Patents Examined by Tom Thomas
  • Patent number: 9000478
    Abstract: A semiconductor apparatus includes a substrate having a device region and a peripheral region located around the device region. A first semiconductor region is formed within the device region, is of a first conductivity type, and is exposed at an upper surface of the substrate. Second-fourth semiconductor regions are formed within the peripheral region. The second semiconductor region is of the first conductivity type, has a lower concentration of the first conductivity type of impurities, is exposed at the upper surface, and is consecutive with the first semiconductor region directly or indirectly. The third semiconductor region is of a second conductivity type, is in contact with the second semiconductor region from an underside, and is an epitaxial layer. The fourth semiconductor region is of the second conductivity type, has a lower concentration of the second conductivity type of impurities, and is in contact with the third semiconductor region from an underside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masaru Senoo
  • Patent number: 8994052
    Abstract: A light-emitting device includes a first semiconductor layer; an active layer formed on the first semiconductor layer; a second semiconductor layer formed on the active layer; and a first pad formed on the second semiconductor layer, wherein the second semiconductor layer comprises a first region right under the first pad and a plurality of voids formed in the first region, wherein the region outside the first region in the second semiconductor layer is devoid of voids, and an area of the first region is smaller than that of the first pad in top view and the area of the first pad is smaller than that of the second semiconductor layer in top view, and the light emitted from the active layer is extracted from a top surface of the second semiconductor layer opposite the first semiconductor layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Epistar Corporation
    Inventors: Chien-Fu Shen, Chao-Hsing Chen, Chien-Fu Huang, Shih-I Chen, Chiu-Lin Yao, Chia-Liang Hsu, Chen Ou
  • Patent number: 8987762
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a light-emitting unit which emits light, a wavelength conversion unit which includes a phosphor and which is provided on a main surface of the light-emitting unit, and a transparent resin which is provided on top of the wavelength conversion unit, are prepared. The transparent resin has a greater modulus of elasticity and/or a higher Shore hardness than the wavelength conversion unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Toshiya Nakayama, Kazuhito Higuchi, Hiroshi Koizumi, Hideo Nishiuchi, Susumu Obata, Akiya Kimura, Yoshiaki Sugizaki, Akihiro Kojima, Yosuke Akimoto
  • Patent number: 8987009
    Abstract: A method for tracking an interposer die of a stacked silicon interconnect technology (SSIT) product includes forming a plurality of dummy components on the interposer die, and modifying one or more of the plurality of dummy components on the interposer die to form a unique identifier for the interposer die. An apparatus for a stacked silicon interconnect technology (SSIT) product includes an interposer die, and a plurality of dummy components at the interposer die. One or more of the plurality of dummy components is modifiable to form a unique identifier for the interposer die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.
    Inventors: Cinti X. Chen, Myongseob Kim, Xiao-Yu Li, Mohsen H. Mardi
  • Patent number: 8981425
    Abstract: A transient-voltage suppressing (TVS) device disposed on a semiconductor substrate including a low-side steering diode, a high-side steering diode integrated with a main Zener diode for suppressing a transient voltage. The low-side steering diode and the high-side steering diode integrated with the Zener diode are disposed in the semiconductor substrate and each constituting a vertical PN junction as vertical diodes in the semiconductor substrate whereby reducing a lateral area occupied by the TVS device. In an exemplary embodiment, the high-side steering diode and the Zener diode are vertically overlapped with each other for further reducing lateral areas occupied by the TVS device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Incorporated
    Inventor: Madhur Bobde
  • Patent number: 8980734
    Abstract: An anti-counterfeiting security circuit is incorporated into an authentic integrated circuit device to induce failure in a counterfeited integrated circuit device by forming the security circuit (e.g., 21, 31, 41, 51) with one or more operatively inert high-k metal gate transistors (e.g., HKMG PMOS 112) having switched or altered work function metal layers (82) where the security circuit defines a first electrical function with the one or more operatively inert high-k metal gate transistors and defines a second different electrical function if the one or more operatively inert high-k metal gate transistors were instead fabricated as operatively functional high-k metal gate transistors of the first polarity type with a work function metal layer of the first polarity type, the security circuit would define a second different electrical function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Tab A. Stephens, Perry H. Pelley, Michael B. McShane, Paul A. Grudowski
  • Patent number: 8975723
    Abstract: An integrated device includes: a semiconductor body having a first, depressed, portion and second portions which project from the first portion; a STI structure, extending on the first portion of the semiconductor body, which delimits laterally the second portions and has a face adjacent to a surface of the first portion; low-voltage CMOS components, housed in the second portions, in a first region of the semiconductor body; and a power component, in a second region of the semiconductor body. The power component has at least one conduction region, formed in the first portion of the semiconductor body, and a conduction contact, coupled to the conduction region and traversing the STI structure in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the first portion of the semiconductor body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Riccardo Depetro, Stefano Manzini
  • Patent number: 8969949
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides one embodiment of a SRAM cell that includes first and second inverters cross-coupled for data storage, each inverter including at least one pull-up device and at least one pull-down devices; and at least two pass-gate devices configured with the two cross-coupled inverters. The pull-up devices, the pull-down devices and the pass-gate devices include a tunnel field effect transistor (TFET) that further includes a semiconductor mesa formed on a semiconductor substrate and having a bottom portion, a middle portion and a top portion; a drain of a first conductivity type formed in the bottom portion and extended into the semiconductor substrate; a source of a second conductivity type formed in the top portion, the second conductivity type being opposite to the first conductivity type; a channel in a middle portion and interposed between the source and drain; and a gate formed on sidewall of the semiconductor mesa and contacting the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Harry-Hak-Lay Chuang, Bao-Ru Young, Wei Cheng Wu, Yi-Ren Chen, Ming Zhu
  • Patent number: 8963269
    Abstract: A light-transmissive member has a first principal face, a second principal face, and side faces. The first principal face has a first portion including a center of the first principal face and a second portion between the first portion and the side face sides. The member includes a plurality of altered portions formed between the first principal face and the second principal face so that the plurality of altered portions do not appear on the first principal face, the second principal face, and the side faces. Orthogonal projections of the plurality of altered portions onto the first principal face are included in the second portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Miyake
  • Patent number: 8963115
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a memory device includes a first conductive line extending in a first direction, second conductive lines each extending in a second direction intersect with the first direction, a third conductive line extending in a third direction intersect with the first and second directions, an insulating layer disposed between the second conductive lines and the third conductive line, resistance change elements each disposed on one of first and second surfaces of each of the second conductive lines in the third direction, and each connected to the third conductive line, a semiconductor layer connected between the first conductive line and one end of the third conductive line, and a select FET having a select gate electrode, and using the semiconductor layer as a channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Kenichi Murooka
  • Patent number: 8957478
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having a doped well area includes a doped substrate layer formed on a substrate portion of the semiconductor device. The doped substrate layer extends along a first direction to define a length and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to define a width. A plurality of fins is formed on the doped substrate layer and an oxide substrate layer is formed between each fin. At least one gate is formed on the oxide substrate layer and extends across at least one fin among the plurality of fins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Hong He, Chiahsun Tseng, Junli Wang, Yunpeng Yin
  • Patent number: 8953819
    Abstract: Provided is a method and apparatus for focusing sound using an array speaker system. The method includes generating a plurality of delayed signals to be focused to a predetermined position from an input signal, filtering a low-frequency signal having a frequency that is lower than a reference frequency from the delayed signals, generating low-frequency focusing signals divided into 2 groups by adjusting a gain of the filtered low-frequency signal, and applying the low-frequency focusing signals divided into the 2 groups to speaker units of the array speaker system at both sides with respect to a center portion of the array speaker system and outputting the low-frequency focusing signals through the speaker units. In this way, the performance of sound focusing for the low-frequency signal can be improved and thus a listener located a predetermined distance from and in a predetermined direction relative to the array speaker system can clearly listen to the low-frequency focusing signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sang-chul Ko, Young-tae Kim, Jung-ho Kim
  • Patent number: 8937366
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to a semiconductor device. The semiconductor devise comprises a substrate. An epitaxially grown semiconductor material is disposed over at least a portion of the substrate. A nanotemplate structure is disposed at least partially within the semiconductor material. The nanotemplate structure comprises a plurality of dielectric nanoscale features defining a plurality of nanoscale windows. An air gap is disposed between at least a portion of one or more of the nanoscale features and the semiconductor material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: STC.UNM
    Inventors: Sang M. Han, Darin Leonhardt, Swapnadip Ghosh
  • Patent number: 8933488
    Abstract: In accordance with one or more embodiments, an apparatus and method involves a channel region, barrier layers separated by the channel region and a dielectric on one of the barrier layers. The barrier layers have band gaps that are different than a band gap of the channel region, and confine both electrons and holes in the channel region. A gate electrode applies electric field to the channel region via the dielectric. In various contexts, the apparatus and method are amenable to implementation for both electron-based and hole-based implementations, such as for nmos, pmos, and cmos applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior Univerity
    Inventors: Aneesh Nainani, Krishna Chandra Saraswat
  • Patent number: 8933543
    Abstract: A nitride-based semiconductor device of the present invention includes: a nitride-based semiconductor multilayer structure 20 which includes a p-type semiconductor region with a surface 12 being inclined from the m-plane by an angle of not less than 1° and not more than 5°; and an electrode 30 provided on the p-type semiconductor region. The p-type semiconductor region is formed by an AlxInyGazN (where x+y+z=1, x?0, y?0, and z?0) layer 26. The electrode 30 includes a Mg layer 32 and an Ag layer 34 provided on the Mg layer 32. The Mg layer 32 is in contact with the surface 12 of the p-type semiconductor region of the semiconductor multilayer structure 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiya Yokogawa, Mitsuaki Oya, Atsushi Yamada, Akihiro Isozaki
  • Patent number: 8933495
    Abstract: The invention relates to time-delay and signal-integration linear image sensors (or TDI sensors). According to the invention, a pixel comprises a succession of several insulated gates covering a semiconducting layer, the gates of one pixel being separated from one another and separated from the gates of an adjacent pixel of another line by narrow uncovered gaps of a gate and comprising a doped region of a second type of conductivity covered by a doped superficial region of the first type; the superficial regions are kept at one and the same reference potential; the width of the narrow gaps between adjacent gates is such that the internal potential of the region of the second type is modified in the whole width of the narrow gap when a gate sustains the alternations of potential necessary for the transfer of charges from one pixel to the following one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: E2V Semiconductors
    Inventor: Frederic Mayer
  • Patent number: 8932948
    Abstract: A NAND flash memory chip is formed by depositing two N-type polysilicon layers. The upper N-type polysilicon layer is then replaced with P-type polysilicon and barrier layer in the array area only, while maintaining the upper N-type polysilicon layer in the periphery. In this way, floating gates are substantially P-type while gates of peripheral transistors are N-type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jongsun Sel, Tuan Pham, Ming Tian
  • Patent number: 8933509
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a device isolation structure, a recess channel structure, a first lower gate conductive layer conformal to the recess channel structure and defining a recess, a holding layer over the first lower gate conductive layer to fill the recess defined by the first lower gate conductive layer, and a second lower gate conductive layer over the first lower gate conductive layer and the holding layer. The holding layer is configured to hold a shift of the seam occurring in the recess channel structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Shin Gyu Choi, Seung Chul Oh
  • Patent number: 8927968
    Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes providing a structure including, a handle substrate, a buried boron nitride layer located above an uppermost surface of the handle substrate, a buried oxide layer located on an uppermost surface of the buried boron nitride layer, and a top semiconductor layer located on an uppermost surface of the buried oxide layer. Next, a first semiconductor pad, a second semiconductor pad and a plurality of semiconductor nanowires connecting the first semiconductor pad and the second semiconductor pad in a ladder-like configuration are patterned into the top semiconductor layer. The semiconductor nanowires are suspended by removing a portion of the buried oxide layer from beneath each semiconductor nanowire, wherein a portion of the uppermost surface of the buried boron nitride layer is exposed. Next, a gate all-around field effect transistor is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Guy Cohen, Michael A. Guillorn, Alfred Grill, Leathen Shi
  • Patent number: 8927405
    Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes providing a structure including, a handle substrate, a buried boron nitride layer located above an uppermost surface of the handle substrate, a buried oxide layer located on an uppermost surface of the buried boron nitride layer, and a top semiconductor layer located on an uppermost surface of the buried oxide layer. Next, a first semiconductor pad, a second semiconductor pad and a plurality of semiconductor nanowires connecting the first semiconductor pad and the second semiconductor pad in a ladder-like configuration are patterned into the top semiconductor layer. The semiconductor nanowires are suspended by removing a portion of the buried oxide layer from beneath each semiconductor nanowire, wherein a portion of the uppermost surface of the buried boron nitride layer is exposed. Next, a gate all-around field effect transistor is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Guy Cohen, Michael A. Guillorn, Alfred Grill, Leathen Shi