Abstract: A process flow for fabricating shallow trench isolation (STI) devices with direct body tie contacts is provided. The process flow follows steps similar to standard STI fabrication methods except that in one of the etching steps, body tie contacts are etched through the nitride layer and STI oxide layer, directly to the body tie. This process flow provides a direct body tie contact to mitigate floating body effects but also eliminates hysteresis and transient upset effects common in non-direct body tie contact configurations, without the critical alignment requirements and critical dimension control of the layout.

Abstract: A process flow for fabricating shallow trench isolation (STI) devices with direct body tie contacts is provided. The process flow follows steps similar to standard STI fabrication methods except that in one of the etching steps, body tie contacts are etched through the nitride layer and STI oxide layer, directly to the body tie. This process flow provides a direct body tie contact to mitigate floating body effects but also eliminates hysteresis and transient upset effects common in non-direct body tie contact configurations, without the critical alignment requirements and critical dimension control of the layout.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) capacitor is presented. The method includes depositing a bottom plate of the MIM capacitor on a passivating dielectric layer which may be a pre-metal or post metal dielectric layer. A capacitor dielectric of the MIM capacitor is subsequently deposited on top of the bottom plate. The capacitor dielectric and the bottom plate both conform to the profile of the passivating dielectric layer. In addition, because the bottom plate is located on a dielectric, which is thermally stable and does not morph or change significantly with successive thermal processing, the capacitor dielectric does not have to be designed to compensate for topography changes due to such thermal processing.

Abstract: An Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) memory cell and a method of operation are disclosed for creating an EEPROM memory cell in a standard CMOS process. A single polysilicon layer is used in combination with lightly doped MOS capacitors. The lightly doped capacitors employed in the EEPROM memory cell can be asymmetrical in design. Asymmetrical capacitors reduce area. Further capacitance variation caused by inversion can also be reduced by using multiple control capacitors. In addition, the use of multiple tunneling capacitors provides the benefit of customized tunneling paths.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure with active edge isolation and increased radiation hardening is presented. The invention comprises forming a pad oxide layer on a substrate. Then a masking layer is formed on the pad oxide and is patterned to define the STI structure trench and spacer locations. A conformal layer of oxide is deposited and is formed into oxide spacers which extend over the active edge of the substrate. The STI structure trench is then etched and a liner oxide is formed on the walls of the trench. The trench is then filled with a dielectric material to form a central oxide region. The central oxide region and oxide spacers are then etched to a desired height and planarized. Finally, the masking layer and portions of the pad oxide layer are then removed.

Abstract: The present invention provides silicon based thin-film structures that can be used to form high frequency optical modulators. Devices of the invention are formed as layered structures that have a thin-film dielectric layer, such as silicon dioxide, sandwiched between silicon layers. The silicon layers have high free carrier mobility. In one aspect of the invention a high mobility silicon layer can be provided by crystallizing an amorphous silicon layer. In another aspect of the invention, a high mobility silicon layer can be provided by using selective epitaxial growth and extended lateral overgrowth thereof.