Abstract: The principles described herein relate to methods for soldering electrode terminals, pins or lead-frames of commercial electric components for high temperature reliability. In one embodiment, prior to soldering the electric components, a pre-plated solder layer is removed from the lead frame or pins, and nickel and/or gold films are formed with electroless plating. The removal of the pre-plated solder layer avoids excess pre-plated Sn with high-Pb solder that lowers the melting point to between 180° C. and 220° C. and weakens solder joints. The nickel layer formed with an electroless plating acts as a barrier to the interdiffusion of tin from solder with copper of the lead frame material, which may otherwise occur at high temperatures. Interdiffusion forms an intermetallic compound layer of copper and tin and degrades solder joint strength. The novel soldering processes improve high temperature reliability of solder joints and extend electronics life-time.

Abstract: A method of forming a vertical DRAM device. A lower trench is filled with polycrystalline or amorphous semiconductor for a capacitor. An upper trench portion has exposed sidewalls of single-crystal semiconductor. The method then includes etching the single-crystal semiconductor sidewalls to widen the upper trench portion beyond the exposed upper surface of the semiconductor fill of the capacitor to form exposed regions of single-crystal semiconductor on a bottom portion of the upper trench adjacent to the exposed upper surface of the semiconductor fill. A trench top insulating layer is deposited on the bottom portion of the upper trench, over the upper surface of the semiconductor fill and over the adjacent regions of single-crystal semiconductor. The method then includes forming a vertical gate dielectric layer, wherein the trench top insulating layer extends below the vertical gate insulating layer.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor includes providing a substrate having at least a gate structure and a shallow trench isolation (STI) formed thereon, performing a first etching process to form recesses in the substrate respectively at two sides of the gate structure, performing a selective epitaxial growth (SEG) process to form epitaxial silicon layers in the recesses respectively, accordingly a seam is formed in between the epitaxial silicon layer and the STI, forming a dielectric layer in the seam, and performing a self-aligned silicide (salicide) process.

Abstract: An interconnect structure including a gouging feature at the bottom of one of the via openings and a method of forming the same are provided. In accordance with the present invention, the method of forming the interconnect structure does not disrupt the coverage of the deposited diffusion barrier in the overlying line opening, nor does it introduce damages caused by Ar sputtering into the dielectric material including the via and line openings. In accordance with the present invention, such an interconnect structure contains a diffusion barrier layer only within the via opening, but not in the overlying line opening. This feature enhances both mechanical strength and diffusion property around the via opening areas without decreasing volume fraction of conductor inside the line openings.

Abstract: Hydrogen gas is ion-implanted into a wafer for active layer via an oxide film. The wafer for active layer is bonded with a supporting wafer using the oxide film as the bonding surface. The bonded wafer is subjected to a heat treatment at the temperature in a range of 400° C. to 1000° C. As a result of this heat treatment, the bonded wafer is cleaved at the site of ion-implanted layer as the interface thereby producing an SOI wafer. In this heat treatment for cleavage, the temperature difference within the surface of the bonded wafer is controlled to be within 40° C. Consequently, the wafer can be cleaved and separated completely across its entire surface at the site of the ion-implanted layer as the interface without leaving any regions uncleaved.

Abstract: A trench gate type IGBT includes: a first semiconductor layer; a second semiconductor on the first semiconductor layer; a third semiconductor on the second semiconductor layer; trenches for separating the third semiconductor layer into first regions and second regions; a gate insulation film on an inner wall of each trench; a gate electrode on the gate insulation film; a fourth semiconductor layer in a surface portion of each first region and contacting each trench; a first electrode connecting to the first region and the fourth semiconductor layer; and a second electrode connecting to the first semiconductor layer. The first regions and the second regions are alternately arranged. Two second regions are continuously connected together to be integrated into one body.

Abstract: Semiconductor structures and methods for fabrication thereof are predicated upon epitaxial growth of an epitaxial surface semiconductor layer upon a semiconductor substrate having a first crystallographic orientation. The semiconductor substrate is exposed within an aperture within a semiconductor-on-insulator structure. The epitaxial surface semiconductor layer alternatively contacts or is isolated from a surface semiconductor layer having a second crystallographic orientation within the semiconductor-on-insulator structure. A recess of the semiconductor surface layer with respect to a buried dielectric layer thereunder and a hard mask layer thereover provides for inhibited second crystallographic phase growth within the epitaxial surface semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a thyristor-based memory may include forming different opposite conductivity-type regions in silicon for defining a thyristor and an access device in series relationship. An activation anneal may activate dopants previously implanted for the different regions. A damaging implant of germanium or xenon or argon may be directed into select regions of the silicon including at least one p-n junction region for the access device and the thyristor. A re-crystallization anneal may then be performed to re-crystallize at least some of the damaged lattice structure resulting from the damaging implant. The re-crystallization anneal may use a temperature less than that of the previous activation anneal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a thin film transistor array panel, a liquid crystal display, and a manufacturing method of the same. A TFT array for a LCD or an EL display is used as a circuit board for driving the respective pixels in an independent manner. The present invention provides pixel electrodes and contact assistants, which connect expansions of gate lines and data lines to an external circuit, having a structure of double layers including IZO layer and ITO layer. The ITO layer is disposed on the IZO layer. In the present invention, the pixel electrodes are formed to have double layers of IZO layer and ITO layer to avoid wires from getting damage by the ITO etchant and to prevent prove pins from having accumulation of foreign body during the gross test. In the present invention, the contact assistants may only be formed to have double layers of IZO layer and ITO layer to prevent prove pins from having accumulation of foreign body during the gross test.

Abstract: Described is a method for forming a stackable interconnect. The interconnect is formed by depositing a first contact on a substrate; depositing a seed layer (SL) on the substrate; depositing a metal mask layer (MML) on the SL; depositing a bottom anti-reflection coating (BARC) on the MML; forming a photoresist layer (PR) on the BARC; removing a portion of the PR; etching the BARC and the MML to expose the SL; plating the exposed SL to form a first plated plug; removing the layers to expose the SL; removing an unplated portion of the SL; depositing an inter layer dielectric (ILD) on the interconnect; etching back the ILD to expose the first plated plug; and depositing a second contact on the first plated plug. Using the procedures described above, a second plated plug is then formed on the first plated plug to form the stackable plugged via interconnect.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor chip and an adhesive film between the back side of the semiconductor chip and a chip pad of a leadframe. The adhesive film includes a film core and adhesive layers that cover both sides of the film core. The film core includes a brittle, fragile hard material.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, either a nickel layer or a nickel-based metal layer is formed on a semiconductor substrate by using a plating process. Then, either the nickel layer or the nickel-based metal layer is washed with one of an aqueous hydrochloric acid solution and an aqueous sulfuric acid solution.

Abstract: A method using a CMP resistant hardmask in a process of fabricating a pole piece for a magnetic head is described. A set of layers used as the mask for milling the pole piece preferably includes a CMP resistant hardmask of silicon dioxide, a resist hardmask, an upper hardmask and a photoresist mask respectively. A multi-step reactive-ion etching (RIE) process is preferably used to sequentially remove the excess materials in the layer stack to ultimately define the multilayer mask for the pole piece. The excess pole piece material is then milled away. The wafer is then refilled with a nonmagnetic material such as alumina. A CMP liftoff is used to remove the resist hardmask. The material for the CMP resistant hardmask is selected to have a high resistance to the CMP liftoff process in comparison to the refill material. The CMP resistant hardmask is preferably then removed by a RIE process.

Abstract: Non-volatile memory devices can be fabricated by forming a tunnel dielectric layer on a semiconductor substrate, subjecting the semiconductor substrate having the tunnel dielectric layer to an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process to form nanocrystals on the tunnel dielectric layer, removing the semiconductor substrate having the nanocrystals from an atomic layer deposition chamber, forming a control gate dielectric layer on the semiconductor substrate having the nanocrystal, and forming a control gate electrode on the semiconductor substrate having the control gate dielectric layer.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a stacked capacitor having interdigital electrodes and method for preparing the same. The stacked capacitor comprises a first interdigital electrode, a second interdigital electrode and a dielectric material sandwiched between the first interdigital electrode and the second interdigital electrode. The first and the second interdigital electrodes comprise a body and a plurality of fingers electrically connected to the body, and the dielectric material can be silicon nitride or silicon oxide. Preferably, fingers of the first interdigital electrode are made of titanium nitride, while fingers of the second interdigital electrode are made of polysilicon. The body of the first and the second interdigital electrodes are preferably made of titanium nitride.