Patents Assigned to IMEC vzw
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Patent number: 12188895Abstract: A method for forming a nanopore transistor and a nanopore transistor is provided. The method includes: (a) forming an aperture in a filler material by: (i) providing a fin comprising a semiconductor layer and a top layer; (ii) patterning the top layer to form a pillar; (iii) embedding the pillar in a filler material; (iv) removing the pillar, leaving an aperture; (v) lining the aperture with a spacer material; (b) forming a nanopore by etching through the aperture; (b) lining the nanopore with a dielectric, (c) forming a source and a drain by either: between steps a.ii and a.iii, doping the bottom semiconductor layer by using the pillar as a mask, or after step c, filling the aperture with a sealing material, thereby forming a post; removing the filler material; doping the bottom semiconductor layer by using the post as a mask; and removing the sealing material.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 2022Date of Patent: January 7, 2025Assignee: IMEC VZWInventors: David Barge, Bert Du Bois, Simone Severi, Ashesh Ray Chaudhuri
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Patent number: 12189109Abstract: According to an aspect of the present inventive concept there is provided a light distribution device comprising a waveguide comprising a light coupling portion for light propagation, and a slab layer comprising a light coupling edge arranged at a boundary of the slab layer, configured for light propagation. The light coupling portion extends alongside and at a distance from the light coupling edge, forming a gap therebetween. The light distribution device is configured to allow light in the waveguide to be coupled into the slab layer across the gap. The slab layer is configured to propagate light coupled into the slab layer such that an interference pattern is formed in the slab layer, and for control of the interference pattern.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2022Date of Patent: January 7, 2025Assignees: IMEC VZW, KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVENInventors: Dmitry Kouznetsov, Niels Verellen, Qingzhong Deng
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Patent number: 12191880Abstract: A slope analog-to-digital converter, ADC, comprises: an input unit comprising a sampling capacitor, wherein the input unit is configured to during an initial period obtain a sampled value of an analog input signal and, during a conversion period, hold the sampled value across the sampling capacitor; and a comparator configured to determine a most significant bit of the analog input signal during the initial period; wherein the ADC during the conversion period is configured to receive a slope signal and to be adapted based on the determined most significant bit such that the comparator is further configured to adaptively compare the sampled value and the slope signal for converting the sampled value to a digital representation.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2022Date of Patent: January 7, 2025Assignee: IMEC VZWInventors: Ewout Martens, Jan Craninckx
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Patent number: 12181448Abstract: A method for continuously separating components from a sample includes providing a field-flow fractionation device including: a channel coupled to a flow generator for translocating the sample components along the channel in a first direction, an actuator for translocating the sample components in a second direction, at an angle with the first direction, and an array of electrodes electrically or capacitively connected to an AC power source, operating the actuator so as to translocate the sample components in a second direction at an angle with the first direction, operating the AC power source so as to generate an AC electric field between adjacent rows, and operating the flow generator, collecting sample components from the sample outlets.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2020Date of Patent: December 31, 2024Assignees: IMEC VZW, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, KU LEUVEN R&DInventors: Chengxun Liu, Andim Stassen, Ying Ting Set
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Patent number: 12169928Abstract: The current invention concerns a method, a computer system, and a computer program product for blood vessel image extraction from ultrasound signals, and a method and apparatus for ultrasound imaging A set of ultrasound signals at successive times in a plurality of spatial points is obtained. The ultrasound signals are decomposed as a sum of terms. Each term consists of a time-independent spatial component image factor and a space-independent temporal component signal. The spatial component images are mutually orthonormal. The temporal component signals are mutually orthogonal. A sharpened spatial image for each of multiple spatial component images is determined. A processed image being a bilinear combination of multiple sharpened spatial images is generated.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2020Date of Patent: December 17, 2024Assignees: IMEC VZW, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, KU Leuven R&DInventors: Alan Urban, Gabriel Montaldo
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Patent number: 12164849Abstract: A system and method of simulating device aging based on a digital waveform representative of a workload of an electronic device are disclosed. In one aspect, the method comprises grouping contiguous sets of cycles into segments, each set corresponding to a segment. Each segment has values for a combination of segment parameters that are unique from each of the other segments and a start point that is separated from a start point of an adjacent segment by a pre-defined distance criterion. Grouping the sets into the segments comprises, for each segment: sampling one or more sequential cycles of the workload, generating the segment based on the sampled contiguous cycles having a period exceeding a threshold period, and determining the values for the combination of segment parameters. The method further comprises applying an aging model to the segments to simulate the aging. The segments are a representation of the digital waveform.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2020Date of Patent: December 10, 2024Assignee: IMEC VZWInventors: Subrat Mishra, Pieter Weckx, Francky Catthoor, Alessio Spessot
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Patent number: 12154830Abstract: A method of producing a gate cut in a semiconductor component is provided. In one aspect, an array of nano-sized semiconductor fins is processed on a semiconductor substrate. Rails may be buried in the substrate and in a layer of dielectric material that isolates neighboring fins from each other. The rails may extend in the direction of the fins and each rail may be situated between two adjacent fins. The rails may be buried power rails for enabling the formation of a power delivery network at the back of an integrated circuit chip. At the front side of the substrate, one or more gate structures are produced. The gate structures extend transversally, or perpendicularly, with respect to the fins and the rails. A gate cut is produced by forming an opening from the back side of the substrate, and removing a portion of the gate structure at the bottom of the opening, thereby creating a gate cut that is aligned to the sidewalls of the rail.Type: GrantFiled: January 20, 2022Date of Patent: November 26, 2024Assignee: IMEC vzwInventors: Gaspard Hiblot, Anshul Gupta, Geert Van Der Plas
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Patent number: 12154794Abstract: A method of etching an indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) structure is provided. In one aspect, the method includes exposing the IGZO structure to a reactant flow including a hydrocarbon-based reactant. Thereby, a reactant layer is formed on the IGZO structure. The method also includes exposing the reactant layer formed on the IGZO structure to an argon flow. Thereby, one or more reactant molecules are removed from the reactant layer. The one or more reactant molecules, which are removed from the reactant layer formed on the IGZO structure, are removed together with one or more IGZO molecules, thus leading to an etching of the IGZO structure.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2021Date of Patent: November 26, 2024Assignee: IMEC VZWInventors: Shreya Kundu, Frederic Lazzarino
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Patent number: 12154832Abstract: According to an aspect of the present inventive concept there is provided a method for forming source/drain contacts, the method comprising: depositing a material layer over a first and second layer stack formed in a first and second device region of a substrate, respectively, each layer stack comprising a number of semiconductor channel layers and the layer stacks being separated by a trench filled with insulating material to form an insulating wall between the layer stacks and between the device regions; forming a contact partition trench in the material layer at a position above the insulating wall, and filling the contact partition trench with an insulating material to form a contact partition wall on top of the insulating wall; forming a first and a second source/drain contact trench on mutually opposite sides of the contact partition wall, the first source/drain contact trench being formed above a source/drain region in the first device region, and the second source/drain contact trench being formedType: GrantFiled: October 19, 2021Date of Patent: November 26, 2024Assignee: IMEC VZWInventors: Boon Teik Chan, Hans Mertens
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Patent number: 12154979Abstract: A field-effect transistor and a method for controlling such is provided herein. The field-effect transistor includes a source terminal and a drain terminal arranged on a first side of a semiconductor layer and a single gate arranged on a second side of the semiconductor layer opposite the first side. The gate and the source terminal are arranged to overlap with a first common region of the semiconductor layer and the gate and the drain terminal are arranged to overlap with a second common region of the semiconductor layer.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2021Date of Patent: November 26, 2024Assignee: IMEC VZWInventor: Aryan Afzalian
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Patent number: 12145123Abstract: The present invention provides a micro-reactor (1) adapted to host chemical reactions having at least one microfluidic layer, said micro-reactor (1) comprising a fluid inlet (2) and a fluid outlet (3); a plurality of micro-reaction chambers (10) arranged in rows (7) and columns (6), each micro-reaction chamber comprising a chamber inlet (10a) and a chamber outlet (10b); a plurality of supply channels (4) for supplying fluid to from said fluid inlet (2) to said micro-reaction chambers (10) and further arranged for draining said micro-reaction chambers (10) to said fluid outlet (3), said supply channels (10) extending in a first direction (D1) along the columns (6) of micro-reaction chambers (10) and arranged such that there is one supply channel (4) between adjacent columns (6).Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2019Date of Patent: November 19, 2024Assignees: IMEC VZW, KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVENInventors: Peter Peumans, Ahmed Taher, Nicolas Vergauwe, Benjamin Jones
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Patent number: 12146873Abstract: A method of operating a pore field-effect transistor (FET) sensor for detecting particles, wherein the pore FET sensor comprises a FET wherein a gate is controlled by a pore filled by a fluid, comprises: controlling a first voltage (Vcis) to set the FET in a subthreshold region; controlling a second voltage (Vtrans) to set a voltage difference between the first and second voltages (Vtrans) such that an effective difference in gate voltage experienced between a minimum and a maximum effective gate voltage during movement of a particle in the fluid is at least kT/q; and detecting a drain-source current in the FET, wherein the particle passing through the pore modulates the drain-source current for detecting presence of the particle.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2022Date of Patent: November 19, 2024Assignee: IMEC VZWInventors: Anne Verhulst, Pol Van Dorpe
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Patent number: 12142894Abstract: Example embodiments relate to lasers that include loop resonators. One example laser includes a loop resonator forming a closed loop light path. The loop resonator includes an optical gain medium configured to lase. The loop resonator is configured to, during lasing, present a pair of modes: a mode of light propagating in a clockwise direction in the closed loop light path of the loop resonator (termed CW mode) and a mode of light propagating in a counter-clockwise direction in the closed loop light path of the loop resonator (termed CCW mode). The laser also includes a first light output configured to output laser light from the laser. Additionally, the laser includes an optical power modulating unit. The optical power modulation unit is configured to modulate an optical power of the CW mode of the loop resonator and an optical power of the CCW mode of the loop resonator.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2022Date of Patent: November 12, 2024Assignees: Imec vzw, Universiteit GentInventor: Geert Morthier
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Patent number: 12143826Abstract: A computer implemented method predicts by a neural network a radio spectrum usage in an environment comprising interferers and a plurality of wireless nodes. The nodes operate via a slotted medium access control, MAC, protocol within a radio spectrum. The method includes the following steps: obtaining per slot the radio spectrum usage by sensing the radio spectrum, labelling the slots as usable when a respective radio spectrum usage is lower than a predefined noise threshold or when a node successfully transmitted a packet through it, unusable when it is not usable and suitable to receive a packet, and calculating a loss function as a cross entropy loss with the usable and unusable slots over a total number of usable and unusable slots, and training the neural network by minimizing the loss function.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 2020Date of Patent: November 12, 2024Assignees: IMEC VZW, UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPENInventors: Ruben Mennes, Steven Latré
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Patent number: 12130472Abstract: Example embodiments relate to multilevel coupling for phase front engineering. An example integrated optical structure for phase front engineering of optical beams includes a substrate. The integrated optical structure also includes a plurality of optical layers formed on the substrate. Each of the optical layers includes an optical phased array that includes a plurality of optical waveguides. Each of the optical layers also includes a coupling section for each of the optical waveguides. Each coupling section is configured to control the phase of an optical beam coupling out of the optical waveguide. Additionally, the integrated optical structure includes a slab waveguide formed on the substrate and between two of the optical layers. The slab waveguide is in optical communication with the coupling sections of the two optical layers. The slab waveguide includes a slab waveguide outcoupling structure.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2022Date of Patent: October 29, 2024Assignee: Imec vzwInventors: Bruno Figeys, Jon Kjellman, Roelof Jansen
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Patent number: 12127957Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for integrating an electronic circuit in or on a medical stent. The method comprises obtaining (101) a deformable medical stent (21) in a substantially planar shape, in which the deformable medical stent is adapted for being deployed in a substantially cylindrical shape in the body. The method also comprises attaching (104) a deformable electronic circuit (22) onto the deformable medical stent in the planar shape thereby forming a deformable hybrid structure. The method also comprises shaping (107) said hybrid structure into the cylindrical shape.Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 2019Date of Patent: October 29, 2024Assignees: Universiteit Gent, IMEC VZWInventors: Rik Verplancke, Jan Vanfleteren
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Patent number: 12125668Abstract: An electron microscopy grid, includes: (i) a perforated substrate, (ii) a support film on the perforated substrate, the support film having a thickness of 60 ? or less, and (iii) linkers attached on top of the support film. The linkers has at least one affinity group for immobilizing an analyte; wherein the linkers form a non-random pattern on the support film.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2020Date of Patent: October 22, 2024Assignees: UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPEN, IMEC VZW, UNIVERSITEIT GENTInventors: Wouter Van Putte, Jean-Pierre Timmermans, Jan Vanfleteren
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Patent number: 12125861Abstract: The present invention relates to a spectral sensor. The spectral sensor comprising: a light detecting element; a microlens; and an interference filter arranged between the light detecting element and the microlens, and configured to transmit light in one or more spectral bands; wherein the microlens has an effective focal length (F) exceeding a distance (D) between the microlens and the light detecting element. The microlens may be configured such that light refracted by the microlens, to be transmitted through the interference filter, converges towards a position (P) behind the light detecting element. The present invention further relates to an image sensor comprising a plurality of spectral sensors.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 2021Date of Patent: October 22, 2024Assignee: IMEC VZWInventors: Nick Spooren, Bert Geelen
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Patent number: 12125623Abstract: The disclosed technology relates to a logic device based on spin waves. In one aspect, the logic device includes a spin wave generator, a waveguide, at least two phase shifters, and an output port. The spin wave generator is connected with the waveguide and is configured to emit a spin wave in the waveguide. The at least two phase shifters are connected with the waveguide at separate positions such that, when a spin wave is emitted by the spin wave generator, it passes via the phase shifters. The at least two phase shifters are configured to change a phase of the passing spin wave. The output port is connected with the wave guide such that the at least two phase shifters are present between the spin wave generator and the output port.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 2022Date of Patent: October 22, 2024Assignee: IMEC VZWInventors: Florin Ciubotaru, Hanns Christoph Adelmann
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Patent number: 12117342Abstract: According to an aspect of the present inventive concept there is provided a device for imaging of a microscopic object, the device comprising: an array of light sensitive areas, each being sensitive to detect light spanning a wavelength range of at least 400-1200 nm; at least one light source configured to generate light at a plurality of wavelengths within the wavelength range, comprising at least one wavelength in a visible part of the wavelength range and at least one wavelength in a short-wave infrared, SWIR, part of the wavelength range, and arranged to illuminate the microscopic object with the generated light such that at least part of the light is scattered by the microscopic object; wherein the device is configured to transmit the scattered light and non-scattered light, from the same light source, to the array of light sensitive areas configured to detect an interference pattern formed between the scattered light and the non-scattered light, for each wavelength.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2021Date of Patent: October 15, 2024Assignee: IMEC VZWInventors: Geert Vanmeerbeeck, Ziduo Lin, Murali Jayapala, Abdulkadir Yurt