Patents Examined by Khanh B. Duong
  • Patent number: 7816167
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a differential doped solar cell is described. The method includes the following steps. First, a substrate is provided. A doping process is conducted thereon to form a doped layer. A heavy doping portion of the doped layer is partially or fully removed. Subsequently, an anti-reflection coating layer is formed thereon. A metal conducting paste is printed on the anti-reflection coating layer and is fired to form the metal electrodes for the solar cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Gintech Energy Corporation
    Inventors: Cheng-Yeh Yu, Ming-Chin Kuo, Nai-Tien Ou, Tien-Szu Chen
  • Patent number: 7816202
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a capacitor includes providing a substrate having a capacitor region is employed, forming a first Ru1?xOx layer over the substrate, forming a Ru layer for a lower electrode over the first Ru1?xOx layer and deoxidizing the first Ru1?xOx layer, forming a dielectric layer over the Ru layer for a lower electrode, and forming a conductive layer for an upper electrode over the dielectric layer, wherein the first Ru1?xOx layer contains oxygen in an amount less than an oxygen amount of a RuO2 layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventors: Kwan-Woo Do, Jae-Sung Roh, Kee-Jeung Lee, Deok-Sin Kil, Young-Dae Kim, Jin-Hyock Kim, Kyung-Woong Park
  • Patent number: 7816762
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides on-chip decoupling capacitor structures having trench capacitors integrated with planar capacitors to provide an improved overall capacitance density. In some embodiments, the structure includes at least one deep trench capacitor, at least one planar capacitor, and a metal layer interconnecting said deep trench and planar capacitors. In other embodiments, the structure includes at least one deep trench capacitor and a metal layer in electrical communication with the at least one deep trench capacitor. The at least one deep trench capacitor has a shallow trench isolation region, a doped region, an inner electrode, and a dielectric between the doped region and the inner electrode. The dielectric has an upper edge that terminates at a lower surface of the shallow trench isolation region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Anil K. Chinthakindi, Eric Thompson
  • Patent number: 7807538
    Abstract: A metal insulator semiconductor field effect transistor (MISFET) having a strained channel region is disclosed. Also disclosed is a method of fabricating a semiconductor device having a low-resistance junction interface. This fabrication method includes the step of forming a gate electrode above a silicon substrate with a gate insulator film being sandwiched therebetween. Then, form a pair of heavily-doped p (p+) type diffusion layers in or on the substrate surface at both sides of the gate electrode to a concentration of 5×1019 atoms/cm3 or more and yet less than or equal to 1×1021 atoms/cm3. Next, silicidize the p+-type layers by reaction with a metal in the state that each layer is applied a compressive strain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takashi Yamauchi, Atsuhiro Kinoshita, Yoshinori Tsuchiya, Junji Koga
  • Patent number: 7795059
    Abstract: A semiconductor light-emitting element has a laminated section which has an active layer made of a semiconductor, and first and second clad layers each being disposed to sandwich the active layer and made of a semiconductor, a pair of first high-reflection layers each being disposed to sandwich the active layer in a first direction orthogonal to the laminated direction of the laminated section, and a low-reflection layer and a second high-reflection layer each being disposed to sandwich the active layer in a second direction orthogonal to the laminated direction and crossing to the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Shinji Saito, Shinya Nunoue
  • Patent number: 7790553
    Abstract: Methods for forming high performance gates in MOSFETs and structures thereof are disclosed. One embodiment includes a method including providing a substrate including a first short channel active region, a second short channel active region and a long channel active region, each active region separated from another by a shallow trench isolation (STI); and forming a field effect transistor (FET) with a polysilicon gate over the long channel active region, a first dual metal gate FET having a first work function adjusting material over the first short channel active region and a second dual metal gate FET having a second work function adjusting material over the second short channel active region, wherein the first and second work function adjusting materials are different.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Huilong Zhu, Xiaomeng Chen, Mahender Kumar, Brian J. Greene, Bachir Dirahoui, Jay W. Strane, Gregory G. Freeman
  • Patent number: 7786607
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for correcting overlay errors in a lithography system. During lithographic exposure, features being exposed on the wafer need to overlay existing features on the wafer. Overlay is a critical performance parameter of lithography tools. The wafer is locally heated during exposure. Thermal expansion causes stress between the wafer and the wafer table, which will cause the wafer to slip if it exceeds the local frictional force. To increase the amount of expansion allowed before slipping occurs, the wafer chuck is uniformly expanded after the wafer has been loaded. This creates an initial stress between the wafer and the wafer table. As the wafer expands due to heating during exposure, the expansion first acts to relieve the initial stress before causing an opposite stress from thermal expansion. The wafer may be also be heated prior to attachment to the wafer chuck, creating the initial stress as the wafer cools.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: ASML Holding N.V.
    Inventor: Peter Kochersperger
  • Patent number: 7781837
    Abstract: A method for forming a pattern of a stacked film, includes steps (a) to (e). The step (a) is forming sequentially a first base insulating film and a light shielding material on a transparent substrate. The step (b) is patterning the light shielding material to obtain a light shielding film with a first pattern. The step (c) is forming sequentially a second base insulating film, a semiconductor film and a first oxide film on a substrate. The step (d) is forming a resist pattern with a second pattern on the first oxide film. The step (e) is forming a pattern of a stacked film by dry etching the first oxide film and the semiconductor film, above the light shielding film. The stacked film includes the semiconductor film and the first oxide film. The dry etching includes an etching by using an etching gas and the resist pattern as a mask. The semiconductor film includes a taper angle which is controlled to be within predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuya Seko, Hitoshi Shiraishi, Kenichi Hayashi, Naoto Hirano, Atsushi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7777273
    Abstract: A MOSFET having a recessed channel and a method of fabricating the same. The critical dimension (CD) of a recessed trench defining the recessed channel in a semiconductor substrate is greater than the CD of the gate electrode disposed on the semiconductor substrate. As a result, the misalignment margin for a photolithographic process used to form the gate electrodes can be increased, and both overlap capacitance and gate induced drain leakage (GIDL) can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ji-Young Kim
  • Patent number: 7767502
    Abstract: In a thin film semiconductor device realized on a flexible substrate, an electronic device using the same, and a manufacturing method thereof, the thin film semiconductor device and an electronic device include a flexible substrate, a semiconductor chip, which is formed on the flexible substrate, and a protective cap, which seals the semiconductor chip. Durability of the thin film semiconductor device against stress due to bending of the substrate is improved by using the protective cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Do-young Kim, Wan-jun Park, Young-soo Park, June-key Lee, Yo-sep Min, Jang-yeon Kwon, Sun-ae Seo, Young-min Choi, Soo-doo Chae
  • Patent number: 7763490
    Abstract: A stagger type thin film transistor substrate in which each of a source and a drain of a thin film transistor has a laminated structure including a silicon semiconductor layer, a silicon semiconductor layer containing impurities, and a metal layer formed in that order and in which a gate insulator of the thin film transistor is formed on the source and the drain. A pixel electrode is connected to the source via a contact hole made in the gate insulator on the source. Additionally, a gate electrode of the thin film transistor formed on the gate insulator has a laminated structure including two layers of different electrode materials. Finally, the pixel electrode connected to the source is made of an electrode material used in a lower layer of the gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshio Dejima
  • Patent number: 7759174
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a substrate including a semiconductor and a trench, and an electrically rewritable semiconductor memory cell on the substrate, the semiconductor memory cell comprising a charge storage layer including an upper surface and a lower surface, an area of the lower surface being smaller than an area of the upper surface, and at least a part of the charge storage layer being provided in the trench, first insulating layer between the lower surface of the charge storage layer and a bottom surface of the trench, second insulating layer between a side surface of the trench and a side surface of the charge storage layer and between the side surface of the trench and a side surface of the first insulating layer, third insulating layer on the charge storage layer, and a control gate electrode on the third insulating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Katsuhiko Hieda
  • Patent number: 7759150
    Abstract: A nanorod sensor with a single plane of horizontally-aligned electrodes and an associated fabrication method are provided. The method provides a substrate and forms an intermediate electrode overlying a center region of the substrate. The intermediate electrode is a patterned bottom noble metal/Pt/Ti multilayered stack. TiO2 nanorods are formed over the substrate and intermediate electrode, and a TiO2 film may be formed overlying the TiO2 nanorods. The TiO2 nanorods and TiO2 film are formed in-situ, in the same process, by varying the substrate temperature. In other aspects, the TiO2 film is formed between the nanorods and the intermediate electrode. In yet another aspect, the TiO2 film is formed both above and below the nanorods. A single plane of top electrodes is formed overlying the TiO2 film from a top noble metal/Pt/Ti multilayered stack overlying the TiO2 film, which has been selectively etched to form separate top electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Fengyan Zhang, Bruce D. Ulrich, Wei Pan, Lawrence J. Charneski, Sheng Teng Hsu
  • Patent number: 7759142
    Abstract: Embodiments described include straining transistor quantum well (QW) channel regions with metal source/drains, and conformal regrowth source/drains to impart a uni-axial strain in a MOS channel region. Removed portions of a channel layer may be filled with a junction material having a lattice spacing different than that of the channel material to causes a uni-axial strain in the channel, in addition to a bi-axial strain caused in the channel layer by a top barrier layer and a bottom buffer layer of the quantum well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Prashant Majhi, Mantu K. Hudait, Jack T. Kavalieros, Ravi Pillarisetty, Marko Radosavljevic, Gilbert Dewey, Titash Rakshit, Willman Tsai
  • Patent number: 7759210
    Abstract: A method for forming a MOS device on a semiconductor substrate includes steps of: forming a gate structure on the semiconductor substrate; implanting ions into the semiconductor substrate for forming one or more lightly doped drain structures adjacent to the gate structure; thermally treating the semiconductor substrate at a first temperature lower than a threshold temperature, below which no substantial transient enhanced diffusion of the lightly doped drain structures occurs, for repairing damage to the semiconductor substrate caused by the ion implantation; forming sidewall spacers to sidewalls of the gate structure on the semiconductor substrate; and forming source and drain regions adjacent to the gate structure in the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Huan-Tsung Huang, Fung Ka Hing
  • Patent number: 7759193
    Abstract: A method of forming a plurality of capacitors includes forming a plurality of individual capacitor electrodes using two masking steps. An earlier of the two masking steps is used to form an array of first openings over a plurality of storage node contacts. A later of the two masking steps is used to form an array of second openings received partially over and partially offset from the array of first openings. Overlapping portions of the first and second openings are received over the storage node contacts. After both of the two masking steps, conductive material of the individual capacitor electrodes is deposited into the overlapping portions of each of the first and second openings. The individual capacitor electrodes are incorporated into a plurality of capacitors. Other aspects and implementations are contemplated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Fred Fishburn
  • Patent number: 7754511
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a laser lift-off method, which applies to lift off a transient substrate from an epitaxial layer grown on the transient substrate after a support substrate having an adhesion metal layer is bonded to the epitaxial layer. Firstly, the epitaxial layer is etched to define separation channels around each chip section, and the epitaxial layer between two separation channels is not etched but preserved to form a separation zone. Each laser illumination area only covers one illuminated chip section, the separation channels surrounding the illuminated chip section, and the separation zones surrounding the illuminated chip section. Thus, the adhesion metal layer on the separation channels is only heated once. Further, the outward stress generated by the illuminated chip section is counterbalanced by the outward stress generated by the illuminated separation zones, and the stress-induced structural damage on the chip section is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: High Power Opto. Inc.
    Inventors: Wei-Chih Wen, Liang-Jyi Yan, Chih-Sung Chang
  • Patent number: 7754552
    Abstract: A hard mask may be formed and maintained over a polysilicon gate structure in a metal gate replacement technology. The maintenance of the hard mask, such as a nitride hard mask, may protect the polysilicon gate structure 14 from the formation of silicide or etch byproducts. Either the silicide or the etch byproducts or their combination may block the ensuing polysilicon etch which is needed to remove the polysilicon gate structure and to thereafter replace it with an appropriate metal gate technology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Chris E. Barns, Justin K. Brask, Mark Doczy
  • Patent number: 7745272
    Abstract: A semiconductor device has a heterostructure including a first layer of semiconductor oxide material. A second layer of semiconductor oxide material is formed on the first layer of semiconductor oxide material such that a two dimensional electron gas builds up at an interface between the first and second materials. A passivation layer on the outer surface stabilizes the structure. The device also has a source contact and a drain contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Christian G. Van de Walle, Kiesel Peter, Oliver Schmidt
  • Patent number: 7736968
    Abstract: A method for forming a semiconductor structure includes providing a semiconductor substrate; forming a gate dielectric layer over the semiconductor substrate; forming a gate electrode layer over the gate dielectric layer; doping carbon and nitrogen into the gate electrode layer; and, after the step of doping carbon and nitrogen, patterning the gate dielectric layer and the gate electrode layer to form a gate dielectric and a gate electrode, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Keh-Chiang Ku, Cheng-Lung Hung, Li-Ting Wang, Chien-Hao Chen, Chien-Hao Huang, Wenli Lin, Yu-Chang Lin