Patents Examined by Steven H. Rao
  • Patent number: 7446399
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a new bonding pad structure having a rugged contact interface that makes it more difficult for a crack to grow from the peripheral edge of the bonding pad. The rugged contact interface also helps to accumulate more solder paste on the edge of the bonding pad, increase the thickness of the solder layer near the pad edge and prevent the pad edge from being oxidized and turning into a crack initiation point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Altera Corporation
    Inventor: Yuan Li
  • Patent number: 7432539
    Abstract: An improved imaging array (and corresponding method of operation) includes a plurality of heterojunction thyristor-based pixel elements disposed within resonant cavities formed on a substrate. Each thyristor-based pixel element includes complementary n-type and p-type modulation doped quantum well interfaces that are spaced apart from one another. Incident radiation within a predetermined wavelength resonates within the cavity of a given pixel element for absorption therein that causes charge accumulation. The accumulated charge is related to the intensity of the incident radiation. The heterojunction-thyristor-based pixel element is suitable for many imaging applications, including CCD-based imaging arrays and active-pixel imaging arrays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignees: The University of Connecticut, Opel, Inc.
    Inventor: Geoff W. Taylor
  • Patent number: 7427805
    Abstract: An LED chip package body includes an LED chip having a pad-installed surface, a plurality of pads installed on the pad-installed surface and a rear surface formed on an opposite side of the pad-installed surface. A light-reflecting coating is disposed on the pad-installed surface and has a plurality of exposed holes for exposure of the corresponding pads. A first insulative layer is formed on the light-reflecting coating and has a plurality of through holes communicating with the corresponding exposed holes. A second insulative layer is disposed on the rear surface and has a central through hole for exposure of a central portion of the rear surface. A lens is received in the central through hole. Each of a plurality of external connected conductive bodies is electrically connected to the corresponding pad and projects out of the corresponding through hole in the first insulative layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2008
    Inventor: Yu-Nung Shen
  • Patent number: 7427813
    Abstract: Provided are semiconductor low-K Si die wire bonding packages with package stress control and fabrication methods for such packages. The packages include molding interface material applied onto the low-K Si die. In general, the molding interface material is selectively applied onto the low-K Si die surface in order to minimize to safe levels the package stress experienced by the low-K Si die. Selective application includes defining various combinatorial patterns of coated and non-coated regions. In addition, selective application may also include a general application of molding interface material to create a stress buffer zone. The results are packages with less stress experienced by the low-K Si die and so improved reliability (in compliance with industry specifications).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2008
    Assignee: Altera Corporation
    Inventors: Wen-chou Vincent Wang, Yuan Li
  • Patent number: 7425998
    Abstract: A thin film transistor array panel comprises a plurality of gate lines formed on an insulating substrate; a repair line formed on the insulating substrate; a gate insulating layer formed on the gate lines and the repair line; a plurality of data lines formed on the gate insulating layer; an electricity dissipation line formed on the gate insulating layer crossing the gate lines and the repair line; and a first diode connecting the repair line and the electricity dissipation line. When static electricity is introduced through the repair lines, the static electricity is transferred to the electricity dissipation line and is dispersed or exhausted before it reaches to the data lines. As a result, the TFTs and wires in the display area are prevented from being destroyed by the static electricity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jong-Woong Chang
  • Patent number: 7423719
    Abstract: An optical diffusion film comprises a plurality of diffraction grating cells formed on a substrate, each cell comprising a plurality of curved gratings disposed in parallel with each other and containing the same profile. Such film can be manufactured by embossing, using an original plate formed by etching a photosensitive material by means of an electronic beam exposure system to produce gratings. When such a film is provided with a reflection layer and exposed to light coming obliquely from above, highly bright and diffracted light is emitted in a predetermined direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2008
    Assignee: Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Susumu Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7421158
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a method for etching a solid state material to create a surface relief pattern. A resist layer is formed on the surface of the solid state material. The photoresist layer is holographically patterned to form a patterned mask. The pattern is then transferred into the solid state material by a dry etching process. The invention is especially useful for forming optical nanostructures. In preferred embodiments, a direct write process, such as ebeam lithography, is used to define defects and functional elements, such as waveguides and cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Yeshaiahu Fainman, Wataru Nakagawa, Chyong-Hua Chen, Pang-Chen Sun, Lin Pang
  • Patent number: 7420628
    Abstract: An electro-optical device comprising a display drive system with the display timing related to the unit time t for writing-in a picture element and to the time F for writing-in one picture is disclosed. In the device, a gradated display corresponding to the ratio of the division can be obtained by time-sharing the signal during a write-in of time t without changing the time F.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaaki Hiroki, Akira Mase, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 7420266
    Abstract: Provided is a circuit device having conductive patterns which are equally spaced apart and a manufacturing method thereof. A method for manufacturing a circuit device of the present invention includes the steps of: preparing a conductive foil; forming conductive patterns, which are included in a unit having at least regions for mounting circuit elements, by forming isolation trenches having a uniform width in the conductive foil; electrically connecting the conductive patterns to the circuit elements; sealing with a sealing resin so as to cover the circuit elements and to be filled in the isolation trenches; and removing the conductive foil in its thickness portions where no isolation trenches are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Inventor: Kouji Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7411226
    Abstract: An InP high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) structure in which a gate metal stack includes an additional thin layer of a refractory metal, such as molybdenum (Mo) or platinum (Pt) at a junction between the gate metal stack and a Schottky barrier layer in the HEMT structure. The refractory metal layer reduces or eliminates long-term degradation of the Schottky junction between the gate metal and the barrier layer, thereby dramatically improving long-term reliability of InP HEMTs, but without sacrifice in HEMT performance, whether used as a discrete device or in an integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
    Inventors: Yeong-Chang Choug, Ronald Grundbacher, Po-Hsin Liu, Denise L. Leung, Richard Lai
  • Patent number: 7409257
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system for moving substrates in and out of a manufacturing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Min-Young Heo, Sung-Joon Byun, Jung-Teak Lim, Byung-Kwen Park
  • Patent number: 7399697
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for depositing nano-porous low dielectric constant films by reacting a mixture comprising an oxidizable silicon component and an oxidizable component having thermally labile groups with an oxidizing gas in gas-phase plasma-enhanced reaction. The deposited silicon oxide based film is annealed to form dispersed microscopic voids that remain in a nano-porous silicon oxide based film having a low-density structure. The nano-porous silicon oxide based films are useful for forming layers between metal lines with or without liner or cap layers. The nano-porous silicon oxide based films may also be used as an intermetal dielectric layer for fabricating dual damascene structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert P. Mandal
  • Patent number: 7378330
    Abstract: A method of forming substrates, e.g., silicon on insulator, silicon on silicon. The method includes providing a donor substrate, e.g., silicon wafer. The method also includes forming a cleave layer on the donor substrate that contains the cleave plane, the plane of eventual separation. In a specific embodiment, the cleave layer comprising silicon germanium. The method also includes forming a device layer (e.g., epitaxial silicon) on the cleave layer. The method also includes introducing particles into the cleave layer to add stress in the cleave layer. The particles within the cleave layer are then redistributed to form a high concentration region of the particles in the vicinity of the cleave plane, where the redistribution of the particles is carried out in a manner substantially free from microbubble or microcavity formation of the particles in the cleave plane. That is, the particles are generally at a low dose, which is defined herein as a lack of microbubble or microcavity formation in the cleave plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Silicon Genesis Corporation
    Inventors: Francois J. Henley, Michael A. Bryan, William G. En
  • Patent number: 7372118
    Abstract: A magnetic random access memory includes, a lower electrode, a magnetoresistive element which is arranged above the lower electrode and has side surfaces, and a protective film which covers the side surfaces of the magnetoresistive element, has a same planar shape as the lower electrode, and is formed by one of sputtering, plasma CVD, and ALD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Asao, Hiroaki Yoda
  • Patent number: 7372170
    Abstract: A flip chip interconnect pad layout has the die signal pads are arranged on the die surface near the perimeter of the die, and the die power and ground pads arranged on the die surface inboard from the signal pads; and has the signal pads on the corresponding package substrate arranged in a manner complementary to the die pad layout and the signal lines routed from the signal pads beneath the die edge away from the die footprint, and has the power and ground lines routed to vias beneath the die footprint. Also, a flip chip semiconductor package in which the flip chip interconnect pad layouts have the die signal pads situated in the marginal part of the die and the die power and ground pads arranged on the die surface inboard from the signal pads, and the corresponding package substrates have signal pads arranged in a manner complementary to the die pad layout and signal lines routed from the signal pads beneath the die edge away from the die footprint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Assignee: ChipPAC, Inc.
    Inventor: Rajendra D. Pendse
  • Patent number: 7365431
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having a first wiring layer including first wirings on a substrate, a contact layer on the first wiring layer and including contacts connected to the first wirings, and a second wiring layer on the contact layer and including second wirings connected to the contacts. Contact pitch is larger than the minimum wiring pitch of the first wirings or the minimum wiring pitch of the second wirings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshihisa Matsubara
  • Patent number: 7342264
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a memory cell on a substrate having a plurality of shallow trench isolations form therein, wherein top surfaces of the shallow trench isolations are lower than a top surface of the substrate and the shallow trench isolations together define a vertical fin structure of the substrate. The memory cell comprises a straddle gate, a carrier trapping structure and at least two source/drain regions. The straddle gate is located on the substrate and straddles over the vertical fin structure. The carrier trapping structure is located between the straddle gate and the substrate, wherein the carrier trapping structure comprises a trapping layer directly in contact with the straddle gate and a tunnel layer located between the trapping layer and the substrate. The source/drain regions are located in a portion of the vertical fin structure of the substrate exposed by the straddle gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: MACRONIX International Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tzu-Hsuan Hsu, Chao-I Wu, Ming-Hsiu Lee
  • Patent number: 7339276
    Abstract: Placing a flow modifier on a package substrate to create two flow fronts on a molded matrix array package. A flow modifier may be laid on a package substrate to a height that blocks off the bottom of other substrates (e.g., dice) coupled to the package substrate. By separating the top flow front and the bottom flow front, this process prevents the top flow front from wrapping around the sides of the substrates and trapping air below each substrate and in front of the bottom flow front.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Rahul N. Manepalli, Saravanan Krishnan, Choong Kooi Chee
  • Patent number: 7335584
    Abstract: A method is provided for using SACVD deposition to deposit at least one layer of dielectric material inside a deposition reactor during the fabrication of at least one semiconductor integrated circuit. According to the method, a reaction chamber is provided for carrying out SACVD deposition, and a stream of a first reaction gas containing oxygen plasma is supplied into a gas feed conduit connected to the reaction chamber. Microwaves are applied inside the gas feed conduit in order to produce sufficient oxygen radicals from the oxygen plasma, the oxygen radicals being necessary to initiate SACVD deposition. A stream of a second reaction gas is supplied into the reaction chamber, with the second reaction gas being suitable to initiate SACVD deposition when reacting with oxygen radicals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventor: Michele Vulpio
  • Patent number: 7332737
    Abstract: A pixel cell including a substrate having a top surface. A photo-conversion device is at a surface of the substrate and a trench is in the substrate adjacent the photo-conversion device. The trench has sidewalls and a bottom. At least one sidewall is angled less than approximately 85 degrees from the plane of the top surface of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Bryan G. Cole, Howard E. Rhodes