Abstract: A sense amplifier for a series of cells of a memory, including a writing stage comprising a CMOS inverter, the input of which is directly or indirectly connected to an input terminal of the sense amplifier, and the output of which is connected to an output terminal of the sense amplifier intended to be connected to a local bitline addressing the cells of the series, and a reading stage that includes a sense transistor, the gate of which is connected to the output of the inverter and the drain of which is connected to the input of the inverter.

Abstract: Methods of forming bonded semiconductor structures include forming through wafer interconnects through a layer of material of a first substrate structure, bonding one or more semiconductor structures over the layer of material, and electrically coupling the semiconductor structures with the through wafer interconnects. A second substrate structure may be bonded over the processed semiconductor structures on a side thereof opposite the first substrate structure. A portion of the first substrate structure then may be removed, leaving the layer of material with the through wafer interconnects therein attached to the processed semiconductor structures. At least one through wafer interconnects then may be electrically coupled to a conductive feature of another structure, after which the second substrate structure may be removed. Bonded semiconductor structures are formed using such methods.

Abstract: An SRAM-type memory cell that includes a semiconductor on insulator substrate having a thin film of semiconductor material separated from a base substrate by an insulating layer; and six transistors such as two access transistors, two conduction transistors and two charge transistors arranged so as to form with the conduction transistors two back-coupled inverters. Each of the transistors has a back control gate formed in the base substrate below the channel and able to be biased in order to modulate the threshold voltage of the transistor, with a first back gate line connecting the back control gates of the access transistors to a first potential and a second back gate line connecting the back control gates of the conduction transistors and charge transistors to a second potential. The first and second potentials can be modulated according to the type of cell control operation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a semiconductor device that has a semiconductor-on-insulator (SeOI) structure, which includes a substrate, an insulating layer such as an oxide layer on the substrate and a semiconductor layer on the insulating layer with a field-effect-transistor (FET) formed in the SeOI structure from the substrate and deposited layers, wherein the FET has a channel region in the substrate, a gate dielectric layer that is made from at least a part of the oxide layer of the SeOI structure; and a gate electrode that is formed at least partially from a part of the semiconductor layer of the SeOI structure. The invention further relates to a method of forming one or more field-effect-transistors or metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors from a semiconductor-on-insulator structure that involves patterning and etching the SeOI structure, forming shallow trench isolations, depositing insulating, metal or semiconductor layers, and removing mask and/or pattern layers.

Abstract: Methods of forming bonded semiconductor structures include providing a substrate structure including a relatively thinner layer of material on a thicker substrate body, and forming a plurality of through wafer interconnects through the layer of material. A first semiconductor structure may be bonded over the thin layer of material, and at least one conductive feature of the first semiconductor structure may be electrically coupled with at least one of the through wafer interconnects. A transferred layer of material may be provided over the first semiconductor structure on a side thereof opposite the first substrate structure, and at least one of an electrical interconnect, an optical interconnect, and a fluidic interconnect may be formed in the transferred layer of material. A second semiconductor structure may be provided over the transferred layer of material on a side thereof opposite the first semiconductor structure. Bonded semiconductor structures are fabricated using such methods.

Abstract: Three dimensionally integrated semiconductor systems include a photoactive device operationally coupled with a current/voltage converter on a semiconductor-on-insulator (SeOI) substrate. An optical interconnect is operatively coupled to the photoactive device. A semiconductor device is bonded over the SeOI substrate, and an electrical pathway extends between the current/voltage converter and the semiconductor device bonded over the SeOI substrate. Methods of forming such systems include forming a photoactive device on an SeOI substrate, and operatively coupling an waveguide with the photoactive device. A current/voltage converter may be formed over the SeOI substrate, and the photoactive device and the current/voltage converter may be operatively coupled with one another. A semiconductor device may be bonded over the SeOI substrate and operatively coupled with the current/voltage converter.

Abstract: Methods of forming bonded semiconductor structures include forming through wafer interconnects through a layer of material of a first substrate structure, bonding one or more semiconductor structures over the layer of material, and electrically coupling the semiconductor structures with the through wafer interconnects. A second substrate structure may be bonded over the processed semiconductor structures on a side thereof opposite the first substrate structure. A portion of the first substrate structure then may be removed, leaving the layer of material with the through wafer interconnects therein attached to the processed semiconductor structures. At least one through wafer interconnects then may be electrically coupled to a conductive feature of another structure, after which the second substrate structure may be removed. Bonded semiconductor structures are formed using such methods.

Abstract: A sense amplifier for a series of cells of a memory, including a writing stage comprising a CMOS inverter, the input of which is directly or indirectly connected to an input terminal of the sense amplifier, and the output of which is connected to an output terminal of the sense amplifier intended to be connected to a local bitline addressing the cells of the series, and a reading stage that includes a sense transistor, the gate of which is connected to the output of the inverter and the drain of which is connected to the input of the inverter.

Abstract: Methods of forming semiconductor structures include transferring a portion (116a) of a donor structure to a processed semiconductor structure (102) that includes at least one non-planar surface. An amorphous film (144) may be formed over at least one non-planar surface of the bonded semiconductor structure, and the amorphous film may be planarized to form one or more planarized surfaces. Semiconductor structures include a bonded semiconductor structure having at least one non-planar surface, and an amorphous film disposed over the at least one non-planar surface. The bonded semiconductor structure may include a processed semiconductor structure and a portion of a single crystal donor structure attached to a non-planar surface of the processed semiconductor structure.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type and a first doping concentration. A first semiconductor region, used as drain, of the first conductivity type has a lower doping concentration than the semiconductor layer and is over the semiconductor layer. A gate dielectric is over the first semiconductor region. A gate electrode over the gate dielectric has a metal-containing center portion and first and second silicon portions on opposite sides of the center portion. A second semiconductor region, used as a channel, of the second conductivity type has a first portion under the first silicon portion and the gate dielectric. A third semiconductor region, used as a source, of the first conductivity type is laterally adjacent to the first portion of the second semiconductor region. The metal-containing center portion, replacing silicon, increases the source to drain breakdown voltage.

Abstract: A circuit made on a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate. The circuit includes a first transistor having a first channel, a second transistor having a second channel, with the transistors provided in serial association between first and second terminals for applying a power supply potential, each of the transistors comprising a drain region and a source region in the thin layer, a channel extending between the source region and the drain region, and a front control gate located above the channel. Each transistor has a back control gate formed in the base substrate below the channel of the transistor and capable of being biased in order to modulate the threshold voltage of the transistor. At least one of the transistors is configured for operating in a depletion mode under the action of a back gate signal which will sufficiently modulate its threshold voltage.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for providing a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) stack that includes a substrate layer, a first oxide layer on the substrate layer and a silicon layer on the first oxide layer (BOX layer). The method includes providing at least one first region of the SOI stack wherein the silicon layer is thinned by thermally oxidizing a part of the silicon layer and providing at least one second region of the SOI stack wherein the first oxide layer (BOX layer) is thinned by annealing.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for forming a Semiconductor-On-Insulator structure that includes a semiconductor layer of III/V material by growing a relaxed germanium layer on a donor substrate; growing at least one layer of III/V material on the layer of germanium; forming a cleaving plane in the relaxed germanium layer; transferring a cleaved part of the donor substrate to a support substrate, with the cleaved part being a part of the donor substrate cleaved at the cleaving plane that includes the at least one layer of III/V material. The present invention also concerns a germanium on III/V-On-Insulator structure, a N Field-Effect Transistor (NFET), a method for manufacturing a NFET, a P Field-Effect Transistor (PFET), and a method for manufacturing a PFET.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of a wafer by providing a doped layer on a semiconductor substrate; providing a first semiconductor layer on the doped layer; providing a buried oxide layer on the first semiconductor layer; and providing a second semiconductor layer on the buried oxide layer to form a wafer having a buried oxide layer and a doped layer beneath the buried oxide layer. The invention also relates to the wafer that is produced by the new method.

Abstract: A circuit made on a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate. The circuit includes a first transistor having a first channel, a second transistor having a second channel, with the transistors provided in serial association between first and second terminals for applying a power supply potential, each of the transistors comprising a drain region and a source region in the thin layer, a channel extending between the source region and the drain region, and a front control gate located above the channel. Each transistor has a back control gate formed in the base substrate below the channel of the transistor and capable of being biased in order to modulate the threshold voltage of the transistor. At least one of the transistors is configured for operating in a depletion mode under the action of a back gate signal which will sufficiently modulate its threshold voltage.

Abstract: A semiconductor process and apparatus includes forming first and second metal gate electrodes (151, 161) over a hybrid substrate (17) by forming the first gate electrode (151) over a first high-k gate dielectric (121) and forming the second gate electrode (161) over at least a second high-k gate dielectric (122) different from the first gate dielectric (121). By forming the first gate electrode (151) over a first SOI substrate (90) formed by depositing (100) silicon and forming the second gate electrode (161) over an epitaxially grown (110) SiGe substrate (70), a high performance CMOS device is obtained which includes high-k metal PMOS gate electrodes (161) having improved hole mobility.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a hybrid semiconductor substrate comprises the steps of (a) providing a hybrid semiconductor substrate comprising a semiconductor-on-insulator (SeOI) region, that comprises an insulating layer over a base substrate and a SeOI layer over the insulating layer, and a bulk semiconductor region, wherein the SeOI region and the bulk semiconductor region share the same base substrate; (b) providing a mask layer over the SeOI region; and (c) forming a first impurity level by doping the SeOI region and the bulk semiconductor region simultaneously such that the first impurity level in the SeOI region is contained within the mask. Thereby, a higher number of process steps involved in the manufacturing process of hybrid semiconductor substrates may be avoided.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a semiconductor device that has a semiconductor-on-insulator (SeOI) structure, which includes a substrate, an insulating layer such as an oxide layer on the substrate and a semiconductor layer on the insulating layer with a field-effect-transistor (FET) formed in the SeOI structure from the substrate and deposited layers, wherein the FET has a channel region in the substrate, a gate dielectric layer that is made from at least a part of the oxide layer of the SeOI structure; and a gate electrode that is formed at least partially from a part of the semiconductor layer of the SeOI structure. The invention further relates to a method of forming one or more field-effect-transistors or metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors from a semiconductor-on-insulator structure that involves patterning and etching the SeOI structure, forming shallow trench isolations, depositing insulating, metal or semiconductor layers, and removing mask and/or pattern layers.

Abstract: A semiconductor fabrication process includes masking a first region, e.g., an NMOS region, of a semiconductor wafer, e.g., a biaxial, tensile strained silicon on insulator (SOI) wafer and creating recesses in source/drain regions of a second wafer region, e.g., a PMOS region. The wafer is then annealed in an ambient that promotes migration of silicon. The source/drain recesses are filled with source/drain structures, e.g., by epitaxial growth. The anneal ambient may include a hydrogen bearing species, e.g., H2 or GeH2, maintained at a temperature in the range of approximately 800 to 1000° C. The second region may be silicon and the source/drain structures may be silicon germanium. Creating the recesses may include creating shallow recesses with a first etch process, performing an amorphizing implant to create an amorphous layer, performing an inert ambient anneal to recrystallize the amorphous layer, and deepening the shallow recesses with a second etch process.

Abstract: In preferred embodiments, the invention provides substrates that include a support, a first insulating layer arranged on the support, a non-mono-crystalline semi-conducting layer arranged on the first insulating layer, a second insulating layer arranged on the non-mono-crystalline semi-conducting layer; and top layer disposed on the second insulating layer. Additionally, a first gate electrode can be formed on the top layer and a second gate electrode can be formed in the non-mono-crystalline semi-conducting layer. The invention also provides methods for manufacture of such substrates.