Patents Examined by Alexander Ghyka
  • Patent number: 9852952
    Abstract: A method for fabricating semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: providing a substrate having a logic region and high-voltage (HV) region; forming a first gate structure on the logic region and a second gate structure on the HV region; forming an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer around the first gate structure and the second gate structure; forming a patterned hard mask on the HV region; and transforming the first gate structure into a metal gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventors: Chih-Chung Wang, Shih-Yin Hsiao, Wen-Fang Lee, Nien-Chung Li, Shu-Wen Lin
  • Patent number: 9853070
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a display panel substrate having a semiconductor element includes a film forming step of forming a thin film, a resist film forming step of forming a positive resist film on the thin film, a first exposure step of selectively exposing a resist film via a photomask including a pattern of the semiconductor element, a second exposure step of selectively exposing the resist film by scanning and irradiating the resist film with light along an outline shape of the display panel substrate, a developing step of developing the resist film to remove the resist film exposed in the first and second exposure steps and form a resist pattern on the thin film, an etching step of etching the thin film using the resist pattern as a mask, and forming a thin-film pattern by selectively removing the thin film, and a peeling step of peeling the resist pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinya Kadowaki, Hidefumi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 9842743
    Abstract: A method of etching a shallow trench is disclosed in the present invention. By removing the photoresist layer immediately at the end point of the hard mask layer etching and further using the improved process conditions etch the top of the substrate at the same time of the hard mask layer over-etching, such as a lower bias power, a higher pressure and a bigger polymer gases flow rate, the present invention has formed a smooth morphology on the top of the shallow trench. Therefore, the sharp corner appeared in the prior art is avoided by changing the start point of the silicon substrate etching, so as to fundamentally eliminate the leakage current caused by the sharp corner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: SHANGHAI HUALI MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jin Xu, Zaifeng Tang, Minjie Chen, Yu Ren, Yukun Lv
  • Patent number: 9842794
    Abstract: One or more embodiments are directed to semiconductor packages having an integrated heatsink and methods of forming same. In one embodiment, a package includes a plurality of leads that support and enclose periphery portions of the semiconductor die. The leads have first and second, opposing surfaces that form outer surfaces of the package. The first surface of the leads may form a heatsink and the second surface of the leads form lands of the package for coupling to another device, substrate, or board. The package includes encapsulation material that surrounds the semiconductor die and located between upper portions of the leads. The package further includes a back filling material (or insulating material) that is below the semiconductor die and between lower portions of the leads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Ela Mia Cadag, Jefferson Talledo
  • Patent number: 9841398
    Abstract: In one implementation, a method for manufacturing a chemical detection device is described. The method includes forming a chemical sensor having a sensing surface. A dielectric material is deposited on the sensing surface. A first etch process is performed to partially etch the dielectric material to define an opening over the sensing surface and leave remaining dielectric material on the sensing surface. An etch protect material is formed on a sidewall of the opening. A second etch process is then performed to selectively etch the remaining dielectric material using the etch protect material as an etch mask, thereby exposing the sensing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: James Bustillo, Shifeng Li
  • Patent number: 9837277
    Abstract: A method of making a semiconductor device includes forming a recessed fin in a substrate, the recessed fin being substantially flush with a surface of the substrate; performing an epitaxial growth process over the recessed fin to form a source/drain over the recessed fin; and disposing a conductive metal around the source/drain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignees: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION, GLOBALFOUNDRIES INC.
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Ruilong Xie, Tenko Yamashita
  • Patent number: 9834436
    Abstract: A cap and substrate having an electrical connection at a wafer level includes providing a substrate and forming an electrically conductive ground structure in the substrate and electrically coupled to the substrate. An electrically conductive path to the ground structure is formed in the substrate. A top cap is then provided, wherein the top cap includes an electrically conductive surface. The top cap is bonded to the substrate so that the electrically conductive surface of the top cap is electrically coupled to the path to the ground structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD
    Inventor: Jung-Huei Peng
  • Patent number: 9825135
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices and methods for manufacturing the same are provided. An example method may include: forming a sacrificial gate stack on a substrate; forming a gate spacer on sidewalls of the sacrificial gate stack; forming an interlayer dielectric layer on the substrate and planarizing it to expose the sacrificial gate stack; partially etching back the sacrificial gate stack to form an opening; expanding the resultant opening so that the opening is in a shape whose size gradually increases from a side adjacent to the substrate towards an opposite side away from the substrate; and removing a remaining portion of the sacrificial gate stack and forming a gate stack in a space defined by the gate spacer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: INSTITUTE OF MICROELECTRONICS, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
    Inventor: Huilong Zhu
  • Patent number: 9820025
    Abstract: This application relates to MEMS devices, especially MEMS capacitive transducers and to processes for forming such MEMS transducer that provide increased robustness and resilience to acoustic shock. The application describes a MEMS transducer (400) having at least one membrane layer (101) supported so as to define a flexible membrane. A strengthening layer (401; 701) is mechanically coupled to the membrane layer and is disposed around the majority of a peripheral area of the flexible membrane but does not extend over the whole flexible membrane. The strengthening layer, which in some embodiments may be formed from the same material as the membrane electrode (102) being disposed in the peripheral area helps reduce stress in membrane at locations that otherwise may be highly stressed in acoustic shock situations. The membrane may be supported over a substrate cavity and the strengthening layer may be provided in an area of the membrane that could make contact with the edge (202) of the substrate cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Tsjerk Hoekstra, Colin Robert Jenkins
  • Patent number: 9812522
    Abstract: A metal-insulator-metal capacitor includes a bottom electrode comprising a nitride of a metal, an insulator disposed on the bottom electrode and comprising an oxide of the metal, and a top electrode disposed on the insulator and comprising a nitride of the metal. Optionally, the insulator further includes an oxynitride of the metal, at least a portion of the oxynitride being characterized by a progressive change in the ratio of oxygen to nitrogen over thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Praneet Adusumilli, Alexander Reznicek, Oscar Van Der Straten, Chih-Chao Yang
  • Patent number: 9812415
    Abstract: Packaged microelectronic devices and methods for manufacturing packaged microelectronic devices are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for forming a microelectronic device includes attaching a microelectronic die to a support member by forming an attachment feature on at least one of a back side of the microelectronic die and the support member. The attachment feature includes a volume of solder material. The method also includes contacting the attachment feature with the other of the microelectronic die and the support member, and reflowing the solder material to join the back side of the die and the support member via the attachment feature. In several embodiments, the attachment feature is not electrically connected to internal active structures of the die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Matt E. Schwab, David J. Corisis, J. Michael Brooks
  • Patent number: 9806167
    Abstract: The steps of preparing a silicon carbide layer having a main surface, forming on the main surface, a first mask layer located on a first region to be a channel region and having a first opening portion on each of opposing regions with the first region lying therebetween, and forming a high-concentration impurity region having a first conductivity type and being higher in impurity concentration than the silicon carbide layer in a region exposed through the first opening portion, by implanting ions into the main surface with the first mask layer being interposed are included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Taku Horii, Takeyoshi Masuda, Ryosuke Kubota
  • Patent number: 9786629
    Abstract: Dual-side reinforcement (DSR) materials and methods for semiconductor fabrication. The DSR materials exhibit the properties of conventional underfill materials with enhanced stability at room temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Inventors: Ramakrishna Hosur Venkatagiriyappa, Sutapa Mukherjee, Harish Hanchina Siddappa, Morgana De Avila Ribas, Siuli Sarkar, Bawa Singh, Rahul Raut
  • Patent number: 9786700
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a LTPS TFT unit for liquid crystal modules and the manufacturing method thereof. The manufacturing method includes: forming a SiNx layer on a glass substrate; forming a SiOx layer and an a-Si layer on the SiNx layer in sequence; scanning the a-Si layer by laser beams to remove hydrogen within the a-Si layer; adopting excimer laser to re-crystallization anneal the a-Si layer to form the polysilicon layer; forming a gate insulation layer on the polysilicon layer; forming a gate on the gate insulation layer; and forming a drain insulation layer on the gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Zijian Li
  • Patent number: 9786606
    Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor structure in a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate and semiconductor structure so formed are provided. The SOI substrate includes a semiconductor layer; a bulk semiconductor region underlying the semiconductor layer; and an insulation layer between the two. The structure includes first and second openings each having sidewalls, each of the first opening and the second opening formed substantially simultaneously and extending from a top surface of the semiconductor layer through the semiconductor layer and through the insulation layer to the conductive region; an insulating material adapted to provide electrical insulation to at least a portion of the side walls of the first opening; a semiconductor material at least partially filling the first opening, the semiconductor material defining an ohmic contact trench providing electrical contact with the semiconductor region; and an insulating material disposed in the second opening and defining a device isolation trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES INC.
    Inventors: Natalie B. Feilchenfeld, BethAnn Lawrence, Yun Shi
  • Patent number: 9779980
    Abstract: A method includes performing a plasma treatment on a first surface of a first material and a second surface of a second material simultaneously, wherein the first material is different from the second material. A third material is formed on treated first surface of the first material and on treated second surface of the second material. The first, the second, and the third materials may include a hard mask, a semiconductor material, and an oxide, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yu-Ling Liou, Chih-Tang Peng, Pei-Ren Jeng, Hao-Ming Lien, Tze-Liang Lee
  • Patent number: 9773901
    Abstract: A bilayer of silicon dioxide and silicon nitride is formed on exposed surfaces of at least one semiconductor fin having a bottom source/drain region located at the footprint, and on each side, of the at least one semiconductor fin. An upper surface of each horizontal portion of the silicon nitride layer is then carbonized, and thereafter non-carbonized vertical portions of the silicon nitride layer are removed. Next, the carbonized portions of the silicon nitride layer are removed, and thereafter the vertical portions of the silicon dioxide layer are removed from sidewalls of the at least one semiconductor fin utilizing each remaining portion of the silicon nitride layer as an etch mask A bottom spacer structure is provided on each bottom source/drain region in which each bottom spacer structure includes a remaining portion of the silicon dioxide layer and the remaining portion of the silicon nitride layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Oleg Gluschenkov, Sanjay C. Mehta, Shogo Mochizuki, Alexander Reznicek
  • Patent number: 9773791
    Abstract: A static random access memory (SRAM) cell is defined by first and second boundaries disposed opposite to each other and third and fourth boundaries disposed opposite to each other and intersected by the first and second boundaries. The SRAM cell includes a first invertor including a first P-type pull-up transistor and a first N-type pull-down transistor, a second invertor including a second P-type pull-up transistor and a second N-type pull-down transistor and cross-coupled to the first invertor, and first and second pass-gate transistors connected to the cross-coupled first and second invertors. Source regions of the first and second P-type pull-up transistors are formed by a main source active region extending continuously between the first and second boundaries. Source regions of the first and second pass-gate transistors and the first and second N-type pull-down transistors are formed by different source active regions spaced apart from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jhon Jhy Liaw
  • Patent number: 9768072
    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: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Kangguo Cheng
  • Patent number: 9748247
    Abstract: A semiconductor device aims to prevent a leak current from flowing between a well and a corner of an active region formed on an upper surface of another well in an SRAM. In a memory cell of the SRAM, a load MOSFET is formed. An end of an active region extending in y-direction is arranged to gradually go away from a p-well as it goes from a gate electrode G2 side to a gate electrode G4 side in such a manner that a distance in x-direction between the end of the active region and the p-well is larger than a shortest distance in the x-direction between the p-well and the active region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Tohru Kawai, Masahiro Shimizu