Patents Examined by Thao X. Le
  • Patent number: 10272470
    Abstract: CMOS Ultrasonic Transducers and processes for making such devices are described. The processes may include forming cavities on a first wafer and bonding the first wafer to a second wafer. The second wafer may be processed to form a membrane for the cavities. Electrical access to the cavities may be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Butterfly Network, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan M. Rothberg, Keith G. Fife, Tyler S. Ralston, Gregory L. Charvat, Nevada J. Sanchez
  • Patent number: 10276486
    Abstract: A chip package is disclosed that includes an electronic chip having a plurality of die pads formed on a top surface thereof, with a polyimide flex layer positioned thereon by way of an adhesive layer. A plurality of vias is formed through the polyimide flex layer and the adhesive layer corresponding to the die pads. A plurality of metal interconnects are formed on the polyimide flex layer each having a cover pad covering a portion of a top surface of the polyimide flex layer, a sidewall extending down from the cover pad and through the via along a perimeter thereof, and a base connected to the sidewall and forming an electrical connection with a respective die pad. Each of the base and the sidewall is formed to have a thickness that is equal to or greater than a thickness of the adhesive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas Bert Gorczyca, Richard Joseph Saia, Paul Alan McConnelee
  • Patent number: 10263089
    Abstract: A transistor including a substrate, a gate layer, a first insulating layer, an active layer, a source and a drain is provided. The gate layer is disposed on the first insulating layer, and has a plurality of first through holes. The first insulating layer covers the gate layer and a part of the substrate exposed by the first through holes, and forms a plurality of recesses respectively corresponding to the first through holes. The active layer is disposed on the first insulating layer, and has a plurality of second through holes. The second through holes communicate with the recesses, respectively. The source is disposed on a part of the active layer. The drain is disposed on another part of the active layer. A manufacturing method of the transistor is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Holdings Inc.
    Inventors: Hsiao-Wen Zan, Chuang-Chuang Tsai, Chia-Wei Chou, Cheng-Hang Hsu
  • Patent number: 10256436
    Abstract: An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The OLED display comprises a substrate on which are defined a display area and a non-display area, an inorganic layer formed over the substrate, an encapsulation layer formed over the inorganic layer. A portion of the inorganic layer is formed over the non-display area, a portion of the encapsulation layer is formed over the non-display area, and a plurality of openings are formed in the portion of the encapsulation layer and the portion of the inorganic layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kwang Nyun Kim
  • Patent number: 10256150
    Abstract: A method is presented for creating an asymmetrical split-gate structure. The method includes forming a first device, forming a second device, forming a first gate stack between a first set of spacers of the first device, and a second gate stack between a second set of spacers of the second device. The method further includes depositing a hard mask over the first and second gate stacks, etching a first section of the first gate stack to create a first gap and a second section of the second gate stack to create a second gap, and forming a third gate stack within the first gap of the first gate stack and within the second gap of the second gate stack such that dual gate stacks are defined for each of the first and second devices. The method further includes annealing the dual gate stacks to form replacement metal gate stacks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Dechao Guo, Liyang Song, Xinhui Wang, Qintao Zhang
  • Patent number: 10249565
    Abstract: A semiconductor chip is mounted on a first surface of an interconnect substrate, and has a multilayer interconnect layer. A first inductor is formed over the multilayer interconnect layer, and a wiring axis direction thereof is directed in a horizontal direction to the interconnect substrate. A second inductor is formed on the multilayer interconnect layer, and a wiring axis direction thereof is directed in the horizontal direction to the interconnect substrate. The second inductor is opposite to the first inductor. A sealing resin seals at least the first surface of the interconnect substrate and the semiconductor chip. A groove is formed over the whole area of a portion that is positioned between the at least first inductor and the second inductor of a boundary surface of the multilayer interconnect layer and the sealing resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuichi Miyagawa, Hideki Fujii, Kenji Furuya
  • Patent number: 10242892
    Abstract: Micro pick-and-bond heads, assembly methods, and device assemblies. In, embodiments, micro pick-and-bond heads transfer micro device elements, such as (micro) LEDs, en masse from a source substrate to a target substrate, such as a LED display substrate. Anchor and release structures on the source substrate enable device elements to be separated from a source substrate, while pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) enables device elements to be temporarily affixed to pedestals of a micro pick-and-bond head. Once the device elements are permanently affixed to a target substrate, the PSA interface may be defeated through peeling and/or thermal decomposition of an interface layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Peter L. Chang, Chytra Pawashe, Michael C. Mayberry, Jia-Hung Tseng
  • Patent number: 10217917
    Abstract: The device according to the invention comprises a nanostructured LED with a first group of nanowires protruding from a first area of a substrate and a contacting means in a second area of the substrate. Each nanowire of the first group of nanowires comprises a p-i-n-junction and a top portion of each nanowire or at least one selection of nanowires is covered with a light-reflecting contact layer. The contacting means of the second area is in electrical contact with the bottom of the nanowires, the light-reflecting contact layer being in electrical contact with the contacting means of the second area via the p-i-n-junction. Thus when a voltage is applied between the contacting means of the second area and the light-reflecting contact layer, light is generated within the nanowire. On top of the light-reflecting contact layer, a first group of contact pads for flip-chip bonding can be provided, distributed and separated to equalize the voltage across the layer to reduce the average serial resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: GLO AB
    Inventors: Steven Konsek, Jonas Ohlsson, Yourii Martynov, Peter Jesper Hanberg
  • Patent number: 10217867
    Abstract: A method for forming fins includes patterning a fin cut mask over a fin etch mask to protect the fin etch mask in a fin region and etching a substrate in accordance with the fin cut mask to form fin cut regions. A first dielectric fill material is formed in the fin cut regions. The fin etch mask is exposed by removing the fin cut mask. Fins in the substrate are etched using the fin etch mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Peng Xu
  • Patent number: 10211175
    Abstract: A substrate includes a plurality of semiconductor chips arranged in a grid pattern and laterally spaced from one another by channel regions. The substrate includes a vertical stack of a semiconductor layer and at least one dielectric material layer embedding metal interconnect structures. The at least one dielectric material layer are removed along the channel regions and around vertices of the grid pattern so that each semiconductor chip includes corner surfaces that are not parallel to lines of the grid pattern. The corner surfaces can include straight surfaces or convex surfaces. The semiconductor chips are diced and subsequently bonded to a packaging substrate employing an underfill material. The corner surfaces reduce mechanical stress applied to the metal interconnect layer during the bonding process and subsequent thermal cycling processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard F. Indyk, Ian D. Melville, Shigefumi Okada
  • Patent number: 10204994
    Abstract: One illustrative device disclosed herein includes, among other things, a stepped conductive source/drain structure with a first recess defined therein and a stepped final gate structure with a second recess defined therein, wherein, when viewed from above, the second recess is axially and laterally offset from the first recess. In this example, the device also includes a layer of insulating material positioned above the stepped conductive source/drain structure and the stepped final gate structure, a conductive gate (CB) contact that is conductively coupled to the stepped final gate structure and a conductive source/drain (CA) contact that is conductively coupled to the stepped conductive source/drain structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc.
    Inventors: Ruilong Xie, Chanro Park, Andre P. Labonte, Lars W. Liebmann, Nigel G. Cave, Mark V. Raymond, Guillaume Bouche, David E. Brown
  • Patent number: 10204808
    Abstract: Micro pick-and-bond heads, assembly methods, and device assemblies. In, embodiments, micro pick-and-bond heads transfer micro device elements, such as (micro) LEDs, en masse from a source substrate to a target substrate, such as a LED display substrate. Anchor and release structures on the source substrate enable device elements to be separated from a source substrate, while pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) enables device elements to be temporarily affixed to pedestals of a micro pick-and-bond head. Once the device elements are permanently affixed to a target substrate, the PSA interface may be defeated through peeling and/or thermal decomposition of an interface layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Peter L. Chang, Chytra Pawashe, Michael C. Mayberry, Jia-Hung Tseng
  • Patent number: 10204823
    Abstract: A silicon buffer layer selected from undoped silicon, p-doped silicon or a multilayered stack of, in any order, undoped silicon and p-doped silicon is provided between an n+ silicon layer and an oxide layer of an SOI substrate. The presence of the silicon buffer layer reduces electron injection into the oxide layer during device processing which requires an electric field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen W. Bedell, Stephan A. Cohen, Joel P. de Souza, Karen A. Nummy, Daniel J. Poindexter, Devendra K. Sadana
  • Patent number: 10199482
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device configured to protect a circuit from ESD conditions. The protection device includes an emitter region having a first diffusion polarity; a collector region laterally spaced apart from the emitter region, and having the first diffusion polarity; and a barrier region interposed laterally between the emitter region and the collector region while contacting the emitter region. The barrier region has a second diffusion polarity opposite from the first diffusion polarity. The device can further include a base region having the second diffusion polarity, and laterally surrounding and underlying the emitter region and the barrier region. The barrier region can have a higher dopant concentration than the base region, and block a lateral current flow between the collector and emitter regions, thus forming a vertical ESD device having enhanced ESD performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: ANALOG DEVICES, INC.
    Inventors: David Clarke, Paul Daly, Patrick McGuinness, Bernard Stenson, Anne Deignan
  • Patent number: 10192810
    Abstract: Underfill material flow control for reduced die-to-die spacing in semiconductor packages and the resulting semiconductor packages are described. In an example, a semiconductor apparatus includes first and second semiconductor dies, each having a surface with an integrated circuit thereon coupled to contact pads of an uppermost metallization layer of a common semiconductor package substrate by a plurality of conductive contacts, the first and second semiconductor dies separated by a spacing. A barrier structure is disposed between the first semiconductor die and the common semiconductor package substrate and at least partially underneath the first semiconductor die. An underfill material layer is in contact with the second semiconductor die and with the barrier structure, but not in contact with the first semiconductor die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Omkar G. Karhade, Nitin A. Deshpande, Rajendra C. Dias, Edvin Cetegen, Lars D. Skoglund
  • Patent number: 10186563
    Abstract: An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device and a method of manufacturing the same. The device includes a substrate, a thin film transistor (TFT) on the substrate and including an active layer, a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode, a first pixel electrode coupled to one of the source and drain electrodes, a rough portion on the first pixel electrode, a second pixel electrode on the rough portion and having a rough pattern, an intermediate layer on the second pixel electrode including an organic emission layer (EML), and an opposing electrode on the intermediate layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seong-Hyun Jin, Jae-Hwan Oh, Yeoung-Jin Chang, Se-Hun Park, Won-Kyu Lee, Jae-Beom Choi
  • Patent number: 10181464
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit. The ESD protection circuit may include a silicon controller rectifier (SCR) which may be triggered via at least one of its first trigger gate or second trigger gate. The ESD protection circuit may further include a highly doped region coupled to either the anode or cathode of the SCR, wherein the highly doped region may provide additional carriers to facilitate triggering of the SCR during an ESD event, whereby the SCR may be triggered more quickly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: SOFICS BVBA
    Inventors: Bart Sorgeloos, Benjamin Van Camp, Olivier Marichal
  • Patent number: 10181454
    Abstract: In a stack of chips which each include active circuit regions, a plurality of through-silicon via (TSV) structures are formed for thermally conducting heat from the multi-chip stack by patterning, etching and filling with thermally conductive material a plurality of TSV openings in the multi-chip stack, including a first larger TSV opening that extends through substantially the entirety of the multi-chip stack without penetrating any active circuit region, and a second smaller TSV opening that extends down to but not through an active circuit region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventor: Changyok Park
  • Patent number: 10170499
    Abstract: A plurality of semiconductor fins is formed on a surface of an insulator layer. Gate structures are then formed that are orientated perpendicular and straddle each semiconductor fin. A dielectric spacer is then formed on vertical sidewalls of each gate structure. Next, an etch is performed that removes exposed portions of each semiconductor fin and a portion of the insulator layer not protected by the dielectric spacers and the gate structures. The etch provides semiconductor fin portions that have exposed vertical sidewalls. A doped semiconductor material is then formed from each exposed vertical sidewall of each semiconductor fin portion, followed by an anneal which causes diffusion of dopants from the doped semiconductor material into each semiconductor fin portion and the formation of source/drain regions. The source/drain regions are present along the sidewalls of each semiconductor fin portion and are located beneath the dielectric spacers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Hong He, Ali Khakifirooz, Alexander Reznicek, Soon-Cheon Seo
  • Patent number: 10163679
    Abstract: Structures for shallow trench isolation regions and methods for forming shallow trench isolation regions. A trench is etched partially through a device layer of a silicon-on-insulator substrate. A section of the device layer at a bottom of the trench is thermally oxidized to form a shallow trench isolation region in the trench. During the thermal oxidation, another region of the device layer may be concurrently oxidized over a partial thickness and, after removal of the oxide from this device layer region, used as a thinned silicon body. Prior to the thermal oxidation process, this device layer region may be implanted with an oxidation-retarding species that decreases its oxidation rate in comparison with the oxidation rate of the section of the device layer used to form the shallow trench isolation region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc.
    Inventors: Siva P. Adusumilli, Steven M. Shank, Richard A. Phelps, Anthony K. Stamper