Patents Examined by Trung Dang
  • Patent number: 7358526
    Abstract: Techniques are described for forming a separating structure on an OLED device that is free from deformation. The separating structure prevents adjacent electrodes from contacting one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH
    Inventor: Marvin Alan Lumbard
  • Patent number: 7358167
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is formed by performing an amorphizing ion implantation to implant dopants of a first conductivity type into a semiconductor body. The first ion implantation causes a defect area (e.g., end-of-range defects) within the semiconductor body at a depth. A non-amorphizing implantation implants dopants of the same conductivity type into the semiconductor body. This ion implantation step implants dopants throughout the defect area. The dopants can then be activated by heating the semiconductor body for less than 10 ms, e.g., using a flash anneal or a laser anneal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Matthias Hierlemann
  • Patent number: 7354817
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate. A gate electrode is formed on the semiconductor substrate via a gate insulating film. A source region and a drain region of a first conductivity type are formed on the first side and the second side of the gate electrode, respectively, in the semiconductor substrate. A punch-through stopper region of a second conductivity type is formed in the semiconductor substrate such that the second conductivity type punch-through stopper region is located between the source region and the drain region at distances from the source region and the drain region and extends in the direction perpendicular to the principal surface of the semiconductor substrate. The concentration of an impurity element of the second conductivity type in the punch-through stopper region is set to be at least five times the substrate impurity concentration between the source region and the drain region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Taketo Watanabe, Toshio Nomura, Shinichi Kawai, Takayuki Kawamata, Shigeo Satoh
  • Patent number: 7354859
    Abstract: In a dual damascene process to form a fine interconnection structure, a semiconductor manufacturing method includes: forming a first film to be etched on an insulating layer on a semiconductor substrate; forming a first mask film with an opening on the first film; forming a second film to be etched on the first mask film, burying the opening; forming a second mask film on the second film to be etched; forming an interconnection pattern in the second mask film in the upper portion of the opening; forming an interconnection pattern by etching the second film using the second mask film, forming a via pattern by etching the first film to be etched using the first mask film; and forming a via hole and an interconnection trench in the upper portion of the via hole in the insulating layer by selectively etching the insulating layer using the interconnection and via patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Masatoshi Nagase
  • Patent number: 7344978
    Abstract: A semiconductor device including at least one conductive structure is provided. The conductive structure includes a silicon-containing conductive layer, a refractory metal salicide layer and a protection layer. The refractory metal salicide layer is disposed over the silicon-containing conductive layer. The protection layer is disposed over the refractory metal salicide layer. Another semiconductor device including at least one conductive structure is also provided. The conductive structure includes a silicon-containing conductive layer, a refractory metal alloy salicide layer and a protection layer. The refractory metal alloy salicide layer is disposed over the silicon-containing conductive layer. The refractory metal alloy salicide layer is formed from a reaction of silicon of the silicon-containing conductive layer and a refractory metal alloy layer which includes a first refractory metal and a second refractory metal. The protection layer is disposed over the refractory metal alloy salicide layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: United Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Yu-Lan Chang, Chao-Ching Hsieh, Yi-Yiing Chiang, Yi-Wei Chen, Tzung-Yu Hung
  • Patent number: 7344999
    Abstract: A method for cleaning a substrate on which a silicon layer and a silicon germanium layer are formed and exposed, and method for fabricating a semiconductor device using the cleaning method are disclosed. The cleaning method comprises preparing a semiconductor substrate on which a silicon layer and a silicon germanium layer are formed and exposed; and performing a first cleaning sub-process that uses a first cleaning solution to remove a native oxide layer from the semiconductor substrate. The cleaning method further comprises performing a second cleaning sub-process on the semiconductor substrate after performing the first cleaning sub-process, wherein the second cleaning sub-process comprises using a second cleaning solution. In addition, the second cleaning solution comprises ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and deionized water (H2O), and the second cleaning solution comprises at least 200 times more deionized water (H2O) than ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) by volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chang-Sup Mun, Woo-Gwan Shim, Han-Ku Cho, Chang-Ki Hong, Doo-Won Kwon
  • Patent number: 7341912
    Abstract: In a flash memory device, which can maintain an enhanced electric field between a control gate and a storage node (floating gate) and has a reduced cell size, and a method of manufacturing the flash memory device, the flash memory device includes a semiconductor substrate having a pair of drain regions and a source region formed between the pair of drain regions, a pair of spacer-shaped control gates each formed on the semiconductor substrate between the source region and each of the drain regions, and a storage node formed in a region between the control gate and the semiconductor substrate. A bottom surface of each of the control gates includes a first region that overlaps with the semiconductor substrate and a second region that overlaps with the storage node. The pair of spacer-shaped control gates are substantially symmetrical with each other about the source region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Byung-yong Choi, Chang-woo Oh, Dong-gun Park, Dong-won Kim, Yong-kyu Lee
  • Patent number: 7338863
    Abstract: Example embodiments of the present invention disclose a non-volatile semiconductor memory device, which may include a dielectric layer having an enhanced dielectric constant. A tunnel oxide layer pattern and a floating gate may be sequentially formed on a substrate. A dielectric layer pattern including metal oxide doped with Group III transition metals may be formed on the floating gate using a pulsed laser deposition process. The dielectric layer pattern having an increased dielectric constant may be formed of metal oxide doped with a transition metal such as scandium, yttrium, or lanthanum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jong-Cheol Lee, Jae-Hyoung Choi, Han-Mei Choi, Gab-Jin Nam, Young-Sun Kim
  • Patent number: 7338901
    Abstract: A method for forming a thin film on a substrate layer by layer using plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition is described. The method comprises using a low power reduction step for at least one cycle in order to substantially avoid partial layer film growth, followed by using a high power reduction step for each cycle thereafter in order to increase deposition rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Tadahiro Ishizaka
  • Patent number: 7332448
    Abstract: A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, comprises; a process of heat-treating a semiconductor substrate under the ordinary pressure and in an oxidizing atmosphere; and a process of heat-treating the semiconductor substrate under the ordinary pressure and in an inert atmosphere, wherein heat-treating time or heat-treating temperature in heat treatment in the oxidizing atmosphere is changed based on the fluctuation of atmospheric pressure, and the heat-treating time in the inert atmosphere is determined based on the heat-treating time or the heat-treating temperature in the oxidizing atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shinji Terao
  • Patent number: 7329924
    Abstract: Integrated circuits and methods of forming field effect transistors are disclosed. In one aspect, an integrated circuit includes a semiconductor substrate comprising bulk semiconductive material. Electrically insulative material is received within the bulk semiconductive material. Semiconductor material is formed on the insulative material. A field effect transistor is included and comprises a gate, a channel region, and a pair of source/drain regions. In one implementation, one of the source/drain regions is formed in the semiconductor material, and the other of the source/drain regions is formed in the bulk semiconductive material. In one implementation, the electrically insulative material extends from beneath one of the source/drain regions to beneath only a portion of the channel region. Other aspects and implementations, including methodical aspects, are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Sanh D. Tang, Gordon Haller
  • Patent number: 7326620
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising a dual gate field effect transistor is disclosed, in which method a semiconductor body with a surface and of silicon is provided with a source region and a drain region of a first conductivity type and with a channel region of a second conductivity type, opposite to the first conductivity type, between the source region and the drain region and with a first gate region separated from the channel region by a first gate dielectric and situated on one side of the channel region and with a second gate region separated from the channel region by a second gate dielectric and situated on an opposite side of the channel region, and wherein both gate regions are formed within a trench formed in the semiconductor body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignees: Interuniversitair Microelektronica Centrum (IMEC), Koninklijke Philips Electronics
    Inventor: Bartlomiej Jan Pawlak
  • Patent number: 7327011
    Abstract: A plate to plate capacitor has a first plate, a second plate, and an insulating medium separating the first plate from the second plate. The first plate and the second plate are adapted and arranged to form an interlaced structure in which multiple capacitance surface areas in different planes, such as horizontal and vertical, are provided between said first and second plates. The plate to plate capacitor can be formed as a stack of layers in which one or more alternating first and third insulating layers each have first and second conductive lines configured therein and in which one or more second insulating layers having conductive vias formed therein interpose respective first and third insulating layers. The first and second conductive lines in the first insulating layer(s) are interconnected by the conductive vias to the first and second conductive lines, respectively, in the third layer(s) so as to interlace the first and second metal conductive lines together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation
    Inventors: Jason D. Hudson, Sean Erickson, Michael J. Saunders
  • Patent number: 7323391
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes providing a region having doped silicon region on a substrate, and forming a silicon germanium material adjacent to the region on the substrate. A stressed silicon nitride layer is formed over at least a portion of the doped silicon region on the substrate. The silicon germanium layer and stressed silicon nitride layer induce a stress in the doped silicon region of the substrate. In one version, the semiconductor device has a transistor with source and drain regions having the silicon germanium material, and the doped silicon region forms a channel that is configured to conduct charge between the source and drain regions. The stressed silicon nitride layer is formed over at least a portion of the channel, and can be a tensile or compressively stressed layer according the desired device characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Reza Arghavani
  • Patent number: 7316940
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure and method for chip dicing. The method includes (a) providing a semiconductor substrate and (b) forming first and second device regions in and at top of the substrate. The first and second device regions are separated by a semiconductor border region of the substrate. The method further includes (c) forming N interconnect layers, in turn, directly above the semiconductor border region and the first and second device regions. N is a positive integer greater than one. Each of the N interconnect layers includes an etchable portion directly above the semiconductor border region. The etchable portions of the N interconnect layers form a continuous etchable block directly above the semiconductor border region. The method further includes (d) removing the continuous etchable block by etching, and (e) cutting with a laser through the semiconductor border region via an empty space of the removed continuous etchable block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy H. Daubenspeck, Jeffrey P. Gambino, Christopher D. Muzzy, Wolfgang Sauter
  • Patent number: 7314806
    Abstract: A metal-oxy-nitride seed dielectric layer can be formed on a metal-nitride lower electrode of a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) type capacitor. The metal-oxy-nitride seed dielectric layer can act as a barrier layer to reduce a reaction with the metal-nitride lower electrode during, for example, backend processing used to form upper levels of metallization/structures in an integrated circuit including the MIM type capacitor. Nitrogen included in the metal-oxy-nitride seed dielectric layer can reduce the type of reaction, which may occur in conventional type MIM capacitors. A metal-oxide main dielectric layer can be formed on the metal-oxy-nitride seed dielectric layer and can remain separate from the metal-oxy-nitride seed dielectric layer in the MIM type capacitor. The metal-oxide main dielectric layer can be stabilized (using, for example, a thermal or plasma treatment) to remove defects (such as carbon) therefrom and to adjust the stoichiometry of the metal-oxide main dielectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jae-hyoung Choi, Sung-tae Kim, Ki-chul Kim, Cha-young Yoo, Jeong-hee Chung, Se-hoon Oh, Jeong-sik Choi
  • Patent number: 7312500
    Abstract: An ideal step-profile in a channel region is realized easily and reliably, whereby suppression of the short-channel effect and prevention of mobility degradation are achieved together. A silicon substrate is amorphized to a predetermined depth from a semiconductor film, and impurities to become the source/drain are introduced in this state. Then the impurities are activated, and the amorphized portion is recrystallized, by low temperature solid-phase epitaxial regrowth. With the processing temperature required for the low temperature solid-phase epitaxial regrowth being within a range of 450° C.-650° C., thermal diffusion of the impurities into the semiconductor film is suppressed, thereby maintaining the initial steep step-profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Toshihiko Miyashita, Kunihiro Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7307006
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a technology to manufacture a semiconductor sheet or a semiconductor chip with a high yield using a circuit having a thin film transistor. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device comprises: attaching a flexible base material to an element layer x times (x is an integer number of 4 or more), wherein a thickness of a base material which is attached to the element layer (y+1)th (y is an integer number of 1 or more and less than x) time is the same or smaller than that of a base material which is attached to the element layer y-th (y is an integer number of 1 or more and less than x) time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Susumu Okazaki, Nozomi Horikoshi
  • Patent number: 7303957
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a flash memory device using a process for forming a self-aligned floating gate is provided. The method comprises forming mask patterns on a substrate, etching the substrate using the mask patterns as an etch mask to form a plurality of trenches, and filling the trenches with a first insulating layer, wherein sidewalls of the mask patterns remain exposed after filling the trenches with the first insulating layer. The method further comprises forming spacers on the exposed sidewalls of the mask patterns, filling upper insulating spaces with a second insulating layer thereby defining isolation layers, and removing the mask patterns and the spacers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kyeong-koo Chi, Seung-pil Chung, Chang-jin Kang, Jai-hyuk Song
  • Patent number: 7303955
    Abstract: In a semiconductor memory device with a high operating current and a method of manufacturing the same, a semiconductor substrate is formed in which a memory cell region and a peripheral circuit region including an N-channel metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) region and a P-channel metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) region are defined. A gate electrode with sidewall spacers is formed in each of the memory cell region and the peripheral circuit region. Source and drain regions are formed in the semiconductor substrate at sides of the gate electrode to form metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistors. A first etch stop layer is formed on the semiconductor substrate where the MOS transistors are formed. A second etch stop layer is selectively formed in the NMOS region of the peripheral circuit region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Wook-je Kim