Patents Assigned to Tessera, Inc
  • Patent number: 11049953
    Abstract: Inner and outer spacers for nanosheet transistors are formed using techniques that improve junction uniformity. One nanosheet transistor device includes outer spacers and an interlevel dielectric layer liner made from the same material. A second nanosheet transistor device includes outer spacers, inner spacers and an interlevel dielectric layer liner that are all made from the same material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Juntao Li, Heng Wu, Peng Xu
  • Patent number: 11043581
    Abstract: A method and structures are used to fabricate a nanosheet semiconductor device. Nanosheet fins including nanosheet stacks including alternating silicon (Si) layers and silicon germanium (SiGe) layers are formed on a substrate and etched to define a first end and a second end along a first axis between which each nanosheet fin extends parallel to every other nanosheet fin. The SiGe layers are undercut in the nanosheet stacks at the first end and the second end to form divots, and a dielectric is deposited in the divots. The SiGe layers between the Si layers are removed before forming source and drain regions of the nanosheet semiconductor device such that there are gaps between the Si layers of each nanosheet stack, and the dielectric anchors the Si layers. The gaps are filled with an oxide that is removed after removing the dummy gate and prior to forming the replacement gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Marc A. Bergendahl, Kangguo Cheng, Fee Li Lie, Eric R. Miller, John R. Sporre, Sean Teehan
  • Patent number: 11031248
    Abstract: A method for forming fins includes forming a three-color hardmask fin pattern on a fin base layer. The three-color hardmask fin pattern includes hardmask fins of three mutually selectively etchable compositions. Some of the fins of the first color are etched away with a selective etch that does not remove fins of a second color or a third color and that leaves at least one fin of the first color behind. The fins of the second color are etched away. Fins are etched into the fin base layer by anisotropically etching around remaining fins of the first color and fins of the third color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean D. Burns, Nelson M. Felix, Chi-Chun Liu, Yann A. M. Mignot, Stuart A. Sieg
  • Patent number: 11024715
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices include a first semiconductor fin. A first gate stack is formed over the first semiconductor fin. Source and drain regions are formed on respective sides of the first gate stack. An interlayer dielectric is formed around the first gate stack. A gate cut plug is formed from a dielectric material at an end of the first gate stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: John R. Sporre, Siva Kanakasabapathy, Andrew M. Greene, Jeffrey Shearer, Nicole A. Saulnier
  • Patent number: 11018007
    Abstract: A method of forming a structure for etch masking that includes forming first dielectric spacers on sidewalls of a plurality of mandrel structures and forming non-mandrel structures in space between adjacent first dielectric spacers. Second dielectric spacers are formed on sidewalls of an etch mask having a window that exposes a connecting portion of a centralized first dielectric spacer. The connecting portion of the centralized first dielectric spacer is removed. The mandrel structures and non-mandrel structures are removed selectively to the first dielectric spacers to provide an etch mask. The connecting portion removed from the centralized first dielectric spacer provides an opening connecting a first trench corresponding to the mandrel structures and a second trench corresponding to the non-mandrel structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean D. Burns, Lawrence A. Clevenger, Matthew E. Colburn, Nelson M. Felix, Sivananda K. Kanakasabapathy, Christopher J. Penny, Roger A. Quon, Nicole A. Saulnier
  • Patent number: 11004930
    Abstract: A component includes a substrate and a capacitor formed in contact with the substrate. The substrate can consist essentially of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion of less than 10 ppm/° C. The substrate can have a surface and an opening extending downwardly therefrom. The capacitor can include at least first and second pairs of electrically conductive plates and first and second electrodes. The first and second pairs of plates can be connectable with respective first and second electric potentials. The first and second pairs of plates can extend along an inner surface of the opening, each of the plates being separated from at least one adjacent plate by a dielectric layer. The first and second electrodes can be exposed at the surface of the substrate and can be coupled to the respective first and second pairs of plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Vage Oganesian, Belgacem Haba, Ilyas Mohammed, Piyush Savalia
  • Patent number: 11004933
    Abstract: Field effect transistors include a stack of nanowires of vertically arranged channel layers. A source and drain region is disposed at respective ends of the vertically arranged channel layers. A gate stack is formed over, around, and between the vertically arranged channel layers. Internal spacers are each formed between the gate stack and a respective source or drain region, with at least one pair of spacers being positioned above an uppermost channel layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Josephine B. Chang, Bruce B. Doris, Michael A. Guillorn, Isaac Lauer, Xin Miao
  • Patent number: 10998314
    Abstract: A method of forming a power rail to semiconductor devices comprising removing a portion of the gate structure forming a gate cut trench separating a first active region of fin structures from a second active region of fin structures. A conformal etch stop layer is formed in the gate cut trench. A fill material is formed on the conformal etch stop layer filling at least a portion of the gate cut trench. The fill material has a composition that is etched selectively to the conformal etch stop layer. A power rail is formed in the gate cut trench. The conformal etch stop layer obstructs lateral etching during forming the power rail to substantially eliminate power rail to gate structure shorting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Marc A. Bergendahl, Andrew M. Greene, Rajasekhar Venigalla
  • Patent number: 10998240
    Abstract: A method of forming a fin field effect transistor (finFET) having fin(s) with reduced dimensional variations, including forming a dummy fin trench within a perimeter of a fin pattern region on a substrate, forming a dummy fin fill in the dummy fin trench, forming a plurality of vertical fins within the perimeter of the fin pattern region, including border fins at the perimeter of the fin pattern region and interior fins located within the perimeter and inside the bounds of the border fins, wherein the border fins are formed from the dummy fin fill, and removing the border fins, wherein the border fins are dummy fins and the interior fins are active vertical fins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventor: Kangguo Cheng
  • Patent number: 10985056
    Abstract: A method of forming fully aligned vias in a semiconductor device, the method including recessing a first level interconnect line below a first interlevel dielectric (ILD), laterally etching the exposed upper portion of the first interlevel dielectric bounding the recess, depositing a dielectric cap layer and a second level interlevel dielectric on top of the first interlevel dielectric, and forming a via opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin David Briggs, Joe Lee, Theodorus Eduardus Standaert
  • Publication number: 20210111032
    Abstract: A method of fabricating semiconductor fins, including, patterning a film stack to produce one or more sacrificial mandrels having sidewalls, exposing the sidewall on one side of the one or more sacrificial mandrels to an ion beam to make the exposed sidewall more susceptible to oxidation, oxidizing the opposite sidewalls of the one or more sacrificial mandrels to form a plurality of oxide pillars, removing the one or more sacrificial mandrels, forming spacers on opposite sides of each of the plurality of oxide pillars to produce a spacer pattern, removing the plurality of oxide pillars, and transferring the spacer pattern to the substrate to produce a plurality of fins.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Applicant: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventor: Kangguo Cheng
  • Patent number: 10978550
    Abstract: A capacitor includes a stack. The stack has a first metallic layer formed over a substrate, an insulator formed over the first metallic layer, and a second metallic layer formed over the insulator. The first metallic layer has at least one high domain and at least one low domain, where a surface of the substrate in the at least one low domain has a height that is lower than a surface of the substrate in the at least one high domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Kisup Chung, Isabel C. Estrada-Raygoza, Hemanth Jagannathan, Chi-Chun Liu, Yann A. M. Mignot, Hao Tang
  • Patent number: 10964588
    Abstract: A method is presented forming a fully-aligned via (FAV) and airgaps within a semiconductor device. The method includes forming a plurality of copper (Cu) trenches within an insulating layer, forming a plurality of ILD regions over exposed portions of the insulating layer, selectively removing a first section of the ILD regions in an airgap region, and maintaining a second section of the ILD regions in a non-airgap region. The method further includes forming airgaps in the airgap region and forming a via in the non-airgap region contacting a Cu trench of the plurality of Cu trenches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher J. Penny, Benjamin David Briggs, Huai Huang, Lawrence A. Clevenger, Michael Rizzolo, Hosadurga Shobha
  • Patent number: 10957584
    Abstract: A method of forming fully aligned vias in a semiconductor device, the method including forming a first level interconnect line embedded in a first interlevel dielectric (ILD), selectively depositing a dielectric on the first interlevel dielectric, laterally etching the selectively deposited dielectric, depositing a dielectric cap layer and a second level interlevel dielectric on top of the first interlevel dielectric, and forming a via opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin David Briggs, Joe Lee, Theodorus Eduardus Standaert
  • Patent number: 10937861
    Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes forming a first middle-of-line (MOL) oxide layer and a second MOL oxide layer in the semiconductor structure. The first MOL oxide layer including multiple gate stacks formed on a substrate, and each gate stack of the gate stacks including a source/drain junction. A first nitride layer is formed over a silicide in the first MOL oxide layer. A second nitride layer is formed. Trenches are formed through the second nitride layer down to the source/drain junctions. A nitride cap of the plurality of gate stacks is selectively recessed. At least one self-aligned contact area (CA) element is formed within the first nitride layer. The first MOL oxide layer is selectively recessed. An air-gap oxide layer is deposited. The air gap oxide layer is reduced to the at least one self-aligned CA element and the first nitride layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Injo Ok, Balasubramanian Pranatharthiharan, Soon-Cheon Seo, Charan V. V. S. Surisetty
  • Patent number: 10930553
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a first trench on a mandrel line through a top mask layer and stopping at a middle mask layer; and a second trench on a non-mandrel line through the top mask layer and stopping at the middle mask layer. A spacer material is removed from a structure resulting from etching the first trench and the second trench. The device includes a first via structure, formed using a removable material, in the first trench; a second via structure, formed using a removable material, in the second trench; an air-gap formed in a third trench created at a location of the spacer; a fourth trench formed by etching, to remove the first via structure and a first portion of a bottom mask layer under the first via structure; and a self-aligned line-end via on the mandrel line formed by filling the fourth trench with a conductive metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence A. Clevenger, Carl J. Radens, John H. Zhang
  • Patent number: 10930504
    Abstract: Selective gas etching for self-aligned pattern transfer uses a first block and a separate second block formed in a sacrificial layer to transfer critical dimensions to a desired final layer using a selective gas etching process. The first block is a first hardmask material that can be plasma etched using a first gas, and the second block is a second hardmask material that can be plasma etched using a second gas separate from the first gas. The first hardmask material is not plasma etched using the second gas, and the second hardmask material is not plasma etched using the first gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: John Christopher Arnold, Sean D. Burns, Yann Alain Marcel Mignot, Yongan Xu
  • Publication number: 20210050322
    Abstract: Apparatuses relating to a microelectronic package are disclosed. In one such apparatus, a substrate has first contacts on an upper surface thereof. A microelectronic die has a lower surface facing the upper surface of the substrate and having second contacts on an upper surface of the microelectronic die. Wire bonds have bases joined to the first contacts and have edge surfaces between the bases and corresponding end surfaces. A first portion of the wire bonds are interconnected between a first portion of the first contacts and the second contacts. The end surfaces of a second portion of the wire bonds are above the upper surface of the microelectronic die. A dielectric layer is above the upper surface of the substrate and between the wire bonds. The second portion of the wire bonds have uppermost portions thereof bent over to be parallel with an upper surface of the dielectric layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Publication date: February 18, 2021
    Applicant: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Sato, Teck-Gyu Kang, Belgacem Haba, Philip R. Osborn, Wei-Shun Wang, Ellis Chau, Ilyas Mohammed, Norihito Masuda, Kazuo Sakuma, Kiyoaki Hashimoto, Kurosawa Inetaro, Tomoyuki Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 10923471
    Abstract: The present invention relates generally to semiconductors, and more particularly, to a structure and method of minimizing shorting between epitaxial regions in small pitch fin field effect transistors (FinFETs). In an embodiment, a dielectric region may be formed in a middle portion of a gate structure. The gate structure be formed using a gate replacement process, and may cover a middle portion of a first fin group, a middle portion of a second fin group and an intermediate region of the substrate between the first fin group and the second fin group. The dielectric region may be surrounded by the gate structure in the intermediate region. The gate structure and the dielectric region may physically separate epitaxial regions formed on the first fin group and the second fin group from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Balasubramanian Pranatharthiharan, Alexander Reznicek, Charan V. Surisetty
  • Publication number: 20210028287
    Abstract: A fin-shaped field effect transistor (finFET) device comprising includes a substrate. an insulating layer displaced over the substrate, and a fin. The device also includes a gate formed over the fin, the gate including: a gate stack; and a high-k dielectric on opposing side of the gate stack. The device further includes metallic source and drain regions formed over the fin and on opposing sides of the gate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2020
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Applicant: Tessera, Inc.
    Inventors: Emre Alptekin, Robert R. Robison, Reinaldo A. Vega