Patents Examined by Allison P. Bernstein
  • Patent number: 9874856
    Abstract: An EEPROM memory cell includes a dual-gate MOS transistor in which the two gates are separated by an insulation layer. The insulation layer includes a first portion and a second portion having lower insulation properties than the first one. The second portion is located at least partially above a channel region of the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Pascal Fornara
  • Patent number: 9871189
    Abstract: This technology provides an electronic device and a method for fabricating the same. An electronic device in accordance with an implementation of this document includes semiconductor memory, and the semiconductor memory includes a Magnetic Tunnel Junction (MTJ) structure including a free layer having a variable magnetization direction, a pinned layer having a pinned magnetization direction, and a tunnel barrier layer interposed between the pinned layer and the free layer; a magnetic correction layer located under the MTJ structure and operates to reduce an influence of a stray magnetic field generated by the pinned layer; and an under layer located under the magnetic correction layer and including a metal oxide layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Seung-Mo Noh
  • Patent number: 9871078
    Abstract: Some embodiments include a memory array having a first memory cell adjacent to a second memory cell along a lateral direction. The second memory cell is vertically offset relative to the first memory cell. Some embodiments include a memory array having a series of data/sense lines extending along a first direction, a series of access lines extending along a second direction, and memory cells vertically between the access lines and data/sense lines. The memory cells are arranged in a grid having columns along the first direction and rows along the second direction. Memory cells in a common column and/or row as one another are arranged in two alternating sets, with a first set having memory cells at a first height and a second set having memory cells at a second height vertically offset relative to the first height. Some embodiments include methods of forming memory arrays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Mattia Boniardi, Andrea Redaelli
  • Patent number: 9870815
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an integrated circuit formed in a semiconductor substrate. The integrated circuit includes a first static random access memory (SRAM) cell having a first cell size; and a second SRAM cell having a second cell size greater than the first cell size. The first SRAM cell includes first n-type field effect transistors (nFETs) each having a first gate stack. The second SRAM cell includes second nFETs each having a second gate stack different from the first gate stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Jhon Jhy Liaw
  • Patent number: 9865810
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic device including a semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory may include: a substrate; a variable resistance element formed over the substrate; a top electrode formed over the variable resistance element; a barrier layer formed over the top electrode and including a groove; an interlayer dielectric layer formed over the substrate to have a layer structure in which the variable resistance element, the top electrode and the barrier layer are formed in the interlayer dielectric layer; and a metal wiring including a portion formed in the groove of the barrier layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Ju-Bong Park
  • Patent number: 9865605
    Abstract: A memory circuit includes a first column of memory cells arranged along a first direction, a first supply voltage line extending along the first direction in a first conductive layer of the memory circuit, a second supply voltage line, a first resistive device electrically connecting the first supply voltage line and the second supply voltage line, and a supply voltage source. Each memory cell of the first column of memory cells includes a supply voltage line segment. The first supply voltage line is made of at least the supply voltage line segments of the first column of memory cells. The supply voltage source is electrically coupled with first supply voltage line through one or more conductive paths, and the second supply voltage line and the first resistive device is in a lowest resistance path of the one or more conductive paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yen-Huei Chen, Hung-Jen Liao, Chih-Yu Lin, Jonathan Tsung-Yung Chang, Wei-Cheng Wu
  • Patent number: 9865651
    Abstract: A threshold switching device may include: a first electrode layer; a second electrode layer; a first insulating layer interposed between the first and second electrode layers, and provided adjacent to the first electrode layer; and a second insulating layer interposed between the first and second electrode layers, and provided adjacent to the second electrode layer, wherein the first and second insulating layers contain a plurality of neutral defects, a concentration of the plurality of neutral defects being at a maximum along a first interface between the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer, and wherein the threshold switching device has an ON or OFF state according to whether electrons are ejected from the plurality of neutral defects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: SK HYNIX INC.
    Inventors: Jong-Chul Lee, Beom-Yong Kim, Hyung-Dong Lee
  • Patent number: 9865806
    Abstract: Electronic devices and systems having semiconductor memory are provided. In one implementation, for example, an electronic device may include a substrate; an under layer disposed over the substrate and including conductive hafnium silicate; a free layer disposed over the under layer and having a variable magnetization direction; a tunnel barrier layer disposed over the free layer; and a pinned layer disposed over the tunnel barrier layer and having a pinned magnetization direction, and wherein the free layer includes: a first ferromagnetic material; a second ferromagnetic material having a coercive force smaller than that of the first ferromagnetic material; and an amorphous spacer interposed between the first ferromagnetic material and the second ferromagnetic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Won-Joon Choi, Ki-Seon Park, Cha-Deok Dong, Bo-Mi Lee, Guk-Cheon Kim, Seung-Mo Noh, Min-Suk Lee, Chan-Sik Park, Jae-Heon Kim, Choi-Dong Kim, Jae-Hong Kim, Yang-Kon Kim, Jong-Koo Lim, Jeong-Myeong Kim
  • Patent number: 9865799
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic device including a semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory may include: a pinned layer having a pinned magnetization direction; a free layer having a changeable magnetization direction; a tunnel barrier layer interposed between the pinned layer and the free layer, and including a metal oxide; and a carbon-based compound patch positioned at one or more of between the pinned layer and the tunnel barrier layer, between the free layer and the tunnel barrier layer, and in the tunnel barrier layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Jeong-Myeong Kim, June-Seo Kim, Jong-Koo Lim, Jung-Hwan Moon, Sung-Joon Yoon
  • Patent number: 9859491
    Abstract: A magnetoresistive element according to an embodiment includes a stack structure, the stack structure including: a first magnetic layer containing Mn and at least one element of Ga, Ge, or Al; a second magnetic layer; a first nonmagnetic layer disposed between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer; a third magnetic layer disposed between the first magnetic layer and the first nonmagnetic layer; and a second nonmagnetic layer disposed between the first magnetic layer and the third magnetic layer, the second nonmagnetic layer containing at least one element of Mg, Ba, Ca, C, Sr, Sc, Y, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ce, Ho, Yb, Er, or B.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Tadaomi Daibou, Yushi Kato, Shumpei Omine, Naoki Hase, Junichi Ito
  • Patent number: 9853033
    Abstract: A memory device includes an array of memory cells. At least one of the memory cells includes a plurality of transistors with vertical-gate-all-around configurations and a plurality of active blocks. A portion of one of the active blocks serves as a source or a drain of one of the transistors. The active blocks in any adjacent two of the memory cells are isolated from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jhon-Jhy Liaw
  • Patent number: 9853091
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an integrated circuits device having an RRAM cell, and an associated method of formation. In some embodiments, the integrated circuit device has a lower metal interconnect line disposed within a lower inter-level dielectric (ILD) layer and an upper metal interconnect line disposed within an upper inter-level dielectric (ILD) layer. The integrated circuit device also has a memory cell array disposed between the lower metal interconnect line and the upper metal interconnect line, including memory cells arranged in rows and columns, the memory cells respectively includes a bottom electrode and a top electrode separated by a RRAM dielectric having a variable resistance. A bottom contact structure is disposed on the lower metal interconnect line and along sidewalls of the bottom electrode, electrically coupling the lower metal interconnect line and the bottom electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-Yen Chou, Ching-Pei Hsieh, Chia-Shiung Tsai, Shih-Chang Liu
  • Patent number: 9847376
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided to include: first and second active regions arranged adjacent to each other in a second direction; a gate structure extended in the second direction; a first source region and a first drain region formed in the first active region; a second source region and a second drain region formed in the second active region; a source line contact formed over the first and second source regions and connected to the first and second source regions; a source line connected to the source line contact over the source line contact and extended in a first direction; first and second stacked structures formed over the first and second drain regions; and first and second bit lines formed over the first and second stacked structures, wherein the first and second bit lines are extended in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Jae-Yun Yi, Dong-Joon Kim
  • Patent number: 9847474
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory may include a variable resistance element including a ferromagnetic layer including a hydrogen group; an oxide spacer formed on sidewalls of the variable resistance element; and a nitride spacer formed on the oxide spacer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Jeong-Myeong Kim, Yang-Kon Kim, Jong-Koo Lim
  • Patent number: 9842837
    Abstract: Disclosed is a semiconductor device including a plurality of conductive patterns formed on a semiconductor substrate while being spaced apart from one another at a preset interval and extending in a first direction, and a plurality of junction areas formed by doping impurities in the semiconductor substrate and provided between the conductive patterns. The plurality of junction areas includes transistor junction areas and dummy junction areas. Each of the transistor junction areas is connected through a contact to a source/drain electrode, and the contact is formed at a higher level than the transistor junction areas. Each of the dummy junction areas is connected to a bias contact formed at higher level than the dummy junction areas. A well bias voltage is applied to the dummy junction areas through the bias contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Duk Su Chun
  • Patent number: 9837472
    Abstract: A method for fabricating 3-D cross-point memory arrays, and more particularly to fabricating phase change memory (PCM) and resistive RAM (ReRAM or RRAM) 3-D memory arrays having a cell size footprint of 4F2. The method for forming a plurality of layers of memory cells using a limited number of photolithographic patterning steps is applicable to memory devices having single or multiple storage bits per cell, such as cells having anywhere from one to eight bits per cell or more. These bits are stacked three dimensionally and include memory cells based on phase change material, on resistive change material, on magnetic field alignment, on mechanical switching, and on other memory cells based on other information storage technologies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: HGST, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel Robert Shepard
  • Patent number: 9837468
    Abstract: A magnetoresistive random access memory device includes a free layer, a tunnel barrier layer, an insulation barrier layer, a pinned layer, and a vertical polarizer structure. The tunnel barrier layer and the insulation barrier layer directly contacts different surfaces of the free layer. The pinned layer structure contacts the tunnel barrier layer and includes at least one pinned layer. The vertical polarizer structure contacts the insulation barrier layer and includes a plurality of magnetization multi-layered structures sequentially stacked. Each magnetization multi-layered structure includes a non-magnetic layer and a magnetic layer sequentially stacked. The pinned layer and the magnetic layer have magnetization directions anti-parallel to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kwang-Seok Kim, Kee-Won Kim, Whan-Kyun Kim, Sang-Hwan Park, Young-Man Jang
  • Patent number: 9837418
    Abstract: A volatile memory array using vertical thyristors is disclosed together with methods of fabricating the array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Kilopass Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Harry Luan, Bruce L. Bateman, Valery Axelrad, Charlie Cheng
  • Patent number: 9830966
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for deterministically switching a free layer in a spin orbit torque magnetoresistive random access memory (SOT-MRAM) cell is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an SOT-MRAM memory cell is provided. The SOT-MRAM memory cell includes a magnetic tunnel junction, a ferromagnetic bias layer, and an antiferromagnetic layer. The magnetic tunnel junction includes a free layer having primarily two bi-stable magnetization directions, a reference layer having a fixed magnetization direction, and an insulating tunnel barrier layer positioned between the free layer and the reference layer. The ferromagnetic bias layer is configured to provide spin orbit torque via anomalous Hall effect and simultaneously configured to provide a magnetic bias field on the free layer to achieve deterministic switching. The antiferromagnetic layer is positioned below the ferromagnetic bias layer and is configured to pin a magnetization direction of the ferromagnetic bias layer in a predetermined direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Goran Mihajlovic, Neil Smith
  • Patent number: 9825216
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes free magnetic pattern on a substrate, a reference magnetic pattern on the free magnetic pattern, the reference magnetic pattern including a first pinned pattern, a second pinned pattern, and an exchange coupling pattern between the first and second pinned patterns, a tunnel barrier pattern between the reference magnetic pattern and the free magnetic pattern, a polarization enhancement magnetic pattern between the tunnel barrier pattern and the first pinned pattern, and an intervening pattern between the polarization enhancement magnetic pattern and the first pinned pattern, wherein the first pinned pattern includes first ferromagnetic patterns and anti-ferromagnetic exchange coupling patterns which are alternately stacked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sang Hwan Park, Whankyun Kim, Keewon Kim, Youngman Jang