Abstract: In one embodiment, a semiconductor device has an active region defined by an isolation layer formed inside an STI trench that includes an upper trench and a lower trench having a substantially curved cross-sectional profile under the upper trench so that the lower trench is in communication with the upper trench. Since the upper trench has a sidewall tapered with a positive slope, a good gap filling property can be obtained when filling the upper trench with an insulating layer. By forming a void in the lower trench, a dielectric constant at the bottom of the isolation layer is lower than a dielectric constant at an oxide layer, thereby improving the isolation property. The isolation layer includes a first insulating layer formed inside only the upper trench and covering an inner wall of the upper trench in the form of a spacer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a structure and method for forming a structure including a SiCOH layer having increased mechanical strength. The structure includes a substrate having a layer of dielectric or conductive material, a layer of oxide on the layer of dielectric or conductive material, the oxide layer having essentially no carbon, a graded transition layer on the oxide layer, the graded transition layer having essentially no carbon at the interface with the oxide layer and gradually increasing carbon towards a porous SiCOH layer, and a porous SiCOH (pSiCOH) layer on the graded transition layer, the porous pSiCOH layer having an homogeneous composition throughout the layer. The method includes a process wherein in the graded transition layer, there are no peaks in the carbon concentration and no dips in the oxygen concentration.

Abstract: The present invention uses an image pickup device comprising a plurality of pixels respectively including a photoelectric conversion unit for converting incoming light into a signal charge, an amplifying unit for amplifying the signal charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit and a transfer unit for transferring the signal charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the amplifying unit, in which the photoelectric conversion unit is formed of a first-conductivity-type first semiconductor region and a second-conductivity-type second semiconductor region and a second-conductivity-type third semiconductor region is formed on at least a part of the gap between a photoelectric conversion unit of a first pixel and a photoelectric conversion unit of a second pixel adjacent to the first pixel, a first-conductivity-type fourth semiconductor region having an impurity concentration higher than that of the first semiconductor region is formed between the photoelectric conversion unit and the third semicon

Abstract: A microelectronic subassembly 210 includes a substrate 215 having a top surface 216 and at least one peripheral region 219, a microelectronic element 201 mounted over the substrate 215, a plurality of leads 218, 222 electrically connected to the microelectronic element 201 having outer ends overlying the at least one peripheral region 219 of the substrate 215, and vertical conductors 208 electrically connected with the outer ends of the leads. The subassembly includes an encapsulant layer 204 provided over the top surface 216 of the substrate 215 and around the microelectronic element 201 and the vertical conductors 208 for stiffening the substrate 215 at the at least one peripheral region 219 of the substrate for facilitating handling and testing of the subassembly.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate including a first region having a cell region and a second region having a peripheral circuit region, first transistors on the semiconductor substrate, a first protective layer covering the first transistors, a first insulation layer on the first protective layer, a semiconductor pattern on the first insulation layer in the first region, second transistors on the semiconductor pattern, a second protective layer covering the second transistors, the second protective layer having a thickness greater than that of the first protective layer, and a second insulation layer on the second protective layer and the first insulation layer of the second region.

Abstract: A line layout structure and method in a semiconductor memory device having a hierarchical structure are provided. In a semiconductor memory device having a global word line and a local word line, and a global bit line and a local bit line, and individually disposing all of the global word line, the local word line, the global bit line and the local bit line at conductive layers among at least three layers; at least two of the global word line, the local word line, the global bit line and the local bit line are together disposed in parallel on one conductive layer. Signal lines constituting a semiconductor memory device are disposed in a hierarchical structure, whereby a semiconductor memory device advantageously having high integration, high speed and high performance may be obtained.

Abstract: A thin semiconductor device difficult to cause breakage of a semiconductor chip is disclosed.

Abstract: An MIM capacitor using a high-permittivity dielectric film such as tantalum oxide. The MIM capacitor includes an upper electrode, a dielectric film, and a lower electrode. A second dielectric film and the dielectric film are formed between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, at the end of the MIM capacitor. The second dielectric film is formed to have an opening at the top of the lower electrode. The dielectric film abuts the lower electrode via the opening. The upper electrode is formed on the dielectric film. The upper electrode and the dielectric film are formed in such a manner as to embrace the opening entirely, and the second dielectric film and the lower electrode are formed so that the respective widths are the same as, or greater than, the widths of the upper electrode and the dielectric film.

Abstract: A technique to enhancing substrate bias of grounded-gate NMOS fingers (ggNMOSFET's) has been developed. By using this technique, lower triggering voltage of NMOS fingers can be achieved without degrading ESD protection in negative zapping. By introducing a simple gate-coupled effect and a PMOSFET triggering source with this technique, low-voltage triggered NMOS fingers have also been developed in power and I/O ESD protection, respectively. A semiconductor device which includes a P-well which is underneath NMOS fingers. The device includes an N-well ring which is configured so that the inner P-well underneath the NMOS fingers is separated from an outer P-well. The inner P-well and outer P-well are connected by a P-substrate resistance which is much higher than the resistance of the P-wells. A P+-diffusion ring surrounding the N-well ring is configured to connect to VSS, i.e., P-taps.

Abstract: The present invention relates to improved metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) devices with stress-inducing structures located at the source and drain (S/D) regions. Specifically, each MOSFET comprises source and drain regions located in a semiconductor substrate. Such source and drain regions comprise recesses with one or more sidewall surfaces that are slanted in relation to an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate. A stress-inducing dielectric layer is located over the slanted sidewall surfaces of the recesses at the source and drain regions. Such MOSFETs can be readily formed by crystallographic etching of the semiconductor substrate to form the recesses with the slanted sidewall surfaces, followed by deposition of a stress-inducing dielectric layer thereover.

Abstract: A first well is formed in the surface layer of a semiconductor substrate, the first layer being of a first conductivity type, the first well being of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type. A pair of current input/output ports are connected to the first well, the pair of current input/output ports being used for flowing current through the first well along the direction parallel to a substrate surface. A second well of the first conductivity type is disposed between the pair of current input/output ports, the second well being shallower than the first well. A resistor element is provided which facilitates to have a desired resistance value.

Abstract: Provided is a NAND-type nonvolatile memory device and method of forming the same. In the method, a plurality of cell layers are stacked on a semiconductor substrate. Seed contact holes for forming a semiconductor pattern included in a stacked cell are formed at regular distance. At this time, the seed contact holes are arranged such that a bit line plug or a source line pattern is disposed at a center between one pair of seed contact holes adjacent to each other.

Abstract: The invention provides a semiconductor chip comprising a semiconductor substrate comprising a MOS device, an interconnecting structure over said semiconductor substrate, and a metal bump over said MOS device, wherein said metal bump has more than 50 percent by weight of gold and has a height of between 8 and 50 microns.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having a through electrode excellent in performance as for an electrode and manufacturing stability is provided. There is provided a through electrode composed of a conductive small diameter plug and a conductive large diameter plug on a semiconductor device. A cross sectional area of the small diameter plug is made larger than a cross sectional area and a diameter of a connection plug, and is made smaller than a cross sectional area and a diameter of the large diameter plug. In addition, a protruding portion formed in such a way that the small diameter plug is projected from the silicon substrate is put into an upper face of the large diameter plug. Further, an upper face of the small diameter plug is connected to a first interconnect.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. Particularly, a unit pixel of the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, wherein the unit pixel has a rectangular shape and is defined with the top region and the bottom region of which area is larger than that of the top region, the unit pixel including: a photodiode region disposed in entire areas of a bottom region of the unit pixel; a reset gate, a drive gate and a selection gate disposed in an upper part of a top region of the unit pixel; a multi-floating diffusion region disposed with a uniform size at least at two corners of the photodiode region; and a transfer gate disposed in an upper part of the photodiode region to thereby define the multi-floating diffusion region.

Abstract: Provided are a transistor of a semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same. The transistor includes: an epitaxy substrate disposed on a semi-insulating substrate and having a buffer layer, a first Si planar doping layer, a first conductive layer, a second Si planar doping layer, and a second conductive layer, which are sequentially stacked, the second Si planar doping layer having a doping concentration different from that of the first Si planar doping layer; a source electrode and a drain electrode diffusing into the first Si planar doping layer to a predetermined depth and disposed on both sides of the second conductive layer to form an ohmic contact; and a gate electrode disposed on the second conductive layer between the source and drain electrodes and being in contact with the second conductive layer. In this structure, both isolation and switching speed of the transistor can be increased.

Abstract: Disclosed is a semiconductor structure and associated method of performing the structure with good performance and stability trade-offs for digital circuits and SRAM cells and/or analog FETs on the same chip. Specifically, a dual-strain layer is formed over digital circuits and the other devices on a chip. The dual-strain layer comprises tensile sections above digital logic n-type transistors, compressive sections above digital logic p-type transistors and additional tensile sections above SRAM cells and/or analog FETs. An amorphization ion-implant is performed to relax the strain over SRAM cell p-FETs and, thereby, eliminate variability and avoid p-FET performance degradation in the SRAM cells. Additionally, this ion-implant can relax the strain above both analog p-FETs and n-FETs and, thereby, eliminate variability and the coupling of the logic device process to the analog FETs and provide more predictable and well-controlled analog FETs.

Abstract: Provided are a stack semiconductor package manufactured by multiple molding that can prevent the breakage due to stress concentration at a connecting portion between separate semiconductor packages and a method of manufacturing the same. The stacked semiconductor packages are combined together through sealing resins by molding them multiple times, resulting in uniform stress distribution across substantially the entire interface between the semiconductor packages.

Abstract: A trench transistor is described. In one aspect, the trench transistor has a cell array having a plurality of cell array trenches and a plurality of mesa zones arranged between the cell array trenches, and a semiconductor functional element formed in one of the mesa zones. A current flow guiding structure is provided in the mesa zone in which the semiconductor functional element is formed, said structure being formed at least partly below the semiconductor functional element and being configured such that vertically oriented current flows out of the semiconductor functional element or into the semiconductor functional element are made more difficult and horizontally oriented current flows through the semiconductor functional element are promoted.

Abstract: In a semiconductor device including a memory region and a logic region, one or more of a plurality of logic transistor connection plugs, buried in a first insulating layer and connected to a diffusion layer of a logic transistor, are left unconnected to a first interconnect provided in an upper layer.