Patents by Inventor Claudio Contiero

Claudio Contiero 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).

  • Patent number: 10062757
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor body including an active region that houses an electronic component and a passive dielectric region surrounding the active region; a conductive buried region, of metallic material or metallic alloy, which extends in the semiconductor body in the active region; and one or more electrical contacts, of metallic material, which extend between the conductive buried region and a top surface of the semiconductor body, and form respective paths for electrical access to the conductive buried region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Fabrizio Fausto Renzo Toia, Claudio Contiero, Elisabetta Pizzi, Simone Dario Mariani
  • Publication number: 20170250253
    Abstract: A semiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor body including an active region that houses an electronic component and a passive dielectric region surrounding the active region; a conductive buried region, of metallic material or metallic alloy, which extends in the semiconductor body in the active region; and one or more electrical contacts, of metallic material, which extend between the conductive buried region and a top surface of the semiconductor body, and form respective paths for electrical access to the conductive buried region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2016
    Publication date: August 31, 2017
    Inventors: Fabrizio Fausto Renzo Toia, Claudio Contiero, Elisabetta Pizzi, Simone Dario Mariani
  • Patent number: 6093588
    Abstract: A high-voltage lateral MOSFET transistor structure constituted by various interdigitated modular elements formed on a layer of monocrystaline silicon is described together with a process for its fabrication.To save area of silicon and to reduce the specific resistivity RDS on doping drain regions are formed by implanting doping material in the silicon through apertures in the field oxide obtained with a selective anisotropic etching by utilizing as a mask the strips of polycrystaline silicon which serve as gate electrodes and field electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2000
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics, S.r.l.
    Inventors: Riccardo De Petro, Paola Galbiati, Michele Palmieri, Claudio Contiero
  • Patent number: 6022778
    Abstract: A process for the manufacturing of an integrated circuit having DMOS-technology power devices and non-volatile memory cells provides for forming respective laterally displaced isolated semiconductor regions, electrically insulated from each other and from a common semiconductor substrate, inside which the devices will be formed; forming conductive gate regions for the DMOS-technology power devices and for the memory cells over the respective isolated semiconductor regions. Inside the isolated semiconductor regions for the DMOS-technology power devices, channel regions extending under the insulated gate regions are formed. The channel regions are formed by an implantation of a dopant along directions tilted of a prescribed angle with respect to a direction orthogonal to a top surface of the integrated circuit, in a dose and with an energy such that the channel regions are formed directly after the implantation of the dopant without performing a thermal diffusion at a high temperature of the dopant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2000
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics, S.r.l.
    Inventors: Claudio Contiero, Paola Galbiati, Michele Palmieri
  • Patent number: 5852314
    Abstract: N-channel LDMOS and p-channel MOS devices for high voltage integrated in a BiCMOS integrated circuit and exploiting a RESURF condition are provided with a buried region of the same type of conductivity of the epitaxial layer and a doping level intermediate between the doping level of the epitaxial layer and the doping level of a well region. The devices may be configured as source or drain followers without problems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1998
    Assignee: SGS--Thomson Microelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Riccardo Depetro, Claudio Contiero, Antonio Andreini
  • Patent number: 5837554
    Abstract: An integrated circuit structure is disclosed wherein an EPROM cell has an active area formed by the same operations as are carried out to form a P region intended to contain an N-channel MOS transistor, source and drain regions formed by the same operations as are carried out to form the source and drain regions of said transistor, a control electrode consisting of an N+ region formed by the same operations as are carried out to form deep regions intended to contact buried N+ regions, and a floating gate electrode consisting of a layer of conductive material formed by the same operations as are carried out to form the gate electrodes of the MOS transistors in the integrated circuit. The EPROM cell can, therefore, be formed in a mixed integrated circuit with no need for purposely added processing steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Claudio Contiero, Tiziana Cavioni, Stefano Manzini
  • Patent number: 5804884
    Abstract: The resin sealing layer enclosing the device is biased to a low voltage by means of an anchoring structure formed close to high-voltage contact pads. The anchoring structure is formed by a metal region deposited on the surface of the device and contacting the resin layer, and by a deep region extending from the surface of the device, beneath the metal region, to the substrate. The electrical field in the resin layer is confined between the high-voltage pads and the anchoring structure and prevented from generating polarity inversions in the semiconductor material at the low-voltage contact pads or any other points at which the resin layer contacts the body of semiconductor material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Claudio Diazzi, Bruno Murari, Ubaldo Mastromatteo, Claudio Contiero
  • Patent number: 5777366
    Abstract: An integrated device including a structure for protection against electric fields. The protection structure may include a first region of conducting material electrically connected to the gate/source region of the device at a first potential. The protection structure may also include a second region of conducting material electrically connected to the drain region of the device at a second potential differing from the first. In one embodiment, the first region of conducting material is comb-shaped, and includes a first number of fingers separated by a plurality of gaps. The second region of conducting material includes portions extending at the aforementioned gaps to form a comb structure. Thus, the body of semiconductor material of the device sees a protection region formed by a pair of interlocking comb structures at an intermediate potential between the first and second potentials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1998
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Claudio Contiero, Riccardo Depetro
  • Patent number: 5610421
    Abstract: An integrated circuit structure is disclosed wherein an EPROM cell has an active area formed by the same operations as are carried out to form a P region intended to contain an N-channel MOS transistor, source and drain regions formed by the same operations as are carried out to form the source and drain regions of said transistor, a control electrode consisting of an N+ region formed by the same operations as are carried out to form deep regions intended to contact buried N+ regions, and a floating gate electrode consisting of a layer of conductive material formed by the same operations as are carried out to form the gate electrodes of the MOS transistors in the integrated circuit.The EPROM cell can, therefore, be formed in a mixed integrated circuit with no need for purposely added processing steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 11, 1997
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Claudio Contiero, Tiziana Cavioni, Stefano Manzini
  • Patent number: 5589405
    Abstract: The breakdown voltage of a VDMOS transistor is markedly increased without depressing other electrical characteristics of the device by tying the potential of a field-isolation diffusion, formed under the edge portion of a strip of field oxide separating a matrix of source cells from a drain diffusion, to the source potential of the transistor. This may be achieved by extending a body region of a peripheral source cell every given number of peripheral cells facing the strip of field-isolation structure until it intersects said field-isolation diffusion. By so connecting one peripheral source cell every given number of cells, the actual decrement of the overall channel width of the integrated transistor is negligible, thus leaving unaltered the electrical characteristics of the power transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1996
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics, S.r.l.
    Inventors: Claudio Contiero, Paola Galbiati, Lucia Zullino
  • Patent number: 5430316
    Abstract: The breakdown voltage of a VDMOS transistor is markedly increased without depressing other electrical characteristics of the device by tying the potential of a field-isolation diffusion, formed under the edge portion of a strip of field oxide separating a matrix of source cells from a drain diffusion, to the source potential of the transistor. This may be achieved by extending a body region of a peripheral source cell every given number of peripheral cells facing the strip of field-isolation structure until it intersects said field-isolation diffusion. By so connecting one peripheral source cell every given number of cells, the actual decrement of the overall channel width of the integrated transistor is negligible, thus leaving unaltered the electrical characteristics of the power transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 4, 1995
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microeletronics, S.r.l.
    Inventors: Claudio Contiero, Paola Galbiati, Lucia Zullino
  • Patent number: 5126911
    Abstract: An integrated circuit self-protected against a reversal of its supply battery polarity comprises a first DMOS power transistor connected with its source electrode side to an electric load to be driven toward ground, and a second, protective DMOS transistor which is connected with its source electrode side to a positive pole of the battery and with its drain electrode side to the drain electrode of the first transistor. The first and second transistors have in common the drain region formed on a single pod in the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1992
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics, s.r.l.
    Inventors: Claudio Contiero, Bruno Murari
  • Patent number: 5081517
    Abstract: A high density, mixed technology integrated circuit comprises CMOS structures and bipolar lateral transistors, the electrical efficiency and Early voltage of which are maintained high by forming "well" regions through the collector area. The operation determines the formation of a "collector extension region" extending relatively deep within the epitaxial layer so as to intercept the emitter current and gather it to the collector, subtracting it from dispersion toward the substrate through the adjacent isolation junctions surrounding the region of the lateral bipolar transistor. Under comparable conditions, the ratio between IcIsubstrate is incremented from about 8 to about 300 and the Early voltage from about 20V to about 100V. The V.sub.CEO, BV.sub.CBO and BV.sub.CDES voltages are also advantageously increased by the presence of said "well" region formed in the collector zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1992
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics S.R.L.
    Inventors: Claudio Contiero, Paola Galbiati, Lucia Zullino
  • Patent number: 5041895
    Abstract: Complementary LDMOS and MOS structures and vertical PNP transistors capable of withstanding a relatively high voltage may be realized in a mixed-technology integrated circuit of the so-called "smart power" type, by forming a phosphorus doped n-region of a similar diffusion profile, respectively in: The drain zone of the n-channel LDMOS transistors, in the body zone of the p-channel LDMOS transistors forming first CMOS structures; in the drain zone of n-channel MOS transistors belonging to second CMOS structures and in a base region near the emitter region of isolated collector, vertical PNP transistors, thus simultaneously achieving the result of increasing the voltage withstanding ability of all these monolithically integrated structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1991
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Claudio Contiero, Paola Galbiati, Luica Zullino
  • Patent number: 4949142
    Abstract: The disclosed bridge circuit is fabricated using power MOS technology. Common terminals of the bridge circuit are integrated into common regions in the implementation. Electrodes, typically coupled together in the bridge circuit, are implemented by a shared conducting region in the integrated circuit of the semiconductor chip. By integrating the elements of the circuit, less area of the semiconductor chip is required as compared to an implementation involving 4 (four) discrete elements. Diodes are fabricated across the transistors to protect the elements against reverse biasing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1985
    Date of Patent: August 14, 1990
    Inventors: Claudio Contiero, Paola Galbiati
  • Patent number: 4892836
    Abstract: This method, requiring a reduced number of process phases and providing an efficient, high-voltage structure, comprises forming a P-well region of the N-channel transistor of a CMOS device, by means of boron atom implant through a protective mask, forming at least one insulation region surrounding the CMOS device, forming edge regions having the same conductivity type as the insulation region but with a smaller concentration of impurities on at least one part of the insulation region and in the high-voltage electronic devices by means of the same boron atom implant used to form the P-well region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 9, 1990
    Assignee: SGS Microelettronica S.p.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Andreini, Claudio Contiero, Paola Galbiati
  • Patent number: 4887142
    Abstract: Disclosed is a monolithic integrated semiconductor device which may contain specimens of seven different circuit components; namely: lateral N-MOS and lateral P-MOS transistors (CMOS), vertical N-DMOS and vertical P-DMOS transistors, vertical NPN bipolar transistors, vertical PNP bipolar transistors with isolated collector and low leakage junction diodes as well as a process for fabricating such a device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 12, 1989
    Assignee: SGS Microelettronica S.p.A.
    Inventors: Franco Bertotti, Carlo Cini, Claudio Contiero, Paola Galbiati
  • Patent number: 4774198
    Abstract: An improved fabrication process for vertical DMOS cells contemplates the prior definition of the gate areas by placing a polycrystalline silicon gate electrode and utilizing the gate electrode itself as a mask for implanting and diffusing the body regions, while forming the short region is carried out using self-alignment techniques which permit an easy control of the lateral extention of the region itself. A noncritical mask defines the zone where the short circuiting contact between the source electrode and the source and body regions in the middle of the DMOS cell will be made, also allowing the forming the source region. Opening of the relative contact is also effected by a self alignment technique, further simplifying the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1987
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1988
    Assignee: SGS Microelettronica SpA
    Inventors: Claudio Contiero, Antonio Andreini, Paola Galbiati
  • Patent number: RE37424
    Abstract: Complementary LDMOS and MOS structures and vertical PNP transistors capable of withstanding a relatively high voltage may be realized in a mixed-technology integrated circuit of the so-called “smart power” type, by forming a phosphorus doped n-region of a similar diffusion profile, respectively in: The drain zone of the n-channel LDMOS transistors, in the body zone of the p-channel LDMOS transistors forming first CMOS structures; in the drain zone of n-channel MOS transistors belonging to second CMOS structures and in a base region near the emitter region of isolated collector, vertical PNP transistors, thus simultaneously achieving the result of increasing the voltage withstanding ability of all these monolithically integrated structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2001
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.R.L.
    Inventors: Claudio Contiero, Paola Galbiati, Lucia Zullino
  • Patent number: RE35442
    Abstract: A high density, mixed technology integrated circuit comprises CMOS structures and bipolar lateral transistors, the electrical efficiency and Early voltage of which are maintained high by forming "well" regions through the collector area. The operation determines the formation of a "collector extension region" extending relatively deep within the epitaxial layer so as to intercept the emitter current and gather it to the collector, subtracting it from dispersion toward the substrate through the adjacent isolation junctions surrounding the region of the lateral bipolar transistor. Under comparable conditions, the ratio between IcIsubstrate is incremented from about 8 to about 300 and the Early voltage from about 20V to about 100V. The V.sub.CEO, BV.sub.CBO and BV.sub.CES voltages are also advantageously increased by the presence of said "well" region formed in the collector zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1997
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics, S.r.l.
    Inventors: Claudio Contiero, Paola Galbiati, Lucia Zullino