Abstract: A phase change memory has a first electrode formed over a substrate, a patterned phase change material layer formed over the first electrode to contact the first electrode and including a conductive material, and a second electrode formed over the patterned phase change material layer to contact the patterned phase change material layer. Instead of heat generation, the conductive channel is used to adjust resistance while maintaining characteristics of non-volatile memories. Hence, the power consumption can be reduced. Due to no use of the phase change, the shortened lifetime of equipment for fabricating semiconductor memories, usually caused by a volume change during the phase change, can be reduced.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a non-volatile memory device includes the steps of: defining an active region on a semiconductor substrate; forming a charge storage layer on the active region; forming a first conductive pattern on the charge storage layer, wherein the first conductive pattern has a bottom portion larger in width than a top portion thereof, the first conductive pattern further having a sloping sidewall connecting the top and bottom portions; forming an oxide layer on the sidewall of the first conductive pattern; forming a conformal second conductive layer on the first conductive pattern and on the active region around the first conductive pattern; and patterning the first conductive pattern and the second conductive layer to form a pair of first electrodes and a pair of second electrodes, respectively.

Abstract: Provided is a CMP method. According to the CMP method, an interlayer insulating layer having two or more layers is etched to form a trench and/or via hole, and a combined thickness of the two or more layers are measured. A barrier metal layer and a metal layer are sequentially formed in the trench and/or via hole. Portions of the metal layer, the barrier metal layer and the interlayer insulating layer are removed. After that, the combined thickness of the two or more insulating layers is measured again.

Abstract: Disclosed are a CMOS sensor and a method of fabricating the CMOS sensor. The method includes the steps of: forming a first USG layer on an entire surface of a semiconductor substrate including a cell area and a scribe area; masking the cell area, and then removing the first USG layer formed on the scribe area; forming a SiN layer on the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate; masking the cell area, and then removing the SiN layer formed on the scribe area; forming a second USG layer on the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate; and masking the scribe area, and then removing the second USG layer formed on the cell area. The USG layer is only formed on the scribe layer without the SiN layer, so that SiN particles do not drop onto the USG layer during the sintering process.

Abstract: The method of forming a floating gate array of a flash memory device includes: (a) forming a plurality of device isolations, which define active device regions, in a semiconductor substrate, the device isolations being formed such that upper portions thereof protrude from a surface of the substrate by a predetermined height; (b) forming tunnel oxide layers in the active device regions; (c) forming a floating gate-forming layer throughout an entire region of the substrate, including regions in which the plurality of device isolations and the active device regions are formed, the floating gate-forming layer being formed such that grooves are formed along the active device regions; (d) filling the grooves formed on the floating gate-forming layer with masking materials; and (e) patterning the floating gate-forming layer, using the masking materials filling the grooves as an etching mask.

Abstract: Photomasks are disclosed. A disclosed example photomask comprises: a first pattern located along an axis of the photomask; at least one second pattern located a distance from and a predetermined angle to the first pattern; and slits made of Cr on at least one end of each of the first and second patterns, wherein the photomask is a Cr-less mask.

Abstract: A fabricating method of a capacitor is disclosed. Particularly, a fabricating method of a capacitor which forms a capacitor in the place where the insulation layer of an STI region is removed, preventing interlayer dielectric layers from becoming thick. A disclosed method comprises: defining an STI region in the predetermined region of a substrate; removing the insulation layer of the STI region where a capacitor will be formed; forming a gate insulation layer and a first polysilicon layer on the substrate, and patterning the first polysilicon layer; and forming a first insulation layer and a second polysilicon layer on the substrate, and patterning the first insulation layer and the second polysilicon layer.

Abstract: Semiconductor devices having a copper line layer and methods for manufacturing the same are disclosed. An illustrated semiconductor device comprises a damascene insulating layer having a contact hole, a barrier metal layer including a first ruthenium layer, a ruthenium oxide layer and a second ruthenium layer, a seed copper layer formed on the barrier metal layer, and a copper line layer made of a Cu—Ag—Au solid solution. A disclosed example method of manufacturing a semiconductor device reduces and/or prevents contact characteristic degradation of the barrier metal layer with the silicon substrate or the damascene insulating layer. In addition, by forming the copper line layer made of the Cu—Ag—Au solid solution, long term device reliability may be improved.

Abstract: There is provided a band gap reference voltage generation circuit capable of reducing wake up time during transition from an idle mode to a normal mode and further capable of removing the RF noise of an output voltage.

Abstract: There are provided a method of forming fine patterns in a semiconductor device, and a method of forming a gate with a fine critical dimension using the same. In the method of forming fine patterns in a semiconductor device, a plurality of sidewall buffer patterns are formed on a gate insulating layer formed on a substrate, wherein the plurality of the sidewall buffer patterns are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. A sidewall layer is deposited on the sidewall buffer patterns as well as the gate insulating layer. The sidewall layer is etched such that sidewall patterns remain on sidewalls of the sidewall buffer patterns.

Abstract: Disclosed are a power semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same. The power semiconductor device has a PIP capacitor and an LDMOS transistor, the LDMOS transistor having second and third gate electrodes separate from a first gate electrode, which may be formed in the process of forming the upper electrode of the PIP capacitor, so it is possible to realize an LDMOS having a higher breakdown voltage and lower Ron and Rsp without additional processing. A drain voltage, which may be different from a voltage applied to the first gate electrode, may be applied to the third gate electrode, so it is possible to realize an LDMOS having a high breakdown voltage and low Ron and Rsp.

Abstract: A semiconductor device including a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor is manufactured such that a via for connecting upper and lower conductive layers is formed through an insulating interlayer after a silicon nitride layer is deposited as a thick layer on the insulating interlayer. This protects an edge of a MIM structure during an etching process that forms the via. In addition, a fluorine gas can be used in a gas stripping process to remove a polymer residue when stripping the photoresist used to form the via. The MIM capacitor has an insulator layer. The method of manufacturing the device includes forming an insulator layer of the MIM capacitor to a predetermined thickness on the insulating interlayer. The predetermined thickness is equal to the desired thickness plus an augmentation thickness, and the augmentation thickness is determined according to the stripping process for removing the photoresist pattern.

Abstract: There are provided a MOS transistor and a manufacturing method thereof. The MOS transistor includes a substrate on which an insulating layer is formed, a gate embedded in the insulating layer, wherein the top surface of the gate is exposed, a gate oxide layer formed on the insulating layer and the gate, a silicon layer formed on the gate oxide layer, and a source region and a drain region formed in the silicon layer to be in contact with the gate oxide layer.

Abstract: Provided is a method for fabricating CMOS image sensor. One method includes: preparing a semiconductor substrate in which a photodiode region and a transistor region are defined; sequentially forming an insulating layer and a conductive layer on an entire surface of the semiconductor substrate; forming a photoresist pattern for a gate electrode on the conductive layer; etching the conductive layer to a predetermined thickness using the photoresist pattern as a mask; performing an ion implantation process on the etched conductive layer to form a doped conductive layer; performing an oxidation process on the resultant structure including the doped conductive layer for oxidizing the doped conductive layer so as to form an oxide layer; and removing the oxide layer and the insulating layer disposed thereunder to define a gate electrode and a gate insulating layer.

Abstract: An ESP protecting circuit and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The ESP protecting circuit includes a device isolation layer, first and second high-concentration impurity regions, a third high-concentration impurity region of a complementary type, first and second conductive wells, and a fourth conductive impurity region. The ESD protecting circuit is configured as a field transistor without a gate electrode, and the high breakdown voltage characteristics of the field transistor are lowered by implanting impurity ions, providing an ESD protecting circuit with a low breakdown voltage and low leakage current. Because the leakage current is reduced, the ESD protecting circuit can be used for an analog I/O device that is sensitive to current fluxes. Also, an N-type well may protect a junction of the field transistor.

Abstract: A split gate (flash) EEPROM cell and a method for manufacturing the same is disclosed, in which a control gate and a floating gate are formed in a vertical structure, to minimize a size of the cell, to obtain a high coupling ratio, and to lower a programming voltage. The split gate EEPROM cell includes a semiconductor substrate having a trench; a tunneling oxide layer at sidewalls of the trench; a floating gate, a dielectric layer and a control gate in sequence on the tunneling oxide layer; a buffer dielectric layer at sidewalls of the floating gate and the control gate; a source junction in the semiconductor substrate at the bottom surface of the trench; a source electrode in the trench between opposing buffer dielectric layers, electrically connected to the source junction; and a drain junction on the surface of the semiconductor substrate outside the trench.

Abstract: SRAM devices and methods of fabricating the same are disclosed, by which a process margin and a degree of device integration are enhanced by reducing the number of contact holes of an SRAM device unit cell using local interconnections. A disclosed example device includes first and second load elements; first and second drive transistors; a common gate electrode connected in one body to a gate electrode of the first load element and a gate electrode of the first drive transistor to apply a sync signal to the gate electrodes; the common gate electrode overlapping with a junction layer of the second load element and a junction layer region of the second drive transistor; the common gate electrode being electrically connected to an upper line via a plug in one contact hole.

Abstract: A resistor for a semiconductor device is provided. The resistor can include a first polysilicon layer formed on a semiconductor substrate; an insulating layer formed on regions of the first polysilicon layer; a second polysilicon layer formed on the insulating layer; and a contact electrically connected to the first polysilicon layer and the second polysilicon layer. The portions of the first polysilicon layer that do not have the insulating layer formed thereupon have a higher impurity ion concentration than that of the regions on which the insulating layer is formed.

Abstract: Contact resistance of a semiconductor device may be reduced, and thereby the reliability of the semiconductor device may be enhanced, when a metal line is formed in a semiconductor device according to a method including: (i) forming a metal layer on a semiconductor substrate; (ii) forming a groove on an upper surface of the metal layer by etching the metal layer; (iii) etching the metal layer so as to form a groove-engraved lower metal line that is wider than the groove; (iv) forming an insulator layer covering the semiconductor substrate and the groove-engraved lower metal line; (v) etching the insulator layer so as to form a contact hole exposing the groove; and (vi) forming a contact electrode filling the contact hole and an upper metal line connected thereto, above the insulator layer.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing CMOS image sensor is provided. The method includes: forming an interlayer dielectric on a semiconductor substrate on which a plurality of photodiodes are formed; forming a plurality of color filters at regular intervals on the interlayer dielectric; forming a planarization layer on an entire surface of the semiconductor substrate including the color filters; forming sacrificial resist patterns on the planarization layer, the sacrificial resist patterns being spaced apart from each other; forming spacers at sidewalls of the sacrificial resist patterns; removing the sacrificial resist patterns; forming a resist layer on the planarization layer on which only the spacers remain; removing the spacers; and reflowing the resist layer at a predetermined temperature to form a microlens.