Abstract: A thyristor-based memory device may comprise two base regions of opposite type conductivity formed between a cathode-emitter region and an anode-emitter region. A junction defined between the p-base region and the cathode-emitter region of the thyristor may be “treated” with a high ionization energy acceptor such as indium in combination with carbon as an activation assist species. These two implants may form complexes that may extend across the junction region.

Abstract: An integrated circuit may include a packet decoder to receive serial data and to decode JTAG signals from the packets received. A JTAG processor may test the electrical circuitry dependent on the JTAG signals decoded. In a further embodiment, a test system may include a library of selectable JTAG routines. An encoder may encode a signal with serial data representative of sequential JTAG signals for at least one of the selectable JTAG routines. In a method of testing, the integrated circuit may receive the serial data signal at a predetermined terminal. A portion of the serial data may be examined to determine the presence of a predefined signature key. JTAG data may then be parsed from the serial data and tests performed based on the parsed JTAG data.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a thyristor-based semiconductor memory device may comprise an array of thyristor-based memory formed in an SOI wafer. A supporting substrate may be formed with a density of dopants sufficient to assist delivery of a bias level to the backside of an insulating layer beneath a thyristor. Such conductivity within the substrate may allow reliable back-gate control for the gain of a component bipolar device of the thyristor.

Abstract: An integrated circuit having memory, including thyristor-based memory cells, is described, where each of the thyristor-based memory cells includes a thyristor-based storage element and an access transistor. Where the thyristor-based storage element includes an anode region and a cathode region, a pair of the thyristor-based memory cells are commonly coupled via a bitline associated with the access transistor or via a reference voltage line coupled to the anode region. Bitline or anode regions are separated from one another by an isolation region. In another configuration, a bitline region has a locally implant-damaged region to inhibit charge transfer between the pair. In yet another configuration, a storage node contact or contacts respectively can extend over or are coupled to a storage node line extending over an isolation region. In this latter configuration, a source/drain region and the cathode region are separated from one another by an isolation region.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a thyristor-based memory may include forming different opposite conductivity-type regions in silicon for defining a thyristor and an access device in series relationship. An activation anneal may activate dopants previously implanted for the different regions. A damaging implant of germanium or xenon or argon may be directed into select regions of the silicon including at least one p-n junction region for the access device and the thyristor. A re-crystallization anneal may then be performed to re-crystallize at least some of the damaged lattice structure resulting from the damaging implant. The re-crystallization anneal may use a temperature less than that of the previous activation anneal.

Abstract: A thyristor-based memory may comprise a thyristor accessible via an access transistor. A temperature dependent bias may be applied to at least one of a supporting substrate and an electrode capacitively-coupled to a base region of the thyristor. The voltage level of the adaptive bias may change with respect to temperature and may influence and/or compensate an inherent bipolar gain of the thyristor in accordance with the change in bias and may enhance its performance and/or reliability over a range of operating temperature. In a particular embodiment, the thyristor may be formed in a layer of silicon of an SOI substrate and the adaptive bias coupled to a supporting substrate of the SOI structure.

Abstract: In a method of fabricating a semiconductor memory device, a thyristor may be formed in a layer of semiconductor material. Carbon may be implanted and annealed in a base-emitter junction region for the thyristor to affect leakage characteristics. The density of the carbon and/or a bombardment energy and/or an anneal therefore may be selected to establish a low-voltage, leakage characteristic for the junction substantially greater than its leakage absent the carbon. In one embodiment, an anneal of the implanted carbon may be performed in common with an activation for other implant regions the semiconductor device.

Abstract: A semiconductor device may comprise a partially-depleted SOI MOSFET having a floating body region disposed between a source and drain. The floating body region may be driven to receive injected carriers for adjusting its potential during operation of the MOSFET. In a particular case, the MOSFET may comprise another region of semiconductor material in contiguous relationship with a drain/source region of the MOSFET and on a side thereof opposite to the body region. This additional region may be formed with a conductivity of type opposite the drain/source, and may establish an effective bipolar device per the body, the drain/source and the additional region. The geometries and doping thereof may be designed to establish a transport gain of magnitude sufficient to assist the injection of carriers into the floating body region, yet small enough to guard against inter-latching with the MOSFET.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for producing dummy data is based on timing paths co-located with the address/data paths of the memory. An output clock generator uses the dummy data. The technique for producing dummy data is particularly important for memory systems in which the output of memory cells do not normally provide large voltage swings, making them less practical for self timing approaches to dummy data generation.

Abstract: A new memory cell can contain only a single thyristor. There is no need to include an access transistor in the cell. In one embodiment, the thyristor is a thin capacitively coupled thyristor. The new memory cell can be connected to word, bit, and control lines in several ways to form different memory arrays. Timing and voltage levels of word, bit and control lines are disclosed.

Abstract: A semiconductor device may comprise a plurality of memory cells. A memory cell may comprise a thyristor, at least a portion of which is formed in a pillar of semiconductor material. The pillar may comprise sidewalls defining a cylindrical circumference of a first diameter. In a particular embodiment, the pillars associated with the plurality of memory cells may define rows and columns of an array. In a further embodiment, a pillar may be spaced by a first distance of magnitude up to the first diameter relative to a neighboring pillar within its row. In an additional further embodiment, the pillar may be spaced by a second distance of a magnitude up to twice the first diameter, relative to a neighboring pillar within its column.

Abstract: A dynamically-operating restoration circuit is used to apply a voltage or current restore pulse signal to thyristor-based memory cells and therein restore data in the cell using the internal positive feedback loop of the thyristor. In one example implementation, the internal positive feedback loop in the thyristor is used to restore the conducting state of a device after the thyristor current drops below the holding current. A pulse and/or periodic waveform are defined and applied to ensure that the thyristor is not released from its conducting state. The time average of the periodic restore current in the thyristor may be lower than the holding current threshold. While not necessarily limited to memory cells that are thyristor-based, various embodiments of the invention have been found to be the particularly useful for high-speed, low-power memory cells in which a thin capacitively-coupled thyristor is used to provide a bi-stable storage element.

Abstract: A memory device having a thyristor-based storage element and an access device coupled to the thyristor-based storage element at a common storage node is described. The thyristor-based storage element has a first gate stack, where the first gate stack has a first workfunction configured to a base region of the thyristor-based storage element. The access device has a second gate stack, where the second gate stack has a second workfunction. The first gate stack includes a first conductive layer formed over a gate dielectric and a second conductive layer formed over the first conductive layer. The second gate stack includes the second conductive layer formed over the gate dielectric. The first workfunction is operationally distinct from the second workfunction.

Abstract: State maintenance of a memory cell and, more particularly, state maintenance pulsing of identified memory cells more frequently than other memory cells, is described. A memory array includes an array of memory cells. State maintenance circuitry is coupled to the array of memory cells. The state maintenance circuitry is configured to select between a first restore address and a second restore address. In a given operation cycle, the first restore address is associated with a first line in the array of memory cells, and the second restore address is associated with a second line in the array of memory cells. The first line has first memory cells coupled thereto. The second line has second memory cells coupled thereto. The first memory cells are capable of passing a threshold retention time with a first frequency of restore cycling. The second memory cells are capable of passing the threshold retention time with a second frequency of restore cycling.

Abstract: A thyristor-based semiconductor device includes a thyristor body that has at least one region in the substrate and a thyristor control port in a trenched region of the device substrate. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, the trench is at least partially filled with a dielectric material and a control port adapted to capacitively couple to the at least one thyristor body region in the substrate. In a more specific implementation, the dielectric material includes deposited dielectric material that is adapted to exhibit resistance to voltage-induced stress that thermally-grown dielectric materials generally exhibit. In another implementation, the dielectric material includes thermally-grown dielectric material, and when used in connection with highly-doped material in the trench, grows faster on the highly-doped material than on a sidewall of the trench that faces the at least on thyristor body region in the substrate.

Abstract: A thyristor-based semiconductor device includes a filled trench separating and electrically insulating adjacent thyristor control ports. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, the filled trench is formed in a substrate adjacent to at least one thyristor body region. The filled trench includes a conductive filler material, an insulative material formed on the conductive filler material and at least two laterally-adjacent thyristor control ports separated from one another by the conductive filler material and the insulative material. One of the control ports is adapted for capacitively coupling to the thyristor body region for controlling current in the thyristor. With this approach, two or more control ports can be formed in a single filled trench and electrically isolated by the conductive filler material/insulative material combination.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device may comprise a thyristor-based memory having some portions formed in strained silicon, and other portions formed in relaxed silicon. In a further embodiment, a thyristor in the thyristor-based memory may be formed in a region of relaxed silicon germanium, while an access device to the thyristor-based memory may have a body region incorporating a portion of a layer of strained silicon. In yet a further embodiment, different regions of the thyristor may be formed in vertical aligned relationship relative to an upper surface of the relaxed silicon germanium. For this embodiment, the thyristor may be formed substantially within the depth of the relaxed silicon germanium layer. In a method of forming the semiconductor device, relaxed silicon may be deposited over exposed regions of a silicon substrate, and a thin layer of strained silicon formed over a portion of the substrate having silicon germanium.

Abstract: A sensing circuit including a sense amplifier to resolve a data signal generated by a memory cell is disclosed herein. The sensing circuit includes a bit line to receive the data signal, a first pre-charge device coupled to the bit line and configured to pre-charge the bit line, a device for providing a bias coupled to the bit line and configured to provide a bias to the bit line, and a reference node configured to be at least one pre-determined level. In one embodiment the pre-determined level is equal to a low potential such as ground and in another embodiment equal to a high potential such as VDD. One or more switching devices allows for the activation or deactivation of the pre-charge device allowing to pre-charge the bit line to a certain potential and the sensing circuit quickly and accurately determines whether a logical state of ‘1’ or ‘0’ is being applied to the bit line.

Abstract: Switching operations, such as those used in memory devices, are enhanced using a thyristor-based semiconductor device adapted to switch between a blocking state and a conducting state. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a thyristor-based semiconductor device includes a thyristor having first and second base regions coupled between first and second emitter regions, respectively. A first control port capacitively couples a first signal to the first base region, and a second control port capacitively couples a second signal to the second base region. Each of the first and second signals have a charge that is opposite in polarity, and the opposite polarity signals effect the switching of the thyristor at a lower power, relative to the power that would be required to switch the thyristor having only one control port.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for writing and reading information to and from a memory cell. For a read, a write path is used to electrically shield at least one adjacent bitline from a bitline associated with the memory cell to be read, and the memory cell is read while the at least one adjacent bitline is electrically shielded from the bitline associated with the memory cell being read. For a write, the write path is used to electrically shield at the least one adjacent bitline from a bitline associated with a memory cell to be written to; memory cells coupled to a wordline are read and buffered; and the memory cell is written to while the at least one adjacent bitline is electrically shielded from the writing to the memory cell.