Patents Examined by Brigitte A Paterson
  • Patent number: 11978631
    Abstract: A method for forming a device includes forming a hole pattern in a resist layer disposed over a substrate. The substrate includes contact regions disposed over a major surface of the substrate and a dielectric layer disposed over the contact regions. The resist layer is disposed over the dielectric layer and the hole pattern includes through openings in the resist layer that are aligned with the contact regions. The through openings include a first through opening having a first critical dimension and a second through opening having a second critical dimension greater than the first critical dimension. The method includes modifying the hole pattern by depositing a material including silicon within the through openings by exposing the hole pattern to a first plasma generated from a gas mixture including SiCl4 and hydrogen, and then etching holes in the dielectric layer through the modified hole pattern, exposing the contact regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Junling Sun, Katie Lutker-Lee, Angelique Raley, Andrew Metz
  • Patent number: 11972956
    Abstract: A lid attach process includes dipping a periphery of a lid in a dipping tank of adhesive material such that the adhesive material attaches to the periphery of the lid. The lid attach process further includes positioning the lid over a die attached to a substrate using a lid carrier, wherein the periphery of the lid is aligned with a periphery of the lid carrier. The lid attach process further includes attaching the lid to the substrate with the adhesive material forming an interface with the substrate. The lid attach process further includes contacting a thermal interface material (TIM) on the die with the lid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Chin-Liang Chen, Wei-Ting Lin, Yu-Chih Liu, Kuan-Lin Ho, Jason Shen
  • Patent number: 11935858
    Abstract: A semiconductor device may include a seed structure on a complex structure. The seed structure may include a first barrier layer, a first seed layer on the first barrier layer, a second barrier layer on the first seed layer, and a second seed layer on the second barrier layer. The second barrier layer may contact a side surface of at least one of the first barrier layer and the first seed layer. An electrode layer may be disposed on the seed structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Seungmin Baek
  • Patent number: 11915924
    Abstract: A recess is formed in one silicon substrate. A silicon oxide film is formed in another one silicon substrate at a portion space apart from a space-to-be-formed region. The silicon oxide film has a groove surrounding the space-to-be-formed region and extending to an outer periphery of the other one silicon substrate. Further, the other one silicon substrate and the one silicon substrate are directly bonded to each other via the silicon oxide film so as to cover the groove. A gas discharge passage, a stacking structure of the silicon substrates and the silicon oxide film are formed, and the space is formed inside the stacking structure by the recess. Then, by the heat treatment, the gas inside the space is discharged to the outside of the stacking structure through the gas discharge passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA CHUO KENKYUSHO
    Inventors: Megumi Suzuki, Yasuo Yamamoto, Teruhisa Akashi
  • Patent number: 11901476
    Abstract: The present invention utilizes epitaxial lift-off in which a sacrificial layer is included in the epitaxial growth between the substrate and a thin film III-V compound solar cell. To provide support for the thin film III-V compound solar cell in absence of the substrate, a backing layer is applied to a surface of the thin film III-V compound solar cell before it is separated from the substrate. To separate the thin film III-V compound solar cell from the substrate, the sacrificial layer is removed as part of the epitaxial lift-off. Once the substrate is separated from the thin film III-V compound solar cell, the substrate may then be reused in the formation of another thin film III-V compound solar cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: MICROLINK DEVICES, INC.
    Inventors: Noren Pan, Glen Hillier, Duy Phach Vu, Rao Tatavarti, Christopher Youtsey, David McCallum, Genevieve Martin
  • Patent number: 11876049
    Abstract: Embodiments of bonded semiconductor structures and fabrication methods thereof are disclosed. In an example, a method for forming a semiconductor device is disclosed. A first device layer is formed on a first substrate. A first bonding layer including a first bonding contact and a first bonding alignment mark is formed above the first device layer. A second device layer is formed on a second substrate. A second bonding layer including a second bonding contact and a second bonding alignment mark is formed above the second device layer. The first bonding alignment mark is aligned with the second bonding alignment mark, such that the first bonding contact is aligned with the second bonding contact. The first substrate and the second substrate are bonded in a face-to-face manner, so that the first bonding contact is in contact with the second bonding contact at a bonding interface, and the first bonding alignment mark is in contact with the second bonding alignment mark at the bonding interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: YANGTZE MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Meng Yan, Jia Wen Wang, Si Ping Hu, Shun Hu
  • Patent number: 11870000
    Abstract: A semiconductor package may include a line array of single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs). The line array of single-photon avalanche diodes may be split between multiple silicon dice. The silicon dice may have a staggered arrangement, with prisms on the package lid redirecting incident light to the silicon dice. The silicon dice may alternate between a first side of the package substrate and a second side of the package substrate. The prisms may alternate between a first structure that redirects incident light to the first side of the package substrate and a second structure that redirects incident light to the second side of the package substrate. The silicon dice may overlap to allow satisfactory alignment between the silicon dice and the prisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventor: Brian Patrick McGarvey
  • Patent number: 11854820
    Abstract: A method includes forming a first layer on a substrate; forming a first plurality of trenches in the first layer by a patterning process; and forming a second plurality of trenches in the first layer by another patterning process, resulting in combined trench patterns in the first layer. A first trench of the second plurality connects two trenches of the first plurality. The method further includes forming dielectric spacer features on sidewalls of the combined trench patterns. A space between two opposing sidewalls of the first trench is completely filled by the dielectric spacer features and another space between two opposing sidewalls of one of the two trenches is partially filled by the dielectric spacer features.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Ru-Gun Liu, Cheng-Hsiung Tsai, Chung-Ju Lee, Chih-Ming Lai, Chia-Ying Lee, Jyu-Horng Shieh, Ken-Hsien Hsieh, Ming-Feng Shieh, Shau-Lin Shue, Shih-Ming Chang, Tien-I Bao, Tsai-Sheng Gau
  • Patent number: 11856867
    Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor device and a method of forming the same, and the semiconductor device includes a substrate, a first interconnect layer and a second interconnect layer. The first interconnect layer is disposed on the substrate, and the first interconnect layer includes a first dielectric layer around a plurality of first magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) structures. The second interconnect layer is disposed on the first interconnect layer, and the second interconnect layer includes a second dielectric layer around a plurality of second MTJ structures, wherein, the second MTJ structures and the first MTJ structures are alternately arranged along a direction. The semiconductor device may obtain a reduced size of each bit cell under a permissible process window, so as to improve the integration of components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventors: Kuo-Hsing Lee, Chun-Hsien Lin, Sheng-Yuan Hsueh
  • Patent number: 11854790
    Abstract: The disclosure discloses a global shutter CMOS image sensor, which adopts non-uniform storage diffusion region doping to reduce the junction leakage at storage points, so as to ensure that with the increase of the depth of photodiodes and the increase of pixels, all carriers in rows read subsequently can be transferred to storage diffusion regions, the loss of the carriers in the storage diffusion regions is not caused when a global shutter transistor is turned on, and the carriers can be completely transferred from the storage diffusion regions to floating diffusion regions through second transfer transistors even if the number of rows of pixel units increases during reading-out row by row. The disclosure further discloses a method for making the global shutter CMOS image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Shanghai Huali Microelectronics Corporation
    Inventors: Zhi Tian, Zhen Gu, Hua Shao, Haoyu Chen
  • Patent number: 11830831
    Abstract: Integration of a side-radiating waveguide launcher system into a semiconductor package beneficially permits the coupling of a waveguide directly to the semiconductor package. Included are a first conductive member and a second conductive member separated by a dielectric material. Also included is a conductive structure, such as a plurality of vias, that conductively couples the first conductive member and the second conductive member. Together, the first conductive member, the second conductive member, and the conductive structure form an electrically conductive side-radiating waveguide launcher enclosing shaped space within the dielectric material. The shaped space includes a narrow first end and a wide second end. An RF excitation element is disposed proximate the first end and a waveguide may be operably coupled proximate the second end of the shaped space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Georgios Dogiamis, Sasha Oster, Johanna Swan, Shawna Liff, Adel Elsherbini, Telesphor Kamgaing, Aleksandar Aleksov
  • Patent number: 11806751
    Abstract: A wafer level ultrasonic device includes a composite layer, a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, a base, a first electrical connection region, and a second electrical connection region. The composite layer includes an ultrasonic element and a protective layer. The ultrasonic element includes a first electrode and a second electrode. The protective layer has a first connecting channel and a second connecting channel respectively corresponding to the first electrode and the second electrode. The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are respectively in the first connecting channel and the second connecting channel to connect the first electrode and the second electrode. The base includes an opening forming a closed cavity with the protective layer. The first electrical connection region and the second electrical connection region are respectively filled with metal materials to electrically connect the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: SONICMEMS (ZHENGZHOU) TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yi-Hsiang Chiu, Hung-Ping Lee
  • Patent number: 11798914
    Abstract: Embodiments of die-to-die bonding schemes of three-dimensional (3D) memory devices are provided. In an example, a method for bonding includes dicing one or more device wafers to obtain a plurality of dies, placing at least one first die of the plurality of dies onto a first carrier wafer and at least one second die of the plurality of dies onto a second carrier wafer, and bonding the at least one first die each with a respective second die. The at least one first die and the at least one second die each are functional. In some embodiments, the method also includes removing, respectively, the first carrier wafer and the second carrier wafer to form a plurality of bonded semiconductor devices each having one of the first dies and the respective second die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: YANGTZE MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jun Liu
  • Patent number: 11784144
    Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises a first semiconductor chip, a first planar waveguide transmission line arranged within a BEOL metal stack of the first semiconductor chip, wherein the first planar waveguide transmission line comprises line sections situated opposite one another, and a second planar waveguide transmission line arranged over the first semiconductor chip and electrically coupled to the first planar waveguide transmission line, wherein the second planar waveguide transmission line comprises line sections situated opposite one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Horst Theuss
  • Patent number: 11769709
    Abstract: A miniaturized oscillating heat pipe (OHP) embedded within an integrated circuit (IC) is provided. The miniaturized oscillating heat pipe (OHP) integrally formed within an integrated circuit (IC) is fabricated to form a monolithic IC device using silicon (or similar future semiconductors) fabrication techniques. The OHP is operable to transfer high local heat fluxes within the IC device to more accessible locations on the IC device for heat rejection to an available heat sink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: THERMAVANT TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher D. Smoot, Joe Boswell, Corey Wilson
  • Patent number: 11756969
    Abstract: A method for fabricating an image sensor array having a first group of photodiodes for detecting light at visible wavelengths a second group of photodiodes for detecting light at infrared or near-infrared wavelengths, the method including growing a germanium-silicon layer on a semiconductor donor wafer; defining pixels of the image sensor array on the germanium-silicon layer; defining a first interconnect layer on the germanium-silicon layer, wherein the interconnect layer includes a plurality of interconnects coupled to the first group of photodiodes and the second group of photodiodes; defining integrated circuitry for controlling the pixels of the image sensor array on a semiconductor carrier wafer; defining a second interconnect layer on the semiconductor carrier wafer, wherein the second interconnect layer includes a plurality of interconnects coupled to the integrated circuitry; and bonding the first interconnect layer with the second interconnect layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Artilux, Inc.
    Inventors: Yun-Chung Na, Szu-Lin Cheng, Shu-Lu Chen, Han-Din Liu, Hui-Wen Chen, Che-Fu Liang
  • Patent number: 11756937
    Abstract: A display apparatus and a method of manufacturing the same. The display apparatus includes a circuit board; and a plurality of pixels formed on the circuit board, wherein at least one of a blue light emitting diode chip, a red light emitting diode part, and a green light emitting diode chip is disposed in each of the pixels, and the blue light emitting diode chip, the red light emitting diode part and the green light emitting diode chip are covered by a coupling structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Motonobu Takeya
  • Patent number: 11735610
    Abstract: The disclosure discloses a global shutter CMOS image sensor, which adopts non-uniform storage diffusion region doping to reduce the junction leakage at storage points, so as to ensure that with the increase of the depth of photodiodes and the increase of pixels, all carriers in rows read subsequently can be transferred to storage diffusion regions, the loss of the carriers in the storage diffusion regions is not caused when a global shutter transistor is turned on, and the carriers can be completely transferred from the storage diffusion regions to floating diffusion regions through second transfer transistors even if the number of rows of pixel units increases during reading-out row by row. The disclosure further discloses a method for making the global shutter CMOS image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Shanghai Huali Microelectronics Corporation
    Inventors: Zhi Tian, Zhen Gu, Hua Shao, Haoyu Chen
  • Patent number: 11695008
    Abstract: Two or more types of fin-based transistors having different gate structures and formed on a single integrated circuit are described. The gate structures for each type of transistor are distinguished at least by the thickness or composition of the gate dielectric layer(s) or the composition of the work function metal layer(s) in the gate electrode. Methods are also provided for fabricating an integrated circuit having at least two different types of fin-based transistors, where the transistor types are distinguished by the thickness and composition of the gate dielectric layer(s) and/or the thickness and composition of the work function metal in the gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Curtis Tsai, Chia-Hong Jan, Jeng-Ya David Yeh, Joodong Park, Walid M. Hafez
  • Patent number: 11688611
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a capacitor includes: providing a substrate and a multilayer structure; forming a recess in the multilayer structure; forming a first electrode layer on a surface of the recess; performing a selective etching treatment to remove the first and second stack material layers; performing a selective vapor phase etching treatment to the first electrode layer to form a smaller thickness of the first electrode layer; and forming a dielectric layer and a second electrode layer in which the dielectric layer is between the first and second electrode layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: NANYA TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jen-I Lai, Chun-Heng Wu