Abstract: A method of making a mask is disclosed. The method includes providing a first and a second mask layers and disposing a first phase shift region on the first mask layer. A second phase shift region is disposed on the second mask layer, wherein the first and second phase shift regions are out of phase. A continuous unit cell is formed in the first phase shift region. The unit cell comprises a center section and distinct extension sections. The extension sections are contiguous to and extend outwards from the center section. The distinct extension sections have a same width as the center section. The second phase shift region is adjacent to the unit cell in the first phase shift region.

Abstract: A method of forming an integrated circuit structure comprising the steps of forming a first and second device region on a surface of a wafer, forming a spacer of a first width on a sidewall of a first gate stack in the first device region, forming a spacer of a second width on a sidewall of a second gate stack in the second device region, with the first width being different from the second width.

Abstract: A method of forming a device is presented. A substrate prepared with an active device region is provided. The active device region includes gate stack layers of a gate stack that includes at least a gate electrode layer over a gate dielectric layer. An implant mask is formed on the substrate with an opening exposing a portion of a top gate stack layers. Ions are implanted through the opening and gate stack layers into the substrate to form a channel well. The substrate is patterned to at least remove portion of a top gate stack layer unprotected by the implant mask.

Abstract: A transistor which includes halo regions disposed in a substrate adjacent to opposing sides of the gate. The halo regions have upper and lower regions. The upper region is a crystalline region with excess vacancies and the lower region is an amorphous region. Source/drain diffusion regions are disposed in the halo regions. The source/drain diffusion regions overlap the upper and lower halo regions. This architecture offers the minimal extension resistance as well as minimum lateral diffusion for better CMOS device scaling.

Abstract: A method for forming a semiconductor device is presented. A substrate prepared with a dielectric layer formed thereon is provided. A first upper etch stop layer is formed on the dielectric layer. The first upper etch stop layer includes a first dielectric material. The dielectric layer and first upper etch stop layer are patterned to form an interconnect opening. The interconnect opening is filled with a conductive material to form an interconnect. The interconnect and first upper etch stop layer have coplanar top surfaces. A second upper etch stop layer is formed over the coplanar top surfaces. The second upper etch stop layer includes a second material having sufficient adhesion with the first material to reduce diffusion of the conductive material.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to a method for forming reliable interconnects by the use of a device layer that can serve as a barrier or an etch stop layer, among other applications. The device layer is UV resistant in that its dielectric constant and stress remain stable or relatively stable when subjected to UV curing.

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device is presented. A substrate prepared with a second gate is provided. The second gate is processed to form a second gate with a rounded corner and a first gate is formed on the substrate. The first gate is adjacent to and overlaps a portion of the second gate and the rounded corner.

Abstract: A method for forming a semiconductor device is presented. The method includes providing a substrate having a photoresist thereon and transmitting a light source through a mask having a pattern onto the photoresist. The mask comprises a mask substrate having first, second and third regions, the third region is disposed between the first and second regions. The mask also includes a light reducing layer over the mask substrate having a first opening over the first region and a second opening over the second region. The first and second openings have layer sidewalls. The sidewalls of the light reducing layer are slanted at an angle less than 90 degrees from the plane of a top surface of the mask substrate. The method also includes developing the photoresist to transfer the pattern of the mask to the photoresist.

Abstract: A chip package includes a carrier having a first and a second major surface. The first major surface includes an active region surrounded by an inactive region. The chip package includes contact pads in the active region for mating with chip contacts of a chip. A support structure is disposed on the inactive region of the first major surface. The support structure forms a dam that surrounds the active region. When a chip or chip stack is mounted in the active region, spacing exists between the dam and the chip or chip stack. The spacing creates convention paths for heat dissipation.

Abstract: A strained channel transistor structure and methods of forming a semiconductor device are presented. The transistor structure includes a strained channel region having a first semiconductor material with a first natural lattice constant. A gate dielectric layer overlying the strained channel region, a gate electrode overlying the gate dielectric layer and a source region and drain region oppositely adjacent to the strained channel region are provided. One or both of the source region and drain region include a stressor region having a second semiconductor material with a second natural lattice constant different from the first natural lattice constant. The stressor region has graded concentration of a dopant impurity and/or of a stress inducing molecule.

Abstract: A method for fabricating an integrated circuit is provided. The method includes providing a substrate having an active region and an opening in the substrate adjacent to the active region. The opening is filled with a dielectric material so as to provide an isolation region in the substrate. A transistor is also formed in the active region and a pre-metal dielectric layer formed over the substrate and transistor. At least one of the dielectric layer in isolation region or the pre-metal dielectric layer includes a stressed O3 TEOS oxide having a stress retaining dopant, wherein the concentration of the stress retaining dopant is sufficient to retard stress degradation of the O3 TEOS oxide.

Abstract: A first example embodiment comprises the following steps and the structure formed therefrom. A trench having opposing sidewalls is formed within a substrate. A stress layer having an inherent stress is formed over the opposing trench sidewalls. The stress layer having stress layer sidewalls over the trench sidewalls. Ions are implanted into one or more portions of the stress layer to form ion-implanted relaxed portions with the portions of the stress layer that are not implanted are un-implanted portions, whereby the inherent stress of the one or more ion-implanted relaxed portions of stress layer portions is relaxed.

Abstract: A method of forming an integrated circuit is disclosed. The method includes providing a substrate and forming on the substrate a shield structure comprising a shield member and a ground strap. The shield member comprises a non-metallic portion, and the ground strap comprises a metallic portion.

Abstract: An example process to remove spacers from the gate of a NMOS transistor. A stress creating layer is formed over the NMOS and PMOS transistors and the substrate. In an embodiment, the spacers on gate are removed so that stress layer is closer to the channel of the device. The stress creating layer is preferably a tensile nitride layer. The stress creating layer is preferably a contact etch stop liner layer. In an embodiment, the gates, source and drain region have a silicide layer thereover before the stress creating layer is formed. The embodiment improves the performance of the NMOS transistors.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a substrate having a dielectric layer and a device layer on the substrate. The device layer has an opening. First and second sublayers are disposed on the device layer and line the opening. The second sublayer serves as a stop layer for planarization to provide a substantially planarized top surface for the semiconductor device.

Abstract: A memory cell includes a substrate, an access transistor and a storage capacitor. The access transistor comprising a gate stack disposed on the substrate, and a first and second diffusion region located on a first and second opposing sides of the gate stack. The storage capacitor comprises a first capacitor plate comprising a portion embedded within the substrate below the first diffusion region, a second capacitor plate and a capacitor dielectric sandwiched between the embedded portion of the first capacitor plate. At least a portion of the first diffusion region forms the second capacitor plate.

Abstract: A device is presented. The device includes a substrate with a first well of a first polarity type. The first well defines a varactor region and comprises a lower first well boundary located above a bottom surface of the substrate. A second well in the varactor region is also included in the device. The second well comprises a buried well of a second polarity type having an upper second well boundary disposed below an upper portion of the first well from an upper first well boundary to the upper second well boundary and a lower second well boundary disposed above the lower first well boundary, wherein an interface of the second well and the upper portion of the first well forms a shallow PN junction in the varactor region. The device also includes a gate structure in the varactor region. The upper portion of the first well beneath the gate structure forms a channel region of the device.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of inducing stress in a semiconductor device substrate by applying an ion implantation to a gate region before a source/drain annealing process. The source/drain region may then be annealed along with the gate which will cause the gate to expand in certain areas due to said ion implantation. As a result, stress caused by said expansion of the gate is transferred to the channel region in the semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: Example embodiments of a structure and method for forming a copper interconnect having a doped region near a top surface. The doped region has implanted alloying elements that block grain boundaries and reduce stress and electro migration. In a first example embodiment, the barrier layer is left over the inter metal dielectric layer during the alloying element implant. The barrier layer is later removed with a planarization process. In a second example embodiment the barrier layer is removed before the alloying element implant and a hard mask blocks the alloying element from being implanted in the inter metal dielectric layer.

Abstract: A diverter assembly for handling articles transported on a conveying surface is disclosed. The diverter assembly includes at least one diverter arm and a motor coupled to a drive arrangement for swinging the diverter arm over the conveying surface. An inverter controller is provided for operating the motor at a plurality of speeds. A sensor arrangement is coupled to the inverter controller for monitoring the position of the diverter arm. The sensor arrangement sends a slow-down signal to the inverter controller when the diverter arm reaches a pre-determined position, causing the inverter controller to operate the motor at a slower speed.