Patents by Inventor Fee Li LIE

Fee Li LIE 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: 11557589
    Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device that includes forming a trench adjacent to a gate structure to expose a contact surface of one of a source region and a drain region. A sacrificial spacer may be formed on a sidewall of the trench and on a sidewall of the gate structure. A metal contact may then be formed in the trench to at least one of the source region and the drain region. The metal contact has a base width that is less than an upper surface width of the metal contact. The sacrificial spacer may be removed, and a substantially conformal dielectric material layer can be formed on sidewalls of the metal contact and the gate structure. Portions of the conformally dielectric material layer contact one another at a pinch off region to form an air gap between the metal contact and the gate structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Tessera, LLC
    Inventors: Marc A. Bergendahl, Kangguo Cheng, Fee Li Lie, Eric R. Miller, John R. Sporre, Sean Teehan
  • Publication number: 20230006131
    Abstract: Aspects of the invention are directed to a method of forming an integrated circuit. Both a dielectric layer and a bottom contact are formed with the bottom contact disposed at least partially in the dielectric layer. The bottom contact is subsequently recessed into the dielectric layer to cause the dielectric layer to define two sidewalls bordering regions of the bottom contact removed during recessing. Two sidewall spacers are then formed along the two sidewalls. A landing pad is formed on the recessed bottom contact and between the two sidewall spacers. Lastly, an additional feature is formed on top of the landing pad at least in part by anisotropic etching. In one or more embodiments, the additional feature includes a magnetic tunnel junction patterned at least in part by ion beam etching.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2022
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Inventors: Kisup Chung, Michael Rizzolo, Fee Li Lie
  • Patent number: 11520768
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a source/drain (S/D) region, a fin structure formed on the S/D region, and a gate structure formed on the fin structure so that a space is formed between the S/D region and the gate structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Fee Li Lie, Shogo Mochizuki, Junli Wang
  • Patent number: 11476415
    Abstract: Aspects of the invention are directed to a method of forming an integrated circuit. Both a dielectric layer and a bottom contact are formed with the bottom contact disposed at least partially in the dielectric layer. The bottom contact is subsequently recessed into the dielectric layer to cause the dielectric layer to define two sidewalls bordering regions of the bottom contact removed during recessing. Two sidewall spacers are then formed along the two sidewalls. A landing pad is formed on the recessed bottom contact and between the two sidewall spacers. Lastly, an additional feature is formed on top of the landing pad at least in part by anisotropic etching. In one or more embodiments, the additional feature includes a magnetic tunnel junction patterned at least in part by ion beam etching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kisup Chung, Michael Rizzolo, Fee Li Lie
  • Patent number: 11462512
    Abstract: The subject disclosure relates to 3D microelectronic chip packages with embedded coolant channels. The disclosed 3D microelectronic chip packages provide a complete and practical mechanism for introducing cooling channels within the 3D chip stack while maintaining the electrical connection through the chip stack. According to an embodiment, a microelectronic package is provided that comprises a first silicon chip comprising first coolant channels interspersed between first thru-silicon-vias (TSVs). The microelectronic chip package further comprises a silicon cap attached to a first surface of the first silicon chip, the silicon cap comprising second TSVs that connect to the first TSVs. A second silicon chip comprising second coolant channels can further be attached to the silicon cap via interconnects formed between a first surface of the second silicon chip and the silicon cap, wherein the interconnects connect to the second TSVs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kamal K. Sikka, Fee Li Lie, Kevin Winstel, Ravi K. Bonam, Iqbal Rashid Saraf, Dario Goldfarb, Daniel Corliss, Dinesh Gupta
  • Patent number: 11462631
    Abstract: Methods, and devices related to authentication of chips using physical unclonable function (PUF) are disclosed. The semiconductor chip includes a substrate. The semiconductor chip includes multiple devices formed on the substrate. Each device includes multiple fins. A gate is formed on the multiple fins with a gate cut (CT) design that results in random distribution of complete gate cut and incomplete gate cut for each of the multiple devices based on a natural process variation in semiconductor manufacturing for each device. A physical unclonable function (PUF) region is defined in accordance with the random distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Eric Miller, Fee Li Lie, Gauri Karve, Marc A. Bergendahl, John Ryan Sporre
  • Publication number: 20220172776
    Abstract: A resistance switching RAM logic device is presented. The device includes a pair of resistance switching RAM cells that may be independently programed into at least a low resistance state (LRS) or a high resistance state (HRS). The resistance switching RAM logic device may further include a shared output node electrically connected to the pair of resistance switching RAM cells. A logical output may be determined from the programmed resistance state of each of the resistance switching RAM cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2020
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Inventors: Hsueh-Chung Chen, Mary Claire Silvestre, Soon-Cheon Seo, Chi-Chun LIU, FEE LI LIE, Chih-Chao Yang, Yann Mignot, Theodorus E. Standaert
  • Publication number: 20220140074
    Abstract: A semiconductor device including a fin structure including a recess, a first gate formed in the recess of the fin structure, and a second gate formed outside the fin structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2022
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Marc Adam Bergendahl, Gauri Karve, Fee Li Lie, Eric R. Miller, Robert Russell Robison, John Ryan Sporre, Sean Teehan
  • Patent number: 11322588
    Abstract: A nonplanar MOSFET device such as a FinFET or a sacked nanosheets/nanowires FET has a substrate, one or more nonplanar channels disposed on the substrate, and a gate stack enclosing the nonplanar channels. A first source/drain (S/D) region is disposed on the substrate on a source side of the nonplanar channel and second S/D region is disposed on the substrate on a drain side of the nonplanar channel. The first and second S/D regions made of silicon-germanium (SiGe). In some embodiments, both S/D regions are p-type doped. Contact trenches provide a metallic electrical connection to the first and the second source/drain (S/D) regions. The S/D regions have two parts, a first part with a first concentration of germanium (Ge) and a second part with a second, higher Ge concentration that is a surface layer having convex shape and aligned with one of the contact trenches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Fee Li Lie, Choonghyun Lee, Kangguo Cheng, Hemanth Jagannathan, Oleg Gluschenkov
  • Patent number: 11239316
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a fin structure including a cylindrical shape, an inner gate formed inside the fin structure, and an outer gate formed outside the fin structure and connected to the inner gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Marc Adam Bergendahl, Gauri Karve, Fee Li Lie, Eric R. Miller, Robert Russell Robison, John Ryan Sporre, Sean Teehan
  • Publication number: 20210376078
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a fin structure including a recess formed in an upper surface of the fin structure, an inner gate formed in the recess of the fin structure, and an outer gate formed outside and around the fin structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Marc Adam BERGENDAHL, Gauri KARVE, Fee Li LIE, Eric R. MILLER, Robert Russell ROBISON, John Ryan SPORRE, Sean TEEHAN
  • Patent number: 11189532
    Abstract: A finned semiconductor structure including sets of relatively wide and relatively narrow fins is obtained by employing hard masks having different quality. A relatively porous hard mask is formed over a first region of a semiconductor substrate and a relatively dense hard mask is formed over a second region of the substrate. Patterning of the different hard masks using a sidewall image transfer process causes greater lateral etching of the relatively porous hard mask than the relatively dense hard mask. A subsequent reactive ion etch to form semiconductor fins causes relatively narrow fins to be formed beneath the relatively porous hard mask and relatively wide fins to be formed beneath the relatively dense hard mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yi Song, Jay W. Strane, Eric Miller, Fee Li Lie, Richard A. Conti
  • Publication number: 20210343536
    Abstract: First lithography and etching are carried out on a semiconductor structure to provide a first intermediate semiconductor structure having a first set of surface features corresponding to a first portion of desired fin formation mandrels. Second lithography and etching are carried out on the first intermediate structure, using a second mask, to provide a second intermediate semiconductor structure having a second set of surface features corresponding to a second portion of the mandrels. The second set of surface features are unequally spaced from the first set of surface features and/or the features have different pitch. The fin formation mandrels are formed in the second intermediate semiconductor structure using the first and second sets of surface features; spacer material is deposited over the mandrels and is etched back to form a third intermediate semiconductor structure having a fin pattern. Etching is carried out on same to produce the fin pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Inventors: Fee Li Lie, Dongbing Shao, Robert C. Wong, Yongan Xu
  • Publication number: 20210320190
    Abstract: Methods, and devices related to authentication of chips using physical unclonable function (PUF) are disclosed. The semiconductor chip includes a substrate. The semiconductor chip includes multiple devices formed on the substrate. Each device includes multiple fins. A gate is formed on the multiple fins with a gate cut (CT) design that results in random distribution of complete gate cut and incomplete gate cut for each of the multiple devices based on a natural process variation in semiconductor manufacturing for each device. A physical unclonable function (PUF) region is defined in accordance with the random distribution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2020
    Publication date: October 14, 2021
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Eric Miller, Fee Li Lie, Gauri Karve, Marc A. Bergendahl, John Ryan Sporre
  • Publication number: 20210320070
    Abstract: Methods, and devices related to authentication of chips using physical unclonable function (PUF) are disclosed. The semiconductor chip has a substrate having a major surface. The semiconductor chip has a boundary defined on the major surface in accordance with a ground rule associated with a gate cut passing (CT) fin formed on the major surface. The semiconductor chip has multiple non-planar devices fabricated on the surface at the boundary. The CT fin forms a random distribution of field effect transistors (FETs) with varying work function metal (WFM) thickness that includes some FETs that fail the ground rule and other FETs that meet the ground rule. A physical unclonable function (PUF) region is defined in accordance with the random distribution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2020
    Publication date: October 14, 2021
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Eric Miller, Fee Li Lie, Gauri Karve, Marc A. Bergendahl, John Sporre
  • Publication number: 20210305405
    Abstract: A method and structures are used to fabricate a nanosheet semiconductor device. Nanosheet fins including nanosheet stacks including alternating silicon (Si) layers and silicon germanium (SiGe) layers are formed on a substrate and etched to define a first end and a second end along a first axis between which each nanosheet fin extends parallel to every other nanosheet fin. The SiGe layers are undercut in the nanosheet stacks at the first end and the second end to form divots, and a dielectric is deposited in the divots. The SiGe layers between the Si layers are removed before forming source and drain regions of the nanosheet semiconductor device such that there are gaps between the Si layers of each nanosheet stack, and the dielectric anchors the Si layers. The gaps are filled with an oxide that is removed after removing the dummy gate and prior to forming the replacement gate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Marc A. Bergendahl, Kangguo Cheng, Fee Li Lie, Eric R. Miller, John R. Spoore, Sean Teehan
  • Patent number: 11127815
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a fin structure having a circular cylindrical shape, and including a first recess formed on a first side of the fin structure and a second recess formed on a second side of the fin structure opposite the first side, an inner gate formed inside the fin structure, and an inner gate insulating layer formed between the inner gate and an inner surface of the fin structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Marc Adam Bergendahl, Gauri Karve, Fee Li Lie, Eric R. Miller, Robert Russell Robison, John Ryan Sporre, Sean Teehan
  • Patent number: 11079337
    Abstract: Techniques for secure and tamper-resistant wafer identification using a unique wafer fingerprint are provided. In one aspect, a method for wafer authentication includes: placing, at each level of fabrication of chips on the wafer, reference structures across the chips; inspecting the wafer at each level of the fabrication; and performing at least one of overlay and scatterometry measurements of the reference structures to use as a unique fingerprint for authenticating the wafer that has been inspected. A method for authentication throughout a process flow for fabrication of chips on a wafer is also provided, as is a wafer having chips and reference structures placed across the chips at each level of the chips to provide a unique fingerprint for authenticating the wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Fee Li Lie, Effendi Leobandung, Richard C. Johnson, Scott Halle, Robin Hsin Kuo Chao
  • Patent number: 11081424
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to microchannels having varied critical dimensions for efficient cooling of semiconductor integrated circuit chip packages. In a non-limiting embodiment of the invention, a patterning stack is formed over a substrate. The patterning stack includes a hard mask, an etch transfer layer on the hard mask, and a photoresist on the etch transfer layer. A manifold trench is formed in a first region of the substrate and is recessed below a surface of the etch transfer layer. A microchannel trench is formed in a second region of the substrate to expose the surface of the etch transfer layer. The manifold trench and the microchannel trench are recessed such that the manifold trench extends into the hard mask and the microchannel trench extends into the etch transfer layer. A manifold and a microchannel are formed in the substrate by pattern transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ravi K. Bonam, Kamal K. Sikka, Joshua M. Rubin, Iqbal Rashid Saraf, Fee Li Lie
  • Patent number: 11075299
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method that includes forming a fin over a major surface of a substrate. The fin includes an active fin region having a top fin surface and a fin sidewall. The top fin surface is substantially parallel with respect to the major surface, and the fin sidewall is substantially perpendicular with respect to the major surface. A gate is formed over and around a central portion of the fin, the gate having a bottom gate region and a top gate region. The bottom gate region is substantially below the top fin surface and includes a bottom gate region sidewall that is substantially parallel with respect to the fin sidewall. The top gate region is substantially above the top fin surface and includes a top gate region sidewall that is at an angle with respect to the major surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eric Miller, Gauri Karve, Marc A. Bergendahl, Fee Li Lie, Kangguo Cheng, Sean Teehan