Abstract: A semiconductor device structure includes at least two field effect transistors formed on same substrate, the first field effect transistor includes a spacer having a first width, the second field effect transistor includes a compressive spacer having a second width, the first width being different than said second width. Preferably, the first width is narrower than the second width. A tensile stress dielectric film forms a barrier etch stop layer over the transistors.

Abstract: A micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) variable capacitor is described, wherein movable comb electrodes of opposing polarity are fabricated simultaneously on the same substrate and are independently actuated. The electrodes are formed in an interdigitated fashion to maximize capacitance. The MEMS variable capacitor includes CMOS manufacturing steps in combination with elastomeric material selectively used in areas under greatest stress to ensure that the varactor will not fail as a result of stresses that may result in the separation of dielectric material from the conductive elements. The combination of a CMOS process with the conducting elastomeric material between vias increases the overall sidewall area, which provides increased capacitance density.

Abstract: A transition detection, validation and memorization (TDVM) circuit detects the position of a transition in a stream of serially transmitted binary data (bits) that are over sampled and generates a control signal indicating which sampled signal represents the best data. The incoming data stream is over sampled by the n phases of a multiple phase clock signal. Then n over sampled signals are fed into the TDVM circuit which includes a first section for detecting the transition at the positions of two consecutive sampled signals according to a specific signal processing, a second section for validating the transition position, and a third section for memorizing the validated transition position and generating a control signal that is used to recover the data.

Abstract: High quality factor (Q) inductor elements with dynamically driven, conductive, patterned shields are disclosed wherein a conductive, patterned shield structure/layer is provided between the inductor element and the substrate. The patterned shield is dynamically driven to the same electrical potential as the inductor element, to reduce or eliminate parasitic capacitive coupling between the inductor element and the conductive substrate. The patterned shield is patterned to form a plurality of conductive segments which are insulated from each other such that eddy currents cannot flow from one conductive segment to an adjacent conductive segment, to prevent the flow of eddy currents in the patterned shield when it is dynamically driven to the same electrical potential as the inductor element.

Abstract: A short or high leakage path from a metal contact to a P-well can occur when a contact via mask is misaligned with an active area mask, in combination with an overetch into the isolation oxide of an isolation trench which forms a divot in the isolation oxide, exposing the contact junction depletion region or even a P-well on the active area sidewall. This problem is prevented by using an N+ doped polysilicon liner, wherein an outdiffusion of N+ dopant from the poly liner forms an N+ halo extension in the active area silicon, providing a reverse biased junction between the metal contact stud and the P-well. The complementary structure and method of an N-well and P+ dopant are also disclosed.

Abstract: The inventive method for forming thin channel MOSFETS comprises: providing a structure including at least a substrate having a layer of semiconducting material atop an insulating layer and a gate region formed atop the layer of semiconducting material; forming a conformal oxide film atop the structure; implanting the conformal oxide film; forming a set of spacers atop the conformal oxide film, said set of sidewall spacers are adjacent to the gate region; removing portions of the oxide film, not protected by the set of spacers to expose a region of the semiconducting material; forming raised source/drain regions on the exposed region of the semiconducting material; implanting the raised source/drain regions with a second dopant impurity to form a second dopant impurity region; and annealing a final structure to provide a thin channel MOSFET.

Abstract: A MOSFET fabrication methodology and device structure, exhibiting improved gate activation characteristics. The gate doping that may be introduced while the source drain regions are protected by a damascene mandrel to allow for a very high doping in the gate conductors, without excessively forming deep source/drain diffusions. The high gate conductor doping minimizes the effects of electrical depletion of carriers in the gate conductor. The MOSFET fabrication methodology and device structure further results in a device having a lower gate conductor width less than the minimum lithographic minimum image, and a wider upper gate conductor portion width which may be greater than the minimum lithographic image. Since the effective channel length of the MOSFET is defined by the length of the lower gate portion, and the line resistance is determined by the width of the upper gate portion, both short channel performance and low gate resistance are satisfied simultaneously.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for preserving an oxide hard mask for the purpose of avoiding growth of epi Si on the gate stack during raised source/drain formation. The oxide hard mask is preserved in the present invention by utilizing a method which includes a chemical oxide removal processing step instead of an aqueous HF etchant.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) is provided which results in a SiGe HBT that has a controllable current gain and improved breakdown voltage. The SiGe HBT having these characteristics is fabricated by forming an in-situ P-doped emitter layer atop a patterned SiGe base structure. The in-situ P-doped emitter layer is a bilayer of in-situ P-doped a:Si and in-situ P-doped polysilicon. The SiGe HBT structure including the above mentioned bilayer emitter is also described herein.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory structure having a feature size of less than about 90 nm which exhibits little or no dynamic charge loss and little or no trap assisted junction leakage is provided. Specifically, the semiconductor structure includes at least one back-to-back pair of trench storage memory cells present in a Si-containing substrate. Each memory cell includes a vertical transistor overlaying a trench capacitor. Strap outdiffusions are present on each vertical sidewall of the trench storage memory cells so as to interconnect the vertical transistor and the trench capacitor of each memory cell to the Si-containing substrate. A punchthrough stop doping pocket is located between each back-to-back pair of trench storage memory cells and it is centered between the strap outdiffusions of adjacent storage trenches, and self-aligned to the adjacent storage trenches.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a high-performance, raised extrinsic base HBT having a narrow emitter width is provided. In accordance with the method, a patterned nitride pedestal region and inner spacers are employed to reduce the width of an emitter opening. The reduced width is achieved without the need of using advanced lithographic tools and/or advanced photomasks.

Abstract: High performance (surface channel) CMOS devices with a mid-gap work function metal gate are disclosed wherein an epitaxial layer is used for a threshold voltage Vt adjust/decrease for the PFET area, for large Vt reductions (˜500 mV), as are required by CMOS devices with a mid-gap metal gate. The present invention provides counter doping using an in situ B doped epitaxial layer or a B and C co-doped epitaxial layer, wherein the C co-doping provides an additional degree of freedom to reduce the diffusion of B (also during subsequent activation thermal cycles) to maintain a shallow B profile, which is critical to provide a surface channel CMOS device with a mid-gap metal gate while maintaining good short channel effects. The B diffusion profiles are satisfactorily shallow, sharp and have a high B concentration for devices with mid-gap metal gates, to provide and maintain a thin, highly doped B layer under the gate oxide.

Abstract: A method of forming an asymmetric extension MOSFET using a drain side spacer which allows a choice of source and drain sides for each individual MOSFET device and also allows an independent design or tuning of the source and drain extension implant dose as well as its spacing from the gate. A photoresist mask is formed over at least a portion of each drain region, followed by an angled ion implant during which the photoresist mask and the gate conductor shield the nitride layer over at least a portion of the drain region and at least one sidewall of the gate conductor from damage by the angled ion implant which selectively damages portions of the nitride layer unprotected by the photoresist mask and the gate conductor.

Abstract: An image trap filter used in a radio frequency receiver for filtering an image signal from a radio frequency signal. The image trap filter includes an inductor and a capacitor connected in series in a first branch with the first branch connected in parallel with an impedance in a second branch. For low-side injection of the local oscillator signal (i.e., the frequency of the local oscillator signal is lower than the radio frequency signal), the impedance in the second branch is a capacitor and the series-connected inductor and capacitor in the first branch resonate at the frequency of the image signal and present a low impedance at the frequency of the image signal and a somewhat higher inductive impedance at the frequency of the radio frequency signal that resonates with the capacitor in the second branch at the frequency of the radio signal. For high-side injection of the local oscillator signal (i.e.

Abstract: A 6F2 memory cell structure and a method of fabricating the same. The memory cell structure includes a plurality of memory cells located in a Si-containing substrate which are arranged in rows and columns. Each memory cell includes a double-gated vertical MOSFET having exposed gate conductor regions and two gates formed on opposing sidewalls of the MOSFETs. The memory cell structure also includes a plurality of wordlines overlaying the double-gated vertical MOSFETs and in contact with the exposed gate conductor regions, and a plurality of bitlines that are orthogonal to the wordlines. Trench isolation regions are located adjacent to the rows of memory cells. The memory cell structure also includes a plurality of punch through stop regions located in the Si-containing substrate and self-aligned to the wordlines and bitlines. A portion of the punch through stop regions overlap each other under the bitlines and each region serves to electrically isolate adjacent buried-strap regions from each other.

Abstract: A MOSFET device and a method of fabricating a MOSFET device having low-K dielectric oxide gate sidewall spacers produced by fluorine implantation. The present invention implants fluorine into the gate oxide sidewall spacers which is used to alter the properties of advanced composite gate dielectrics e.g. nitridized oxides, NO, and gate sidewall dielectrics, such that the low-K properties of fluorine are used to develop low parasitic capacitance MOSFETs.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for an electrodeposition or electroetching system. A thin metal film is deposited or etched by electrical current through an electrolytic bath flowing toward and in contact with a target on which the film is disposed. Uniformity of deposition or etching is promoted, particularly at the edge of the target film, by, baffle and shield members through which the bath passes as it flows toward the target. The baffle has a plurality of openings disposed to control the localized current flow across the cross section of the workpiece/wafer. Disposed near the edge of the target, the shield member shapes the potential field and the current line so that it is uniform.

Abstract: A high-performance recessed channel CMOS device including an SOI layer having a recessed channel region and adjoining extension implant regions and optional halo implant regions; and at least one gate region present atop the SOI layer and a method for fabricating the same are provided. The adjoining extension and optional halo implant regions have an abrupt lateral profile and are located beneath said gate region.

Abstract: To overcome problems in an image reject mixer in a radio frequency receiver when there is a degradation in image rejection due to process variations, such as variations in the values of components, a reactance feedback path of a first differential amplifier in the intermediate frequency combiner of the image reject mixer is tuned during assembly of the radio frequency receiver. This tuning places the first differential amplifier and a second differential amplifier in the intermediate frequency combiner in phase quadrature when the pole frequency of reactance feedback path is at least ten times lower than the frequency of the intermediate frequency and sets the gain of the two differential amplifiers to be equal when the reactance of the reactance feed back path in the first differential amplifier is equal to the resistance of a resistance feedback path in second differential amplifier.

Abstract: Increased pixel density and increased sensitivity to blue light are provided in a charge couple device employing sidewall and surface gates.