Patents Examined by Gardner W Swan
  • Patent number: 8993461
    Abstract: A method for curing defects associated with the implantation of atomic species into a semiconductor layer transferred onto a receiver substrate, wherein the semiconductor layer is thermally insulated from the receiver substrate by a low thermal conductivity layer having thermal conductivity that is lower than that of the transferred semiconductor layer. The method includes applying a selective electromagnetic irradiation to the semiconductor layer to heat that layer to a temperature lower than its temperature of fusion to cure defects without causing an increase in the temperature of the receiver substrate beyond 500° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Soitec
    Inventors: Ionut Radu, Christophe Gourdel, Christelle Vetizou
  • Patent number: 8987701
    Abstract: In one embodiment there is set forth a method comprising providing a semiconductor structure having an electrode, wherein the providing includes providing a phase transition material region and wherein the method further includes imparting energy to the phase transition material region to induce a phase transition of the phase transition material region. By inducing a phase transition of the phase transition material region, a state of the semiconductor structure can be changed. There is further set forth an apparatus comprising a structure including an electrode and a phase transition material region, wherein the apparatus is operative for imparting energy to the phase transition material region to induce a phase transition of the phase transition material region without the phase transition of the phase transition material region being dependent on electron transport through the phase transition material region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Cornell University
    Inventors: Sandip Tiwari, Ravishankar Sundararaman, Sang Hyeon Lee, Moonkyung Kim
  • Patent number: 8957503
    Abstract: A package includes a semiconductor device including an active surface having a contact pad. A redistribution layer (RDL) structure includes a first post-passivation interconnection (PPI) line electrically connected to the contact pad and extending on the active surface of the semiconductor device. An under-bump metallurgy (UBM) layer is formed over and electrically connected to the first PPI line. A seal ring structure extends around the upper periphery of the semiconductor device. The seal ring structure includes a seal layer extending on the same level as at least one of the first PPI line and the UBM layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-Ying Yang, Hsien-Wei Chen, Tsung-Yuan Yu, Shih-Wei Liang
  • Patent number: 8946906
    Abstract: To provide a multilayer wiring substrate in which the connection reliability of via conductors is enhanced, via holes are formed in a resin interlayer insulation layer which isolates a lower conductor layer from an upper conductor layer, and via conductors are formed in the via holes for connecting the lower conductor layer and the upper conductor layer. The surface of the resin interlayer insulation layer is a rough surface, and the via holes open at the rough surface of the resin interlayer insulation layer. Stepped portions are formed in opening verge regions around the via holes such that the stepped portions are recessed from peripheral regions around the opening verge regions. The stepped portions are higher in surface roughness than the peripheral regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinnosuke Maeda
  • Patent number: 8927329
    Abstract: The amount of water and hydrogen contained in an oxide semiconductor film is reduced, and oxygen is supplied sufficiently from a base film to the oxide semiconductor film in order to reduce oxygen deficiencies. A stacked base film is formed, a first heat treatment is performed, an oxide semiconductor film is formed over and in contact with the stacked base film, and a second heat treatment is performed. In the stacked base film, a first base film and a second base film are stacked in this order. The first base film is an insulating oxide film from which oxygen is released by heating. The second base film is an insulating metal oxide film. An oxygen diffusion coefficient of the second base film is smaller than that of the first base film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuki Imoto, Yuhei Sato
  • Patent number: 8921976
    Abstract: Passive circuit elements are formed at surfaces of two integrated circuit wafers. The passive circuit elements are utilized to align the two integrated circuit wafers to form an integrated circuit wafer stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics, Inc., International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John H. Zhang, Lawrence A. Clevenger, Yiheng Xu
  • Patent number: 8900985
    Abstract: A compound semiconductor device is manufactured by forming an III-nitride compound semiconductor device structure on a silicon-containing semiconductor substrate, the III-nitride compound semiconductor device structure including a GaN alloy on GaN and a channel region arising near an interface between the GaN alloy and the GaN. One or more silicon-containing insulating layers are formed on a surface of the III-nitride compound semiconductor device structure adjacent the GaN alloy, and a contact opening is formed which extends through the one or more silicon-containing insulating layers to at least the GaN alloy. A region of GaN is regrown in the contact opening, and the regrown region of GaN is doped exclusively with Si out-diffused from the one or more silicon-containing insulating layers to form an ohmic contact which is doped only with the Si out-diffused from the one or more silicon-containing insulating layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Gilberto Curatola, Gianmauro Pozzovivo, Simone Lavanga
  • Patent number: 8872235
    Abstract: An embodiment of a transistor device includes a compound semiconductor material on a semiconductor carrier and a source region and a drain region spaced apart from each other in the compound semiconductor material with a channel region interposed between the source and drain regions. A Schottky diode is integrated with the semiconductor carrier, and contacts extend from the source and drain regions through the compound semiconductor material. The contacts are in electrical contact with the Schottky diode so that the Schottky diode is connected in parallel between the source and drain regions. In another embodiment, the integrated Schottky diode is formed by a region of doped amorphous silicon or doped polycrystalline silicon disposed in a trench structure on the drain side of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Gerhard Prechtl, Clemens Ostermaier, Oliver Häberlen
  • Patent number: 8829688
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor element on which electrode pads are laid out. A wiring substrate includes connecting pads respectively arranged in correspondence with the electrode pads. Pillar-shaped electrode terminals are respectively formed on the electrode pads of the semiconductor element. A solder joint electrically connects a distal portion of each electrode terminal and the corresponding connecting pad on the wiring substrate. Each electrode terminal includes a basal portion, which is connected to the corresponding electrode pad, and a guide, which is formed in the distal portion. The guide has a smaller cross-sectional area than the basal portion as viewed from above. The guide has a circumference and the basal portion has a circumference that is partially flush with the circumference of the guide. The guide is formed to guide solder toward the circumference of the guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Shinko Electric Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Machida
  • Patent number: 8829639
    Abstract: An integrated thermoelectric device in semiconductor technology comprising a hot side arranged in proximity to a heat source, and a cold side, providing a signal according to the temperature difference between the hot and cold sides. The hot and cold sides are arranged in such a way that their temperatures tend to equal out when the temperature of the heat source varies, i.e. when the sensor is in poor operating conditions. A measuring circuit provides useful information according to a continuously variable portion of the signal from a time when the temperature of the heat source varies. If the temperature of the heat source ceases to vary, the temperatures of the hot and cold sides eventually equal out and the signal is annulled and ceases to vary. The distance between the hot and cold sides can be less than 100 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignees: ST-Ericsson (Grenoble) SAS, Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives
    Inventors: Vincent Remondière, Guillaume Savelli, Marc Plissonnier, Denis Cottin
  • Patent number: 8796083
    Abstract: A method is provided for controlling the channel length in a thin-film transistor (TFT). The method forms a printed ink first source/drain (S/D) structure overlying a substrate. A fluoropolymer mask is deposited to cover the first S/D structure. A boundary region is formed between the edge of the fluoropolymer mask and the edge of the printed ink first S/D structure, having a width. Then, a primary ink is printed at least partially overlying the boundary region, forming a printed ink second S/D structure, having an edge adjacent to the fluoropolymer mask edge. After removing the fluoropolymer mask, the printed ink first S/D structure edge is left separated from the printed ink second S/D structure edge by a space equal to the boundary region width. A semiconductor channel is formed partially overlying the first and second S/D structures, having a channel length equal to the boundary region width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Kurt Ulmer, Kanan Puntambekar
  • Patent number: 8735883
    Abstract: A method for fabricating an oxide thin film transistor includes sequentially forming a gate insulating film, an oxide semiconductor layer, and a first insulating layer; selectively patterning the oxide semiconductor layer and the first insulating layer to form an active layer and an insulating layer pattern on the gate electrode; forming a second insulating layer on the substrate having the active layer and the insulating layer pattern formed thereon; and selectively patterning the insulating layer pattern and the second insulating layer to form first and second etch stoppers on the active layer. The oxide semiconductor layer may be a ternary system or quaternary system oxide semiconductor comprising a combination of AxByCzO (A, B, C=Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Sn, Hf, Zr; x, y, z?0).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dae-Hwan Kim, Byung-Kook Choi, Sul Lee, Hoon Yim
  • Patent number: 8723328
    Abstract: To provide a multilayer wiring substrate in which the connection reliability of via conductors is enhanced, via holes are formed in a resin interlayer insulation layer which isolates a lower conductor layer from an upper conductor layer, and via conductors are formed in the via holes for connecting the lower conductor layer and the upper conductor layer. The surface of the resin interlayer insulation layer is a rough surface, and the via holes open at the rough surface of the resin interlayer insulation layer. Stepped portions are formed in opening verge regions around the via holes such that the stepped portions are recessed from peripheral regions around the opening verge regions. The stepped portions are higher in surface roughness than the peripheral regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinnosuke Maeda
  • Patent number: 8710543
    Abstract: A semiconductor device including: an FET; a MOSFET having a drain thereof connected with a source of the FET; a resistor having one end thereof connected with a gate of the FET and having the other end thereof connected with a source of the MOSFET; and a diode having an anode thereof connected with the gate of the FET and having a cathode thereof connected with the source of the MOSFET.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuhji Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 8624359
    Abstract: A wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) includes a semiconductor device including an active surface having a contact pad, and side surfaces. A mold covers the side surfaces of the semiconductor device. A RDL structure includes a first PPI line electrically connected to the contact pad and extending on the active surface of the semiconductor device. A UBM layer is formed over and electrically connected to the first PPI line. A seal ring structure extends around the upper periphery of the semiconductor device on the mold. The seal ring structure includes a seal layer extending on the same level as at least one of the first PPI line and the UBM layer. A method of manufacturing a WLCSP includes forming a re-routing laminated structure by simultaneously forming an interconnection line and a seal layer on the molded semiconductor devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-Ying Yang, Hsien-Wei Chen, Tsung-Yuan Yu, Shih-Wei Liang
  • Patent number: 8586436
    Abstract: Provided is a method and device that includes providing for a plurality of differently configured gate structures on a substrate. For example, a first gate structure associated with a transistor of a first type and including a first dielectric layer and a first metal layer; a second gate structure associated with a transistor of a second type and including a second dielectric layer, a second metal layer, a polysilicon layer, the second dielectric layer and the first metal layer; and a dummy gate structure including the first dielectric layer and the first metal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jin-Aun Ng, Ming Zhu, Chi-Wen Liu
  • Patent number: 8513114
    Abstract: An improved method of forming a semiconductor device including an interconnect layer formed using multilayer hard mask comprising metal mask and dielectric mask is provided. To form the second opening pattern being aligned to the first pattern, after the multilayer hard mask is used at the first step, then the dielectric mask is used to form a damascene structure in an insulator layer at the second step followed by removing the metal mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Masayoshi Tagami