Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, a surface preparation method for selective and non-selective epitaxial growth includes providing a substrate having a gate region, a source region, and a drain region, etching a first portion of the source region and the drain region, and removing a second portion of the source region and the drain region by a plasma comprising a noble gas and oxygen.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for performing chemical mechanical polishing. A high down-force step is performed. A low down-force step is performed. At least one of the down-force steps is modified, based on if one of the down-force steps exceeds an acceptable tolerance associated therewith. Other systems and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention provides a semiconductor device, a method of manufacture therefore and a method for manufacturing an integrated circuit including the same. The semiconductor device, among other elements, may include a gate structure located over a substrate, the gate structure including a gate dielectric layer and gate electrode layer. The semiconductor device may further include source/drain regions located in/over the substrate and adjacent the gate structure, and a nickel alloy silicide located in the source/drain regions, the nickel alloy silicide having an amount of indium located therein.

Abstract: A semiconductor device is fabricated with energy based process(es) that alter etch rates for dielectric layers within damascene processes. A first interconnect layer is formed over a semiconductor body. A first dielectric layer is formed over the first interconnect layer. An etch rate of the first dielectric layer is altered. A second dielectric layer is formed on the first dielectric layer. An etch rate of the second dielectric layer is then altered. A trench etch is performed to form a trench cavity within the second dielectric layer. A via etch is performed to form a via cavity within the first dielectric layer. The cavities are filled with conductive material and then planarized to remove excess fill material.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method for patterning a set of features for a semiconductor device includes providing a mask including a substrate and at least one pair of first and second main features disposed on a substrate. The method also includes positioning the mask over a layer of light-sensitive material, and exposing the mask to a light source. The mask also includes at least one sub-resolution feature connecting the first and second main features.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing an integrated circuit. The method for manufacturing the semiconductor device, among other steps, includes providing a capped polysilicon gate electrode (290) over a substrate (210), the capped polysilicon gate electrode (290) including a buffer layer (260) located between a polysilicon gate electrode layer (250) and a protective layer (270). The method further includes forming source/drain regions (710) in the substrate (210) proximate the capped polysilicon gate electrode (290), removing the protective layer (270) and the buffer layer (260), and siliciding the polysilicon gate electrode layer (250) to form a silicided gate electrode (1110).

Abstract: The present invention provides an insulating layer 100 for an integrated circuit 110 comprising a porous silicon-based dielectric layer 120 located over a substrate 130. The insulating layer comprises a densified layer 140 comprising an uppermost portion 142 of the porous silicon-based dielectric layer.

Abstract: A normalization for streaming digital audio signals applies a gain factor according to the maximum sample magnitude in a window of samples and compare the gain factor to prior gain factors to adjust the gain factor for the samples in the window of samples. Adaptation of the gain factor with rapid decreases but slow increases avoids saturation but allows quiet passages.

Abstract: A real time data exchange on demand system for transferring real time data between a host processor and a target processor is described. The target processor includes a real time target exchange library and API library interface to a target application. The host processor includes a target server, a real time data exchange API interface to a host data exchange application and a real time data exchange dynamic link library. An interconnection data link is coupled between said real time target exchange library on said target processor and said real time data exchange dynamic link library on said host processor. The host processor includes a user interface for programming real time data exchange transfer points for data exchange into the target processor that are passed down to the target processor via the interconnection data link. The target processor has programmable triggers that are programmed by the transfer points that call an appropriate real time data exchange routine to do the data transfer.

Abstract: A method (100) of forming a transistor includes forming a gate structure (106, 108) over a semiconductor body and forming recesses (112) substantially aligned to the gate structure in the semiconductor body. Carbon-doped silicon is then epitaxially grown (114) in the recesses, followed by forming sidewall spacers (118) over lateral edges of the gate structure. The method continues by implanting source and drain regions in the semiconductor body (120) after forming the sidewall spacers. The carbon-doped silicon formed in the recesses resides close to the transistor channel and serves to provide a tensile stress to the channel, thereby facilitating improved carrier mobility in NMOS type transistor devices.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for selectively inducing stress in a semiconductor device, wherein a first region of a substrate is implanted so as to induce stress in a second region. An electrical device is formed at least partially in the second region, wherein the induced stress therein may improve one or more operational characteristics of the device, such as channel region carrier mobility.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device (100), among other possible elements, includes a first transistor (120) located over a semiconductor substrate (110), wherein the first transistor (120) has a gate electrode (135) that includes a metal silicide layer 135a over which is located a silicon gate layer (135b) together which have a work function associated therewith, and a second transistor (125) located over the semiconductor substrate (110) and proximate the first transistor (120), wherein the second transistor (125) also includes a gate electrode (160) that includes a metal silicide layer (160a) over which is located a silicon gate layer (160b) together which have a different work function from that of the first gate electrode (135) associated therewith.

Abstract: A method of forming a memory device (e.g., a DRAM) including array and peripheral circuitry. A plurality of undoped polysilicon gates 58 are formed. These gates 58 are classed into three groups; namely, first conductivity type peripheral gates 58p, second conductivity type peripheral gates 58n, and array gates 58a. The array gates 58a and the first conductivity type peripheral gates 58n are masked such that the second conductivity type peripheral gates 58p remain unmasked. A plurality of second conductivity type peripheral transistors can then be formed by doping each of the second conductivity type peripheral gates 58p, while simultaneously doping a first and a second source/drain region 84 adjacent each of the second conductivity type peripheral gates 58p. The second conductivity type peripheral gates 58p are then masked such that the first conductivity type peripheral gates 58n remain unmasked.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing an integrated circuit including the semiconductor device. The method for manufacturing the semiconductor device (100), among other possible steps, includes forming a polysilicon gate electrode over a substrate (110) and forming source/drain regions (170) in the substrate (110) proximate the polysilicon gate electrode. The method further includes forming a blocking layer (180) over the source/drain regions (170), the blocking layer (180) comprising a metal silicide, and siliciding the polysilicon gate electrode to form a silicided gate electrode (150).

Abstract: A device employs damascene layers with a pore sealing liner and includes a semiconductor body. A metal interconnect layer comprising a metal interconnect is formed over the semiconductor body. A dielectric layer is formed over the metal interconnect layer. A conductive trench feature and a conductive via feature are formed in the dielectric layer. A pore sealing liner is formed only along sidewall of the conductive via feature and along sidewalls and bottom surfaces of the conductive trench feature. The pore sealing liner is not substantially present along a bottom surface of the conductive via feature.

Abstract: A method for training acoustic models for a new target language is provided using a phonetic table, which characterizes the phones, used in one or more reference language(s) with respect to their articulatory properties; a phonetic table, which characterizes the phones used in the target language with respect to their articulatory properties; a set of trained monophones for the reference language(s); and a database of sentences in the target language and its phonetic transcription. With these inputs, the new method completely and automatically takes care of the steps of monophone seeding and triphone clustering and machine intensive training steps involved in triphone acoustic training.

Abstract: System and method for reducing interference to existing devices. A preferred embodiment comprises specifying a frequency range for a set of dummy signals, specifying a clipping function to ensure that the set of dummy signals do not exceed a maximum power constraint, incorporating a least squares solution for computing the set of dummy signals into the clipping function, and iterating the clipping function until a terminating condition is reached. The use of the clipping function limits the magnitude of the dummy signals, to ensure that dummy signals do not exceed a maximum power constraint.

Abstract: A dual path equalization structure is used to equalize DMT systems operating over channels in which different impairments dominate the performance of different parts of the channel. Two TEQ/DFT structures are used to process the received signal, each optimized for a different part of the channel. The outputs of the two paths are combined with appropriate frequency-domain equalization to achieve an overall equalization architecture which is better optimized for the whole channel.

Abstract: This invention is a new CMOS voltage booster (20) having an output which can be used in memories to boost the word line voltage above VDD or other voltage boosting applications. The CMOS booster includes a NMOS FET (MN1) to charge a boosting capacitor (C1) to VDD at the end of each memory access and includes a PMOS FET (MP1, MP2) to keep the voltage at the output at VDD during standby. By using this combination, the word line rise time, the size of the booster, and the power consumption during access are significantly reduced. The gate of the NMOS FET (MN1) is boosted above VDD+Vthn by a small capacitor (C2) to charge the word line boosting capacitor to VDD at the end of each memory access. The small capacitor (C2) is pre-charged to VDD by a NMOSFET (MN2) whose gate is connected to the word line boosting capacitor. The gate of each PMOS FET (MP1, MP2) is shorted to its source to turn if off during boostenig. Transistor (MP3) facilitates boosting the NMOS FET (MN1) above VDD.

Abstract: A differential input comparator circuit comprises an input stage comprising dual polarity input voltages and an output stage adapted to output a differential voltage based on the input voltages, wherein the differential voltage is adapted to be transmitted to a comparator and wherein the circuit has high input impedance and works with high input voltage swings.