Patents Assigned to STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2)
  • Patent number: 8837206
    Abstract: A memory device includes first and second inverters cross-coupled between first and second nodes. The first inverter is configured to be supplied by a first supply voltage via a first transistor and the second inverter is configured to be supplied by the first supply voltage via a second transistor. A first control circuit is configured to control a gate node of the first transistor based on the voltage at the second node and at a gate node of the second transistor. A second control circuit is configured to control the gate node of the second transistor based on the voltage at the first node and at the gate node of the first transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2)
    Inventors: Maximilien Glorieux, Sylvain Clerc, Gilles Gasiot, Phillippe Roche
  • Patent number: 8829622
    Abstract: An integrated circuit including at least one isolating trench that delimits an active area made of a monocrystalline semiconductor material, the or each trench comprising an upper portion including an insulating layer that encapsulates a lower portion of the trench, the lower portion being at least partly buried in the active area and the encapsulation layer comprising nitrogen or carbon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventors: Grégory Bidal, Laurent Favennec, Raul Andres Bianchi
  • Patent number: 8828882
    Abstract: A trench is formed in a semiconductor substrate by depositing an etch mask on the substrate having an opening, etching of the trench through the opening, and doping the walls of the trench. The etching step includes a first phase having an etch power set to etch the substrate under the etch mask, and a second phase having an etch power set smaller than the power of the first phase. Further, the doping of the walls of the trench is applied through the opening of the etch mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventors: Arnaud Tournier, Françcois Leverd
  • Patent number: 8823107
    Abstract: A gate of a transistor in an integrated circuit is protected against the production of an interconnection terminal for a source/drain region. The transistor includes a substrate, at least one active zone formed in the substrate, at least one insulating zone formed in the substrate and a gate, the gate being formed above an active zone. A dielectric layer is formed on the transistor, the dielectric layer covering the gate. The dielectric layer is then etched while leaving it remaining at least on the gate so that the gate is electrically insulated from other elements formed above the dielectric layer. This etching is preferably carried out using a mask which was used for fabricating the gate and a mask which was used for fabricating the insulating zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventor: Paul Ferreira
  • Publication number: 20140225278
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method of fabricating an interconnection structure of an integrated circuit, comprising the steps of: forming a first conductive element within a first dielectric layer; depositing a first etch stop layer above the first conductive element and the first dielectric layer; forming an opening in the first etch stop layer above the first conductive element, to form a first connection area; depositing a second dielectric layer above the etch stop layer and above the first conductive element in the connection area; etching the second dielectric layer to form at least one hole which is at least partially aligned with the connection area; and filling the hole with a conductive material to form a second conductive element in electrical contact with the first conductive element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2014
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventor: Patrick Vannier
  • Patent number: 8802575
    Abstract: A method for forming the gate insulator of a MOS transistor, including the steps of: a) forming a thin silicon oxide layer at the surface of a semiconductor substrate; b) incorporating nitrogen atoms into the silicon oxide layer by plasma nitridation at a temperature lower than 200° C., to transform this layer into a silicon oxynitride layer; and c) coating the silicon oxynitride layer with a layer of a material of high dielectric constant, wherein steps b) and c) follow each other with no intermediate anneal step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventors: Olivier Gourhant, David Barge, Clément Gaumer, Mickaël Gros-Jean
  • Patent number: 8803057
    Abstract: A method of resetting a photosite is disclosed. Photogenerated charges accumulated in the photosite are reset by recombining the photogenerated charges with charges of opposite polarity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS, STMicroelectronics SA
    Inventors: François Roy, Julien Michelot
  • Publication number: 20140217541
    Abstract: A method for forming a back-side illuminated image sensor, including the steps of: a) forming, from the front surface, doped polysilicon regions, of a conductivity type opposite to that of the substrate, extending in depth orthogonally to the front surface and emerging into the first layer; b) thinning the substrate from its rear surface to reach the polysilicon regions, while keeping a strip of the first layer; c) depositing, on the rear surface of the thinned substrate, a doped amorphous silicon layer, of a conductivity type opposite to that of the substrate; and d) annealing at a temperature capable of transforming the amorphous silicon layer into a crystallized layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2014
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicants: STMicroelectronics S. A., STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventors: Michel Marty, François Roy, Jens Prima
  • Publication number: 20140217520
    Abstract: A MOS transistor including, above a gate insulator, a conductive gate stack having a height, a length, and a width, this stack having a lower portion close to the gate insulator and an upper portion, wherein the stack has a first length in its lower portion, and a second length shorter than the first length in its upper portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicants: STMicroelectronics S.A., Commissariat à I'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventors: Heimanu Niebojewski, Yves Morand, Cyrille Le Royer
  • Patent number: 8796148
    Abstract: A method for producing a deep trench in a substrate includes a series of elementary etch cycles each etching a portion of the trench. Each elementary cycle includes deposition of a passivation layer on the sidewalls and the bottom of the trench portion etched during previous cycles; followed by pulsed plasma anisotropic ion etching of the trench portion etched during previous cycles, the etching; being implemented in an atmosphere comprising a passivating species; and including a first etch sequence followed by a second etch sequence of less power than the power of the first etch sequence. The first etch sequence etches the passivation layer deposited in the bottom of the portion so as to access the substrate and etches the free substrate at the bottom of the portion while leaving a passivation layer on sidewalls of the portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventors: François Leverd, Laurent Favennec, Arnaud Tournier
  • Publication number: 20140210071
    Abstract: An integrated structure includes a support supporting at least one chip and a heat dissipating housing, attached to the chip. The housing is thermally conductive and has a thermal expansion compatible with the chip. The housing may further including closed cavities filled with a phase change material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2014
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicants: STMICROELECTRONICS (CROLLES 2) SAS, STMICROELECTRONICS SA
    Inventors: Laurent-Luc Chapelon, Pascal Ancey, Sandrine Lhostis
  • Patent number: 8791401
    Abstract: A method for controlling a pixel may include first and second photosites, each having a photodiode and a charge-transfer transistor, a read node, and an electronic read element, all of which are common to all the photosites. The method may include an accumulation of photogenerated charges in the photodiode of the first photosite during a first period, an accumulation of photogenerated charges in the photodiode of the second photosite during a second period shorter than the first period, a selection of the signal corresponding to the quantity of charges accumulated in the photodiode of a photosite having the highest unsaturated intensity or else a saturation signal, and a digitization of the selected signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS, STMicroelectronics SA
    Inventors: Frederic Barbier, Frederic Lalanne
  • Patent number: 8790969
    Abstract: A method for selective deposition of Si or SiGe on a Si or SiGe surface exploits differences in physico-chemical surface behavior according to a difference in doping of first and second surface regions. By providing at least one first surface region with a Boron doping of a suitable concentration range and exposing the substrate surface to a cleaning and passivating ambient atmosphere in a prebake step at a temperature lower or equal than 800° C., a subsequent deposition step of Si or SiGe will not lead to a layer deposition in the first surface region. This effect is used for selective deposition of Si or SiGe in the second surface region, which is not doped with Boron in the suitable concentration range, or doped with another dopant, or not doped. Several devices are, thus, provided. The method thus saves a usual photolithography sequence required for selective deposition of Si or SiGe in the second surface region according to the prior art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventors: Alexandre Mondo, Markus Gerhard Andreas Muller, Thomas Kormann
  • Patent number: 8791512
    Abstract: An imaging device is formed in a semiconductor substrate. The device includes a matrix array of photosites. Each photosite is formed of a semiconductor region for storing charge, a semiconductor region for reading charge specific to said photosite, and a charge transfer circuit configured so as to permit a transfer of charge between the charge storage region and the charge reading region. Each photosite further includes at least one buried first electrode. At least one part of that buried first electrode bounds at least one part of the charge storage region. The charge transfer circuit for each photosite includes at least one second buried electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS, STMicroelectronics SA
    Inventors: Francois Roy, Julien Michelot
  • Patent number: 8773003
    Abstract: A thermoelectric generator including a sheet of a deformable material containing closed cavities, each of which contains a drop of a vaporizable liquid, and a mechanism for transforming into electricity the power resulting from the deformation of the sheet linked to the evaporation/condensation of the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventor: Thomas Skotnicki
  • Patent number: 8772879
    Abstract: An electronic component including a number of insulated-gate field effect transistors, said transistors belonging to at least two distinct subsets by virtue of their threshold voltage, wherein each transistor includes a gate that has two electrodes, namely a first electrode embedded inside the substrate where the channel of the transistor is defined and a second upper electrode located above the substrate facing buried electrode relative to channel and separated from said channel by a layer of dielectric material and wherein the embedded electrodes of all the transistors are formed by an identical material, the upper electrodes having a layer that is in contact with the dielectric material which is formed by materials that differ from one subset of transistors to another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventors: Jean-Luc Huguenin, Stéphane Monfray
  • Publication number: 20140183778
    Abstract: A method for making a conducting structure comprising steps of: forming on a given face of the support comprising at least one conducting element, at least one area for absorbing stresses based on a dielectric material, forming at least one aperture in said dielectric material by applying a mold on said dielectric material, said aperture being provided with inclined walls relatively to a normal to the main plane of said support, the bottom of said aperture revealing said conducting element, filling said aperture with a conducting material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2013
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Applicants: STMICROELECTRONICS (CROLLES 2) SAS, COMMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENE ALT
    Inventors: Jean-Philippe COLONNA, Christophe AUMONT, Stefan LANDIS
  • Patent number: 8765575
    Abstract: A method for forming a trench filled with an insulator crossing a single-crystal silicon layer and a first SiO2 layer and penetrating into a silicon support, this method including the steps of forming on the silicon layer a second SiO2 layer and a first silicon nitride layer, forming the trench, and performing a first oxidizing processing to form a third SiO2 layer; performing a second oxidizing processing to form, on the exposed surfaces of the first silicon nitride layer a fourth SiO2 layer; depositing a second silicon nitride layer and filling the trench with SiO2; and removing the upper portion of the structure until the upper surface of the silicon layer is exposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventors: Daniel Benoit, Laurent Favennec
  • Patent number: 8765604
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method of fabricating an interconnection structure of an integrated circuit, comprising the steps of: forming a first conductive element within a first dielectric layer; depositing a first etch stop layer above the first conductive element and the first dielectric layer; forming an opening in the first etch stop layer above the first conductive element, to form a first connection area; depositing a second dielectric layer above the etch stop layer and above the first conductive element in the connection area; etching the second dielectric layer to form at least one hole which is at least partially aligned with the connection area; and filling the hole with a conductive material to form a second conductive element in electrical contact with the first conductive element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventor: Patrick Vannier
  • Patent number: 8766381
    Abstract: The integrated circuit comprises a support substrate having opposite first and second main surfaces. A cavity passes through the support substrate and connects the first and second main surfaces. The integrated circuit comprises a device with a mobile element, the mobile element and a pair of associated electrodes of which are included in a cavity. An anchoring node of the mobile element is located at the level of the first main surface. The integrated circuit comprises a first elementary chip arranged at the level of the first main surface and electrically connected to the device with a mobile element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics SA, STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventors: Fabrice Casset, Lionel Cadix, Perceval Coudrain, Alexis Farcy, Laurent-Luc Chapelon, Yacine Felk, Pascal Ancey