Patents Examined by Phuc Dang
  • Patent number: 9236344
    Abstract: A back-end-of-line thin ion beam deposited fuse (204) is deposited without etching to connect first and second last metal interconnect structures (110, 120) formed with last metal layers (LM) in a planar multi-layer interconnect stack to programmably connect separate first and second circuit connected to the first and second last metal interconnect structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas M. Reber, Mehul D. Shroff, Edward O. Travis
  • Patent number: 9231037
    Abstract: A display unit includes a first substrate and a second substrate opposed to each other, a display element having a first electrode and a second electrode on the first substrate, an auxiliary electrode provided on a surface facing the first substrate of the second substrate, and including a plurality of films stacked in a direction from the second substrate to the first substrate, and a plurality of pillars configured to electrically connect the auxiliary electrode to the second electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: JOLED Inc.
    Inventor: Tsutomu Shimayama
  • Patent number: 9232635
    Abstract: An active device substrate includes a flexible substrate, an inorganic de-bonding layer, and at least one active device. The flexible substrate has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, wherein the first surface is a flat surface. The inorganic de-bonding layer covers the first surface of the flexible substrate, and the material of the inorganic de-bonding layer is metal, metal oxide or combination thereof. The active device is disposed on or above the second surface of the flexible substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: AU OPTRONICS CORP.
    Inventor: Tsung-Ying Ke
  • Patent number: 9230947
    Abstract: A microelectronic assembly and method of making, which includes a first microelectronic element (including a substrate with first and second opposing surfaces, a semiconductor device, and conductive pads at the first surface which are electrically coupled to the semiconductor device) and a second microelectronic element (including a handler with first and second opposing surfaces, a second semiconductor device, and conductive pads at the handler first surface which are electrically coupled to the second semiconductor device). The first and second microelectronic elements are integrated such that the second surfaces face each other. The first microelectronic element includes conductive elements each extending from one of its conductive pads, through the substrate to the second surface. The second microelectronic element includes conductive elements each extending between the handler first and second surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: OPTIZ, INC.
    Inventor: Vage Oganesian
  • Patent number: 9230880
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a semiconductor chip including an electrode, a substrate element and a contact element connecting the electrode to the substrate element. The electronic device further includes an encapsulant configured to leave the contact element at least partially exposed such that a heatsink may be connected to the contact element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Infineon Technolgies AG
    Inventors: Ralf Otremba, Josef Hoeglauer, Juergen Schredl, Teck Sim Lee, Xaver Schloegel, Klaus Schiess
  • Patent number: 9230974
    Abstract: Methods of making a monolithic three dimensional NAND string may enable selective removal of a blocking dielectric material, such as aluminum oxide, without otherwise damaging the device. Blocking dielectric may be selectively removed from the back side (e.g., slit trench) and/or front side (e.g., memory opening) of the NAND string. Also disclosed are NAND strings made in accordance with the embodiment methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventors: Jayavel Pachamuthu, Johann Alsmeier, George Matamis, Henry Chien
  • Patent number: 9224617
    Abstract: A method is provided for fabricating cross-coupled line segments for use, for instance, as a hard mask in fabricating cross-coupled gates of two or more transistors. Fabricating the structure includes: providing a sacrificial mandrel on the substrate, the sacrificial mandrel including a transverse gap through the mandrel separating the sacrificial mandrel into a first mandrel portion and a second mandrel portion; providing a sidewall spacer along sidewalls of the sacrificial mandrel, where sidewall spacers along sidewalls of the first mandrel portion and the second mandrel portion merge within the transverse gap and form a crossbar; and removing the sacrificial mandrel and selectively cutting the sidewall spacers to define the cross-coupled line segments from the sidewall spacers and crossbar. The transverse gap may be provided by directly printing the first and second mandrel portions spaced apart, or by cutting the sacrificial mandrel to provide the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc.
    Inventors: David Pritchard, Jason E. Stephens
  • Patent number: 9219026
    Abstract: A semiconductor device has an island portion on which a semiconductor chip is adhered through intermediation of an insulating paste. Recessed portions having an inverted pyramid shape are formed in a semiconductor chip placing region of the island portion. A first opening angle formed by a normal extending upward from a vertex of each of the plurality of recessed portions each having an inverted pyramid shape and an opening line extending to an outer side of the semiconductor chip placing region is smaller than a second opening angle formed by the normal and an opening line extending to an inner side of the semiconductor chip placing region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventor: Koji Tsukagoshi
  • Patent number: 9219109
    Abstract: The mechanisms for forming an inductor structure are provided. The inductor structure includes a substrate and a first dielectric layer formed over the substrate. The inductor structure also includes a first metal layer formed in the first dielectric layer and a magnetic layer formed over the first dielectric layer, and the magnetic layer has edges more than four in a cross section view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuan-Tai Tseng, Ming-Chyi Liu, Chung-Yen Chou, Chia-Shiung Tsai
  • Patent number: 9214429
    Abstract: Ultra-low-k dielectric materials used as inter-layer dielectrics in high-performance integrated circuits are prone to be structurally unstable. The Young's modulus of such materials is decreased, resulting in porosity, poor film strength, cracking, and voids. An alternative dual damascene interconnect structure incorporates deep air gaps into a high modulus dielectric material to maintain structural stability while reducing capacitance between adjacent nanowires. Incorporation of a deep air gap having k=1.0 compensates for the use of a higher modulus film having a dielectric constant greater than the typical ultra-low-k (ULK) dielectric value of about 2.2. The higher modulus film containing the deep air gap is used as an insulator and a means of reducing fringe capacitance between adjacent metal lines. The dielectric layer between two adjacent metal lines thus forms a ULK/high-modulus dielectric bi-layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics, Inc., International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John H. Zhang, Hsueh-Chung Chen, Lawrence A. Clevenger, Yann Mignot, Carl Radens, Richard Stephen Wise, Yannick Loquet, Yiheng Xu
  • Patent number: 9214563
    Abstract: It is an object to provide a highly reliable semiconductor device with good electrical characteristics and a display device including the semiconductor device as a switching element. In a transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer, a needle crystal group provided on at least one surface side of the oxide semiconductor layer grows in a c-axis direction perpendicular to the surface and includes an a-b plane parallel to the surface, and a portion except for the needle crystal group is an amorphous region or a region in which amorphousness and microcrystals are mixed. Accordingly, a highly reliable semiconductor device with good electrical characteristics can be formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Masayuki Sakakura, Ryosuke Watanabe, Junichiro Sakata, Kengo Akimoto, Akiharu Miyanaga, Takuya Hirohashi, Hideyuki Kishida
  • Patent number: 9214520
    Abstract: An embodiment is a semiconductor device which includes a first oxide semiconductor layer over a substrate having an insulating surface and including a crystalline region formed by growth from a surface of the first oxide semiconductor layer toward an inside; a second oxide semiconductor layer over the first oxide semiconductor layer; a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer which are in contact with the second oxide semiconductor layer; a gate insulating layer covering the second oxide semiconductor layer, the source electrode layer, and the drain electrode layer; and a gate electrode layer over the gate insulating layer and in a region overlapping with the second oxide semiconductor layer. The second oxide semiconductor layer is a layer including a crystal formed by growth from the crystalline region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9209099
    Abstract: A power semiconductor module is equipped with: a frame made of an insulator; a first electrode plate made of a metal and fixed to a bottom opening of the frame; semiconductor chips electrically and physically connected to the first electrode plate; a multilayer substrate fixed to a principal surface of the first electrode plate; wiring members that electrically connect front surface electrodes of the semiconductor chips and a circuit plate of the multilayer substrate; a second electrode plate fixed to a top opening of the frame; and a metal block that has a first surface having a projected portion and a second surface disposed on a side opposite to the first surface and that is tapered from the first surface to the second surface, the projected portion being electrically and physically connected to the circuit plate of the multilayer substrate and the second surface being electrically and physically connected to the second electrode plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Motohito Hori, Yoshikazu Takahashi, Yoshinari Ikeda
  • Patent number: 9209218
    Abstract: An infrared solid-state imaging device with unit detecting sections in a matrix form, wherein the unit detecting section includes: an infrared light guiding layer; a first reflecting layer on the infrared light guiding layer; an infrared light detecting section on the first reflecting layer, the infrared light detecting section including an infrared light absorbing layer and upper and lower contact layers; and first metal wiring connected to the upper contact layer, wherein a side wall of the unit detecting section is inclined at an angle smaller than 45° to a normal direction, to form a groove between the adjacent unit detecting sections, a first insulating layer is provided on the side wall of the unit detecting section and second metal wiring is provided on the first insulating layer, and a refractive index of the first reflecting layer is lower than that of the lower contact layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Takahiro Onakado
  • Patent number: 9209147
    Abstract: A method of forming a pillar bump includes feeding a bond wire in a capillary. The capillary has a hole portion and a chamfer section arranged downstream of the hole portion. The hole portion has a length along a feed direction of the bond wire that is greater than a maximum diameter of the hole portion. The method further includes performing an electric flame off (EFO) on a free end of the bond wire extending from the chamfer section to form a free air ball (FAB), tensioning the bond wire and applying a vacuum to the capillary to withdraw a portion of the FAB back into the capillary to substantially fill the hole portion for forming a tower, attaching the FAB to a bonding site, and at least partially removing the capillary from the bonding site and breaking the bond wire above the tower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Chee Seng Foong, Lee Fee Ngion, Navas Khan Oratti Kalandar, Zi Song Poh
  • Patent number: 9202916
    Abstract: Embodiments for forming a semiconductor device structure are provided. The semiconductor device structure includes a substrate and a gate stack structure formed on the substrate. The semiconductor device structure also includes gate spacers formed on sidewalls of the gate stack structure. The semiconductor device structure further includes an isolation structure formed in the substrate and a source/drain stressor structure formed adjacent to the isolation structure. The source/drain stressor structure includes a capping layer which is formed along the (311) and (111) crystal orientations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shin-Yeh Huang, Kai-Hsiang Chang, Chih-Chen Jiang, Yi-Wei Peng, Kuan-Yu Lin, Ming-Shan Tsai, Ching-Lun Lai
  • Patent number: 9196726
    Abstract: A method for fabricating semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: providing a substrate; forming a gate structure on the substrate; forming a lightly doped drain in the substrate; and performing a first implantation process for implanting fluorine ions at a tiled angle into the substrate and part of the gate structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventors: Jian-Cun Ke, Chih-Wei Yang, Chia-Fu Hsu
  • Patent number: 9196583
    Abstract: Semiconductor interconnects and methods for making semiconductor interconnects. An interconnect may include a first via of a first conductive material between a first conductive interconnect layer and a first middle of line (MOL) interconnect layer. The first MOL interconnect layer is on a first level. The first via is fabricated with a single damascene process. Such a semiconductor interconnect also includes a second via of a second conductive material between the first conductive interconnect layer and a second MOL interconnect layer. The second MOL interconnect layer is on a second level. The second via is fabricated with a dual damascene process. The first conductive material is different than the second conductive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
    Inventors: John Jianhong Zhu, Jeffrey Junhao Xu, Stanley Seungchul Song, Kern Rim, Zhongze Wang
  • Patent number: 9196744
    Abstract: To provide a highly reliable semiconductor device including a transistor using an oxide semiconductor. After a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer are formed, an island-like oxide semiconductor layer is formed in a gap between these electrode layers so that a side surface of the oxide semiconductor layer is covered with a wiring, whereby light is prevented from entering the oxide semiconductor layer through the side surface. Further, a gate electrode layer is formed over the oxide semiconductor layer with a gate insulating layer interposed therebetween and impurities are introduced with the gate electrode layer used as a mask. Then, a conductive layer is provided on a side surface of the gate electrode layer in the channel length direction, whereby an Lov region is formed while maintaining a scaled-down channel length and entry of light from above into the oxide semiconductor layer is prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinya Sasagawa, Motomu Kurata, Hideaki Kuwabara, Mari Terashima
  • Patent number: 9196708
    Abstract: Embodiments of a method for forming a semiconductor device structure are provided. The method includes forming a gate stack over a semiconductor substrate and forming a sealing structure over a sidewall of the gate stack. The method also includes forming a dummy shielding layer over the semiconductor substrate, the sealing structure, and the gate stack. The method further includes performing an ion implantation process on the dummy shielding layer to form source and drain regions in the semiconductor substrate. In addition, the method includes removing the dummy shielding layer after the source and drain regions are formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD
    Inventors: Che-Cheng Chang, Yi-Jen Chen, Yung-Jung Chang