With Schottky Diode Only (epo) Patents (Class 257/E27.04)
  • Patent number: 8969994
    Abstract: An MPS diode includes a III-nitride substrate characterized by a first conductivity type and a first dopant concentration and having a first side and a second side. The MPS diode also includes a III-nitride epitaxial structure comprising a first III-nitride epitaxial layer coupled to the first side of the substrate, wherein a region of the first III-nitride epitaxial layer comprises an array of protrusions. The III-nitride epitaxial structure also includes a plurality of III-nitride regions of a second conductivity type, each partially disposed between adjacent protrusions. Each of the plurality of III-nitride regions of the second conductivity type comprises a first section laterally positioned between adjacent protrusions and a second section extending in a direction normal to the first side of the substrate. The MPS diode further includes a first metallic structure electrically coupled to one or more of the protrusions and to one or more of the second sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Avogy, Inc.
    Inventors: Madhan M. Raj, Brian Alvarez, David P. Bour, Andrew P. Edwards, Hui Nie, Isik C. Kizilyalli
  • Patent number: 8933531
    Abstract: A semiconductor device including a base substrate; a semiconductor layer which is disposed on the base substrate and has a 2-Dimensional Electron Gas (2DEG) generated within the semiconductor layer; a plurality of first ohmic electrodes which are disposed on the central region of the semiconductor layer and have island-shaped cross sections; a second ohmic electrode which is disposed on edge regions of the semiconductor layer; and a Schottky electrode part has first bonding portions bonded to the first ohmic electrodes, and a second bonding portion bonded to the semiconductor layer. A depletion region is provided to be spaced apart from the 2DEG when the semiconductor device is driven at an on-voltage and is provided to be expanded to the 2DEG when the semiconductor device is driven at an off-voltage, the depletion region being generated within the semiconductor layer by bonding the semiconductor layer and the second bonding portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Woo Cul Jeon, Jung Hee Lee, Young Hwan Park, Ki Yeol Park
  • Patent number: 8871600
    Abstract: Schottky barrier diodes, methods for fabricating Schottky barrier diodes, and design structures for a Schottky barrier diode. A guard ring for a Schottky barrier diode is formed with a selective epitaxial growth process. The guard ring for the Schottky barrier diode and an extrinsic base of a vertical bipolar junction diode on a different device region than the Schottky barrier diode may be concurrently formed using the same selective epitaxial growth process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David L. Harame, Qizhi Liu, Robert M. Rassel
  • Patent number: 8860170
    Abstract: A power semiconductor apparatus which is provided with a first power semiconductor device using Si as a base substance and a second power semiconductor device using a semiconductor having an energy bandgap wider than the energy bandgap of Si as a base substance, and includes a first insulated metal substrate on which the first power semiconductor device is mounted, a first heat dissipation metal base on which the first insulated metal substrate is mounted, a second insulated metal substrate on which the second power semiconductor device is mounted, and a second heat dissipation metal base on which the second insulated metal substrate is mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsumi Ishikawa, Kazutoshi Ogawa
  • Patent number: 8759888
    Abstract: A Schottky diode includes an n+-substrate, an n-epilayer, trenches introduced into the n-epilayer, floating Schottky contacts being located on their side walls and on the entire trench bottom, mesa regions between the adjacent trenches, a metal layer on its back face, this metal layer being used as a cathode electrode, and an anode electrode on the front face of the Schottky diode having two metal layers, the first metal layer of which forms a Schottky contact and the second metal layer of which is situated below the first metal layer and also forms a Schottky contact. Preferably, these two Schottky contacts have different barrier heights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Ning Qu, Alfred Goerlach
  • Patent number: 8648437
    Abstract: A Schottky photodiode may include a monocrystalline semiconductor substrate having a front surface, a rear surface, and a first dopant concentration and configured to define a cathode of the Schottky photodiode, a doped epitaxial layer over the front surface of the monocrystalline semiconductor substrate having a second dopant concentration less than the first dopant concentration, and parallel spaced apart trenches in the doped epitaxial layer and having of a depth less than a depth of the doped epitaxial layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.R.L.
    Inventor: Massimo Cataldo Mazzillo
  • Patent number: 8587058
    Abstract: The present invention provides a lateral diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor device including a first doped region, a second doped region, a third doped region, a gate structure, and a contact metal. The first doped region and the third doped region have a first conductive type, and the second doped region has a second conductive type. The second doped region, which has a racetrack-shaped layout, is disposed in the first doped region, and has a long axis. The third doped region is disposed in the second doped region. The gate structure is disposed on the first doped region and the second doped region at a side of the third doped region. The contact metal is disposed on the first doped region at a side of the second doped region extending out along the long axis, and is in contact with the first doped region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: United Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: An-Hung Lin, Hong-Ze Lin, Bo-Jui Huang, Wei-Shan Liao, Ting-Zhou Yan, Kun-Yi Chou, Chun-Wei Chen, Ming-Yong Jian
  • Patent number: 8581359
    Abstract: A Schottky barrier diode includes a GaN freestanding substrate having a front surface, a GaN epitaxial layer deposited on the front surface, and an insulation layer deposited on the GaN epitaxial layer at a front surface and having an opening. Furthermore, the Schottky barrier diode also includes an electrode. The electrode is configured by a Schottky electrode provided in the opening in contact with the GaN epitaxial layer, and a field plate electrode connected to the Schottky electrode and also overlapping the insulation layer. The GaN freestanding substrate has a dislocation density of at most 1×108 cm?2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Taku Horii, Tomihito Miyazaki, Makoto Kiyama
  • Patent number: 8552469
    Abstract: There is a problem that a reverse off-leak current becomes too large in a Schottky barrier diode. A semiconductor device of the present invention includes P-type first and second anode diffusion layers formed in an N-type epitaxial layer, N-type cathode diffusion layers formed in the epitaxial layer, a P-type third anode diffusion layer formed in the epitaxial layer so as to surround the first and second anode diffusion layers and to extend toward the cathode diffusion layers, and a Schottky barrier metal layer formed on the first and second anode diffusion layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignees: SANYO Semiconductor Co., Ltd., Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Shuichi Kikuchi, Shigeaki Okawa, Kiyofumi Nakaya, Shuji Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8471332
    Abstract: This invention discloses a semiconductor power device that includes an active cell area having a plurality of power transistor cells. Each of said power transistor cells has a planar Schottky diode that includes a Schottky junction barrier metal covering areas above gaps between separated body regions between two adjacent power transistor cells. The separated body regions further provide a function of adjusting a leakage current of said Schottky diode in each of said power transistor cells. Each of the planar Schottky diodes further includes a Shannon implant region disposed in a gap between the separated body regions of two adjacent power transistor cells for further adjusting a leakage current of said Schottky diode. Each of the power transistor cells further includes heavy body doped regions in the separated body regions next to source regions surrounding said Schottky diode forming a junction barrier Schottky (JBS) pocket region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Incorporated
    Inventors: Anup Bhalla, Xiaobin Wang, Moses Ho
  • Patent number: 8432012
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer having a first conductivity type and having a surface in which an active region of the semiconductor device is defined, and a plurality of spaced apart doped regions within the active region. The plurality of doped regions have a second conductivity type that is opposite the first conductivity type and define a plurality of exposed portions of the semiconductor layer within the active region. The plurality of doped regions include a plurality of rows extending in a longitudinal direction. Each of the rows includes a plurality of longitudinally extending segments, and the longitudinally extending segments in a first row at least partially overlap the longitudinally extending segments in an adjacent row in a lateral direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Qingchun Zhang, Jason Henning
  • Patent number: 8330244
    Abstract: A semiconductor device according to some embodiments includes a semiconductor layer having a first conductivity type and a surface in which an active region of the semiconductor device is defined. A plurality of spaced apart first doped regions are arranged within the active region. The plurality of first doped regions have a second conductivity type that is opposite the first conductivity type, have a first dopant concentration, and define a plurality of exposed portions of the semiconductor layer within the active region. The plurality of first doped regions are arranged as islands in the semiconductor layer. A second doped region in the semiconductor layer has the second conductivity type and has a second dopant concentration that is greater than the first dopant concentration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Qingchun Zhang, Sei-Hyung Ryu, Anant Agarwal
  • Patent number: 8274128
    Abstract: A semiconductor device in one embodiment includes a depletion junction, a peripheral region adjacent the depletion junction, and a buffer layer. The buffer layer is adapted to reduce localization of avalanche breakdown proximate the interface between the depletion junction and the peripheral region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Siliconix Technology C. V. IR
    Inventors: Andrea Irace, Giovanni Breglio, Paolo Spirito, Andrea Bricconi, Diego Raffo, Luigi Merlin
  • Patent number: 8080842
    Abstract: Disclosed is a nonvolatile memory device with cell and peripheral circuit regions confined on a substrate. Cell gate electrodes are arranged in the cell region while peripheral gate electrodes are arranged in the peripheral-circuit region. Each cell gate electrode includes stacked conductive and semiconductor layers, but the peripheral gate electrode includes stacked semiconductor layers. The conductive layer of the cell gate electrode is different from the lowest semiconductor layer of the peripheral gate electrode in material, which can improve characteristics of memory cells and peripheral transistors without causing mutual interference with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chang-Hyun Lee
  • Patent number: 7952139
    Abstract: This invention discloses a semiconductor power device that includes an active cell area having a plurality of power transistor cells. Each of said power transistor cells has a planar Schottky diode that includes a Schottky junction barrier metal covering areas above gaps between separated body regions between two adjacent power transistor cells. The separated body regions further provide a function of adjusting a leakage current of said Schottky diode in each of said power transistor cells. Each of the planar Schottky diodes further includes a Shannon implant region disposed in a gap between the separated body regions of two adjacent power transistor cells for further adjusting a leakage current of said Schottky diode. Each of the power transistor cells further includes heavy body doped regions in the separated body regions next to source regions surrounding said Schottky diode forming a junction barrier Schottky (JBS) pocket region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Alpha & Omega Semiconductor Ltd.
    Inventors: Anup Bhalla, Xiaobin Wang, Moses Ho
  • Patent number: 7936041
    Abstract: The structure for millimeter-wave frequency applications, includes a Schottky barrier diode (SBD) with a cutoff frequency (FC) above 1.0 THz formed on a SiGe BiCMOS wafer. A method is also contemplated for forming a Schottky barrier diode on a SiGe BiCMOS wafer, including forming a structure which provides a cutoff frequency (Fc) above about 1.0 THz. In embodiments, the structure which provides a cutoff frequency (Fc) above about 1.0 THz may include an anode having an anode area which provides a cutoff frequency (FC) above about 1.0 THz, an n-epitaxial layer having a thickness which provides a cutoff frequency (FC) above about 1.0 THz, a p-type guardring at an energy and dosage which provides a cutoff frequency (FC) above about 1.0 THz, the p-type guardring having a dimension which provides a cutoff frequency (FC) above about 1.0 THz, and a well tailor with an n-type dopant which provides a cutoff frequency (FC) above about 1.0 THz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey B. Johnson, Xuefeng Liu, Bradley A. Orner, Robert M. Rassel
  • Patent number: 7915703
    Abstract: Fabrication of a Schottky diodes may include providing a Schottky contact layer containing a low barrier metal layer with spaced apart high barrier metal islands therein on a first surface of a substrate. A diode contact is formed on a second surface of the substrate that is opposite to the first surface. Formation of the Schottky contact layer may include providing a liquid mixture of a high barrier metal and a low barrier metal on the first surface of the substrate. Temperature and/or relative concentrations of the high and low barrier metals in the liquid mixture may be controlled to cause regions of the high barrier metal to solidify within the liquid mixture and agglomerate to form the spaced apart high barrier metal islands while inhibiting solidification of the low barrier metal. The temperature and relative concentrations may then be controlled to cause the low barrier metal to solidify and form the low barrier metal layer containing the high barrier metal islands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Patrick Henning, Allan Ward
  • Patent number: 7781786
    Abstract: Impurity concentration of a second semiconductor region is set such that when a predetermined reverse bias is applied to a heterojunction diode configured by a first semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region, a breakdown voltage at least in a heterojunction region other than outer peripheral ends of the heterojunction diode is a breakdown voltage of a semiconductor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Hayashi, Masakatsu Hoshi, Yoshio Shimoida, Hideaki Tanaka, Shigeharu Yamagami
  • Patent number: 7777292
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type having a top surface and a bottom surface, a semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type formed on the top surface of the semiconductor substrate, and having an active region and an edge termination region surrounding the active region, a first semiconductor region of a second conductivity type formed in the edge termination region adjacent to an edge of the active region, a second semiconductor region of a second conductivity type buried in the edge termination region in a sheet shape or a mesh shape substantially in parallel with a surface of the semiconductor layer, a first electrode formed on the active region of the semiconductor layer and a part of the first semiconductor region, and a second electrode formed on the bottom surface of the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Chiharu Ota, Johji Nishio, Tetsuo Hatakeyama, Takashi Shinohe
  • Patent number: 7737523
    Abstract: In a semiconductor device of the present invention, a protection diode for protecting a device is formed on an epitaxial layer formed on a substrate. A Schottky barrier metal layer is formed on a surface of the epitaxial layer and a P-type diffusion layer is formed at a lower portion of an end portion of the Schottky barrier metal layer. Then, a P-type diffusion layer is formed to be connected to a P-type diffusion layer and is extended to a cathode region. A metal layer to which an anode electrode is applied is formed above the P-type diffusion layer, thereby making it possible to obtain a field plate effect. This structure reduces a large change in a curvature of a depletion layer, thereby improving a withstand voltage characteristic of the protection diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuichi Kikuchi, Shigeaki Okawa, Kiyofumi Nakaya, Toshiyuki Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7728402
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer having a first conductivity type, a metal contact on the semiconductor layer and forming a Schottky junction with the semiconductor layer, and a semiconductor region in the semiconductor layer. The semiconductor region and the semiconductor layer form a first p-n junction in parallel with the Schottky junction. The first p-n junction is configured to generate a depletion region in the semiconductor layer adjacent the Schottky junction when the Schottky junction is reversed biased to thereby limit reverse leakage current through the Schottky junction. The first p-n junction is further configured such that punch-through of the first p-n junction occurs at a lower voltage than a breakdown voltage of the Schottky junction when the Schottky junction is reverse biased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Qingchun Zhang, Sei-Hyung Ryu, Anant Agarwal
  • Patent number: 7633135
    Abstract: This invention discloses a bottom-anode Schottky (BAS) diode that includes an anode electrode disposed on a bottom surface of a semiconductor substrate. The bottom-anode Schottky diode further includes a sinker dopant region disposed at a depth in the semiconductor substrate extending substantially to the anode electrode disposed on the bottom surface of the semiconductor and the sinker dopant region covered by a buried Schottky barrier metal functioning as an Schottky anode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Alpha & Omega Semiconductor, Ltd.
    Inventor: François Hébert
  • Patent number: 7538362
    Abstract: The invention relates to a lateral semiconductor diode, in which contact metal fillings (6, 7), which run in trenches (3, 4) in particular in a silicon carbide body (1, 2), are interdigitated at a distance from one another, and a rectifying Schottky or pn junction (18) is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Gabriel Konrad Dehlinger, Michael Treu
  • Patent number: 7436039
    Abstract: A gallium nitride based semiconductor Schottky diode fabricated from a n+ doped GaN layer having a thickness between one and six microns disposed on a sapphire substrate; an n? doped GaN layer having a thickness greater than one micron disposed on said n+ GaN layer patterned into a plurality of elongated fingers and a metal layer disposed on the n? doped GaN layer and forming a Schottky junction therewith. The layer thicknesses and the length and width of the elongated fingers are optimized to achieve a device with breakdown voltage of greater than 500 volts, current capacity in excess of one ampere, and a forward voltage of less than three volts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Velox Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: TingGang Zhu, Bryan S. Shelton, Marek K. Pabisz, Mark Gottfried, Linlin Liu, Milan Pophristic, Michael Murphy, Richard A. Stall
  • Patent number: 7385271
    Abstract: Electro-hole production at a Schottky barrier has recently been observed experimentally as a result of chemical processes. This conversion of chemical energy to electronic energy may serve as a basic link between chemistry and electronics and offers the potential for generation of unique electronic signatures for chemical reactions and the creation of a new class of solide state chemical sensors. Detection of the following chemical species was established: hydrogen, deuterium, carbon monoxide, molecular oxygen. The detector (1b) consists of a Schottky diode between an Si layer and an ultrathin metal layer with zero force electrical contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: Adrena, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric W. McFarland, Henry W. Weinberg, Hermann Nienhaus, Howard S. Bergh, Brian Gergen, Arunava Mujumdar
  • Publication number: 20070290289
    Abstract: A diode conducts current between an anode terminal and a cathode terminal. The diode includes a parasitic transistor formed between one of the terminals and the substrate. The diode also includes a second transistor that competes with the parasitic transistor to direct current flow between the anode terminal and the cathode terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2006
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Applicant: Polar Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven L. Kosier, David M. Elwood
  • Patent number: 7279390
    Abstract: A Schottky diode capable of sustaining a breakdown voltage of greater than about 250 volts and a method for its manufacture. An epitaxial layer disposed on a semiconductor substrate has a thickness of at least about 15 micrometers and an impurity concentration ranging from about 1×1014 atoms per cubic centimeter to about 1×1015 atoms per cubic centimeter. A guard ring extends from about 3 micrometers to about 15 micrometers into the epitaxial layer. A dielectric material is formed over the epitaxial layer and a portion of the dielectric material is removed to expose a portion of the guard ring and a portion of the epitaxial layer within the guard ring. An electrically conductive material is formed over the exposed portion of the epitaxial layer and an electrically conductive material is formed in contact with a bottom surface of the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Mark Duskin, Blanca Estela Kruse
  • Patent number: 7276771
    Abstract: A diode is provided which includes a first-conductivity-type cathode layer, a first-conductivity-type drift layer placed on the cathode region and having a lower concentration than the cathode layer, a generally ring-like second-conductivity-type ring region formed in the drift layer, second-conductivity-type anode region formed in the drift layer located inside the ring region, a cathode electrode formed in contact with the cathode layer, and an anode electrode formed in contact with the anode region, wherein the lowest resistivity of the second-conductivity-type anode region is at least 1/100 of the resistivity of the drift layer, and the thickness of the anode region is smaller than the diffusion depth of the ring region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuhiko Fujihira, Yasushi Miyasaka
  • Patent number: 7189610
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a diode is formed with anodes on two surfaces of a semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: John David Moran, Blanca Estela Kruse, Jose Rogelio Moreno
  • Patent number: 7161227
    Abstract: High quality epitaxial layers of monocrystalline materials can be grown overlying monocrystalline substrates such as large silicon wafers by forming a compliant substrate for growing the monocrystalline layers. An accommodating buffer layer comprises a layer of monocrystalline oxide spaced apart from a silicon wafer by an amorphous interface layer of silicon oxide. The amorphous interface layer dissipates strain and permits the growth of a high quality monocrystalline oxide accommodating buffer layer. The accommodating buffer layer is lattice matched to both the underlying silicon wafer and the overlying monocrystalline material layer. Any lattice mismatch between the accommodating buffer layer and the underlying silicon substrate is taken care of by the amorphous interface layer. In addition, formation of a compliant substrate may include utilizing surfactant enhanced epitaxy, epitaxial growth of single crystal silicon onto single crystal oxide, and epitaxial growth of Zintl phase materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2007
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Lempkowski, Marc Chason
  • Patent number: 7115992
    Abstract: An electrode structure includes a first layer of conductive material and a dielectric layer formed on a surface of the first layer. An opening is formed in the dielectric layer to expose a portion of the surface of the first layer. A binding layer is formed on the dielectric layer and on the exposed portion of the surface of the first layer and a second layer of conductive material is formed on the conductive binding layer. The binding layer can be an oxide and the second layer a conductive material that is diffusible into an oxide. The electrode structure can be annealed to cause conductive material from the second layer to be chemisorbed into the binding layer to improve adhesion between the first and second layers. A programmable cell can be formed by forming a doped glass layer in the electrode structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Moore, Joseph F. Brooks