Abstract: A flicker-mitigating pixel-array substrate includes a semiconductor substrate and a metal annulus. The semiconductor substrate includes a small-photodiode region. A back surface of the semiconductor substrate forms a trench surrounding the small-photodiode region in a cross-sectional plane parallel to a back-surface region of the back surface above the small-photodiode region. The metal annulus (i) at least partially fills the trench, (ii) surrounds the small-photodiode region in the cross-sectional plane, and (iii) extends above the back surface. A method for fabricating a flicker-mitigating pixel-array substrate includes forming a metal layer (i) in a trench that surrounds the small-photodiode region in a cross-sectional plane parallel to a back-surface region of the back surface above the small-photodiode region and (ii) on the back-surface region. The method also includes decreasing a thickness of an above-diode section of the metal layer located above the back-surface region.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to an image sensor. The image sensor comprises a substrate. A photodetector is in the substrate and includes a semiconductor guard ring extending into a first side of the substrate. A shallow trench isolation (STI) structure extends into the first side of the substrate. An outer isolation structure extends into a second side of the substrate, opposite the first side of the substrate, to the STI structure. The STI structure and the outer isolation structure laterally surround the photodetector. An inner isolation structure extends into the second side of the substrate and overlies the photodetector. The inner isolation structure is vertically separated from the photodetector by the substrate. Further, the outer isolation structure laterally surrounds the inner isolation structure.

Abstract: According to an embodiment of a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device includes: a first active cell area comprising a first plurality of parallel gate trenches; a second active cell area comprising a second plurality of parallel gate trenches; and a metallization layer above the first and the second active cell areas. The metallization layer includes: a first part contacting a semiconductor mesa region between the plurality of parallel gate trenches in the first and the second active cell areas; and a second part surrounding the first part. The second part of the metallization layer contacts the first plurality of gate trenches along a first direction and the second plurality of gate trenches along a second direction different from the first direction.

Abstract: An integrated circuit device includes a FinFET disposed over a doped region of a first type dopant, wherein the FinFET includes a first fin structure and first source/drain (S/D) features, the first fin structure having a first width; and a fin-based well strap disposed over the doped region of the first type dopant, wherein the fin-based well strap includes a second fin structure and second S/D features, the second fin structure having a second width that is larger than the first width, wherein the fin-based well strap connects the doped region to a voltage.

Abstract: An optical package structure and a method for manufacturing an optical package structure are provided. The optical package structure includes a sensor, an optical component and a fixing element. The optical component directly contacts the sensor. An interfacial area is defined by a contacting region of the optical component and the sensor. The fixing element is disposed outside of the interfacial area for bonding the optical component and the sensor.

Abstract: A package substrate and package assembly including a package substrate including a substrate body including electrical routing features therein and a surface layer and a plurality of first and second contact points on the surface layer including a first pitch and a second pitch, respectively, wherein the plurality of first contact points and the plurality of second contact points are continuous posts to the respective ones of the electrical routing features. A method including forming first conductive vias in a package assembly, wherein the first conductive vias include substrate conductive vias to electrical routing features in a package substrate and bridge conductive vias to bridge surface routing features of a bridge substrate; forming a first surface layer and a second surface layer on the package substrate; and forming second conductive vias through each of the first surface layer and the second surface layer to the bridge conductive vias.

Abstract: Image sensing devices are disclosed. In an aspect, an image sensing device may include an array of sensor pixels to detect incident light to output pixel signals indicative of an image of the incident light, color filters respectively formed over the sensor pixels to filter light incident to the sensor pixels, respectively, and one or more optical grid structures disposed between adjacent color filters. Each of the one or more optical grid structures may include an air layer formed between the color filters and a first capping film structured to cover the air layer and having an open area formed over the air layer and connected to an outside of the color filters.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing semiconductor devices include steps of depositing a first photoresist over a first dielectric layer, first exposing the first photoresist to a first light-exposure using a first lithographic mask, and second exposing the first photoresist to a second light-exposure using a second lithographic mask. An overlap region of the first photoresist is exposed to both the first light-exposure and the second light-exposure. The first dielectric layer is thereafter patterned to form a mask overlay alignment mark in the overlap region. The patterning includes etching the first dielectric layer form a trench, and filling the trench with a conductive material to produce the alignment mark. A second dielectric layer is deposited over the alignment mark, and a second photoresist is deposited over the second dielectric layer. A third lithographic mask is aligned to the second photoresist using the underlying mask overlay alignment mark for registration.

Abstract: A semiconductor device may include: a first electrode; a second electrode; and a multilayer stack that is interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and includes a seed layer and a high-k dielectric layer, wherein each of the seed layer and the high-k dielectric layer may have a rocksalt crystal structure, and wherein the high-k dielectric layer may exhibit a dielectric constant (k) of fifty (50) or higher.

Abstract: An image sensor device includes a substrate, a deep-trench isolation structure, a buffer layer, and a light blocking structure. The substrate has a photosensitive region. The deep-trench isolation structure is in the substrate and adjacent the photosensitive region. The buffer layer is over the photosensitive region and the deep-trench isolation structure. The light blocking structure is over the buffer layer. A bottom portion of the light blocking structure is embedded in the buffer layer.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, includes forming a trench in a semiconductor substrate having a first face and a second face by processing the first face of the semiconductor substrate, the trench including a first portion and a second portion located between the first portion and a plane including a first face, filling an insulator in the second portion such that a space remains in the first portion and the trench is closed, and forming a plurality of elements between the first face and the second face, wherein the space and the insulator form element isolation.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer, a metal layer disposed above a surface of the semiconductor layer, a first barrier portion that covers a first portion of a surface of the metal layer, a second barrier portion that covers a second portion of the surface of the metal layer, an insulating film that covers the metal layer and the first and second barrier portions; and a metal member that is disposed in an opening portion provided in the insulating film, the metal member positioned on a third portion of the surface of the metal layer that is between the first portion and the second portion. A part of the insulating film is disposed between the metal member and the first barrier portion and between the metal member and the second barrier portion.

Abstract: The present disclosure is drawn to, among other things, a magnetoresistive device and a magnetoresistive memory comprising a plurality of such magnetoresistive devices. In some aspects, a magnetoresistive device may include a magnetically fixed region, a magnetically free region above or below the magnetically fixed region, and an intermediate region positioned between the magnetically fixed region and the magnetically free region, wherein the intermediate region includes a first dielectric material. The magnetoresistive device may also include encapsulation layers formed on opposing side walls of the magnetically free region, wherein the encapsulation layers include the first dielectric material.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an insulated gate semiconductor device includes simultaneously forming a gate trench and a contact trench that respectively penetrate form a top of the electrode contact region through a main electrode contact region and a injection control region in a depth direction and respectively reach a charge transport region, the contact trench being disposed at a position laterally separated from the gate trench in a plan view; and embedding a gate electrode inside the gate trench with a gate insulating film interposed therebetween, thereby forming an insulated gate structure, and simultaneously embedding an injection suppression region inside the contact trench, the gate electrode and the injection suppression region being both made of a second semiconductor material having a narrower bandgap than a bandgap of the first semiconductor material of the charge transport region.

Abstract: An optical sensor device and a method for forming the same are provided, including forming a curable transparent material on a substrate, wherein the substrate has a plurality of optical sensor units therein; providing a transparent template, which has a plurality of concaves; imprinting the curable transparent material with the transparent template to form a plurality of convexes corresponding to the plurality of concaves; and curing the curable transparent material to form a transparent layer having a micro-lens array. The step of curing the curable transparent material includes adhering the transparent template to the curable transparent material to act as a cover plate for the optical sensor device.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, an element region including an active element formed at the semiconductor substrate, a channel stopper formed in an outer peripheral region of the semiconductor substrate, and an insulating film that covers a surface of the semiconductor substrate and that has a first contact hole by which the channel stopper is exposed. The semiconductor device further includes a first field plate, a second field plate, and an equipotential ring electrode. The first field plate is formed on the insulating film, and faces the semiconductor substrate between the channel stopper and the element region through the insulating film. The second field plate is embedded in the insulating film, and faces the semiconductor substrate between the first field plate and the channel stopper through the insulating film. The equipotential ring electrode is formed along an outer peripheral region of the semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: Transistor cell architectures including both front-side and back-side structures. A transistor may include one or more semiconductor fins with a gate stack disposed along a sidewall of a channel portion of the fin. One or more source/drain regions of the fin are etched to form recesses with a depth below the channel region. The recesses may extend through the entire fin height. Source/drain semiconductor is then deposited within the recess, coupling the channel region to a deep source/drain. A back-side of the transistor is processed to reveal the deep source/drain semiconductor material. One or more back-side interconnect metallization levels may couple to the deep source/drain of the transistor.

Abstract: A method includes providing a structure having a substrate, semiconductor fins, and an isolation structure between adjacent semiconductor fins; forming a first gate structure engaging the semiconductor fins; depositing an inter-layer dielectric layer over the semiconductor fins and the first gate structure; removing the first gate structure, resulting in a first trench; depositing a second gate structure into the first trench, wherein the second gate structure includes a dielectric layer and a conductive layer; forming one or more mask layers over the second gate structure; patterning the one or more mask layers to have an opening exposing a portion of the second gate structure between two adjacent semiconductor fins; and etching the second gate structure through the opening to produce a second trench having tapered sidewalls, wherein the second trench is wider at top than at bottom.

Abstract: An image sensing device that includes a reinforced structure is disclosed. The image sensing device includes a semiconductor substrate structured to include a pixel region including a plurality of unit pixels and a peripheral region located outside the pixel region, a plurality of microlenses disposed over the semiconductor substrate in the pixel region, a structural reinforcement layer disposed over the semiconductor substrate in the peripheral region, and a lens capping layer structured to cover the microlenses and at least of the structural reinforcement layer. The structural reinforcement layer includes a plurality of fingers each finger vertically structured to have a rounded upper end and laterally extend to have a predetermined length toward the pixel region. The fingers are consecutively arranged and connected to each other in a lateral direction, and side surfaces of fingers are in contact with side surfaces of immediately adjacent fingers.

Abstract: A ferroelectric structure includes a first polarization enhancement film on a ferroelectric film, wherein the ferroelectric film has a first net polarization in a first direction oriented from the ferroelectric film toward the first polarization enhancement film. The first polarization enhancement film has a second net polarization in a second direction crossing the first direction.