Abstract: Methods are provided for the fabrication of abrupt and tunable offset spacers for improved transistor short channel control. The methods include the formation of a gate electrode within a dielectric layer, with only a top portion of the gate electrode exposed. Silicon is added on the top portion of the gate electrode, by selective epitaxial growth, for example. Etching of the dielectric layer is performed with added silicon at the top portion of the gate electrode serving as a silicon mask to prevent etching of the dielectric layer directly underneath the silicon mask, which includes overhangs over the gate electrode sidewalls. The etching creates offset spacers in a production-worthy manner, and can be used to form offset spacers that are asymmetrical in width. By running the methodology in a microloading regime, wider offset spacers may be created on narrower polysilicon gate features, thereby improving Vt roll-off.

Abstract: By appropriately treating an interlayer dielectric material above P-channel transistors, the compressive stress may be significantly enhanced, which may be accomplished by expanding the interlayer dielectric material, for instance, by providing a certain amount of oxidizable species and performing an oxidation process.

Abstract: By appropriately orienting the channel length direction with respect to the crystallographic characteristics of the silicon layer, the stress-inducing effects of strained silicon/carbon material may be significantly enhanced compared to conventional techniques. In one illustrative embodiment, the channel may be oriented along the <100> direction for a (100) surface orientation, thereby providing an electron mobility increase of approximately a factor of four.

Abstract: When forming line structures of semiconductor devices in accordance with the 90 nm technology, sidewall spacers of the lines are reduced in size immediately prior to the deposition of an etch stop layer that is formed on the device layer. Due to the reduced spacer elements or due to a complete removal of the spacer elements, the subsequent deposition of the etch stop layer and of the interlayer dielectric is significantly enhanced with respect to void formation and defect rate.

Abstract: Methods for producing a semiconductor device are provided. In one embodiment, a method includes the steps of: (i) fabricating a partially-completed semiconductor device including a substrate, a source/drain region in the substrate, a gate stack overlaying the substrate, and a sidewall spacer adjacent the gate stack; (ii) utilizing an anisotropic etch to remove an upper portion of the sidewall spacer while leaving intact a lower portion of the sidewall spacer overlaying the substrate; (iii) implanting ions in the source/drain region; and (iv) annealing the semiconductor device to activate the implanted ions. The step of annealing is performed with the lower portion of the sidewall spacer intact to deter the ingress of oxygen into the substrate and minimize under-oxide regrowth proximate the gate stack.

Abstract: A DRAM controller may be configured to re-order read/write requests to maximize the number of page hits and minimize the number of page conflicts and page misses. A three-level prediction algorithm may be performed to obtain auto-precharge prediction for each read/write request, without having to track every individual page. Instead, the DRAM controller may track the history of page activity for each bank of DRAM, and make a prediction to first order based history that is not bank based. The memory requests may be stored in a queue, a specified number at a time, and used to determine whether a page should be closed or left open following access to that page. If no future requests in the queue are to the given bank containing the page, recent bank history for that bank may be used to obtain a prediction whether the page should be closed or left open.

Abstract: A system and method for copying and initializing a block of memory. To copy several data entities from a source region of memory to a destination region of memory, an instruction may copy each data entity one at a time. If an aggregate condition is determined to be satisfied, multiple data entities may be copied simultaneously. The aggregate condition may rely on an aggregate data size, the size of the data entities to be copied, and the alignment of the source and destination addresses.

Abstract: A drain (7) includes a lightly-doped shallow impurity region (7a) aligned with a control gate (5), and a heavily-doped deep impurity region (7b) aligned with a sidewall film (8) and doped with impurities at a concentration higher than that of the lightly-doped shallow impurity region (7a). The lightly-doped shallow impurity region (7a) leads to improvement of the short-channel effect and programming efficiency. A drain contact hole forming portion (70) is provided to the heavily-doped impurity region (7b) to reduce the contact resistance at the drain (7).

Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a method for adjusting a transistor model for increased circuit simulation accuracy includes determining a first gate CD offset by matching a C-V test structure having a normalized channel current to an I-V test structure having the normalized channel current. The method further includes utilizing the first gate CD offset to adjust the transistor model for increased circuit simulation. The method also includes determining a second gate CD offset by varying I-V and C-V gate length parameters in the transistor model to cause simulated data from a test circuit to be approximately equal to measured data from the test circuit. The method further includes utilizing the second gate CD offset to adjust the transistor model.

Abstract: A composite ?-Ta/graded tantalum nitride/TaN barrier layer is formed in Cu interconnects with a controlled surface roughness for improved adhesion, electromigration resistance and reliability. Embodiments include lining a damascene opening, such as a dual damascene opening in a low-k interlayer dielectric, with an initial layer of TaN, forming a graded tantalum nitride layer on the initial TaN layer and then forming an ?-Ta layer on the graded TaN layer, the composite barrier layer having an average surface roughness (Ra) of about 25 ? to about 50 ?. Embodiments further include controlling the surface roughness of the composite barrier layer by varying the N2 flow rate and/or ratio of the thickness of the combined ?-Ta and graded tantalum nitride layers to the thickness of the initial TaN layer.

Abstract: By recessing portions of the drain and source areas on the basis of a spacer structure, the subsequent implantation process for forming the deep drain and source regions may result in a moderately high dopant concentration extending down to the buried insulating layer of an SOI transistor. Furthermore, the spacer structure maintains a significant amount of a strained semiconductor alloy with its original thickness, thereby providing an efficient strain-inducing mechanism. By using sophisticated anneal techniques, undue lateral diffusion may be avoided, thereby allowing a reduction of the lateral width of the respective spacers and thus a reduction of the length of the transistor devices. Hence, enhanced charge carrier mobility in combination with reduced junction capacitance may be accomplished on the basis of reduced lateral dimensions.

Abstract: Layout patterns are identified as problematic when they have particular parameters required to exceed standard limits. The problematic layout patterns are associated with preferred design rules in a DRC-Plus deck. Layout data is scanned to generate match locations of any problematic layout patterns. The match locations are forwarded to a DRC engine that compares layout parameters of the match locations to corresponding preferred layout rules in the DRC-Plus deck. The DRC-Plus check results are used to modify the layout to improve manufacturability of the layout.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system comprises a memory; a memory interface coupled to the memory; a processor unit coupled to the memory interface, a second interface coupled to the processor unit, and a graphics processing unit. The processor unit comprises at least one processor core and a display controller configured to couple to a display. The graphics processing unit is configured to render data into a frame buffer representing an image to be displayed on the display. The processor unit is configured to deactivate the second interface if the graphics processing unit is not rendering, and the display controller is configured to read the frame buffer data for display even if the second interface is deactivated.

Abstract: Embodiments directed to a memory device and a memory controller that continue to operate in a low-power mode during the period required for analog timing circuitry to initialize and become usable, are described. During a low-speed to high-speed transition mode of operation for a high-speed interface, timing circuitry of the interface between the memory device and memory controller locks to a forward clock signal concurrent with the continued operation of the interface in low-speed mode. A reference clock signal configured to operate at a rate that provides both a high-speed mode and a low-speed mode and which is used as a single rate clock allows phase detection and correction circuitry to be disabled, thus allowing the idle period caused by a transition from low-speed mode to high-speed mode to be significantly reduced.

Abstract: Embodiments include a codec for use in a videoconferencing or similar system includes a video encoder pipeline that has a pre-processor component that is optimized to detect faces and compress the facial video data in an optimum manner. The codec has a pre-processing step that analyzes each frame on a per macroblock basis to determine the mathematical activity level per block. The activity level calculation is used as a parameter to the bitrate control module of the encoder to control the quantization, and thus the fine grained quality of the output data. An object detection module (e.g., a face detector) is placed in the pre-processing step. The object detection data is then combined with the activity level and object detection certainty value through a combinatorial algorithm comprising a weighted average or normalized multiplication process.

Abstract: By performing sophisticated anneal techniques, such as laser anneal, flash anneal and the like, for a metal silicide formation, such as nickel silicide, the risk of nickel silicide defects in sensitive device regions, such as SRAM pass gates, may be significantly reduced. Also, the activation of dopants may be performed in a highly localized manner, so that undue damage of gate insulation layers may be avoided when activating and re-crystallizing drain and source regions.

Abstract: Various semiconductor chip underfills and methods of making the same are provided. In one aspect, a method of manufacturing is provided that includes coupling a semiconductor chip to a substrate to leave a gap therebetween, and forming an underfill layer in the gap. The underfill layer includes a first plurality of filler particles that have a first average size and a second plurality of filler particles that have a second average size smaller than the first average size such that the first plurality of filler particles is concentrated proximate the substrate and the second plurality of filler particles is concentrated proximate the semiconductor chip so that a bulk modulus of the underfill layer is larger proximate the substrate than proximate the semiconductor chip.

Abstract: By appropriately designing a plurality of deposition steps and intermediate sputter processes, the formation of a barrier material within a via opening may be accomplished on the basis of a highly efficient process strategy that readily integrates conductive cap layers formed above metal-containing regions into well-approved process sequences.

Abstract: Systems for generating and transmitting a video stream that is encoded with program data such that when decoded can be executed to update non-volatile storage within a video based electronic device. Typically video based electronic devices are controlled by processors running software stored in writable, non-volatile storage. It is often desirable or necessary to update the software after the device has been shipped from a factory in order to correct a software failure discovered after shipment or to incorporate a new set of features. As many video based electronic devices have no common interface available to connect a computer, there is no ability to receive a software update. However, most video based electronic devices can be connected to a video source. Therefore, systems that allow a video based electronic device to receive, decode, and execute program data that is encoded within a video stream are presented. A method for encoding program code into a video stream is also presented.

Abstract: A method is provided for fabricating a semiconductor on insulator (SOI) device. The method includes, in one embodiment, providing a monocrystalline silicon substrate having a monocrystalline silicon layer overlying a monocrystalline silicon substrate and separated therefrom by a dielectric layer. A well region is ion implanted in the monocrystalline silicon substrate. A gate electrode material is deposited overlying the monocrystalline silicon layer. The gate electrode material is photolithographically patterned and etched using a minimum lithography feature size to form a first gate electrode, a second gate electrode and a spacer having the minimum lithography feature size. The gate electrode material is then isotropically etched to reduce the width of the first gate electrode, the second gate electrode and the spacer.