Patents Examined by Toniae M. Thomas
  • Patent number: 8373221
    Abstract: An integrated circuit and method of forming an integrated circuit having a memory portion minimizes an amount of oxidation of nanocluster storage elements in the memory portion. A first region of the integrated circuit has non-memory devices, each having a control electrode or gate formed of a single conductive layer of material. A second region of the integrated circuit has a plurality of memory cells, each having a control electrode of at least two conductive layers of material that are positioned one overlying another. The at least two conductive layers are at substantially a same electrical potential when operational and form a single gate electrode. In one form each memory cell gate has two polysilicon layers overlying a nanocluster storage layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert F. Steimle, Ramachandran Muralidhar, Bruce E. White
  • Patent number: 8153459
    Abstract: An organic light emitting diode display device includes a switch TFT and a drive TFT formed on a substrate; an overcoat layer formed on the TFTs; a drain contact hole exposing portions of a drain electrode of the drive TFT by removing portions of the overcoat layer; a first electrode contacting to the drain electrode of the drive TFT; a bank pattern exposing an aperture area of a pixel; an organic layer formed on the first electrode; and a second electrode formed on the organic layer, wherein the bank pattern blocks regions where the drain contact hole is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Heedong Choi
  • Patent number: 8030129
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a nonvolatile memory device including forming on a lower insulating layer a first sacrificial pattern having first openings extending in a first direction, forming a second sacrificial pattern having second openings extending in a second direction on the lower insulating layer and the first sacrificial pattern wherein the second openings intersect the first openings, etching the lower insulating layer using the first and second sacrificial patterns to form a lower insulating pattern having contact holes defined by a region where the first and second openings intersect each other, forming a bottom electrode in the contact holes, and forming a variable resistance pattern on the lower insulating pattern so that a portion of the variable resistance pattern connects to a top surface of the bottom electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ji-Hyun Jeong, Jae-Hee Oh, Jae-Hyun Park
  • Patent number: 7994568
    Abstract: A vertical transistor of a semiconductor device and a method for forming the same are disclosed. The vertical transistor comprises a silicon fin disposed on a semiconductor substrate, a source region disposed in the semiconductor substrate below a lower portion of the silicon fin, a drain region disposed in an upper portion of the silicon fin, a channel region disposed in a sidewall of the silicon fin between the source region and the drain region, a gate oxide film disposed in a surface of the semiconductor substrate and the sidewall of the silicon fin, and a pair of gate electrodes disposed on the gate oxide films.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventor: Woo Young Chung
  • Patent number: 7993990
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure includes an epitaxial surface semiconductor layer having a first dopant polarity and a first crystallographic orientation, and a laterally adjacent semiconductor-on-insulator surface semiconductor layer having a different second dopant polarity and different second crystallographic orientation. The epitaxial surface semiconductor layer has a first edge that has a defect and an adjoining second edge absent a defect. Located within the epitaxial surface semiconductor layer is a first device having a first gate perpendicular to the first edge and a second device having a second gate perpendicular to the second edge. The first device may include a performance sensitive logic device and the second device may include a yield sensitive memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Shreesh Narasimha, Paul David Agnello, Xiaomeng Chen, Judson R. Holt, Mukesh Vijay Khare, Byeong Y. Kim, Devendra K. Sadana
  • Patent number: 7989281
    Abstract: Provided is a method for manufacturing a dual gate in a semiconductor device. The method includes forming a gate insulating layer and a gate conductive layer on a semiconductor substrate, forming a diffusion barrier layer on the gate conductive layer, forming a barrier metal layer on the diffusion barrier layer, depositing a first gate metal layer on the barrier metal layer, forming a metal nitride barrier layer on a surface of the first gate metal layer by supplying nitrogen (N2) plasma on the first gate metal layer, forming a second gate metal layer on the metal nitride barrier layer, and forming a hard mask layer on the second gate metal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventor: Hyun Phill Kim
  • Patent number: 7989900
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure, such as a CMOS structure, includes a gate electrode that has a laterally variable work function. The gate electrode that has the laterally variable work function may be formed using an angled ion implantation method or a sequential layering method. The gate electrode that has the laterally variable work function provides enhanced electrical performance within an undoped channel field effect transistor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Wilfried Haensch, Steven Koester, Amlan Majumdat
  • Patent number: 7985999
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having a capacitor and a method of fabricating the same may be provided. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device may include forming an etch stop layer and a mold layer sequentially on a substrate, patterning the mold layer to form a mold electrode hole exposing a portion of the etch stop layer, etching selectively the exposed etch stop layer by an isotropic dry etching process to form a contact electrode hole through the etch stop layer to expose a portion of the substrate, forming a conductive layer on the substrate and removing the conductive layer on the mold layer on the mold layer to form a cylindrical bottom electrode in the mold and contact electrode holes. The isotropic dry etching process may utilize a process gas including main etching gas and selectivity adjusting gas. The selectivity adjusting gas may increase an etch rate of the etch stop layer by more than an etch rate of the mold layer by the isotropic wet etching process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jung-Min Oh, Jeong-Nam Han, Chang-Ki Hong, Woo-Gwan Shim, Im-Soo Park
  • Patent number: 7985686
    Abstract: A floating gate for a field effect transistor (and method for forming the same and method of forming a uniform nanoparticle array), includes a plurality of discrete nanoparticles in which at least one of a size, spacing, and density of the nanoparticles is one of templated and defined by a self-assembled material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Charles T. Black, Kathryn Wilder Guarini
  • Patent number: 7981735
    Abstract: Provided are a Schottky barrier tunnel transistor and a method of manufacturing the same that are capable of minimizing leakage current caused by damage to a gate sidewall of the Schottky barrier tunnel transistor using a Schottky tunnel barrier naturally formed at a semiconductor-metal junction as a tunnel barrier. The method includes the steps of: forming a semiconductor channel layer on an insulating substrate; forming a dummy gate on the semiconductor channel layer; forming a source and a drain at both sides of the dummy gate on the insulating substrate; removing the dummy gate; forming an insulating layer on a sidewall from which the dummy gate is removed; and forming an actual gate in a space from which the dummy gate is removed. In manufacturing the Schottky barrier tunnel transistor using the dummy gate, it is possible to form a high-k dielectric gate insulating layer and a metal gate, and stable characteristics in silicidation of the metal layer having very strong reactivity can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Yark Yeon Kim, Seong Jae Lee, Moon Gyu Jang, Chel Jong Choi, Myung Sim Jun, Byoung Chul Park
  • Patent number: 7947573
    Abstract: The present invention provides a structure combining an IC integrated substrate and a carrier, which comprises a carrier and an IC integrated substrate formed on the carrier. The IC integrated substrate has a first dielectric layer attached to the carrier. The materials of the carrier and the first dielectric layer are selected to prevent the IC integrated substrate from peeling off the carrier during processing and to allow the IC integrated substrate to naturally separate from the carrier after being cut, through the adhesion between the carrier and the first dielectric layer. The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing the above structure and a method of manufacturing electrical devices using the above structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Princo Corp.
    Inventor: Chih-kuang Yang
  • Patent number: 7943506
    Abstract: A semiconductor device provided with: a first interconnection layer provided on a semiconductor substrate; an interlevel insulation film provided over the first interconnection layer; a second interconnection layer of gold provided as an uppermost interconnection layer on the interlevel insulation film; and a barrier layer provided between the first interconnection layer and the second interconnection layer in an interlevel connection opening formed in the interlevel insulation film. The barrier layer includes a first sublayer provided in contact with the first interconnection layer to reduce a contact resistance, a second sublayer provided in contact with the second interconnection layer to improve a bonding strength, and a third sublayer provided between the first sublayer and the second sublayer. The first sublayer, the second sublayer and the third sublayer are, for example, a first tantalum sublayer, a second tantalum sublayer and a tantalum nitride sublayer, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Goro Nakatani
  • Patent number: 7935557
    Abstract: A manufacturing method of a photoelectric conversion device included a first step of forming a gate electrode, a second step of forming a semiconductor region of a first conductivity type, a third step of forming an insulation film, and a fourth step of forming a protection region of a second conductivity type, which is the opposite conductivity type to the first conductivity type, by implanting ions in the semiconductor region using the gate electrode of the transfer transistor and a portion covering a side face of the gate electrode of the transfer transistor of the insulation film as a mask in a state in which the semiconductor substrate and the gate electrode of the transfer transistor are covered by the insulation film, and causing a portion of the semiconductor region of the first conductivity type from which the protection region is removed to be the charge accumulation region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryuichi Mishima, Mineo Shimotsusa, Hiroaki Naruse
  • Patent number: 7935954
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for the induction of a suitable band gap and electron emissive properties into a substance, in which the substrate is provided with a surface structure corresponding to the interference of electron waves. Lithographic or similar techniques are used, either directly onto a metal mounted on the substrate, or onto a mold which then is used to impress the metal. In a preferred embodiment, a trench or series of nano-sized trenches are formed in the metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Borealis Technical Limited
    Inventors: Avto Tavkhelidze, Jonathan Sidney Edelson, Isaiah Watas Cox, Stuart Harbron
  • Patent number: 7932546
    Abstract: The method for manufacturing a CMOS image sensor is employed to prevent bridge phenomenon between adjacent microlenses by employing openings between the microlenses. The method includes the steps of: preparing a semiconductor substrate including isolation regions and photodiodes therein obtained by a predetermined process; forming an interlayer dielectric (ILD), metal interconnections and a passivation layer formed on the semiconductor substrate in sequence; forming a color filter array having a plurality of color filters on the passivation layer; forming an over-coating layer (OCL) on the color filter array by using a positive photoresist or a negative photoresist; forming openings in the OCL by patterning the OCL by using a predetermined mask; and forming dome-typed microlenses on a patterned OCL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: Crosstek Capital, LLC
    Inventors: Chang-Young Jeong, Dai-Ung Shin, Hong-Ik Kim
  • Patent number: 7928510
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device where a semiconductor element is prevented from being damaged and throughput speed thereof is improved, even in a case of thinning or removing a supporting substrate after forming the semiconductor element over the supporting substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ryosuke Watanabe
  • Patent number: 7927954
    Abstract: A method for fabricating strained-silicon transistors is disclosed. First, a semiconductor substrate is provided and a gate structure and a spacer surrounding the gate structure are disposed on the semiconductor substrate. A source/drain region is then formed in the semiconductor substrate around the spacer, and a first rapid thermal annealing process is performed to activate the dopants within the source/drain region. An etching process is performed to form a recess around the gate structure and a selective epitaxial growth process is performed to form an epitaxial layer in the recess. A second rapid thermal annealing process is performed to redefine the distribution of the dopants within the source/drain region and repair the damaged bonds of the dopants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: United Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Shyh-Fann Ting, Cheng-Tung Huang, Li-Shian Jeng, Kun-Hsien Lee, Wen-Han Hung, Tzyy-Ming Cheng, Meng-Yi Wu, Tsai-Fu Hsiao, Shu-Yen Chan
  • Patent number: 7923326
    Abstract: A split gate (flash) EEPROM cell and a method for manufacturing the same is disclosed, in which a control gate and a floating gate are formed in a vertical structure, to minimize a size of the cell, to obtain a high coupling ratio, and to lower a programming voltage. The split gate EEPROM cell includes a semiconductor substrate having a trench; a tunneling oxide layer at sidewalls of the trench; a floating gate, a dielectric layer and a control gate in sequence on the tunneling oxide layer; a buffer dielectric layer at sidewalls of the floating gate and the control gate; a source junction in the semiconductor substrate at the bottom surface of the trench; a source electrode in the trench between opposing buffer dielectric layers, electrically connected to the source junction; and a drain junction on the surface of the semiconductor substrate outside the trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Dongbu Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Heung Jin Kim
  • Patent number: 7919372
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having a silicon oxide/silicon nitride/silicon oxide (“ONO”) structure is formed by providing a first silicon oxide layer and a silicon nitride layer over a substrate having a memory region and a logic device region; patterning the first silicon oxide layer and the silicon nitride layer to define bottom oxide and silicon nitride portions of partially completed ONO stacks and to expose the substrate in the logic device regions; performing a rapid thermal annealing process in the presence of a radical oxidizing agent to form concurrently a second silicon oxide layer on the exposed surface of the silicon nitride layer and a gate oxide layer over the substrate; and depositing a conductive layer over the completed ONO stacks and the gate oxide. The invention is employed in manufacture of, for example, memory devices having and peripheral logic devices and memory cells including ONO structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Macronix International, Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Chih-Hao Wang, Hsin-Huei Chen, Chong-Jen Huang, Kuang-Wen Liu, Jia-Rong Chiou, Chong-Mu Chen
  • Patent number: 7915126
    Abstract: Some embodiments include methods of utilizing polysilazane in forming non-volatile memory cells. The memory cells may be multi-level cells (MLCs). The polysilazane may be converted to silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, or silicon oxynitride with thermal processing and exposure to an ambient that contains one or both of oxygen and nitrogen. The methods may include using the polysilazane in forming a charge trapping layer of a non-volatile memory cell. The methods may alternatively, or additionally include using the polysilazane in forming intergate dielectric material of a non-volatile memory cell. Some embodiments include methods of forming memory cells of a NAND memory array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald A. Weimer