Patents Examined by André C. Stevenson
  • Patent number: 12389651
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to a semiconductor structure and a fabrication method. The method includes: providing a substrate, where a first trench is formed in the substrate; forming a first dielectric layer and a protective material layer in the first trench, where the first dielectric layer is positioned between the protective material layer and the substrate, and an upper surface of the first dielectric layer is lower than an upper surface of the substrate, to expose a portion of a side wall of the first trench; forming a second dielectric layer on the exposed side wall of the first trench; and filling the second trench to form a work function structure, where the work function structure includes a first work function layer and a second work function layer, where the second work function layer is positioned on an upper surface of the first work function layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2025
    Assignee: CHANGXIN MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Semyeong Jang, Joonsuk Moon, Deyuan Xiao, Jo-Lan Chin
  • Patent number: 12389725
    Abstract: The invention refers to a composite wavelength converter (1) for an LED (100), comprising a substrate (10) and an epitaxial film (20) formed by liquid phase epitaxy on the top and bottom of the substrate (10). Furthermore, the invention refers to a method of preparation of a composite wavelength converter (1) for an LED (100). Furthermore, the invention refers to a white LED light source comprising an LED (100) and an inventive composite wavelength converter (1) mounted on a light emitting surface of the LED (100).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2025
    Assignee: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
    Inventors: Yuriy Zorenko, Miroslaw Batentschuk, Christoph Brabec, Andres Osvet, Vitalii Gorbenko, Ievgen Levchuk, Tetiana Zorenko, Liudmyla Chepyga, Anton Markovskyi, Sandra Witkiewicz-Lukaszek
  • Patent number: 12381111
    Abstract: A method of wafer bonding includes: forming a first hole in a first insulation layer disposed over a first substrate; performing a first deposition-self-etch process to deposit a first conductive material in the first hole to form a first conductive plug; forming a second hole in a second insulation layer disposed over a second substrate; performing a second deposition-self-etch process to deposit a second conductive material in the second hole to form a second conductive plug; and bonding the first conductive plug with the second conductive plug to form a first grain fusion layer between the first conductive plug and the second conductive plug.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2025
    Assignee: Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chao Wang, Youdong Jiang, Yulong Zhang, Zhiyong Suo
  • Patent number: 12369393
    Abstract: Gate-all-around integrated circuit structures having depopulated channel structures, and methods of fabricating gate-all-around integrated circuit structures having depopulated channel structures using a bottom-up approach, are described. For example, integrated circuit structure includes a first vertical arrangement of nanowires and a second vertical arrangement of nanowires above a substrate. The first vertical arrangement of nanowires has a greater number of nanowires than the second vertical arrangement of nanowires. The first vertical arrangement of nanowires has an uppermost nanowire co-planar with an uppermost nanowire of the second vertical arrangement of nanowires. The first vertical arrangement of nanowires has a bottommost nanowire below a bottommost nanowire of the second vertical arrangement of nanowires. A first gate stack is over the first vertical arrangement of nanowires. A second gate stack is over the second vertical arrangement of nanowires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2024
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2025
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Dax M. Crum, Biswajeet Guha, Leonard Guler, Tahir Ghani
  • Patent number: 12369361
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes transistors respectively including channel layers in a substrate, source electrodes and drain electrodes respectively contacting both sides of the channel layers, gate electrodes on the channel layers, and ferroelectrics layers between the channel layers and the gate electrodes. Electrical characteristics of the ferroelectrics layers of at least two of the transistors are different. Accordingly, threshold voltages of the transistors are different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2024
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2025
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sangwook Kim, Yunseong Lee, Sanghyun Jo, Jinseong Heo
  • Patent number: 12363987
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure is provided. The semiconductor structure includes a substrate containing a first active region in a first region of the substrate and a second active region in a second region of the substrate, a plurality of first gate structures over the first active region each including a first gate stack having a first high-k gate dielectric and a first gate electrode and first gate spacers surrounding the first gate stack, and a plurality of second gate structures over the second active region each including a second gate stack having a second high-k gate dielectric and a second gate electrode and second gate spacers surrounding the second gate stack. At least a portion of the second gate electrode comprises dopants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2025
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Anhao Cheng, Yen-Yu Chen, Fang-Ting Kuo
  • Patent number: 12364166
    Abstract: This magnetization rotational element includes a spin injection region that extends in a first direction, a first ferromagnetic layer that is laminated on the spin injection region, and a metal region that is adjacent to the spin injection region with an insulator interposed therebetween in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction in a plan view in a lamination direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2025
    Assignee: TDK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eiji Komura, Yohei Shiokawa
  • Patent number: 12356710
    Abstract: A method includes providing a substrate having a first semiconductor material; creating a mask that covers an nFET region of the substrate; etching a pFET region of the substrate to form a trench; epitaxially growing a second semiconductor material in the trench, wherein the second semiconductor material is different from the first semiconductor material; and patterning the nFET region and the pFET region to produce a first fin in the nFET region and a second fin in the pFET region, wherein the first fin includes the first semiconductor material and the second fin includes a top portion over a bottom portion, wherein the top portion includes the second semiconductor material, and the bottom portion includes the first semiconductor material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2025
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kun-Yu Lin, En-Ping Lin, Yu-Ling Ko, Chih-Teng Liao
  • Patent number: 12351454
    Abstract: Method for preparing nanocrystals with a core-shell structure is provided. The method includes: providing quantum dot cores; and performing N growth processes of shell layers on a quantum dot core to form a nanocrystal with a core-shell structure. A shell source includes a shell source cation precursor and a shell source anion precursor, and the shell source cation precursor is a metal organic carboxylate. The N growth processes include one or more groups of M growth processes of adjacent shell layers, where N and M are positive integers, N?2 and N/3?M?N?1. Before and/or after performing each group of the M growth processes of adjacent shell layers, one of organic amine and organic carboxylic acid is mixed into a shell-layer-growth-reaction-system after a previous shell layer has formed, to form a mixed system to heat. A subsequent shell layer is grown over the previous shell layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2025
    Assignee: TCL TECHNOLOGY GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventors: Luling Cheng, Yixing Yang
  • Patent number: 12356738
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion member included in a photodiode PD2 is disposed at the position overlapping with a section B1, a photoelectric conversion member included in a photodiode PD1 is disposed at the position overlapping with a section B2, and a photoelectric conversion member included in the photodiode PD1 is disposed at the position overlapping with a section B3. A plurality of electrodes 25 each forming a Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor (MIS) structure together with a semiconductor layer 10 is disposed on a front surface FS of the semiconductor layer 10. At least one of the plurality of electrodes 25 overlaps with at least one of eight sections B2 to B9.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2025
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Takada, Hajime Ikeda, Keisuke Ota, Yoichiro Handa
  • Patent number: 12354916
    Abstract: A first peel-off layer extending along a side surface of a truncated cone that has a first bottom surface positioned near a face side of a wafer and a second bottom surface positioned within the wafer and smaller in diameter than the first bottom surface, and a second peel-off layer extending along the second bottom surface of the truncated cone are formed in the wafer. Then, external forces are exerted on the wafer thicknesswise of the wafer, thereby dividing the wafer along the first peel-off layer and the second peel-off layer that function as division initiating points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2025
    Assignee: DISCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hayato Iga, Kazuya Hirata, Shunichiro Hirosawa
  • Patent number: 12341002
    Abstract: Films that can be useful in large area gap fill applications, such as in the formation of advanced 3D NAND devices, involve processing a semiconductor substrate by depositing on a patterned semiconductor substrate a doped silicon oxide film, the film having a thickness of at least 5 ?m, and annealing the doped silicon oxide film to a temperature above the film glass transition temperature. In some embodiments, reflow of the film may occur. The composition and processing conditions of the doped silicon oxide film may be tailored so that the film exhibits substantially zero as-deposited stress, substantially zero stress shift post-anneal, and substantially zero shrinkage post-anneal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Reza Bayati, Bart J. van Schravendijk, Jonathan Church, Keith Fox
  • Patent number: 12336251
    Abstract: A method includes following steps. A first gate dielectric layer is deposited over a first semiconductor channel and a second semiconductor channel. A second gate dielectric layer is deposited over the first gate dielectric layer. A layer is formed over the second gate dielectric layer using atomic layer deposition (ALD) cycles each comprising sequentially performing a first pulse step for a first pulse time, a first purge step for a first purge time, a second pulse step for a second pulse time, and a second purge step for a second purge time. A ratio of the first purge time to the first pulse time is greater than a ratio of the second purge time to the second pulse time. The layer is patterned to expose a portion of the second gate dielectric layer. The exposed portion of the second gate dielectric layer is etched.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2024
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2025
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yen-Jui Chiu, Yao-Teng Chuang, Kuei-Lun Lin
  • Patent number: 12327787
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes: a plurality of first conductive layers that each include tungsten; a plurality of insulating films that include a stacked portion and a first projecting portion projecting; a semiconductor layer extending through an inside of a stacked body; a charge storage layer arranged between the plurality of first conductive layers and the semiconductor layer; a plurality of second conductive layers that are each arranged on the first projecting portion in such a manner as to be in contact with a single first conductive layer and that include silicon containing an impurity; and a plurality of contact plugs that are each provided on a single second conductive layer in such a manner as to be in contact with the single second conductive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2025
    Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Shimizu, Takashi Fukushima, Naomi Fukumaki, Hiroko Tahara, Kenichi Ide
  • Patent number: 12324159
    Abstract: A memory circuit includes: (i) a semiconductor substrate having a planar surface, the semiconductor substrate having formed therein circuitry for memory operations; (ii) a memory array formed above the planar surface, the memory array having one or more electrodes to memory circuits in the memory array, the conductors each extending along a direction substantially parallel to the planar surface; and (iii) one or more transistors each formed above, alongside or below a corresponding one of the electrodes but above the planar surface of the semiconductor substrate, each transistor (a) having first and second drain/source region and a gate region each formed out of a semiconductor material, wherein the first drain/source region, the second drain/source region or the gate region has formed thereon a metal silicide layer; and (b) selectively connecting the corresponding electrode to the circuitry for memory operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2024
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2025
    Assignee: SUNRISE MEMORY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tianhong Yan, Scott Brad Herner, Jie Zhou, Wu-Yi Henry Chien, Eli Harari
  • Patent number: 12322611
    Abstract: A semiconductor manufacturing device includes a table having an upper face on which a frame having a first opening to which a substrate is fixed by an adhesive is disposed, the table having a plurality of first through holes penetrating the table in a vertical direction and provided side by side in a first direction parallel to the upper face and a plurality of second through holes each provided between the adjacent first through holes and penetrating the table in the vertical direction; and a container provided on the table, the container including a first sidewall provided on the frame, a second sidewall provided on the frame, the second sidewall facing the first sidewall, a distance between the second sidewall and the first sidewall being larger than a first inner diameter of the first opening, and a joint allowing an outside of the container and an inside of the container to communicate with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2025
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation
    Inventor: Keiji Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 12315864
    Abstract: In a method, a first dielectric layer is formed over semiconductor fins, a second dielectric layer is formed over the first dielectric layer, the second dielectric layer is recessed below a top of each of the semiconductor fins, a third dielectric layer is formed over the recessed second dielectric layer, and the third dielectric layer is recessed below the top of the semiconductor fin, thereby forming a wall fin. The wall fin includes the recessed third dielectric layer and the recessed second dielectric layer disposed over the recessed third dielectric layer. The first dielectric layer is recessed below a top of the wall fin, a fin liner layer is formed, the fin liner layer is recessed and the semiconductor fins are recessed, and source/drain epitaxial layers are formed over the recessed semiconductor fins, respectively. The source/drain epitaxial layers are separated by the wall fin from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2025
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Chia-Chi Yu, Jui Fu Hsieh, Yu-Li Lin, Chih-Teng Liao, Yi-Jen Chen
  • Patent number: 12302632
    Abstract: Non-planar integrated circuit structures having mitigated source or drain etch from replacement gate process are described. For example, an integrated circuit structure includes a fin or nanowire. A gate stack is over the fin or nanowire. The gate stack includes a gate dielectric and a gate electrode. A first dielectric spacer is along a first side of the gate stack, and a second dielectric spacer is along a second side of the gate stack. The first and second dielectric spacers are over at least a portion of the fin or nanowire. An insulating material is vertically between and in contact with the portion of the fin or nanowire and the first and second dielectric spacers. A first epitaxial source or drain structure is at the first side of the gate stack, and a second epitaxial source or drain structure is at the second side of the gate stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2025
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Sung Kang, Kai Loon Cheong, Erica J. Thompson, Biswajeet Guha, William Hsu, Dax M. Crum, Tahir Ghani, Bruce Beattie
  • Patent number: 12300738
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a semiconductor device and a method for forming a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a substrate, and a first gate dielectric stack over the substrate, wherein the first gate dielectric stack includes a first ferroelectric layer, and a first dielectric layer coupled to the first ferroelectric layer, wherein the first ferroelectric layer includes a first portion made of a ferroelectric material in orthorhombic phase, a second portion made of the ferroelectric material in monoclinic phase, and a third portion made of the ferroelectric material in tetragonal phase, wherein a total volume of the second portion is greater than a total volume of the first portion, and the total volume of the first portion is greater than a total volume of the third portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2025
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.
    Inventors: Chun-Yen Peng, Te-Yang Lai, Bo-Feng Young, Chih-Yu Chang, Sai-Hooi Yeong, Chi On Chui
  • Patent number: 12300633
    Abstract: A warpage-reducing semiconductor structure includes a wafer. The wafer includes a front side and a back side. Numerous semiconductor elements are disposed at the front side. A silicon oxide layer is disposed at the back side. A UV-transparent silicon nitride layer covers and contacts the silicon oxide layer. The refractive index of the UV-transparent silicon nitride layer is between 1.55 and 2.10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2024
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2025
    Assignee: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventors: Da-Jun Lin, Chin-Chia Yang, Tai-Cheng Hou, Fu-Yu Tsai, Bin-Siang Tsai