Patents by Inventor Daniel J. Connelly

Daniel J. Connelly 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: 9812542
    Abstract: An electrical device in which an interface layer is disposed in between and in contact with a conductor and a semiconductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Acorn Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Publication number: 20170133476
    Abstract: A transistor having at least one passivated Schottky barrier to a channel includes an insulated gate structure on a p-type substrate in which the channel is located beneath the insulated gate structure. The channel and the insulated gate structure define a first and second undercut void regions that extend underneath the insulated gate structure toward the channel from a first and a second side of the insulated gate structure, respectively. A passivation layer is included on at least one exposed sidewall surface of the channel and metal source and drain terminals are located on respective first and second sides of the channel, including on the passivation layer and within the undercut void regions beneath the insulated gate structure. At least one of the metal source and drain terminals comprises a metal that has a work function near a valence band of the p-type substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Patent number: 9583614
    Abstract: A transistor having at least one passivated Schottky barrier to a channel includes an insulated gate structure on a p-type substrate in which the channel is located beneath the insulated gate structure. The channel and the insulated gate structure define a first and second undercut void regions that extend underneath the insulated gate structure toward the channel from a first and a second side of the insulated gate structure, respectively. A passivation layer is included on at least one exposed sidewall surface of the channel and metal source and drain terminals are located on respective first and second sides of the channel, including on the passivation layer and within the undercut void regions beneath the insulated gate structure. At least one of the metal source and drain terminals comprises a metal that has a work function near a valence band of the p-type substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Acorn Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Publication number: 20160372564
    Abstract: An electrical device in which an interface layer is disposed in between and in contact with a conductor and a semiconductor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Publication date: December 22, 2016
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Patent number: 9461167
    Abstract: An electrical device in which an interface layer is disposed in between and in contact with a conductor and a semiconductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: Acorn Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Patent number: 9425277
    Abstract: An electrical device in which an interface layer comprising arsenic is disposed between and in contact with a conductor and a semiconductor. In some cases, the interface layer may be a monolayer of arsenic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Acorn Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Publication number: 20160172492
    Abstract: An electrical device in which an interface layer is disposed in between and in contact with a conductor and a semiconductor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Publication number: 20160172491
    Abstract: An electrical device in which an interface layer is disposed in between and in contact with a conductor and a semiconductor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Patent number: 9209261
    Abstract: An electrical device in which an interface layer is disposed in between and in contact with a conductor and a semiconductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Acorn Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Publication number: 20150287800
    Abstract: An electrical device in which an interface layer is disposed in between and in contact with a conductor and a semiconductor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Patent number: 8916437
    Abstract: A transistor having at least one passivated Schottky barrier to a channel includes an insulated gate structure on a p-type substrate in which the channel is located beneath the insulated gate structure. The channel and the insulated gate structure define a first and second undercut void regions that extend underneath the insulated gate structure toward the channel from a first and a second side of the insulated gate structure, respectively. A passivation layer is included on at least one exposed sidewall surface of the channel, and metal source and drain terminals are located on respective first and second sides of the channel, including on the passivation layer and within the undercut void regions beneath the insulated gate structure. At least one of the metal source and drain terminals comprises a metal that has a work function near a valence band of the p-type substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Acorn Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Publication number: 20140284666
    Abstract: A transistor having at least one passivated Schottky barrier to a channel includes an insulated gate structure on a p-type substrate in which the channel is located beneath the insulated gate structure. The channel and the insulated gate structure define a first and second undercut void regions that extend underneath the insulated gate structure toward the channel from a first and a second side of the insulated gate structure, respectively. A passivation layer is included on at least one exposed sidewall surface of the channel and metal source and drain terminals are located on respective first and second sides of the channel, including on the passivation layer and within the undercut void regions beneath the insulated gate structure. At least one of the metal source and drain terminals comprises a metal that has a work function near a valence band of the p-type substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Patent number: 8766336
    Abstract: An electrical device in which an interface layer comprising arsenic is disposed between and in contact with a conductor and a semiconductor. In some cases, the interface layer may be a monolayer of arsenic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Acorn Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Patent number: 8658523
    Abstract: A metal source/drain field effect transistor is fabricated such that the source/drain regions are deposited, multilayer structures, with at least a second metal deposited on exposed surfaces of a first metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Acorn Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Carl M. Faulkner, Daniel J. Connelly, Paul A. Clifton, Daniel E. Grupp
  • Patent number: 8431469
    Abstract: An electrical device in which an interface layer is disposed between and in contact with a metal and a Si-based semiconductor, the interface layer being of a thickness effective to depin of the Fermi level of the semiconductor while still permitting current to flow between the metal and the semiconductor. The interface layer may include a layer of a passivating material (e.g., made from nitrogen, oxygen, oxynitride, arsenic, hydrogen and/or fluorine) and sometimes also includes a separation layer. In some cases, the interface layer may be a monolayer of a semiconductor passivating material. The interface layer thickness corresponds to a minimum specific contact resistance of less than or equal to 10 ?-?m2 or even less than or equal to 1 ?-?m2 for the electrical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Acorn Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Patent number: 8377767
    Abstract: A transistor includes a semiconductor channel disposed nearby a gate and in an electrical path between a source and a drain, wherein the channel and at least one of the source or the drain are separated by an interface layer so as to form a channel-interface layer-source/drain junction in which a Fermi level of the semiconductor channel is depinned in a region near the junction and the junction has a specific contact resistance of less than approximately 1000 ?-?m2. The interface layer may include a passivating material such as a nitride, a fluoride, an oxide, an oxynitride, a hydride and/or an arsenide of the semiconductor of the channel. In some cases, the interface layer consists essentially of a monolayer configured to depin the Fermi level of the semiconductor of the channel, or an amount of passivation material sufficient to terminate all or a sufficient number of dangling bonds of the semiconductor channel to achieve chemical stability of the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Acorn Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Publication number: 20120280294
    Abstract: An electrical device in which an interface layer comprising arsenic is disposed between and in contact with a conductor and a semiconductor. In some cases, the interface layer may be a monolayer of arsenic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2012
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Patent number: 8263467
    Abstract: Processes for forming self-aligned, deposited source/drain, insulated gate, transistors and, in particular, FETs. By depositing a source/drain in a recess such that it remains only in the recess, the source/drain can be formed self-aligned to a gate and/or a channel of such a device. For example, in one such process a gate structure of a transistor may be formed and, in a material surrounding the gate structure, a recess created so as to be aligned to an edge of the gate structure. Subsequently, a source/drain conducting material may be deposited in the recess. Such a source/drain conducting material may be deposited, in some cases, as layers, with one or more such layers being planarized following its deposition. In this way, the conducting material is kept within the boundaries of the recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Acorn Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel E. Grupp, Daniel J. Connelly, Paul A. Clifton, Carl M. Faulkner
  • Patent number: 8263466
    Abstract: A process for forming a FET (e.g., an n-FET or a p-FET), in which during formation a metal which makes up a source or drain of the transistor is stressed so that stress is induced in a semiconductor channel of the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Acorn Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Clifton, Daniel J. Connelly
  • Patent number: 8212336
    Abstract: FET configurations in which two (or more) facets are exposed on a surface of a semiconductor channel, the facets being angled with respect to the direction of the channel, allow for conformal deposition of a convex or concave S/D. A convex tip of the S/D enhances electric fields at the interface, reducing the resistance between the S/D and the channel. In contrast, a S/D having a concave tip yields a dual-gate FET that emphasizes reduced short-channel effects rather than electric field enhancement. The use of self-limiting, selective wet etches to expose the facets facilitates process control, control of interface chemistry, and manufacturability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Acorn Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Andreas Goebel, Paul A. Clifton, Daniel J. Connelly, Vaishali Ukirde