Abstract: The invention concerns a conducting layer having a thickness of between 1 and 5 atoms, an insulated gate being formed over a part of the conducting layer.

Abstract: A read boost circuit arranged to boost the voltage difference between a pair of complementary bit lines of a memory device during a read operation, the read boost circuit including: a first transistor adapted to be controlled by the voltage level on a first bit line of the pair of bit lines to couple a second bit line of the pair of bit lines to a first supply voltage; and a second transistor connected directly to ground and adapted to be controlled by the voltage level on the second bit line to couple the first bit line to ground.

Abstract: A method for forming interconnection levels of an integrated circuit, including the steps of: (a) forming an interconnection level including conductive tracks and vias separated by a porous dielectric material; (b) forming, on the interconnection level, a layer of a non-porous insulating material, said layer comprising openings above portions of porous dielectric material; (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) to obtain the adequate number of interconnection levels; and (d) annealing the structure.

Abstract: A method for forming, on a surface of a thinned-down semiconductor substrate, a contact connected to a metal track of an interconnect stack formed on the opposite surface of the thinned-down substrate, including the steps of: forming, on the side of a first surface of a substrate, an insulating region penetrating into the substrate and coated with a conductive region and with an insulating layer crossed by conductive vias, the vias connecting a metal track of the interconnect stack to the conductive region; gluing the external surface of the interconnect stack on a support and thinning down the substrate; etching the external surface of the thinned-down substrate and stopping on the insulating region; etching the insulating region and stopping on the conductive region; and filling the etched opening with a metal.

Abstract: A method for forming, on a surface of a thinned-down semiconductor substrate, a contact connected to a metal track of an interconnect stack formed on the opposite surface of the thinned-down substrate, including the steps of: forming, on the side of a first surface of a substrate, an insulating region penetrating into the substrate and coated with a conductive region and with an insulating layer crossed by conductive vias, the vias connecting a metal track of the interconnect stack to the conductive region; gluing the external surface of the interconnect stack on a support and thinning down the substrate; etching the external surface of the thinned-down substrate and stopping on the insulating region; etching the insulating region and stopping on the conductive region; and filling the etched opening with a metal.

Abstract: An anti-fuse cell includes a standard MOS transistor of an integrated circuit, with source and drain regions covered with a metal silicide layer and at least one track of a resistive layer at least partially surrounding the MOS transistor, and adapted to pass a heating current such that the metal of said metal silicide diffuses across drain and/or source junctions.

Abstract: The invention concerns a conducting layer having a thickness of between 1 and 5 atoms, an insulated gate being formed over a part of the conducting layer.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a device including a field of micrometric tips, including forming a polycrystalline layer on a support; performing an anisotropic plasma etching of all or part of the polycrystalline layer by using a gas mixture including chlorine and helium, whereby tips are formed at the surface of the polycrystalline layer.

Abstract: The invention relates to a single-crystal layer of a first semiconductor material including single-crystal nanostructures of a second semiconductor material, the nanostructures being distributed in a regular crystallographic network with a centered tetragonal prism.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an electronic component on a semiconductor substrate, including forming at least one opening in the substrate; forming in the bottom and on the walls of the opening and on the substrate an alternated succession of layers of a first material and of a second material, the second material being selectively etchable with respect to the first material and the substrate; trimming the layer portions of the first material and of the second material which are not located in the opening; selectively etching a portion of the first material to obtain trenches; and filling the trenches with at least one third material.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method of forming a copper portion surrounded by an insulating material in an integrated circuit structure, the insulating material being a first oxide, the method having steps including forming a composite material over a region of the insulating material where the copper portion is to be formed, the composite material having first and second materials, annealing such that the second material reacts with the insulating material to form a second oxide that provides a diffusion barrier to copper; and depositing a copper layer over the composite material by electrochemical deposition to form the copper portion.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing silicon wells of various crystallographic orientations in a silicon support, including the steps of: forming a silicon layer having a first orientation on a silicon substrate having a second orientation; forming insulating walls, defining wells extend at least down to the border between the silicon substrate and the silicon layer; performing, in first wells, a chemical vapor etch (CVE) of the silicon layer by means of hydrochloric acid, in an epitaxy reactor, at a temperature ranging between 700° C. and 950° C.; and performing, in the first wells, a vapor-phase epitaxy on the silicon substrate in the presence of a precursor of silicon and hydrochloric acid, at a temperature ranging between 700° C. and 900° C. and up to the upper surface of the silicon layer.

Abstract: A sense amplifier of a DRAM includes, in series between two terminals of application of a supply voltage, at least one first transistor of a first channel type, and an amplification stage formed of two parallel branches each including a second transistor of the first channel type in series with a transistor of a second channel type. The gates of the transistors of a same branch are connected to the junction point of the transistors of the other branch. Each branch including at least one first additional transistor of the first channel type in parallel with at least each second transistor of the first channel type.

Abstract: A memory cell with one MOS transistor formed in a floating body region isolated on its lower surface by a junction. A region of the same conductivity type as the floating body region but more heavily doped than said region is arranged under the drain region of the MOS transistor.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an integrated circuit containing fully and partially depleted MOS transistors, including the steps of forming similar MOS transistors on a thin silicon layer formed on a silicon-germanium layer resting on a silicon substrate; attaching the upper surface of the structure to a support wafer; eliminating the substrate; depositing a mask and opening this mask at the locations of the fully-depleted transistors; oxidizing the silicon-germanium at the locations of the fully-depleted transistors in conditions such that a condensation phenomenon occurs; and eliminating the oxidized portion and the silicon-germanium portion, whereby there remain transistors with a thinned silicon layer.

Abstract: A monolithic assembly of electronic components including a semiconductor substrate, at a first level above the substrate, at least one bulk acoustic wave resonator, at a second level above the resonator, a single-crystal semiconductor layer in which are formed semiconductor components, and recesses under the semiconductor layer portions arranged above the resonators.

Abstract: A method of forming a silicon germanium conduction channel under a gate stack of a semiconductor device, the gate stack being formed on a silicon layer on an insulating layer, the method including growing a silicon germanium layer over said silicon layer and heating the device such that germanium condenses in the silicon layer such that a silicon germanium channel is formed between the gate stack and the insulating layer.

Abstract: A capacitor formed in an insulating porous material.

Abstract: An image sensor formed in a semiconductor stack of a lower region of a first conductivity type and of an upper region of a second conductivity type, including: a photodiode formed of a first portion of the stack; a read area formed of a second portion of the stack; a trench with insulated walls filled with a conductive material, the trench surrounding the photodiode and the read area and being interrupted, all along its height, on a portion facing the photodiode and the read area; and first connection mechanism associated with the conductive material of the trench and capable of being connected to a reference bias voltage.

Abstract: An integrated circuit comprising at least one MOS-type transistor, further comprising a system for detecting the variations of the electrical quantities of the at least one transistor, and a biasing device modifying the bias voltage of the bulk of the at least one transistor according to the variations measured by the detection system.