Abstract: A method of forming polycrystalline silicon with ultra-small grain sizes employs a differential heating of the upper and lower sides of the substrate of a CVD apparatus, in which the lower side of the substrate receives considerably more power than the upper side, preferable more than 75% of the power; and in which the substrate is maintained during deposition at a temperature more than 50° C. above the 550° C. crystallization temperature of silicon.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a bilayer thin film resistor in which the lower layer is a seed layer that controls the crystal structure of the upper layer. The thickness of the lower layer and the thickness of the upper layer may be chosen to form a resistor with a TCR having a design value.

Abstract: An edge seal around the periphery of an integrated circuit device which environmentally protects the copper circuitry from cracks that may form in the low-k interlevel dielectric during dicing. The edge seal essentially constitutes a dielectric wall between the copper circuitry and the low-k interlevel dielectric near the periphery of the integrated circuit device. The dielectric wall is of a different material than the low-k interlevel dielectric.

Abstract: A method and structure for fabricating an electronic device using an SOI technique that results in formation of a buried oxide layer. The method includes fabricating at least one first component of the electronic device and fabricating at least one second component of the electronic device, wherein the first component and the second component are on opposite sides of the buried oxide layer, thereby causing the buried oxide layer to perform a function within the electronic device. Entire circuits can be designed around this technique.

Abstract: A white noise generator comprising a MOSFET operated in its linear region and having zero source-drain DC bias current. This is achieved by connecting the source or drain terminal of the MOSFET to a gate terminal of a MOSFET amplifier that may be implemented as a multi-stage differential amplifier. Such a noise source avoids the effect of DC current responsible for generating 1/f noise and has a small physical size that results in low parasitic capacitance of the device itself.

Abstract: An interconnect structure in the back end of the line of an integrated circuit forms contacts between successive layers by removing material in the top surface of the lower interconnect in a cone-shaped aperture, the removal process extending through the liner of the upper aperture, and depositing a second liner extending down into the cone-shaped aperture, thereby increasing the mechanical strength of the contact, which then enhance the overall reliability of the integrated circuit.

Abstract: In an interconnect structure of an integrated circuit, a diffusion barrier film in a damascene structure is formed of a film having the composition TaNx, where x is greater than 1.2 and with a thickness of 0.5 to 5 nm.

Abstract: A method is described for forming a low-k dielectric film, in particular, a pre-metal dielectric (PMD) on a semiconductor wafer which has good gap-filling characteristics. The method uses a thermal sub-atmospheric CVD process that includes a carbon-containing organometallic precusor such as TMCTS or OMCTS, an ozone-containing gas, and a source of dopants for gettering alkali elements and for lowering the reflow temperature of the dielectric while attaining the desired low-k and gap-filling properties of the dielectric film. Phosphorous is a preferred dopant for gettering alkali elements such as sodium. Additional dopants for lowering the reflow temperature include, but are not limited to boron, germanium, arsenic, fluorine or combinations thereof.

Abstract: The integrity of a liner in an interconnect structure or other layer in an integrate circuit is tested in a short time by exposing the liner to a reactive gas that attacks the underlying silicon or other material behind the liner. A weak spot in the liner permits the gas to react with the silicon, which produces a visible area that can be readily identified. The test can be performed in a few hours, in contrast to a period of several months required to complete the process, package the circuit and conduct a burn-in test.

Abstract: To prevent, in a multilayer wiring board to which a semiconductor chip is flip-chip bonded, occurrence of cracks in the board at portions adjacent to electrode pads due to a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the semiconductor chip and the board. A multilayer wiring board (20) of the present invention has features that electrode pads (22) corresponding to electrodes of a semiconductor chip (25) located near an outer periphery (29) of the semiconductor chip each have an oblong shape, openings (35) of a solder resist (23) are each smaller than the oblong shape, and the center (B) of the opening is located to be offset from the center (A) of the oblong shape by a distance (L4) in a direction (30) toward the center of the semiconductor chip. Therefore, in the multilayer wiring board of the present invention, thermal stresses applied to portions (L3) of the electrode pads (22) on the board near the outer periphery of the semiconductor chip are relaxed.

Abstract: A method and system is provided for computing lithographic images that may take into account non-scalar effects such as lens birefringence, resist stack effects, tailored source polarizations, and blur effects of the mask and the resist. A generalized bilinear kernel is formed, which is independent of the mask transmission function, and which may then be treated using a decomposition to allow rapid computation of an image that includes such non-scalar effects. Weighted pre-images may be formed from a coherent sum of pre-computed convolutions of the dominant eigenfunctions of the generalized bilinear kernel with the appropriate mask polygon sectors. The image at a point may be formed from the incoherent sum of the weighted pre-images over all of the dominant eigenfunctions of the generalized bilinear kernel. The resulting image can then be used to perform model-based optical proximity correction (MBOPC).

Abstract: A vertically integrated structure includes a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) and a chip for delivering signals to the MEMS. The structure includes a metal stud connecting a surface of the chip and the MEMS; the MEMS has an anchor portion having a conducting pad on an underside thereof contacting the metal stud. The MEMS is spaced from the chip by a distance corresponding to a height of the metal stud, and the MEMS includes a doped region in contact with the conducting pad. In particular, the MEMS may include a cantilever structure, with the end portion including a tip extending in the vertical direction. A support structure (e.g. of polyimide) may surround the metal stud and contact both the underside of the MEMS and the surface of the chip. A temporary carrier plate is used to facilitate handling of the MEMS and alignment to the chip.

Abstract: Shallow trench isolation structures are formed without CMP by depositing a thick pad nitride and depositing oxide trench fill material such that: a) the material in the trenches is above the silicon surface by a process margin that allows for removal of trench fill in subsequent front end steps so that the final trench fill level is substantially coplanar with the silicon; and b) the oxide on the interior walls is easily removed, so that the pad nitride is removed in a wet etch.

Abstract: A method is provided for fabricating a single-metal or dual metal replacement gate structure for a semiconductor device; the structure includes a silicide contact to the gate region. A dummy gate structure and sacrificial gate dielectric are removed to expose a portion of the substrate; a gate dielectric is formed thereon. A metal layer is formed overlying the gate dielectric and the dielectric material. This metal layer may conveniently be a blanket metal layer covering a device wafer. A silicon layer is then formed overlying the metal layer; this layer may also be a blanket wafer. A planarization or etchback process is then performed, so that the top surface of the dielectric material is exposed while other portions of the metal layer and the silicon layer remain in the gate region and have surfaces coplanar with the top surface of the dielectric material. A silicide contact is then formed which is in contact with the metal layer in the gate region.

Abstract: A semiconductor device structure including fine-pitch connections between chips is fabricated using stud/via matching structures. The stud and via are aligned and connected, thereby permitting fine-pitch chip placement and electrical interconnections. A chip support is then attached to the device. A temporary chip alignment structure includes a transparent plate exposed to ablating radiation; the plate is then detached and removed. This method permits interconnection of multiple chips (generally with different sizes, architectures and functions) at close proximity and with very high wiring density. The device may include passive components located on separate chips, so that the device includes chips with and without active devices.

Abstract: A structure and method are provided for dissipating heat from a semiconductor device chip. A first layer of a dielectric material (e.g. polyimide) is formed on a front side of a heat spreader (typically Si). A plurality of openings are formed through this first layer; the openings are filled with metal (typically Cu), thereby forming metal studs extending through the first layer. A second layer of metal is formed on the backside of the device chip. The first layer and the second layer are then bonded in a bonding process, thereby forming a bonding layer where the metal studs contact the second layer. The bonding layer thus provides a thermal conducting path from the chip to the heat spreader.

Abstract: An offset correction analogic circuit capable of compensating the offset of a digital baseband is described. The circuit comprises analog means to receive an output differential signal issued from a differential signal path. The differential signal path may be a baseband filter as used in digital communication systems. The baseband filter inputs an input differential signal having an offset to be compensated. The output differential signal is fed into an analog integrator to generate a pulsed signal either on a first output line or on a second output line according to the polarity of the output differential signal. The pulsed signal is then integrated into a switched capacitor and a differential compensation offset signal is issued. The frequency of the pulsed signal is preferably proportional to the voltage value of the output differential signal. The compensation offset signal may be summed with the input differential signal into a summing circuit.

Abstract: An integrated circuit is provided including an FET gate structure formed on a substrate. This structure includes a gate dielectric on the substrate, and a metal nitride layer overlying the gate dielectric and in contact therewith. This metal nitride layer is characterized as MNx, where M is one of W, Re, Zr, and Hf, and x is in the range of about 0.7 to about 1.5. Preferably the layer is of WNx, and x is about 0.9. Varying the nitrogen concentration in the nitride layer permits integration of different FET characteristics on the same chip. In particular, varying x in the WNx layer permits adjustment of the threshold voltage in the different FETs. The polysilicon depletion effect is substantially reduced, and the gate structure can be made thermally stable up to about 1000° C.

Abstract: A hardmask layer in the back end of an integrated circuit is formed from TaN having a composition of less than 50% Ta and a resistivity greater than 400 ?Ohm-cm, so that it is substantially transparent in the visible and permits visual alignment of upper and lower alignment marks through the hardmask and intervening layer(s) of ILD. A preferred method of formation of the hardmask is by sputter deposition of Ta in an ambient containing N2 and a flow rate such that (N2 flow)/(N2+carrier flow)>0.5.

Abstract: A thin film transfer join process in which a multilevel thin film structure is formed on a carrier, the multilevel thin film structure is joined to a final substrate and then the carrier is removed. Once the carrier is removed, the dielectric material and metallic material that were once joined to the carrier are now exposed. The dielectric material is then etched back so that the exposed metallic material protrudes beyond the dielectric material. Also disclosed is a module made by the foregoing process.