Patents by Inventor Erich Wesley Kinder

Erich Wesley Kinder 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: 11616011
    Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) includes a semiconductor surface layer of a substrate including circuitry formed in the semiconductor surface layer configured together with a Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) capacitor. A multi-layer metal stack on the semiconductor surface layer includes a bottom plate contact metal layer including a bottom capacitor plate contact. A first interlevel dielectric (ILD) layer is over the bottom plate contact metal layer. The MIM capacitor includes a trench in the first ILD layer over the bottom capacitor plate contact, wherein the trench is lined by a bottom capacitor plate with a capacitor dielectric layer thereon, and a top capacitor plate on the capacitor dielectric layer. A fill material fills the trench to form a filled trench. A second ILD layer is over the filled trench. A filled via through the second ILD layer provides a connection to the top capacitor plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Mona M. Eissa, Umamaheswari Aghoram, Pushpa Mahalingam, Erich Wesley Kinder, Bhaskar Srinivasan, Brian E. Goodlin
  • Patent number: 11522043
    Abstract: A method of fabricating an integrated circuit (IC) includes forming a dielectric layer on a substrate having a plurality of the IC. A thin-film resistor (TFR) layer is deposited on the dielectric layer, and an underlayer (UL) including carbon is formed on the TFR layer. A hard mask layer including silicon is formed on the UL. Masked etching of the hard mask layer transfers a pattern of a photoresist layer onto the hard mask layer to form a hard mask layer pattern. Masked etching of the UL transfers the hard mask layer pattern onto the UL to form a UL pattern. Masked etching of the TFR layer transfers the UL pattern onto the TFR layer to form a TFR layer pattern including a matched pair of TFRs. The matched pair of TFRs are generally included in circuitry configured together for implementing at least one function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Scott William Jessen, Tae Seung Kim, Steven Lee Prins, Can Duan, Abbas Ali, Erich Wesley Kinder
  • Publication number: 20210327802
    Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) includes a semiconductor surface layer of a substrate including circuitry formed in the semiconductor surface layer configured together with a Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) capacitor. A multi-layer metal stack on the semiconductor surface layer includes a bottom plate contact metal layer including a bottom capacitor plate contact. A first interlevel dielectric (ILD) layer is over the bottom plate contact metal layer. The MIM capacitor includes a trench in the first ILD layer over the bottom capacitor plate contact, wherein the trench is lined by a bottom capacitor plate with a capacitor dielectric layer thereon, and a top capacitor plate on the capacitor dielectric layer. A fill material fills the trench to form a filled trench. A second ILD layer is over the filled trench. A filled via through the second ILD layer provides a connection to the top capacitor plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Publication date: October 21, 2021
    Inventors: Mona M. Eissa, Umamaheswari Aghoram, Pushpa Mahalingam, Erich Wesley Kinder, Bhaskar Srinivasan, Brian E. Goodlin
  • Patent number: 11075157
    Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) includes a semiconductor surface layer of a substrate including circuitry formed in the semiconductor surface layer configured together with a Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) capacitor. A multi-layer metal stack on the semiconductor surface layer includes a bottom plate contact metal layer including a bottom capacitor plate contact. A first interlevel dielectric (ILD) layer is over the bottom plate contact metal layer. The MIM capacitor includes a trench in the first ILD layer over the bottom capacitor plate contact, wherein the trench is lined by a bottom capacitor plate with a capacitor dielectric layer thereon, and a top capacitor plate on the capacitor dielectric layer. A fill material fills the trench to form a filled trench. A second ILD layer is over including the filled trench. A filled via through the second ILD layer provides a contact to a top plate contact on the top capacitor plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Mona M. Eissa, Umamaheswari Aghoram, Pushpa Mahalingam, Erich Wesley Kinder, Bhaskar Srinivasan, Brian E. Goodlin
  • Publication number: 20210134939
    Abstract: A method of fabricating an integrated circuit (IC) includes forming a dielectric layer on a substrate having a plurality of the IC. A thin-film resistor (TFR) layer is deposited on the dielectric layer, and an underlayer (UL) including carbon is formed on the TFR layer. A hard mask layer including silicon is formed on the UL. Masked etching of the hard mask layer transfers a pattern of a photoresist layer onto the hard mask layer to form a hard mask layer pattern. Masked etching of the UL transfers the hard mask layer pattern onto the UL to form a UL pattern. Masked etching of the TFR layer transfers the UL pattern onto the TFR layer to form a TFR layer pattern including a matched pair of TFRs. The matched pair of TFRs are generally included in circuitry configured together for implementing at least one function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventors: Scott William Jessen, Tae Seung Kim, Steven Lee Prins, Can Duan, Abbas Ali, Erich Wesley Kinder
  • Publication number: 20210074630
    Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) includes a semiconductor surface layer of a substrate including circuitry formed in the semiconductor surface layer configured together with a Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) capacitor. A multi-layer metal stack on the semiconductor surface layer includes a bottom plate contact metal layer including a bottom capacitor plate contact. A first interlevel dielectric (ILD) layer is over the bottom plate contact metal layer. The MIM capacitor includes a trench in the first ILD layer over the bottom capacitor plate contact, wherein the trench is lined by a bottom capacitor plate with a capacitor dielectric layer thereon, and a top capacitor plate on the capacitor dielectric layer. A fill material fills the trench to form a filled trench. A second ILD layer is over including the filled trench. A filled via through the second ILD layer provides a contact to a top plate contact on the top capacitor plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Inventors: Mona M. Eissa, Umamaheswari Aghoram, Pushpa Mahalingam, Erich Wesley Kinder, Bhaskar Srinivasan, Brian E. Goodlin