Dielectric Isolation Formed By Grooving And Refilling With Dielectric Material Patents (Class 438/296)
  • Patent number: 7960799
    Abstract: A charge trap type non-volatile memory device has memory cells formed on a silicon substrate at a predetermined interval via an element isolation trench along a first direction in which word lines extend. Each of the memory cells has a tunnel insulating film formed on the silicon substrate, a charge film formed on the tunnel insulating film, and a common block film formed on the charge film. The common block film is formed in common with the memory cells along first direction. An element isolation insulating film buried in the element isolation trench has an upper portion of a side wall of the element isolation insulating film which contacts with a side wall of the charge film in each of the memory cells and a top portion of the element isolation insulating film which contacts with the common block film. A control electrode film is formed on the common block film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Tadashi Iguchi
  • Publication number: 20110117714
    Abstract: A method of forming an isolation region is provided that in one embodiment substantially reduces divot formation. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a semiconductor substrate, forming a first pad dielectric layer on an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate and forming a trench through the first pad dielectric layer into the semiconductor substrate. In a following process sequence, the first pad dielectric layer is laterally etched to expose an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate that is adjacent the trench, and the trench is filled with a trench dielectric material, wherein the trench dielectric material extends atop the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate adjacent the trench and abuts the pad dielectric layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Inventors: Max Levy, Natalie Feilchenfeld, Richard Phelps, BethAnn Rainey, James Slinkman, Steven H. Voldman, Michael Zierak, Hubert Enichlmair, Martin Knaipp, Bernhard Loeffler, Rainer Minixhofer, Jong-Mun Park, Georg Roehrer
  • Patent number: 7943459
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is provided with a conductor wire and a fuse wire formed in an insulating film over a semiconductor substrate, a first under-pad-wire insulating film formed above the insulating film, a second under-pad-wire insulating film formed on the first under-pad-wire insulating film, a pad wire formed in an area above the conductive wire, in the first and second under-pad-wire insulating films and an opening formed by leaving a part of the first under-pad-wire insulating film in an area above the fuse wire, in the first and second under-pad-wire insulating films, wherein the second under-pad-wire insulating film comprises an element different from that of the first under-pad-wire insulating film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazutaka Akiyama, Takaya Matsushita
  • Patent number: 7935602
    Abstract: The invention includes methods of forming isolation regions. An opening can be formed to extend into a semiconductor material, and an upper periphery of the opening can be protected with a liner while a lower periphery is unlined. The unlined portion can then be etched to form a widened region of the opening. Subsequently, the opening can be filled with insulative material to form an isolation region. Transistor devices can then be formed on opposing sides of the isolation region, and electrically isolated from one another with the isolation region. The invention also includes semiconductor constructions containing an electrically insulative isolation structure extending into a semiconductor material, with the structure having a bulbous bottom region and a stem region extending upwardly from the bottom region to a surface of the semiconductor material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Hongmei Wang, Fred D. Fishburn, Janos Fucsko, T. Earl Allen, Richard H. Lane, Robert J. Hanson, Kevin R. Shea
  • Patent number: 7932136
    Abstract: In a field effect transistor (FET), halo features may be formed by etching into the surface of a silicon layer followed by a step of growing a first epitaxial silicon (epi-Si) layer on the etched silicon layer. Source (S) and drain (D), as well as S/D extension features may similarly be formed by etching an epitaxial silicon layer, then filling with another epitaxial layer. Source and Drain, and extensions, and halo, which are normally formed by diffusion, may be formed as discrete elements by etching and filling (epi-Si). This may provide a shallow, highly activated, abrupt S/D extension, an optimally formed halo and deep S/D diffusion doping, and maximized improvement of channel mobility from the compressive or tensile stress from e-SiGe or e-SiC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Xuefeng Hua, Johnathan E. Faltermeier, Toshiharu Furukawa, Oleg Gluschenkov
  • Patent number: 7932134
    Abstract: Disclosed is semiconductor structure that incorporates a field shield below a semiconductor device (e.g., a field effect transistor (FET) or a diode). The field shield is sandwiched between upper and lower isolation layers on a wafer. A local interconnect extends through the upper isolation layer and connects the field shield to a selected doped semiconductor region of the device (e.g., a source/drain region of a FET or a cathode or anode of a diode). Current that passes into the device, for example, during back-end of the line charging, is shunted by the local interconnect away from the upper isolation layer and down into the field shield. Consequently, an electric charge is not allowed to build up in the upper isolation layer but rather bleeds from the field shield into the lower isolation layer and into the substrate below. This field shield further provides a protective barrier against any electric charge that becomes trapped within the lower isolation layer or substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: William F. Clark, Jr., Edward J. Nowak
  • Patent number: 7932143
    Abstract: Methods for protecting gate stacks during fabrication of semiconductor devices and semiconductor devices fabricated from such methods are provided. Methods for fabricating a semiconductor device include providing a semiconductor substrate having an active region and a shallow trench isolation (STI) region. Epitaxial layer is formed on the active region to define a lateral overhang portion in a divot at the active region/STI region interface. A gate stack is formed having a first gate stack-forming layer overlying the semiconductor substrate. First gate stack-forming layer includes a non-conformal layer of metal gate-forming material which is directionally deposited to form a thinned break portion just below the lateral overhang portion. After the step of forming the gate stack, a first portion of the non-conformal layer is in the gate stack and a second portion is exposed. The thinned break portion at least partially isolates the first and second portions during subsequent etch chemistries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: GlobalFoundries Inc.
    Inventors: Rohit Pal, Michael Hargrove, Frank Bin Yang
  • Patent number: 7928494
    Abstract: The semiconductor device of the present invention includes a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of floating gate electrodes formed in a memory cell forming region of the semiconductor substrate, a word line electrically connecting the floating gate electrodes and a conductor portion formed on the word line so as to reduce a resistance of the word line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Eiji Sakagami, Makoto Nakashima
  • Publication number: 20110084325
    Abstract: An oxide spacer for stack DRAM gate stack is described, including: a semiconductor substrate with a memory array region and a periphery region, a plurality of gates disposed within the memory array region and the periphery region respectively, a silicon oxide spacer disposed on the gates, where the polysilicon contact plugs are formed by polysilicon deposition and chemical mechanical polish. After polysilicon contact plugs are formed, a silicon oxide layer is deposited to isolate the contacts and gate. The silicon oxide layer on top of contact plug is removed by chemical mechanical polish achieve planarization.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2009
    Publication date: April 14, 2011
    Inventors: Hsiao-Lei Wang, Chung-Lin Huang, Hung-Chang Liao, Shih-Lung Chen
  • Patent number: 7919388
    Abstract: Embodiments of a method for fabricating a semiconductor device having a reduced gate-drain capacitance are provided. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of etching a trench in a semiconductor substrate utilizing an etch mask, widening the trench to define overhanging regions of the etch mask extending partially over the trench, and depositing a gate electrode material into the trench and onto the overhanging regions. The gate electrode material merges between the overhanging regions prior to the filling of the trench to create an empty fissure within the trench. A portion of the semiconductor substrate is removed through the empty fissure to form a void cavity proximate the trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Ljubo Radic, Edouard D. de Frésart
  • Patent number: 7915162
    Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device. A first dielectric layer is deposited on and in direct mechanical contact with the substrate. A first hard mask is deposited on the first dielectric layer. A first and second trench is formed within the first dielectric layer and the first hard mask. The second trench is wider than the first trench. A first conformal liner is deposited over the first hard mask and within the first and second trenches, a portion of which is removed, leaving a remaining portion of the first conformal liner in direct physical contact with the substrate, the first dielectric layer, and the first hard mask, and not on the first hard mask. Copper is deposited over the first conformal liner to overfill fill the first and second trenches and is planarized to remove an excess thereof to form a planar surface of the copper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brent A. Anderson, Andres Bryant, Jeffrey P. Gambino, Anthony K. Stamper
  • Patent number: 7902037
    Abstract: A method for fabricating an isolation structure in a memory device includes forming a first trench in a cell region of a semiconductor substrate and a second trench in a peripheral region of the semiconductor substrate. The method also includes oxidating the surface of the first and second trenches to form a sidewall oxide layer; depositing a tetraethylorthosilicate(TEOS) layer on the sidewall oxide layer; forming a silicon nitride layer and a silicon oxide layer on the TEOS layer; selectively removing portions of the silicon nitride and silicon oxide layers on the second trench to expose a portion of the underlying TEOS layer; coating a flowable insulation layer that fills the first and second trenches; and curing the flowable insulation layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventor: Byung Soo Eun
  • Publication number: 20110049620
    Abstract: According to an exemplary embodiment, a method for fabricating a MOS transistor, such as an LDMOS transistor, includes forming a gate stack over a well. The method further includes forming a recess in the well adjacent to a first sidewall of the gate stack. The method further includes forming a source region in the recess such that a heterojunction is formed between the source region and the well. The method further includes forming a drain region spaced apart from a second sidewall of the gate stack. In one embodiment, the source region can comprise silicon germanium and the well can comprise silicon. In another embodiment, the source region can comprise silicon carbide and the well can comprise silicon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Xiangdong Chen, Bruce Chih-Chieh Shen, Henry Kuo-Shun Chen
  • Patent number: 7897478
    Abstract: A method of making a semiconductor device includes forming shallow trench isolation structures in a semiconductor device layer. The shallow trench isolation structures are U- or O- shaped enclosing field regions formed of the semiconductor device layer which is doped and/or silicided to be conducting. The semiconductor device may include an extended drain region or drift region and a drain region. An insulated gate may be provided over the body region. A source region may be shaped to have a deep source region and a shallow source region. A contact region of the same conductivity type as the body may be provided adjacent to the deep source region. The body extends under the shallow source region to contact the contact region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Jan Sonsky
  • Publication number: 20110045648
    Abstract: Methods are provided for fabricating Bulk FinFET devices having deep trench isolation. One or more deep isolation trenches are formed in a bulk silicon wafer. Mandrel-forming material is deposited overlying the bulk silicon wafer and dielectric pad layer thereon and simultaneously into the trench(es) as filler material. Mandrels are formed, overetching thereof creating a recess at the trench upper end. A conformal sidewall spacer material from which sidewall spacers are fabricated is deposited overlying the mandrels and into the recess forming a spacer overlying the filler material in the trench(es). Mandrels are removed using the spacer as an etch stop. Fin structures are formed from the bulk silicon wafer using the sidewall spacers as an etch mask. The mandrel-forming material is amorphous and/or polycrystalline silicon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Publication date: February 24, 2011
    Applicant: GLOBALFOUNDRIES INC.
    Inventors: Andreas KNORR, Frank Scott JOHNSON
  • Patent number: 7892929
    Abstract: A method for rounding the corners of a shallow trench isolation is provided. A preferred embodiment comprises filling the trench with a dielectric and recessing the dielectric to expose a portion of the sidewalls of the trench adjacent to the surface of the substrate. The substrate is then annealed in a hydrogen ambient, which rounds the corners of the shallow trench isolation through silicon migration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Neng-Kuo Chen, Kuo-Hwa Tzeng, Cheng-Yuan Tsai, Jeffrey Junhao Xu
  • Patent number: 7892908
    Abstract: Optimizing carrier mobilities in MOS transistors in CMOS ICs requires forming (100)-oriented silicon regions for NMOS and (110) regions for PMOS. Methods such as amorphization and templated recrystallization (ATR) have disadvantages for fabrication of deep submicron CMOS. This invention is a method of forming an integrated circuit (IC) which has (100) and (110)-oriented regions. The method forms a directly bonded silicon (DSB) layer of (110)-oriented silicon on a (100)-oriented substrate. The DSB layer is removed in the NMOS regions and a (100)-oriented silicon layer is formed by selective epitaxial growth (SEG), using the substrate as the seed layer. NMOS transistors are formed on the SEG layer, while PMOS transistors are formed on the DSB layer. An integrated circuit formed with the inventive method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Angelo Pinto, Frank S. Johnson, Benjamin P. McKee, Shaofeng Yu
  • Patent number: 7888221
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a Tunnel Field Effect Transistor (TFET), which utilizes angle implantation and amorphization to form asymmetric source and drain regions. The TFET further includes a silicon germanium alloy epitaxial source region with a conductivity opposite that of the drain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Jack T. Kavalieros, Matthew V. Metz, Gilbert Dewey, Been-Yih Jin, Justin K. Brask, Suman Datta, Robert S. Chau
  • Patent number: 7883956
    Abstract: Methods of forming coplanar active regions and isolation regions and structures thereof are disclosed. One embodiment includes shallow-trench-isolation (STI) formation in a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) layer on a substrate of a semiconductor structure; and bonding a handle wafer to the STI and SOI layer to form an intermediate structure. The intermediate structure may have a single layer including at least one STI region and at least one SOI region therein disposed between the damaged substrate and the handle wafer. The method may also include cleaving the hydrogen implanted substrate and removing any residual substrate to expose a surface of the at least one STI region and a surface of the at least one SOI region. The exposed surface of the at least one STI region forms an isolation region and the exposed surface of the at least one SOI region forms an active region, which are coplanar to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Huilong Zhu
  • Publication number: 20110014769
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a planar independent-double-gate FET or a planar gate-all-around FET on a bulk semiconductor substrate. The method comprises refilling a surface recess in an active semiconductor region with a buried sacrificial layer, and, after preparing a pre-processing a gate stack by respective deposition and patterning, the formation of a recess in the isolation regions so as to cause the recess to extend, in a depth direction that points towards the inner substrate, to a depth level that allows removing the buried sacrificial layer and so as to cause the recess to undercut portions of gate stack in the channel direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Publication date: January 20, 2011
    Applicants: NXP B.V., ST MICROELECTRONICS (CROLLES 2) SAS
    Inventors: Arnaud Pouydebasque, Philippe Coronel, Stephanne Denorme
  • Patent number: 7867856
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes an element isolation region formed in a semiconductor substrate, an active region surrounded by the element isolation region, and a gate electrode formed in one direction to cross the active region. The semiconductor substrate includes two gate trenches formed in parallel to a major axis direction of the active region in the active region, and a fin-shaped part which is located between the two gate trenches. The gate electrode is buried in the two gate trenches and formed on the fin-shaped part. The fin-shaped part serves as a channel region. A fin field effect transistor in which a width of the channel region is smaller than a gate length is thereby obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Elpida Memory, Inc.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Kujirai
  • Patent number: 7867870
    Abstract: A device isolation film in a semiconductor device and a method for forming the same are provided. The method includes etching a middle portion of a device isolation film having a deposition structure including a Spin-On-Dielectric (SOD) oxide film and a High Density Plasma (HDP) oxide film to form a hole and filling an upper portion of the hole with an oxide film having poor step coverage characteristics to form a second hole extending along the middle portion of the device isolation film. The second hole serves as a buffer for stress generated at the interface between an oxide film, which can be a device isolation film, and a silicon layer, which can be a semiconductor substrate, thereby increasing the operating current of a transistor and improving the electrical characteristics of the resulting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventor: Won Bong Jang
  • Patent number: 7867862
    Abstract: A high voltage device includes a substrate with a device region defined thereon. A gate stack is disposed on the substrate in the device region. A channel region is located in the substrate beneath the gate stack, while a first diffusion region is located in the substrate on a first side of the gate stack. A first isolation structure in the substrate, located on the first side of the gate stack, separates the channel and the first diffusion region. The high voltage device also includes a first drift region in the substrate coupling the channel to the first diffusion region, wherein the first drift region comprises a non-uniform depth profile conforming to a profile of the first isolation structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, Ltd
    Inventors: Jeoung Mo Koo, Purakh Raj Verma, Sanford Chu, Chunlin Zhu, Yisuo Li
  • Patent number: 7863151
    Abstract: A manufacturing method for manufacturing a super-junction semiconductor device forms an oxide film and a nitride film on an n-type epitaxial layer exhibiting high resistance on an n-type semiconductor substrate exhibiting low resistance. The portion of the nitride film in the scribe region is left unremoved by patterning and an alignment marker is opened through the nitride film. After opening a trench pattern in the oxide film, trenches having a high aspect ratio are formed. The portion of the oxide film outside the scribe region is removed and a p-type epitaxial layer is buried in the trenches. The overgrown p-type epitaxial layer is polished with reference to the nitride film, the polished surface is finished by etching, and the n-type epitaxial layer surface is exposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Manabu Takei
  • Publication number: 20100327329
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a transistor, an element isolation insulating film, and a metal silicide layer. The transistor contains a gate electrode and an epitaxial crystal layer. The epitaxial crystal layer is formed on at least one side of the gate electrode in the semiconductor substrate and includes a facet having a different plane direction from a principal plane of the semiconductor substrate. The element isolation insulating film contains a lower layer and an upper layer. A horizontal distance between the upper layer and the gate electrode is smaller than a horizontal distance between the lower layer and the gate electrode. A part of the upper layer contacts with the facet. The metal silicide layer is formed on an upper surface of the epitaxial crystal layer and on a region of the facet above a contact portion of the facet with the upper layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2010
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Inventor: Hiroshi ITOKAWA
  • Patent number: 7859026
    Abstract: A semiconductor device and methods for its fabrication are provided. The semiconductor device comprises a trench formed in the semiconductor substrate and bounded by a trench wall extending from the semiconductor surface to a trench bottom. A drain region and a source region, spaced apart along the length of the trench, are formed along the trench wall, each extending from the surface toward the bottom. A channel region is formed in the substrate along the trench wall between the drain region and the source region and extending along the length of the trench parallel to the substrate surface. A gate insulator and a gate electrode are formed overlying the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventor: William A. Ligon
  • Patent number: 7855435
    Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, an integrated circuit including a plurality of memory cells is provided. Each memory cell includes a resistivity changing memory element which includes a top electrode, a bottom electrode, and resistivity changing material being disposed between the top electrode and the bottom electrode. Each resistivity changing memory element is at least partially surrounded by a thermal insulating structure. The thermal insulating structures are arranged such that the dissipation of heat generated within the resistivity changing memory elements into the environment of the resistivity changing memory elements is lowered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignees: Qimonda AG, Altis Semiconductor, SNC
    Inventors: Ulrich Klostermann, Rainer Leuschner
  • Patent number: 7855116
    Abstract: In a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device which has a nonvolatile memory cell portion, a low-voltage operating circuit portion of a peripheral circuit region and a high-voltage operating circuit portion of the peripheral circuit region formed on a substrate and in which elements of the above portions are isolated from one another by filling insulating films, the upper surface of the filling insulating films in the high-voltage operating circuit portion lies above the surface of the substrate and the upper surface of at least part of the filling insulating films in the low-voltage operating circuit portion is pulled back to a portion lower than the surface of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Masahiro Kiyotoshi
  • Patent number: 7855117
    Abstract: In a method of forming a thin layer (e.g., a charge trapping nitride layer) of a semiconductor device (e.g. a charge trapping type non-volatile memory device), the nitride layer may be formed on a first area of a substrate. A blocking layer may be formed on the nitride layer. An oxide layer may be formed on a second area of the substrate while preventing or reducing an oxidation of the nitride layer by a radical oxidation process in which oxygen radicals react with the second area of the substrate and the blocking layer in the first area of the substrate. The nitride layer may ensure sufficient charge trapping sites and may have a uniform thickness without oxidation thereof in the radical oxidation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Won-Jun Jang, Ho-Min Son, Woong Lee, Yong-Woo Hyung, Jung-Geun Jee
  • Publication number: 20100314685
    Abstract: Shallow trench isolation silicon-on-insulator (SOI) devices are formed with improved charge protection. Embodiments include an SOI film diode and a P+ substrate junction as a charging protection device. Embodiments also include a conductive path from the SOI transistor drain, through a conductive contact, a metal line, a second conductive contact, an SOI diode, isolated from the transistor, a third conductive contact, a second conductive line, and a fourth conductive contact to a P+-doped substrate contact in the bulk silicon layer of the SOI substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2009
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc.
    Inventors: Jingrong Zhou, David Wu, James F. Buller
  • Patent number: 7851298
    Abstract: Provided is a method for fabricating a transistor in a semiconductor device. The method includes forming an etch stop layer pattern over a semiconductor substrate; forming a semiconductor layer for covering the etch stop layer pattern; forming a recess trench that exposes an upper surface of the etch stop layer pattern by etching the semiconductor layer pattern; removing the etch stop layer pattern exposed in the recess trench; and forming a gate that fills the recess trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventors: Yong Seok Eun, Su Ho Kim, An Bae Lee, Hye Jin Seo
  • Patent number: 7846801
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of fabricating a semiconductor device including a multi-gate transistor. The method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes providing a semiconductor device having a number of active patterns which extend in a first direction, are separated by an isolation layer, and covered with a first insulating layer; forming a first groove by etching the isolation layer located between the active patterns adjacent to each other in the first direction; burying the first groove with a passivation layer; forming a second groove exposing at least a portion of both sides of the active patterns by etching the isolation layer located between the active patterns in a second direction intersecting the first direction; removing the passivation layer in the first groove; and forming a gate line filling at least a portion of the second groove and extending in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung-jun Kim, Seong-kyu Yun, Chang-ki Hong, Bo-un Yoon, Jong-won Lee, Ho-young Kim
  • Patent number: 7846789
    Abstract: A semiconductor device comprising a first transistor device on or in a semiconductor substrate and a second transistor device on or in the substrate. The device further comprises an insulating trench located between the first transistor device and the second transistor device. At least one upper corner of the insulating trench is a rounded corner in a lateral plane of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Sameer P. Pendharkar, John Lin, Philip L. Hower, Steven L. Merchant
  • Publication number: 20100301419
    Abstract: Disclosed are embodiments of an improved integrated circuit device structure (e.g., a static random access memory array structure or other integrated circuit device structure incorporating both P-type and N-type devices) and a method of forming the structure that uses DTI regions for all inter-well and intra-well isolation and, thereby provides a low-cost isolation scheme that avoids FET width variations due to STI-DTI misalignment. Furthermore, because the DTI regions used for intra-well isolation effectively create some floating well sections, which must each be connected to a supply voltage (e.g., Vdd) to prevent threshold voltage (Vt) variations, the disclosed integrated circuit device also includes a shared contact to a junction between the diffusion regions of adjacent devices and an underlying floating well section. This shared contact eliminates the cost and area penalties that would be incurred if a discrete supply voltage contact was required for each floating well section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brent A. Anderson, Andres Bryant, Edward J. Nowak
  • Publication number: 20100302854
    Abstract: Electrically erasable programmable “read-only” memory (EEPROM) cells in an integrated circuit, and formed by a single polysilicon level. The EEPROM cell consists of a coupling capacitor and a combined read transistor and tunneling capacitor. The capacitance of the coupling capacitor is much larger than that of the tunneling capacitor. In one embodiment, field oxide isolation structures isolate the devices from one another; a lightly-doped region at the source of the read transistor improves breakdown voltage performance. In another embodiment, trench isolation structures and a buried oxide layer surround the well regions at which the coupling capacitor and combined read transistor and tunneling capacitor are formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2009
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Applicant: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Xiaoju Wu, Jozef Czeslaw Mitros
  • Patent number: 7842569
    Abstract: One embodiment of a method of fabricating a flash memory device includes forming a trench mask pattern, which includes a gate insulation pattern and a charge storage pattern stacked in sequence, on a semiconductor substrate; etching the semiconductor substrate using the trench mask pattern as an etch mask to form trenches defining active regions; and sequentially forming lower and upper device isolation patterns in the trench. After sequentially forming an intergate insulation film and a control gate film on the upper device isolation pattern, the control gate film, the intergate insulation pattern and the gloating gate pattern are formed, thereby providing gate lines crossing over the active regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hong-Gun Kim, Ju-Seon Goo, Mun-Jun Kim, Yong-Soon Choi, Sung-Tae Kim, Eun-Kyung Baek
  • Patent number: 7842577
    Abstract: A method of forming an integrated circuit structure includes providing a semiconductor substrate; forming a first isolation region in the semiconductor substrate; after the step of forming the first isolation region, forming a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) device at a surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the step of forming the MOS device comprises forming a source/drain region; and after the step of forming the MOS device, forming a second isolation region in the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Ka-Hing Fung
  • Patent number: 7838389
    Abstract: Field effect devices and ICs (80, 82, 84) with very low gate-drain capacitance Cgd are provided by forming a substantially empty void (70, 100) between the gate (60?) and the drain (27) regions. For vertical FETS a cavity (70, 100) is etched in the semiconductor (SC) (40) and provided with a gate dielectric liner (54, 92). A poly-SC gate (60?) deposited in the cavity (50) has a central fissure (empty pipe) (63) extending through to the underlying SC (40). This fissure (63) is used to etch the void (70, 100) in the SC (40) beneath the poly-gate (60?). The fissure (63) is then closed by a dielectric plug (74, 84, 102) formed by deposition or oxidation without significantly filling the etched void (70, 100). Conventional process steps are used to provide the source (24) and body regions (25) around the cavity (50) containing the gate (60?), and to provide a drift space (26) and drain region (27) below the body region (25).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Ljubo Radic, Edouard D. deFresart
  • Patent number: 7838370
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an isolation structure is disclosed that protects the isolation structure during etching of a dichlorosilane (DCS) nitride layer. The method involves the formation of a bis-(t-butylamino)silane-based nitride liner layer within the isolation trench, which exhibits a five-fold greater resistance to nitride etching solutions as compared with DCS nitride, thereby allowing protection against damage from unintended over-etching. The bis-(t-butylamino)silane-based nitride layer also exerts a greater tensile strain on moat regions that results in heightened carrier mobility of active regions, thereby increasing the performance of NMOS transistors embedded therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Narendra Singh Mehta, Wayne Anthony Bather, Ajith Varghese
  • Patent number: 7838406
    Abstract: The present invention is a semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate having a trench, a first insulating film provided on side surfaces of the trench, a second insulating film of a material different from the first insulating film provided to be embedded in the trench, a word line provided extending to intersect with the trench above the semiconductor substrate, a gate insulating film of a material different from the first insulating film separated in an extending direction of the word line by the trench and provided under a central area in a width direction of the word line, and a charge storage layer separated in the extending direction of the word line by the trench and provided under both ends in the width direction of the word line to enclose the gate insulating film, and a method for manufacturing the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventors: Takayuki Maruyama, Fumihiko Inoue
  • Patent number: 7838940
    Abstract: A drain-extended field effect transistor includes a drain contact region and a drain extension region. The drain-extended field effect transistor further includes an electrostatic discharge protection region that is electrically connected between the drain contact region and the drain extension region to protect the drain-extended field effect transistor against electrostatic discharge. The electrostatic discharge protection region has a dopant concentration level such that in case of an electrostatic discharge event, a base push-out is prevented from reaching the drain contact region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Jens Schneider, Harald Gossner
  • Patent number: 7833861
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having a recess channel structure includes a semiconductor substrate having a recess formed in a gate forming area in an active area; an insulation layer formed in the semiconductor substrate so as to define the active area and formed so as to apply a tensile stress in a channel width direction; a stressor formed in a surface of the insulation layer and formed so as to apply a compressive stress in a channel height direction; a gate formed over the recess in the active area; and source/drain areas formed in a surface of the active area at both side of the gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventor: Kang Sik Choi
  • Patent number: 7833875
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes an isolation layer defining an active region formed in a semiconductor substrate. A first recessing process is performed on the isolation layer to expose edge portions of the active region. A first rounding process is performed to round the edge portions of the active region. A second recessing process is performed on the isolation layer. A second rounding process is performed to round the edge portions of the active region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jung-Hwan Kim, Hun-Hyeoung Leam, Tae-Hyun Kim, Seok-Woo Nam, Hyun Namkoong, Yong-Seok Kim, Tea-Kwang Yu
  • Publication number: 20100285651
    Abstract: To manufacture in high productivity a semiconductor device capable of securely achieving element isolation by a trench-type element isolation and capable of effectively preventing potentials of adjacent elements from affecting other nodes, a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device includes: a step of forming a first layer on a substrate; a step of forming a trench by etching the first layer and the substrate; a step of thermally oxidizing an inner wall of the trench; a step of depositing a first conductive film having a film thickness equal to or larger than one half of the trench width of the trench on the substrate including the trench; a step of removing a first conductive film from the first layer by a CMP method and keeping the first conductive film left in only the trench; a step of anisotropically etching the first conductive film within the trench to adjust the height of the conductive film to become lower than the height of the surface of the substrate; a step of depositing an insulating fil
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2010
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: Renesas Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Takashi KUROI, Katsuyuki HORITA, Masashi KITAZAWA, Masato ISHIBASHI
  • Patent number: 7829415
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming a plurality of pillar patterns on a substrate, filling a gap between the pillar patterns with a first conductive layer, forming a first hard mask layer pattern over the pillar patterns adjacent in one direction, etching the first conductive layer using the first hard mask layer pattern as an etch barrier, forming a second hard mask pattern over the pillar pattern adjacent in the other direction that crosses the one direction, and forming a gate electrode surrounding the pillar patterns by etching the first conductive layer etched using the second hard mask layer pattern as an etch barrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventors: Yun-Seok Cho, Young-Kyun Jung, Chun-Hee Lee
  • Patent number: 7816228
    Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including a planar type transistor and a fin type transistor, a substrate having a first region and a second region is partially to form an isolation trench defining an isolation region and an active region. An insulation layer liner is formed on sidewalls of the isolation trench in the first region and the second region. An isolation layer fills an inner portion of the isolation trench. The insulation layer liner is partially removed to expose an upper surface of the substrate in the gate region of the first region, and an upper surface and sidewalls of the substrate in the gate region of the second region. A gate oxide layer and a gate electrode are formed on the exposed substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung-Hwan Kim, Chang-Woo Oh, Yong-Lack Choi, Na-Young Kim
  • Publication number: 20100261328
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes an element isolation region formed in a semiconductor substrate, an active region surrounded by the element isolation region, and a gate electrode formed in one direction to cross the active region. The semiconductor substrate includes two gate trenches formed in parallel to a major axis direction of the active region in the active region, and a fin-shaped part which is located between the two gate trenches. The gate electrode is buried in the two gate trenches and formed on the fin-shaped part. The fin-shaped part serves as a channel region. A fin field effect transistor in which a width of the channel region is smaller than a gate length is thereby obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Inventor: Hiroshi KUJIRAI
  • Patent number: 7812391
    Abstract: A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of active regions separately formed by a plurality of trenches formed in a surface of the substrate at predetermined intervals, a first gate insulating film formed on an upper surface of the substrate corresponding to each active region, a gate electrode of a memory cell transistor formed by depositing an electrical charge storage layer formed on an upper surface of the gate insulating film, a second gate insulating film and a control gate insulating film sequentially, an element isolation insulating film buried in each trench and formed from a coating type oxide film, and an insulating film formed inside each trench on a boundary between the semiconductor substrate and the element isolation insulating film, the insulating film containing nontransition metal atoms and having a film thickness not more than 5 ?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Matsuo, Masayuki Tanaka, Atsuhiro Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7811893
    Abstract: The present invention provides, in one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor (100). The method comprises forming an active area (105) in a substrate (115), wherein the active area (105) is bounded by an isolation structure (120). The method further includes placing at least one stress adjuster (130) adjacent the active area (105), wherein the stress adjuster (130) is positioned to modify a mobility of a majority carrier within a channel region (155) of the MOS transistor (100). Other embodiments of the present invention include a MOS transistor device (200) and a process (300) for constructing an integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Jong Shik Yoon, Andrew Tae Kim
  • Patent number: 7808050
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes at least one active component (18) having a p-n junction (26) on the semiconductor substrate in an active region (19) of the semiconductor substrate (4). A shallow trench isolation pattern is used to form a plurality of longitudinally extending shallow trenches (12) containing insulator (14). These trenches define a plurality of longitudinal active stripes (10) between the shallow trenches (12). The shallow trench isolation depth (ds?) is greater than the junction depth (dsO of the longitudinal active stripes and the width (wsO of the active stripes (10) is less than the depletion length (ldepi) of the p-n junction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Jan Sonsky, Anco Heringa