Patents by Inventor Chen-Ping Chen

Chen-Ping Chen has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20220336662
    Abstract: A semiconductor device in a first area includes first non-planar semiconductor structures separated with a first distance, and a first isolation region including a first layer and a second layer that collectively embed a lower portion of each of the first non-planar semiconductor structures. At least one of the first layer or second layer of the first isolation region is in a cured state. The semiconductor device in a second area includes second non-planar semiconductor structures separated with a second distance, and a second isolation region including a first layer and a second layer that collectively embed a lower portion of each of the second non-planar semiconductor structures. At least one of the first or second layer of the second isolation region is in a cured state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2021
    Publication date: October 20, 2022
    Applicant: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shih-Yao Lin, Hsiao Wen Lee, Li-Jung Kuo, Chen-Ping Chen, Ming-Ching Chang
  • Patent number: 11476347
    Abstract: A method includes forming a dummy gate electrode on a semiconductor region, forming a first gate spacer on a sidewall of the dummy gate electrode, and removing an upper portion of the first gate spacer to form a recess, wherein a lower portion of the first gate spacer remains, filling the recess with a second gate spacer, removing the dummy gate electrode to form a trench, and forming a replacement gate electrode in the trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shih-Yao Lin, Kuei-Yu Kao, Chen-Ping Chen, Chih-Han Lin, Ming-Ching Chang, Chao-Cheng Chen
  • Publication number: 20220328646
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a substrate including a semiconductor material. The semiconductor device includes a conduction channel of a transistor disposed above the substrate. The conduction channel and the substrate include a similar semiconductor material. The semiconductor device includes a source/drain region extending from an end of the conduction channel. The semiconductor device includes a dielectric structure. The source/drain region is electrically coupled to the conduction channel and electrically isolated from the substrate by the dielectric structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2021
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Applicant: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
    Inventors: Chen-Ping Chen, Chih-Han Lin, Ming-Ching Chang, Chao-Cheng Chen
  • Publication number: 20220319928
    Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, a fin structure including a stacked layer of first and second semiconductor layers and a hard mask layer over the stacked layer is formed. A sacrificial cladding layer is formed over at least sidewalls of the exposed hard mask layer and stacked layer. An etching is performed to remove lateral portions of the sacrificial cladding layer, thereby leaving the sacrificial cladding layer on sidewalls of the exposed hard mask layer and stacked layer. A first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer made of a different material than the first dielectric layer are formed. The second dielectric layer is recessed, and a third dielectric layer made of a different material than the second dielectric layer is formed on the recessed second dielectric layer. During the etching operation, a protection layer is formed over the sacrificial cladding layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2021
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: Shu-Wen SHEN, Chen-Ping CHEN
  • Publication number: 20220216322
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices and methods of forming are described herein. The methods include depositing a dummy gate material layer over a fin etched into a substrate. A gate mask is then formed over the dummy gate material layer in a channel region of the fin. A dummy gate electrode is etched into the dummy gate material using the gate mask. A top spacer is then deposited over the gate mask and along sidewalls of a top portion of the dummy gate electrode. An opening is then etched through the remainder of the dummy gate material and through the fin. A bottom spacer is then formed along a sidewall of the opening and separates a bottom portion of the dummy gate electrode from the opening. A source/drain region is then formed in the opening and the dummy gate electrode is replaced with a metal gate stack.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2022
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Inventors: Shih-Yao Lin, Kuei-Yu Kao, Chen-Ping Chen, Chih-Han Lin, Ming-Ching Chang, Chao-Cheng Chen
  • Publication number: 20220181214
    Abstract: The disclosure is directed towards semiconductor devices and methods of manufacturing the semiconductor devices. The methods include forming fins in a device region and forming other fins in a multilayer stack of semiconductor materials in a multi-channel device region. A topmost nanostructure may be exposed in the multi-channel device region by removing a sacrificial layer from the top of the multilayer stack. Once removed, a stack of nanostructures are formed from the multilayer stack. A native oxide layer is formed to a first thickness over the topmost nanostructure and to a second thickness over the remaining nanostructures of the stack, the first thickness being greater than the second thickness. A gate dielectric is formed over the fins in the device region. A gate electrode is formed over the gate dielectric in the device region and surrounding the native oxide layer in the multi-channel device region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Inventors: Shih-Yao Lin, Chih-Chung Chiu, Kuei-Yu Kao, Chen-Ping Chen, Chih-Han Lin
  • Publication number: 20220130978
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes forming semiconductor fins on a substrate. A first dummy gate is formed over the semiconductor fins. A recess is formed in the first dummy gate, and the recess is disposed between the semiconductor fins. A dummy fin material is formed in the recess. A portion of the dummy fin material is removed to expose an upper surface of the first dummy gate and to form a dummy fin. A second dummy gate is formed on the exposed upper surface of the first dummy gate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Inventors: Shih-Yao Lin, Chih-Han Lin, Chen-Ping Chen, Kuei-Yu Kao, Hsiao Wen Lee
  • Patent number: 11289585
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices and methods of forming are described herein. The methods include depositing a dummy gate material layer over a fin etched into a substrate. A gate mask is then formed over the dummy gate material layer in a channel region of the fin. A dummy gate electrode is etched into the dummy gate material using the gate mask. A top spacer is then deposited over the gate mask and along sidewalls of a top portion of the dummy gate electrode. An opening is then etched through the remainder of the dummy gate material and through the fin. A bottom spacer is then formed along a sidewall of the opening and separates a bottom portion of the dummy gate electrode from the opening. A source/drain region is then formed in the opening and the dummy gate electrode is replaced with a metal gate stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shih-Yao Lin, Kuei-Yu Kao, Chen-Ping Chen, Chih-Han Lin, Ming-Ching Chang, Chao-Cheng Chen
  • Patent number: 11264283
    Abstract: The disclosure is directed towards semiconductor devices and methods of manufacturing the semiconductor devices. The methods include forming fins in a device region and forming other fins in a multilayer stack of semiconductor materials in a multi-channel device region. A topmost nanostructure may be exposed in the multi-channel device region by removing a sacrificial layer from the top of the multilayer stack. Once removed, a stack of nanostructures are formed from the multilayer stack. A native oxide layer is formed to a first thickness over the topmost nanostructure and to a second thickness over the remaining nanostructures of the stack, the first thickness being greater than the second thickness. A gate dielectric is formed over the fins in the device region. A gate electrode is formed over the gate dielectric in the device region and surrounding the native oxide layer in the multi-channel device region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shih-Yao Lin, Chih-Chung Chiu, Kuei-Yu Kao, Chen-Ping Chen, Chih-Han Lin
  • Publication number: 20220037498
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a device includes: an isolation region; nanostructures protruding above a top surface of the isolation region; a gate structure wrapped around the nanostructures, the gate structure having a bottom surface contacting the isolation region, the bottom surface of the gate structure extending away from the nanostructures a first distance, the gate structure having a sidewall disposed a second distance from the nanostructures, the first distance less than or equal to the second distance; and a hybrid fin on the sidewall of the gate structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Shih-Yao Lin, Chen-Ping Chen, Hsiaowen Lee, Chih-Han Lin
  • Publication number: 20210375683
    Abstract: The disclosure is directed towards semiconductor devices and methods of manufacturing the semiconductor devices. The methods include forming fins in a device region and forming other fins in a multilayer stack of semiconductor materials in a multi-channel device region. A topmost nanostructure may be exposed in the multi-channel device region by removing a sacrificial layer from the top of the multilayer stack. Once removed, a stack of nanostructures are formed from the multilayer stack. A native oxide layer is formed to a first thickness over the topmost nanostructure and to a second thickness over the remaining nanostructures of the stack, the first thickness being greater than the second thickness. A gate dielectric is formed over the fins in the device region. A gate electrode is formed over the gate dielectric in the device region and surrounding the native oxide layer in the multi-channel device region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Shih-Yao Lin, Chih-Chung Chiu, Kuei-Yu Kao, Chen-Ping Chen, Chih-Han Lin
  • Publication number: 20210367058
    Abstract: A method includes forming a dummy gate electrode on a semiconductor region, forming a first gate spacer on a sidewall of the dummy gate electrode, and removing an upper portion of the first gate spacer to form a recess, wherein a lower portion of the first gate spacer remains, filling the recess with a second gate spacer, removing the dummy gate electrode to form a trench, and forming a replacement gate electrode in the trench.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Shih-Yao Lin, Kuei-Yu Kao, Chen-Ping Chen, Chih-Han Lin, Ming-Ching Chang, Chao-Cheng Chen
  • Publication number: 20210359109
    Abstract: A device includes a fin protruding from a semiconductor substrate; a gate stack over and along a sidewall of the fin; a gate spacer along a sidewall of the gate stack and along the sidewall of the fin; an epitaxial source/drain region in the fin and adjacent the gate spacer; and a corner spacer between the gate stack and the gate spacer, wherein the corner spacer extends along the sidewall of the fin, wherein a first region between the gate stack and the sidewall of the fin is free of the corner spacer, wherein a second region between the gate stack and the gate spacer is free of the corner spacer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Inventors: Chen-Ping Chen, Kuei-Yu Kao, Shih-Yao Lin, Chih-Han Lin, Ming-Ching Chang, Chao-Cheng Chen
  • Publication number: 20210273072
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices and methods of forming are described herein. The methods include depositing a dummy gate material layer over a fin etched into a substrate. A gate mask is then formed over the dummy gate material layer in a channel region of the fin. A dummy gate electrode is etched into the dummy gate material using the gate mask. A top spacer is then deposited over the gate mask and along sidewalls of a top portion of the dummy gate electrode. An opening is then etched through the remainder of the dummy gate material and through the fin. A bottom spacer is then formed along a sidewall of the opening and separates a bottom portion of the dummy gate electrode from the opening. A source/drain region is then formed in the opening and the dummy gate electrode is replaced with a metal gate stack.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2020
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventors: Shih-Yao Lin, Kuei-Yu Kao, Chen-Ping Chen, Chih-Han Lin, Ming-Ching Chang, Chao-Cheng Chen
  • Publication number: 20210126110
    Abstract: A method includes simultaneously forming a first dummy gate stack and a second dummy gate stack on a first portion and a second portion of a protruding fin, simultaneously removing a first gate electrode of the first dummy gate stack and a second gate electrode of the second dummy gate stack to form a first trench and a second trench, respectively, forming an etching mask, wherein the etching mask fills the first trench and the second trench, patterning the etching mask to remove the etching mask from the first trench, removing a first dummy gate dielectric of the first dummy gate stack, with the etching mask protecting a second gate dielectric of the first dummy gate stack from being removed, and forming a first replacement gate stack and a second replacement gate stack in the first trench and the second trench, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Inventors: Shih-Yao Lin, Kuei-Yu Kao, Chen-Ping Chen, Chih-Han Lin
  • Publication number: 20210125859
    Abstract: A method includes etching a semiconductor substrate to form a trench, with the semiconductor substrate having a sidewall facing the trench, and depositing a first semiconductor layer extending into the trench. The first semiconductor layer includes a first bottom portion at a bottom of the trench, and a first sidewall portion on the sidewall of the semiconductor substrate. The first sidewall portion is removed to reveal the sidewall of the semiconductor substrate. The method further includes depositing a second semiconductor layer extending into the trench, with the second semiconductor layer having a second bottom portion over the first bottom portion, and a second sidewall portion contacting the sidewall of the semiconductor substrate. The second sidewall portion is removed to reveal the sidewall of the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Inventors: Shih-Yao Lin, Kuei-Yu Kao, Chen-Ping Chen, Chih-Han Lin
  • Patent number: 9543210
    Abstract: A method includes forming a first mask over a substrate through a double patterning process, wherein the first mask comprises a horizontal portion and a plurality of vertical portions protruding over the horizontal portion, and wherein the vertical portions are spaced apart from each other, applying a first etching process to the first mask until a top surface of a portion of the substrate is exposed, applying a second etching process to the substrate to form intra-device openings and inter-device openings, wherein the inter-device openings are formed at the exposed portion of the substrate, filling the inter-device openings and the intra-device openings to form inter-device insulation regions and intra-device insulation regions and etching back the inter-device insulation regions and the intra-device insulation regions to form a plurality of fins protruding over top surfaces of the inter-device insulation regions and the intra-device insulation regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chen-Ping Chen, Hui-Min Lin, Ming-Jie Huang, Tung Ying Lee
  • Publication number: 20150380315
    Abstract: A method includes forming a first mask over a substrate through a double patterning process, wherein the first mask comprises a horizontal portion and a plurality of vertical portions protruding over the horizontal portion, and wherein the vertical portions are spaced apart from each other, applying a first etching process to the first mask until a top surface of a portion of the substrate is exposed, applying a second etching process to the substrate to form intra-device openings and inter-device openings, wherein the inter-device openings are formed at the exposed portion of the substrate, filling the inter-device openings and the intra-device openings to form inter-device insulation regions and intra-device insulation regions and etching back the inter-device insulation regions and the intra-device insulation regions to form a plurality of fins protruding over top surfaces of the inter-device insulation regions and the intra-device insulation regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2015
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Inventors: Chen-Ping Chen, Hui-Min Lin, Ming-Jie Huang, Tung Ying Lee
  • Patent number: 9130058
    Abstract: A device includes a plurality of intra-device insulation regions having a first height; and a plurality of semiconductor fins horizontally spaced apart from each other by the plurality of intra-device insulation regions. A portion of the plurality of semiconductor fins is disposed above the plurality of intra-device insulation regions. The device further includes a first inter-device insulation region and a second inter-device insulation region with the plurality of semiconductor fins disposed therebetween. The first and the second inter-device insulation regions have a second height greater than the first height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chen-Ping Chen, Hui-Min Lin, Ming-Jie Huang, Tung Ying Lee
  • Patent number: 8563439
    Abstract: An embodiment of the disclosure includes a method of pitch reduction. A substrate is provided. A first material layer is formed over the substrate. A second material layer is formed on the first material layer. A hardmask layer is formed on the second material layer. A first imaging layer is formed on the hardmask layer. The first imaging layer is patterned to form a plurality of first features over the hardmask layer. The hardmask layer is etched utilizing the first imaging layer as a mask to form the first features in the hardmask layer. The first imaging layer is removed to expose the etched hardmask layer and a portion of a top surface of the second material layer. A second imaging layer is formed and the process is repeated, such that first and second features are alternating with a pitch substantially half the original pitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ming-Jie Huang, Chen-Ping Chen