Patents by Inventor Dechao Guo

Dechao Guo 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: 12374615
    Abstract: An interconnect layer for a device and methods for fabricating the interconnect layer are provided. The interconnect layer includes first metal structures arranged in a first array in the interconnect layer and second metal structures, arranged in a second array in the interconnect layer. The second array includes at least one metal structure positioned between two metal structures of the first metal structures. The interconnect layer also includes a spacer material formed around each of the first metal structures and the second metal structures and air gaps formed in the spacer material on each side of the first metal structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2025
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Hsueh-Chung Chen, Su Chen Fan, Dechao Guo, Carl Radens, Indira Seshadri
  • Patent number: 12363990
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a FinFET fin. The same FinFET fin is associated with a bottom FinFET and a top FinFET. The FinFET fin includes a lower channel portion, associated with the bottom FinFET, a top channel portion, associated with the top FinFET, and a channel isolator between the bottom channel portion and the top channel portion. A lower gate includes a vertical portion that is upon a sidewall of the bottom channel portion. An isolation layer may be formed upon the lower gate if it is desired for the top FinFET fin and the bottom FinFET fin to not share a gate. An upper gate is upon the top channel portion and is further upon the isolation layer, if present, or is upon the lower gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2025
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Chen Zhang, Junli Wang, Ruilong Xie, Dechao Guo, Sung Dae Suk
  • Patent number: 12317537
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is provided that includes a local passthrough interconnect structure present in a non-active device region of the device. A dielectric fill material structure is located between the local passthrough interconnect structure and a functional gate structure that is present in an active device region that is laterally adjacent to the non-active device region. The semiconductor device has reduced capacitance (and thus circuit speed is not compromised) as compared to an equivalent device in which a metal-containing sacrificial gate structure is used instead of the dielectric fill material structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2025
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ruilong Xie, Dechao Guo, Junli Wang, Alexander Reznicek
  • Publication number: 20250142892
    Abstract: Embodiments of present invention provide a semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure includes a dielectric bar having a left sidewall and a right sidewall; a first nanosheet transistor having a first set of channel nanosheets in direct contact with the left sidewall of the dielectric bar; and a second nanosheet transistor having a second set of channel nanosheets in direct contact with the right sidewall of the dielectric bar, where a first portion of the dielectric bar between the first and the second set of channel nanosheets has a first height; a second portion of the dielectric bar between a first source/drain region of the first nanosheet transistor and a second source/drain region of the second nanosheet transistor has a second height; and the first height is higher than the second height. A method of forming the same is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2023
    Publication date: May 1, 2025
    Inventors: Ruilong Xie, Kisik Choi, Tenko Yamashita, Dechao Guo
  • Patent number: 12278237
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure is provided that includes a first FET device stacked over a second FET device, wherein the first FET device contains a first functional gate structure containing a first work function metal and the second FET device contains a second functional gate structure containing a second work function metal. In the structure, the first work function metal is absent from an area including the second work function metal, and vice versa. Thus, no shared work functional metal is present in the semiconductor structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ruilong Xie, Julien Frougier, Junli Wang, Dechao Guo, Ruqiang Bao, Rishikesh Krishnan, Balasubramanian S. Pranatharthiharan
  • Patent number: 12278184
    Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed for a system. The system includes multiple tracks. Further, one track includes a power rail for a first voltage. The system also includes a first via, disposed beneath, and in electrical contact with, the power rail. The system additionally includes a first contact, beneath, and in electrical contact with, the first via. The system further includes a first field effect transistor (FET), beneath, and in electrical isolation with, the first contact. Additionally, the system includes a second FET, beneath, and in electrical contact with, the first FET. Further, the system includes a second contact, beneath, and in electrical contact with, the second FET. Also, the system includes a second via, beneath, and in electrical contact with, the second contact. The system additionally includes a buried power rail (BPR), beneath, and in electrical contact with, the second via, wherein the BPR comprises a second voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Albert M Chu, Junli Wang, Albert M. Young, Dechao Guo
  • Patent number: 12272648
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a plurality of field effect transistors (FET) formed upon semiconductor fins. Each FET includes a gate disposed transversely upon a first portion of the fins of the FET, one or more source/drain regions disposed upon the fins and in contact with the gate, and an electrically isolating layer disposed adjacent to a second portion of the fins above the gate and the source/drain regions, the electrically isolating layer having an interface with the gate. The device further includes a buried power rail (BPR) disposed between otherwise adjacent FETs. The BPR includes a metal rail extending beyond the interface into the gate, and electrically isolating sidewalls separating the metal rail from the gate and the source/drain regions. The device also includes a via-buried power rail contact disposed adjacent to the electrically isolating sidewalls, in contact with the metal rail, and in contact with one source/drain region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ruilong Xie, Junli Wang, Julien Frougier, Dechao Guo, Lawrence A. Clevenger
  • Patent number: 12268031
    Abstract: A device comprises a first interconnect structure, a second interconnect structure, a first cell comprising a first transistor, a second cell comprising a second transistor, a first contact connecting a source/drain element of the first transistor to the first interconnect structure, and second contact connecting a source/drain element of the second transistor to the second interconnect structure. The first cell is disposed adjacent to the second cell with the first transistor disposed adjacent to the second transistor. The first and second cells are disposed between the first and second interconnect structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ruilong Xie, Kisik Choi, Somnath Ghosh, Sagarika Mukesh, Albert Chu, Albert M. Young, Balasubramanian S. Pranatharthiharan, Huiming Bu, Kai Zhao, John Christopher Arnold, Brent A. Anderson, Dechao Guo
  • Patent number: 12176348
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure including vertically stacked nFETs and pFETs containing suspended semiconductor channel material nanosheets (NS) and a method of forming such a structure. The structure is a three dimensional (3D) integration by vertically stacking nFETs and pFETs for area scaling. In an embodiment, vertically-stacked NS FET structures include a first nanosheet transistor located above a second nanosheet transistor; the first nanosheet transistor including a first NS channel material, wherein the first NS channel material includes a first crystalline orientation; the second nanosheet transistor including a second NS channel material, wherein the second NS channel material comprises a second crystalline orientation, the first crystalline orientation is different from the second crystalline orientation. In an embodiment, each of the respective formed vertically-stacked NS FET structures include respective suspended stack of nanosheet channels that are self-aligned with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ruqiang Bao, Junli Wang, Dechao Guo
  • Patent number: 12176250
    Abstract: Embodiments of present invention provide a method of forming a transistor structure. The method includes receiving a first and a second gate region of a first and a second transistor, the second transistor being adjacent to the first transistor; forming a first work-function metal surrounding the first gate region; truncating the first work-function metal at a first boundary between the first transistor and the second transistor; forming one or more work-function metals surrounding the first gate region; truncating the one or more work-function metals at a second boundary between the first boundary and the second transistor; and forming another work-function metal surround the first and second gate regions. A transistor structure formed thereby is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ruqiang Bao, Dechao Guo
  • Patent number: 12148833
    Abstract: A semiconductor device fabrication method is provided. The semiconductor device fabrication method includes frontside semiconductor device processing on a frontside of a wafer, flipping the wafer, backside semiconductor device processing on a backside of the wafer and backside and frontside contact formation processing on the backside and frontside of the wafer, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sung Dae Suk, Somnath Ghosh, Chen Zhang, Junli Wang, Devendra K. Sadana, Dechao Guo
  • Patent number: 12142656
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure includes a first transistor device comprising a plurality of channel regions. The semiconductor structure further includes a second transistor device comprising a plurality of channel regions. The first transistor device and the second transistor device are disposed in a stacked configuration. The plurality of channel regions of the first transistor device are disposed in a staggered configuration relative to the plurality of channel regions of the second transistor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Albert Chu, Junli Wang, Albert M. Young, Vidhi Zalani, Dechao Guo
  • Publication number: 20240363755
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes one or more fins. Each fin includes a top channel portion formed from a channel material, a middle portion, and a bottom substrate portion formed from a same material as an underlying substrate. An oxide layer is formed between the bottom substrate portion of each fin and the isolation layer, with a space between a sidewall of at least a top portion of the isolation dielectric layer and an adjacent sidewall of the one or more fins, above the oxide layer. A gate dielectric, protruding into the space and in contact with the middle portion, is formed over the one or more fins and has a portion formed from a material different from the oxide layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2023
    Publication date: October 31, 2024
    Inventors: Huiming Bu, Kangguo Cheng, Dechao Guo, Sivananda K. Kanakasabapathy, Peng Xu
  • Patent number: 12107168
    Abstract: A stacked FET structure having independently tuned gate lengths is provided to maximize the benefit of each FET within the stacked FET structure. Notably, a vertically stacked FET structure is provided in which a bottom FET has a different gate length than a top FET. In some embodiments, a dielectric spacer can be present laterally adjacent to the bottom FET and the top FET. In such an embodiment, the dielectric spacer can have a first portion that is located laterally adjacent to the bottom FET that has a different thickness than a second portion of the dielectric spacer that is located laterally adjacent the top FET.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2024
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ruqiang Bao, Junli Wang, Dechao Guo
  • Publication number: 20240321982
    Abstract: A transistor structure including a gate with a dielectric gate cap, a self-aligned source drain contact, where a topmost surface of the self-aligned source drain contact is substantially flush with a topmost surface of a first dielectric layer, a gate contact extending through the first dielectric layer, where a topmost surface of the gate contact is substantially flush with a topmost surface of a second dielectric layer, and a spacer surrounding the gate contact and physically separating it from the self-aligned source drain contact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2023
    Publication date: September 26, 2024
    Inventors: Ruilong Xie, Julien Frougier, Nicolas Jean Loubet, Dechao Guo, Ravikumar Ramachandran
  • Patent number: 12087691
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure comprises a substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, and a gate for at least one transistor device disposed above the first side of the substrate. The structure may further include a buried power rail at least partially disposed in the substrate and a gate tie-down contact connecting the gate to the buried power rail from the second side of the substrate. The structure may further or alternatively include one or more source/drain regions disposed over the first side of the substrate, and a gate contact connecting to a portion of the gate from the second side of the substrate, the portion of the gate being adjacent to at least one of the one or more source/drain regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ruilong Xie, Julien Frougier, Veeraraghavan S. Basker, Lawrence A. Clevenger, Nicolas Loubet, Dechao Guo, Kisik Choi, Kangguo Cheng, Carl Radens
  • Patent number: 12034005
    Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes forming an interfacial layer surrounding at least one channel stack, forming a high-k dielectric layer surrounding the interfacial layer, and forming a metal gate layer surrounding the high-k dielectric layer. The method also includes forming a silicon layer over the metal gate layer and forming at least one additional metal layer over the silicon layer. The method further includes performing silicidation to transform at least a portion of the at least one additional metal layer and at least a portion of the silicon layer into a silicide layer. The metal gate layer, the silicon layer and the silicide layer form at least one gate electrode for a vertical transport field-effect transistor (VTFET).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brent A. Anderson, Ruqiang Bao, Dechao Guo, Vijay Narayanan
  • Publication number: 20240203881
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a transistor structure comprising a plurality of source/drain regions. Base portions of the plurality of source/drain regions correspond to a second side of the semiconductor device opposite to a first side of the semiconductor device. A plurality of metal lines are disposed on the second side of the semiconductor device, wherein the plurality of metal lines comprise at least a first metal line and a second metal line. At least one dielectric layer is disposed between the first metal line and the second metal line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2022
    Publication date: June 20, 2024
    Inventors: Chen Zhang, Oleg Gluschenkov, Junli Wang, Somnath Ghosh, Dechao Guo
  • Publication number: 20240186394
    Abstract: Bonded stacked FETs with individually tunable gate dielectrics are provided. In one aspect, a stacked FET device includes: a bottom transistor disposed on a wafer; and a top transistor bonded on top of the bottom transistor via a bonding layer, where the bottom transistor includes a stack of first active layers, a first gate dielectric disposed on the first active layers, and a first gate electrode disposed on the first gate dielectric, where the top transistor includes a stack of second active layers, a second gate dielectric disposed on the second active layers, and a second gate electrode disposed on the second gate dielectric, and where the first gate dielectric has at least one of a different composition and a different thickness from the second gate dielectric. A method of forming the present stacked FET devices is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2022
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Inventors: Ruqiang Bao, Dechao Guo, Junli Wang
  • Publication number: 20240178072
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices and methods of forming the same include a first transistor in a first region having a first work function metal layer. A second transistor in a second region has a second work function metal layer that overlaps a portion of the first work function metal layer and that has a vertical part above the portion of the first work function metal layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2022
    Publication date: May 30, 2024
    Inventors: Ruqiang Bao, Eric Miller, Dechao Guo