Patents Examined by Sara W. Crane
  • Patent number: 5654567
    Abstract: A capacitor, electrode, or wiring structure having an alpha ray emitting source (in particular, a Pt electrode), and an alpha ray shielding layer 18, having at least one type selected from the group of simple metals of nickel, cobalt, copper, and tungsten, their compounds or alloys made of at least two types of these simple metals, and compounds and alloys made of these simple metals and silicon is provided. It is possible to shield off the alpha ray effectively, to suppress generation of soft errors, to enable the use of Pt and other new materials in making the electrodes and wiring, and to reduce the cost of the mold resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1997
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Ken Numata, Katsuhiro Aoki, Yukio Fukuda, Akitoshi Nishimura
  • Patent number: 5654588
    Abstract: Wafer level testing of a wafer (500) is accomplished by dividing the integrated circuits of the wafer into a plurality of segmented bus regions (514, 516, and 518 for example). Each bus region is formed having its own set of test conductors (520-530) wherein each set of test conductors are isolated from all other sets of test conductors on the wafer. Each test conductor has at least one contact pad (531-546) where each contact pad lies within a periphery of the integrated circuits' active areas. By forming pads over ICs and by sub-dividing the bus structure of test conductive lines, more high powered ICs can be tested in a wafer-level manner with fewer problems associated with speed, power, throughput, and routing problems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1997
    Assignee: Motorola Inc.
    Inventors: Edward C. Dasse, Robert W. Bollish, Alfredo Figueroa, James H. Carlquist, Thomas R. Yarbrough, Charles F. Toewe, Kelvin L. Holub, Marcus R. Burton, Kenneth J. Long, Walid S. Ballouli, Shih King Cheng
  • Patent number: 5654587
    Abstract: A stackable heat sink assembly is formed by press-fit assembly of two or more identical fin layers. Each fin layer is formed using powdered metallurgy and has a button-like projection extending from its bottom surface and a recess opening in its top surface. The button-like projection and recess opening are sized and shaped such that an interference fit is formed when the button-like projection of one fin layer is pressed into the recess of another fin layer. The use of an adaptor to increase or decrease the effective size of the button-like projection of the bottommost fin layer is described. Relieving gases that may be entrapped in the recess during assembly is described. Circular, elliptical and polygonal shapes (outlines) for the fin layers are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1997
    Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Schneider, Joseph Joroski
  • Patent number: 5654582
    Abstract: A semiconductor wafer and semiconductor device manufactured from the wafer. The wafer has a conductive layer 33A intermittently formed in the longitudinal direction of a scribe area 2. The conductive layer's width shorter width than its length and shaped so that the scribe area is cut in the longtitudinal direction including the location of said width. The invention provides a semiconductor wafer not giving rise to faults, such as short-circuiting due to shavings, and not requiring any modification in the scribed width, blade width, or pad size when sawing conductive layers in the scribe area, such as the above-mentioned pads of the TEG.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1997
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Kijima, Hitoshi Hattori
  • Patent number: 5654575
    Abstract: A TiSi.sub.2 /TiN clad LI strap process and structure are disclosed which combine the advantages of both TiSi.sub.2 and TiN LI processes. According to the invention, the retention of a thin TiN layer between the local interconnect and contacts provides a diffusion barrier against counterdoping and relaxes the thermal budget for subsequent processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1997
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Shin-Puu Jeng
  • Patent number: 5654586
    Abstract: In a power semiconductor component a ceramic substrate (SUB) and a metallic baseplate (BP) are connected, in order, via a connecting layer (2), a buffer layer (DP) made of a material having a low yield point and high thermal conductivity as well as a further connecting layer (3). The mechanical connections between the ceramic substrate and the baseplate have a high shear strength. Premature material fatigue and cracking on account of the different thermal expansion of the ceramic substrate and the baseplate are avoided by means of plastic deformation of the buffer layer. Connecting layers are, for example, sintered silver powder layers such as are advantageously used in the low-temperature connection technique for power semiconductor components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1997
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Herbert Schwarzbauer
  • Patent number: 5652458
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a structure of a transistor in a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same.The present invention manufactures a high voltage transistor by etching a silicon substrate to a depth deeper than that of the field oxide film by a self-aligned wet etching process using the field oxide film as a mask and, thereafter, by forming the first gate electrode which electrically switches ON and OFF between the source region and the drain region by using a gate electrode mask and simultaneously forming a second gate electrode to prevent a junction breakdown below the bird's beak of the field oxide film.Accordingly, the present invention can improve the degree of integration of the device by forming a gate electrode to prevent a junction breakdown below the bird's beak of the field oxide film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 29, 1997
    Assignee: Hyundai Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Byung Jin Ahn
  • Patent number: 5652451
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate; an active layer having a first surface and a second surface opposing each other and located on the first surface of the semiconductor substrate with the second surface of the active layer contacting the first surface of the semiconductor substrate; a recess structure at the first surface of the active layer and having a bottom within the active layer; a gate electrode on the bottom of the recess structure; a second surface drain electrode disposed on the second surface of the active layer adjacent the recess structure; and a source electrode disposed on the opposite side of the recess structure from the second. Consequently, even if the distance between the edge of the surface drain electrode gate electrode and the corner of the recess structure is reduced, a high gate-drain breakdown voltage can be realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 29, 1997
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoto Andoh
  • Patent number: 5650661
    Abstract: A lead frame for a semiconductor device includes a base layer which is coated by a protective coating. The protective coating includes a layer of nickel, over which is coated a layer of copper. The layer of copper is coated by a layer of silver over which is coated a layer of palladium. Protective coatings constructed in this way are bondable, solderable, oxidation resistant, corrosion resistant, free of lead (Pb), resistant to high temperatures, cost effective, and cosmetically acceptable. It is also possible to use a layer of tin or a tin alloy in place of the silver layer. It is possible to omit the nickel layer if the lead base layer is made of a ferrous material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 22, 1997
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Ranjan J. Mathew
  • Patent number: 5650665
    Abstract: A hybrid IC device has an insulation substrate 1. Circuit patterns 2 made of a thick copper film are formed on the substrate 1. The circuit patterns 2 include terminal patterns 8. Through-holes 7 electrically connect the terminal patterns 8 to terminal patterns 81 formed on the bottom surface of the substrate 1. Active elements such as transistors and ICs and passive elements such as resistors and capacitors are mounted on the top surface of the substrate 1 and are electrically connected to the circuit patterns 2. A conductive pattern 6 made of a thick copper film or a thick silver-platinum film is formed on the bottom surface of the substrate 1. The conductive pattern 6 is used for grounding and heat radiation. The conductive pattern 6 is electrically connected to the active and passive elements via through-holes. The through-holes are usually formed Just under the active and passive elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 22, 1997
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tomohiko Yamamoto, Shoichi Tanimata
  • Patent number: 5650653
    Abstract: A microelectronic integrated circuit includes a semiconductor substrate, and a plurality of CMOS microelectronic devices formed on the substrate. Each device includes a triangular ANY element of a first conductivity type (PMOS or NMOS), and a triangular ALL element of a second conductivity type (NMOS or PMOS), the ANY and ALL elements each having a plurality of inputs and an output that are electrically interconnected respectively. The ANY element is basically an OR element, and the ALL element is basically an AND element. However, the power supply connections and the selection of conductivity type (NMOS or PMOS) for the ANY and ALL elements can be varied to provide the device as having a desired NAND, AND, NOR or OR configuration, in which the ANY element acts as a pull-up and the ALL element acts as a pull-down, or vice-versa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 22, 1997
    Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation
    Inventors: Michael D. Rostoker, James S. Koford, Ranko Scepanovic, Edwin R. Jones, Gobi R. Padmanahben, Ashok K. Kapoor, Valeriy B. Kudryavtsev, Alexander E. Andreev, Stanislav V. Aleshin, Alexander S. Podkolzin
  • Patent number: 5648671
    Abstract: A lateral thin-film silicon-on-insulator (SOI) device includes a lateral semiconductor device such as a diode or MOSFET provided in a thin semiconductor film on a thin buried oxide. The lateral semiconductor device structure includes at least two semiconductor regions separated by a lateral drift region. By providing a substantially linear lateral doping profile in the lateral drift region, and by providing a conductive field plate on a linearly-graded top oxide insulating layer, a device structure is obtained in which conduction losses can be reduced without reducing breakdown voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Assignee: U S Philips Corporation
    Inventor: Steven L. Merchant
  • Patent number: 5648673
    Abstract: A semiconductor device and a method of fabricating such a semiconductor device in which a silicon nitride film constituting a protective film for ion implantation is used for improving the device structure in order that conversion of a metal film into a silicide for reducing the resistance of a shallow-junction diffused layer may not be prevented by the knock-on phenomenon of oxygen, thereby reduce the fabrication cost. A silicon nitride film, which is used as a protective film for ion implantation into a substrate and a gate polysilicon, is processed into side walls of the gate polysilicon thereby to omit the step of forming side walls by a silicon oxide film. Further, in the case where boron is diffused into the gate polysilicon, boron diffusion is suppressed by nitrogen knock-on, thereby preventing boron from going through the gate oxide film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Assignee: Nippon Steel Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyasu Yasuda
  • Patent number: 5648676
    Abstract: A semiconductor device has a first-conduction-type semiconductor substrate (19), an internal circuit including a vertical bipolar transistor (18) formed in a second-conduction-type semiconductor layer (20), and a protective element (14). The protective element comprises a first-conduction-type diffusion layer (22a) formed at an upper part of a second-conduction-type semiconductor layer (20a) disposed on the semiconductor substrate (19), and a second-conduction-type diffusion layer (27, 30) formed in the first-conduction-type diffusion layer (22a). The diffusion layer (27, 30) is at least partly deeper than an emitter diffusion layer (23) of the vertical bipolar transistor (18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Takashi Iwai, Motoo Nakano
  • Patent number: 5648662
    Abstract: A method of fabricating silicon TFTs (thin-film transistors) is disclosed. The method comprises a crystallization step by laser irradiation effected after the completion of the device structure. First, amorphous silicon TFTs are fabricated. In each of the TFTs, the channel formation region, the source and drain regions are exposed to laser radiation illuminated from above or below the substrate. Then, the laser radiation is illuminated to crystallize and activate the channel formation region, and source and drain regions. After the completion of the device structure, various electrical characteristics of the TFTs are controlled. Also, the amorphous TFTs can be changed into polysilicon TFTs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hongyong Zhang, Naoto Kusumoto
  • Patent number: 5648675
    Abstract: In the present invention, atoms are implanted into the surface of at least a crystalline silicon semiconductor of one conductivity type in forming a heterojunction, thereby to bring the surface of the crystalline silicon semiconductor into amorphous to form a substantially intrinsic amorphous silicon layer. An amorphous silicon layer or a microcrystalline silicon layer of an opposite conductivity type is deposited on the amorphous silicon layer, whereby a heterojunction interface is formed in a region deeper than a deposition interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Norihiro Terada, Yasuki Harada
  • Patent number: 5648679
    Abstract: An integrated circuit assembly includes a dielectric flex tape substrate defining a predetermined array of electrically conductive traces and an array of solder balls or solder columns electrically connected to the bottom surface of the flex tape substrate and the traces. An integrated circuit die having a series of input/output pads is supported on the substrate. In one embodiment, a plurality of electrically conductive leads are supported by the flex tape substrate in electrical isolation from and over the conductive traces. A first and second series of bonding wires electrically connect certain ones of the input/output terminals on the integrated circuit die to the electrically conductive leads and conductive traces, respectively. In other embodiments, one or more electrically isolated conductive layers are supported by the dielectric flex tape substrate over the traces and electrically conductive leads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Satya Chillara, Shahram Mostafazadeh
  • Patent number: 5648684
    Abstract: An endcap chip is provided for a multichip stack comprising multiple integrated circuit chips laminated together. The endcap chip has a substrate with an upper surface and a edge surface, which extends in a plane orthogonal to the upper surface. At least one conductive, monolithic L-connect is disposed over the substrate such that a first leg extends at least partially over the upper surface of the substrate and a second leg extends at least partially over the edge surface of the substrate. When the endcap chip is located at the end of the multichip stack, the at least one conductive, monolithic L-connect electrically connects metal on an end face of the stack to metal on a side face of the stack. A fabrication process is set forth for producing the endcap chip with lithographically defined dimensions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Claude Louis Bertin, Wayne John Howell, Howard Leo Kalter
  • Patent number: 5646432
    Abstract: A semiconductor substrate is provided which has a semiconductor on insulator structure but in which can be formed a thin film integrated circuit having electrical characteristics and microstructure equal to or of greater density than a silicon integrated circuit formed using a bulk single crystal silicon wafer. The semiconductor substrate has a structure which is formed of a sequentially layered single crystal silicon thin film sandwiched between a thermally oxidized silicon film and a silicon oxide or silicon nitride film, an element smoothing layer, a fluoro-epoxy series resin adhesive layer, and a supporting substrate. The single crystal silicon thin film can have integrated circuit devices formed in a sub-micron geometry similar to that of a bulk single crystal silicon. A transparent glass or a bulk single crystal silicon wafer can be used as a supporting substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 8, 1997
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Tadao Iwaki, Tsuneo Yamazaki, Katsuki Matsushita, Shigeru Senbonmatsu, Ryuichi Takano
  • Patent number: 5646428
    Abstract: A depletion type transistor formed on a semiconductor substrate includes a drain region and a source region formed in distinct areas on the substrate. An inversion layer is formed in the surface area between the drain and the source regions. The transistor further includes two insulated gates: a floating gate located above the substrate and insulated from the inversion layer by an insulating layer in such a way as to cover the inversion layer, and a control gate provided above the floating gate and insulated from the floating gate by the insulating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 8, 1997
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Minoru Hamada