Patents Examined by Laura M Schillinger
  • Patent number: 7242023
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display includes a plurality of gate lines (GØ–Gn), a plurality of data lines (D1–Dn) formed in a direction crossing the gate lines, a plurality of pixel electrodes formed in a pixel area defined by the gate lines and the data lines, the pixel electrodes indicating pictures by a control of the corresponding gate lines, and a light volume adjusting layer formed on a lower layer of the pixel electrodes controlled by a second one of the gate lines (G1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Assignee: LG.Philips LCD Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Joun Ho Lee
  • Patent number: 7238974
    Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises a memory cell (160) including a transistor body (150) having a top surface (111) and including a first doping area (10a) and a second doping area (10b) with a channel region (110) in between. The memory cell (160) further includes a gate electrode (3a) arranged above the channel region (110) and separated therefrom by a dielectric layer (2a). An oxide-nitride-oxide layer (66) has first portions (661) and second portions (662). The first portions (661) of the oxide-nitride-oxide layer (66) are arranged above at least parts of the first and second doping areas (10a, 10b) and are substantially parallel to the top surface (111) of the transistor body (150). The second portions (662) of the oxide-nitride-oxide layer (66) are adjacent to the gate electrode (3a) and extend in a direction not substantially parallel to the top surface (111) of the transistor body (150).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Matthias Strassburg, Stephan Riedel
  • Patent number: 7232713
    Abstract: In one aspect, the invention provides a method of forming an electrical connection in an integrated circuitry device. According to one preferred implementation, a diffusion region is formed in semiconductive material. A conductive line is formed which is laterally spaced from the diffusion region. The conductive line is preferably formed relative to and within isolation oxide which separates substrate active areas. The conductive line is subsequently interconnected with the diffusion region. According to another preferred implementation, an oxide isolation grid is formed within semiconductive material. Conductive material is formed within the oxide isolation grid to form a conductive grid therein. Selected portions of the conductive grid are then removed to define interconnect lines within the oxide isolation grid. According to another preferred implementation, a plurality of oxide isolation regions are formed over a semiconductive substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2007
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Wendell P. Noble
  • Patent number: 7230314
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having an active region is formed in a layer provided on a semiconductor substrate. At least a portion of the semiconductor substrate below at least a portion of the active region is removed such that the portion of the active region is provided in a membrane defined by that portion of the layer below which the semiconductor substrate has been removed. A heat conducting and electrically insulating layer is applied to the bottom surface of the membrane. The heat conducting and electrically insulating layer has a thermal conductivity that is higher than the thermal conductivity of the membrane so that the heat conducting and electrically insulating layer allows heat to pass from the active region into the heat conducting and electrically insulating layer during normal operation of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Cambridge Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Florin Udrea, Gehan A. J. Amaratunga
  • Patent number: 7226799
    Abstract: The invention provides methods for the production of full-color, subpixellated organic electroluminescent (EL) devices. Substrates used in the methods of the invention for production of EL devices comprise wells wherein the walls of the wells do not require surface treatment prior to deposition of electroluminescent material. Also provided are EL devices produced by the methods described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Gang Yu, Gordana Srdanov, Matthew Stainer, Jeffrey Glenn Innocenzo, Runguang Sun
  • Patent number: 7220655
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method comprised of providing a wafer comprised of a bulk substrate, an insulating layer positioned above the bulk substrate, and a semiconducting layer positioned above the insulating layer, forming an opening in the semiconducting layer and the insulating layer to thereby expose a surface area of the bulk substrate, forming an alignment mark in the bulk substrate within the exposed surface area of the bulk substrate, and forming a layer of material above the alignment mark and in the opening. A wafer is also disclosed herein that is comprised of a bulk substrate, an insulating layer positioned above the bulk substrate, a semiconducting layer positioned above the insulating layer, an opening formed in the semiconducting layer and the insulating layer, an alignment mark formed in the bulk substrate within an area defined by the opening, and a layer of material positioned above the alignment mark and within the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick N. Hause, Jeffrey C. Haines, Michael E. Exterkamp
  • Patent number: 7220312
    Abstract: The invention includes a method for treating a plurality of discrete semiconductor substrates. The discrete semiconductor substrates are placed within a reactor chamber. While the substrates are within the chamber, they are simultaneously exposed to one or more of H, F and Cl to remove native oxide. After removing the native oxide, the substrates are simultaneously exposed to a first reactive material to form a first mass across at least some exposed surfaces of the substrates. The first reactive material is removed from the reaction chamber, and subsequently the substrates are exposed to a second reactive material to convert the first mass to a second mass. The invention also includes apparatuses which can be utilized for simultaneous ALD treatment of a plurality of discrete semiconductor substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Trung Tri Doan, Lyle D. Breiner, Er-Xuan Ping, Lingyi A. Zheng
  • Patent number: 7220636
    Abstract: A variety of processes are disclosed for controlling NDR characteristics for an NDR element, such as peak-to-valley ratio (PVR), NDR onset voltage (VNDR) and related parameters. The processes are based on conventional semiconductor manufacturing operations so that an NDR device can be fabricated using silicon based substrates and along with other types of devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventor: Tsu-Jae King
  • Patent number: 7220670
    Abstract: A method for depositing a rough polysilicon film on a substrate is disclosed. The method includes introducing the reactant gases argon and silane into a deposition chamber and enabling and disabling a plasma at various times during the deposition process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Gurtej S. Sandhu, Trung T. Doan
  • Patent number: 7217581
    Abstract: A test structure and a test method for determining misalignment occurring in integrated circuit manufacturing processes are provided. The test structure includes a first conductive layer having a first testing structure and a second testing structure, a dielectric layer thereon, and a second conductive layer on the dielectric layer. The second conductive layer includes a third testing structure and a fourth testing structure, which respectively overlap a portion of the first testing structure and the second testing structure in a first direction and a second direction. The first direction is opposite to the second direction. The method includes a step of measuring the electrical characteristic between the first and the second conductive layers to calculate an offset amount caused by the misalignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: Nanya Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Chien-Chang Huang, Tie-Jiang Wu, Chin-Ling Huang, Yu-Wei Ting, Bo-Ching Jiang
  • Patent number: 7214986
    Abstract: A multi-gate structure is used and a width (d1) of a high concentration impurity region sandwiched by two channel forming regions in a channel length direction is set to be shorter than a width (d2) of low concentration impurity regions in the channel length direction. Thus, a resistance of the entire semiconductor layer of a TFT which is in an on state is reduced to increase an on current. In addition, a carrier life time due to photoexcitation produced in the high concentration impurity region can be shortened to reduce light sensitivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Shibata, Shinji Maekawa
  • Patent number: 7208354
    Abstract: Methods are provided for producing SiGe-on-insulator structures and for forming strain-relaxed SiGe layers on silicon while minimizing defects. Amorphous SiGe layers are deposited by CVD from trisilane and GeH4. The amorphous SiGe layers are recrystallized over silicon by melt or solid phase epitaxy (SPE) processes. The melt processes preferably also cause diffusion of germanium to dilute the overall germanium content and essentially consume the silicon overlying the insulator. The SPE process can be conducted with or without diffusion of germanium into the underlying silicon, and so is applicable to SOI as well as conventional semiconductor substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: ASM America, Inc.
    Inventor: Matthias Bauer
  • Patent number: 7205165
    Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to various methods for determining the reliability of dielectric layers. In one illustrative embodiment, the method comprises providing a device having a dielectric layer, applying a plurality of constant voltage pulses to the device and measuring a current through the dielectric layer after one or more of the constant voltage pulses has been applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Akram Ali Salman, Xuejun Zhao, Kurt O. Taylor, Stephen G. Beebe
  • Patent number: 7202169
    Abstract: A system and a method to remove a layer of high-k dielectric material during the manufacturing of an integrated circuit. In one embodiment of the invention, an etch reactant is employed to form volatile etch products when reacted with high-k layers. Alternately, high-k layers can be anisotropically etched of in accordance with a patterned photoresist or hard mask, where a hyperthermal beam of neutral atoms is used to aid in the reaction of an etch reactant with a high-k layer. Alternately, a hyperthermal beam of neutral atoms or a plasma treatment can used to modify a high-k layer, and subsequently etch the modified high-k layer utilizing an etch reactant that reacts with the modified high-k layer. In still another embodiment of the invention, the hyperthermal beam of neutral atoms is used to etch a high-k layer through physical bombardment of the high-k layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Lee Chen, Audunn Ludviksson
  • Patent number: 7202502
    Abstract: A gate wire including a plurality of gate lines and gate electrodes in the display area, and gate pads in the peripheral area is formed on a substrate having a display area and a peripheral area. A gate insulating layer, a semiconductor layer, an ohmic contact layer and a conductor layer are sequentially deposited, and the conductor layer and the ohmic contact are patterned to form a data wire including a plurality of data lines, a source electrode and a drain electrode of the display area and data pads of the peripheral area, and an ohmic contact layer pattern thereunder. A passivation layer is deposited and a positive photoresist layer is coated thereon. The photoresist layer is exposed to light through one or more masks having different transmittance between the display area and the peripheral area. The photoresist layer is developed to form a photoresist pattern having the thickness that varies depending on the position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Woon-Yong Park, Bum-Ki Baek
  • Patent number: 7199402
    Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor device embracing (a) a first semiconductor region defined by a first end surface, a second end surface opposing to the first end surface and a side boundary surface connecting the first and second end surfaces; (b) a second semiconductor region connected with the first semiconductor region at the second end surface; (c) a third semiconductor region connected with the first semiconductor region at the first end surface; and (d) a fourth semiconductor region having inner surface in contact with the side boundary surface and an impurity concentration lower than the first semiconductor region. The fourth semiconductor region surrounds the first semiconductor region, and is disposed between the second and third semiconductor regions. The first, second and fourth semiconductor regions are first conductivity-type, but the third semiconductor region is a second conductivity type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: Sanken Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideyuki Andoh
  • Patent number: 7195993
    Abstract: A gallium nitride layer is laterally grown into a trench in the gallium nitride layer, to thereby form a lateral gallium nitride semiconductor layer. At least one microelectronic device may then be formed in the lateral gallium nitride semiconductor layer. Dislocation defects do not significantly propagate laterally into the lateral gallium nitride semiconductor layer, so that the lateral gallium nitride semiconductor layer is relatively defect free.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: North Carolina State University
    Inventors: Tsvetanka Zheleva, Darren B. Thomson, Scott A. Smith, Kevin J. Linthicum, Thomas Gehrke, Robert F. Davis
  • Patent number: 7192849
    Abstract: Nitride-based film is grown using multiple precursor fluxes. Each precursor flux is pulsed one or more times to add a desired element to the nitride-based film at a desired time. The quantity, duration, timing, and/or shape of the pulses is customized for each element to assist in generating a high quality nitride-based film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Qhalid Fareed, Remigijus Gaska, Michael Shur
  • Patent number: 7192832
    Abstract: A flash memory cell and a method for fabricating the same are described. The flash memory cell comprises a substrate, a select gate, a floating gate, a gate dielectric layer, a high-voltage doped region and a source region. The substrate has a first opening thereon and a second opening in the first opening. The select gate is on the sidewall of the first opening, and the floating gate is on the sidewall of the second opening. The gate dielectric layer is between the select/floating gate and the substrate. The high-voltage doped region is in the substrate under the second opening, and the source region is in the substrate beside the first opening. In the method of fabricating the flash memory cell, the select gate and the floating gate are simultaneously formed on the side walls of the first opening and the second opening, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Powerchip Semiconductor Corp.
    Inventors: Ko-Hsing Chang, Hann-Jye Hsu
  • Patent number: 7193277
    Abstract: The present invention facilitates semiconductor device fabrication by providing mechanisms for utilizing different isolation schemes within embedded memory and other logic portions of a device. The isolation mechanism of the embedded memory portion is improved relative to other portions of the device by increasing dopant concentrations or reducing the depth of the dopant profiles within well regions of the embedded memory array. As a result, smaller isolation spacing can be employed thereby permitting a more compact array. The isolation mechanism of the logic portion is relatively less than that of the embedded memory portion, which permits greater operational speed for the logic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007