDC transistors. The result is the ability to independently control VT (with a low ?VT) and VDD (the operating voltage supplied to the transistor), so that the body bias can be tuned separately from VT for a given device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Mie Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Reza Arghavani, Pushkar Ranade, Lucian Shifren, Scott E. Thompson, Catherine de Villeneuve
  • Publication number: 20180048311
    Abstract: Digital circuits are disclosed that may include multiple transistors having controllable current paths coupled between first and second logic nodes. One or more of the transistors may have a deeply depleted channel formed below its gate that includes a substantially undoped channel region formed over a relatively highly doped screen layer formed over a doped body region. Resulting reductions in threshold voltage variation may improve digital circuit performance. Logic circuit, static random access memory (SRAM) cell, and passgate embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Inventors: Scott E. Thompson, Lawrence T. Clark
  • Patent number: 9865596
    Abstract: A structure and method of fabrication thereof relate to a Deeply Depleted Channel (DDC) design, allowing CMOS based devices to have a reduced ?VT compared to conventional bulk CMOS and can allow the threshold voltage VT of FETs having dopants in the channel region to be set much more precisely. The DDC design also can have a strong body effect compared to conventional bulk CMOS transistors, which can allow for significant dynamic control of power consumption in DDC transistors. The semiconductor structure includes an analog device and a digital device each having an epitaxial channel layer where a single gate oxidation layer is on the epitaxial channel layer of NMOS and PMOS transistor elements of the digital device and one of a double and triple gate oxidation layer is on the epitaxial channel layer of NMOS and PMOS transistor elements of the analog device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: MIE Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Lucian Shifren, Pushkar Ranade, Scott E. Thompson, Sachin R. Sonkusale, Weimin Zhang
  • Patent number: 9838012
    Abstract: Digital circuits are disclosed that may include multiple transistors having controllable current paths coupled between first and second logic nodes. One or more of the transistors may have a deeply depleted channel formed below its gate that includes a substantially undoped channel region formed over a relatively highly doped screen layer formed over a doped body region. Resulting reductions in threshold voltage variation may improve digital circuit performance. Logic circuit, static random access memory (SRAM) cell, and passgate embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Mie Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Scott E. Thompson, Lawrence T. Clark
  • Publication number: 20170323916
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating such devices are provided. The devices include source and drain regions on one conductivity type separated by a channel length and a gate structure. The devices also include a channel region of the one conductivity type formed in the device region between the source and drain regions and a screening region of another conductivity type formed below the channel region and between the source and drain regions. In operation, the channel region forms, in response to a bias voltage at the gate structure, a surface depletion region below the gate structure, a buried depletion region at an interface of the channel region and the screening region, and a buried channel region between the surface depletion region and the buried depletion region, where the buried depletion region is substantially located in channel region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2017
    Publication date: November 9, 2017
    Inventors: Teymur Bakhishev, Lingquan Wang, Dalong Zhao, Pushkar Ranade, Scott E. Thompson
  • Publication number: 20170301395
    Abstract: An integrated circuit can include multiple SRAM cells, each including at least two pull-up transistors, at least two pull-down transistors, and at least two pass-gate transistors, each of the transistors having a gate; at least one of the pull-up transistors, the pull-down transistors, or the pass-gate transistors having a screening region a distance below the gate and separated from the gate by a semiconductor layer, the screening region having a concentration of screening region dopants, the concentration of screening region dopants being higher than a concentration of dopants in the semiconductor layer, the screening region providing an enhanced body coefficient for the pull-down transistors and the pass-gate transistors to increase the read static noise margin for the SRAM cell when a bias voltage is applied to the screening region; and a bias voltage network operable to apply one or more bias voltages to the multiple SRAM cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2017
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventors: Lawrence T. Clark, Scott E. Thompson, Richard S. Roy, Robert Rogenmoser, Damodar R. Thummalapally
  • Patent number: 9786703
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating such devices are provided. The devices include source and drain regions on one conductivity type separated by a channel length and a gate structure. The devices also include a channel region of the one conductivity type formed in the device region between the source and drain regions and a screening region of another conductivity type formed below the channel region and between the source and drain regions. In operation, the channel region forms, in response to a bias voltage at the gate structure, a surface depletion region below the gate structure, a buried depletion region at an interface of the channel region and the screening region, and a buried channel region between the surface depletion region and the buried depletion region, where the buried depletion region is substantially located in channel region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Mie Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Teymur Bakhishev, Lingquan Wang, Dalong Zhao, Pushkar Ranade, Scott E. Thompson