Patents Assigned to IMEC
  • Patent number: 10014178
    Abstract: The present disclosure is related to a method of fabricating a semiconductor device involving the production of at least two non-parallel nano-scaled structures on a substrate. These structures are heated to different temperatures by exposing them simultaneously to polarized light having a wavelength and polarization such that a difference in absorption of light occurs in the first and second nanostructure. In some cases the light is polarized in a plane that is parallel to one of the structures. The present disclosure may provide differential heating of semiconductor structures of different materials, such as Ge and Si fins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Wilfried Vandervorst, Janusz Bogdanowicz
  • Patent number: 10014437
    Abstract: An optical semiconductor device comprises, on a substrate, a fin of diamond-cubic semiconductor material and, at the base of the fin, a slab of that semiconductor material, in a diamond-hexagonal structure, that extends over the full width of the fin, the slab being configured as an optically active material. This semiconductor material can contain silicon. A method for manufacturing the optical semiconductor device comprises annealing the sidewalls of the fin, thereby inducing a stress gradient along the width of the fin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignees: IMEC VZW, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, KU Leuven R&D
    Inventors: Hugo Bender, Yang Qiu
  • Publication number: 20180183212
    Abstract: An electrically-operated semiconductor laser device and method for forming the laser device are provided. The laser device includes a fin structure to which a waveguide is optically coupled. The waveguide is optically coupled to passive waveguides at either end thereof. The fin structure includes an array of fin elements, each fin element comprising Group III-V materials.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicants: IMEC VZW, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, KU LEUVEN R&D, Universiteit Gent
    Inventors: Joris Van Campenhout, Clement Merckling, Maria Ioanna Pantouvaki, Ashwyn Srinivasan, Irina Kulkova
  • Publication number: 20180180609
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for characterizing and identifying a bioparticle. The method comprises introducing the sample to a substrate having a surface comprising a plurality of binding sites whereon bioparticles can be bound, determining, for at least one temperature, data representative for the interface thermal resistance of the surface of the substrate sufficiently long to include the detachment process of the bioparticles, and deriving, for the at least one temperature, a bioparticle retention time and/or detachment rate from the data representative for the interface thermal resistance data. The present disclosure also relates to a bio-sensing device suitable for the detection and/or characterization of target bioparticles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicants: IMEC VZW, Universiteit Hasselt
    Inventors: Patricia Losada-Pérez, Derick Yongabi, Mehran Khorshid, Ward De Ceuninck, Ronald Thoelen, Patrick Wagner
  • Publication number: 20180182868
    Abstract: A method for forming horizontal nanowires, the method comprising providing a substrate comprising a dielectric layer and a fin structure comprising a portion protruding from the dielectric layer, the protruding portion being partially un-masked and comprising a multi-layer stack consisting of a layer of a first material stacked alternately and repeatedly with a layer of a second material and forming horizontal nanowires done by performing a cycle comprising removing selectively the first material up to the moment that a horizontal nanowire of the second material becomes suspended over a remaining portion of the partially un-masked protruding portion, forming a sacrificial layer on the remaining portion, while leaving the suspended horizontal nanowire uncovered, providing, selectively, a cladding layer on the suspended horizontal nanowire, and thereafter removing the sacrificial layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicant: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Boon Teik Chan, Silvia Armini, Elisabeth Camerotto, Zheng Tao
  • Publication number: 20180180816
    Abstract: An example embodiment may include an optical system for obtaining radiation coupling between two waveguides positioned in a non-coplanar configuration. The optical system may include a first waveguide positioned in a first plane and a second waveguide positioned in a second plane. The first waveguide may be stacked over the second waveguide at a distance adapted to allow evanescent coupling between the first waveguide and the second waveguide. The first waveguide and the second waveguide may be configured such that the coupling is at least partly tolerant to relative translation or rotation of the first waveguide and the second waveguide with respect to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicant: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Roelof Jansen, Xavier Rottenberg
  • Patent number: 10008251
    Abstract: The disclosed technology generally relates to magnetic memory and more particularly to voltage-controlled magnetic memory, and to methods of using same. In one aspect, a magnetic memory comprises a first magnetic stack including a first gate dielectric layer formed between a first gate electrode and a first free ferromagnetic layer. The magnetic memory additionally comprises a second magnetic stack including a second gate dielectric layer formed between a second gate electrode and a second free ferromagnetic layer. The first free ferromagnetic layer and the second free ferromagnetic layer of the magnetic memory are magnetically coupled, contiguous and are positioned at an oblique angle relative to each other, and the first gate electrode and the second gate electrode are electrically isolated from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignees: IMEC vzw, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
    Inventors: Koen Martens, Adrien Vaysset
  • Publication number: 20180169652
    Abstract: A fluidic device is described for locally coating an inner surface of a fluidic channel. The fluidic device comprises a first, a second and a third fluidic channel intersecting at a common junction. The first fluidic channel is connectable to a coating fluid reservoir and the third fluidic channel is connectable to a sample fluid reservoir. The fluidic device further comprises a fluid control means configured for creating a fluidic flow path for a coating fluid at the common junction such that, when coating, a coating fluid propagates from the first to the second fluidic channel via the common junction without propagating into the third fluidic channel. A corresponding method for coating and for sensing also has been disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2016
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Benjamin Jones, Tim Stakenborg, Paolo Fiorini
  • Publication number: 20180172588
    Abstract: Sensor devices for quantifying luminescent targets are described herein. An example device comprises a light source for exciting the targets, thus generating luminescence signals and a detector for detecting these signals, resulting in a detected signal which comprises a desired signal originating from the targets and a background signal. It moreover comprises a bleaching device for bleaching of at least part of the sources generating the background signal and a processor configured to trigger the bleaching device to start bleaching, and to trigger the light source for exciting the remaining luminescent targets which are not bleached, and to trigger the detector for detecting the luminescence signal of the remaining luminescent targets, so as to generate a measurement signal representative for the quantification of the luminescent targets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Peter Peumans, Liesbet Lagae, Willem Van Roy, Tim Stakenborg, Pol Van Dorpe
  • Publication number: 20180172620
    Abstract: A micromachined ion-selective electrode for an ion-selective sensor is provided. The ion-selective electrode includes a reservoir that is arranged to contain electrolyte, a contacting electrode that is arranged at least partially within the reservoir to contact electrolyte in the reservoir, and an ion-selective membrane that is arranged to contact a bulk solution under test. The ion-selective electrode further includes a constriction for providing an ionic connection between the bulk solution and electrolyte in the reservoir via the ion-selective membrane. Also provided is an ion-selective sensor that includes at least one such micromachined ion-selective electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: Stichting IMEC Nederland
    Inventors: Marcel Zevenbergen, Martijn Goedbloed
  • Publication number: 20180173109
    Abstract: An example embodiment relates to a method for making a mask layer. The method may include providing a patterned layer on a substrate, the patterned layer including at least a first set of lines of an organic material of a first nature, the lines having a line height, a first line width roughness, and being separated either by voids or by a material of a second nature. The method may further include infiltrating at least a top portion of the first set of lines with a metal or ceramic material. The method may further include removing the organic material by oxidative plasma etching, thereby forming a second set of lines of metal or ceramic material on the substrate, the second set of lines having a second line width roughness, smaller than the first line width roughness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicants: IMEC VZW, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, KU LEUVEN R&D
    Inventors: Roel Gronheid, Arjun Singh, Werner Knaepen
  • Publication number: 20180172587
    Abstract: A sensor device for quantifying luminescent targets. The device comprises a light source for exciting the targets, thus generating luminescence signals, and a detector for detecting these signals of the targets in a cell, resulting in a detected signal comprising a desired signal and a background signal. The detector has a spatial cell resolution and/or a time resolution that is so high that only a limited number of targets will be present in the cell when measuring at low concentration and/or that only a limited number of targets add to the cell in between two measurements. A change in the number of targets in the cell can be observed in the detected signal. The device comprises a processor configured to distinguish the desired and the background signal, and to combine the detected signals of the different cells and/or moments in time, to quantify the targets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2016
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Peter Peumans, Liesbet Lagae, Willem Van Roy, Tim Stakenborg, Pol Van Dorpe
  • Publication number: 20180174927
    Abstract: An example embodiment relates to a method for making a contact to a source or drain region of a semiconductor device. The method may include providing the semiconductor device having at least one source or drain region, the source or drain region having an exposed area. The method may further include partially etching the source or drain region such that the exposed area is increased. The method may further include providing a contact covering at least the etched part of the source or drain region. The contact may contact the source or drain region on at least 3 sides of the source or drain region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Naoto Horiguchi, Andriy Hikavyy, Steven Demuynck
  • Publication number: 20180175193
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is disclosed that includes a substrate and at least a first, second, third, and fourth vertical transistor supported by the substrate. Each transistor comprises a vertical channel, a polarity gate electrode forming a polarity gate adapted to act on a first portion of the channel to affect a polarity of the channel, and a control gate electrode forming a control gate adapted to act on a second portion of the channel to control the electrical conductivity of the channel. The polarity gate electrode and the control gate electrode of each one of the transistors extend laterally from their respective gate and in mutually opposite directions, and the transistors are laterally spaced from each other and arranged such that the control gate electrodes of the first and third transistor face each other and the control gate electrodes of the second and fourth transistor face each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicants: IMEC VZW, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, KU LEUVEN R&D
    Inventors: Praveen Raghavan, Odysseas Zografos
  • Publication number: 20180166416
    Abstract: An example embodiment may include a method for placing on a carrier substrate a semiconductor device. The method may include providing a semiconductor substrate comprising a rectangular shaped assist chip, which may include at least one semiconductor device surrounded by a metal-free border. The method may also include dicing the semiconductor substrate to singulate the rectangular shaped assist chip. The method may further include providing a carrier substrate having adhesive thereon. The method may additionally include transferring to and placing on the carrier substrate the rectangular shaped assist chip, thereby contacting the adhesive with the rectangular shaped assist chip at least at a location of the semiconductor device. The method may finally include singulating the semiconductor device, while remaining attached to the carrier substrate by the adhesive, by removing a part of rectangular shaped assist chip other than the semiconductor device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Applicants: IMEC VZW, Universiteit Gent
    Inventors: Maria Op de Beeck, Bjorn Vandecasteele
  • Publication number: 20180161065
    Abstract: A surgical insertion device is disclosed, comprising an elongated central flat region tapering from one distal end having a device area, configured to receive an electronic device, towards the opposite distal end having a sharp tip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2017
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Applicants: Imec VZW, Universiteit Gent
    Inventors: Maria Op de Beeck, Bjorn Vandecasteele, Dries Braeken
  • Publication number: 20180166558
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of forming an internal spacer between nanowires in a semiconductor device. The method includes providing a semiconductor structure comprising at least one fin. The at least one fin is comprised of a stack of layers of sacrificial material alternated with layers of nanowire material. The semiconductor structure is comprised of a dummy gate which partly covers the stack of layers of the at least one fin. The method also includes removing at least the sacrificial material next to the dummy gate and oxidizing the sacrificial material and the nanowire material next to the dummy gate. This removal results, respectively, in a spacer oxide and in a nanowire oxide. Additionally, the method includes removing the nanowire oxide until at least a part of the spacer oxide is remaining, wherein the remaining spacer oxide is the internal spacer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Applicant: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Kurt Wostyn, Liesbeth Witters, Hans Mertens
  • Publication number: 20180166535
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of forming a semiconductor device comprising horizontal nanowires. The method comprises depositing a multilayer stack on a substrate, the multilayer stack comprising first sacrificial layers alternated with layers of nanowire material; forming at least one fin in the multilayer stack; applying an additional sacrificial layer around the fin such that a resulting sacrificial layer is formed all around the nanowire material; and forming a nanowire spacer, starting from the resulting sacrificial layer, around the nanowire material at an extremity of the nanowire material. The present disclosure also relates to a corresponding semiconductor device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Applicant: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Kurt Wostyn, Hans Mertens
  • Publication number: 20180166534
    Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device comprising horizontal nanowires is described. An example method involves providing a semiconductor structure comprising at least one fin, where the fin includes an alternating stack of layers of sacrificial material and nanowire material, and where the semiconductor structure includes a dummy gate partly covering the stack of layers. The method further involves at least partly removing the sacrificial material, in between the layers of nanowire material, next to the dummy gate thereby forming a void. Still further, the method involves providing spacer material within the void thereby forming an internal spacer. Yet still further the method involves removing the dummy gate, and selectively removing the sacrificial material in that part of the fin which was covered by the dummy gate, thereby releasing the nanowires. The internal spacer is provided before removing the dummy gate and the sacrificial material to release the nanowires.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Applicant: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Zheng Tao, Boon Teik Chan, Soon Aik Chew
  • Publication number: 20180164214
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a device for measuring an optical absorption property of a fluid as function of wavelength. The device comprises a broadband light source for emitting light, a plurality of integrated optical waveguides for guiding this light, and a light coupler for coupling the emitted light into the integrated optical waveguides such that the light coupled into each integrated optical waveguide has substantially the same spectral distribution. The device also comprises a microfluidic channel for containing the fluid, arranged such as to allow an interaction of the light propagating through each waveguide with the fluid in the microfluidic channel. Each integrated optical waveguide comprises an optical resonator for filtering the light guided by the waveguide according to a predetermined spectral component. The spectral component corresponding to each waveguide is substantially different from the spectral component corresponding to another of the waveguides.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Applicant: IMEC VZW
    Inventor: Xavier Rottenberg