Patents by Inventor Huimei Zhou

Huimei Zhou 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: 11955369
    Abstract: An approach for creating a buried local interconnect around a DDB (double diffusion break) to reduce parasitic capacitance on a semiconductor device is disclosed. The approach utilizes a metal, as the local interconnect, buried in a cavity around the DDB region of a semiconductor substrate. The metal is disposed by two dielectric layers and the substrate. The two dielectric layers are recessed beneath two gate spacers. The buried local interconnect is recessed into the cavity where the top surface of the interconnect is situated below the top surface of the surrounding S/D (source/drain) epi (epitaxy). The metal of the local interconnect can be made from W, Ru or Co.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lan Yu, Chen Zhang, Huimei Zhou, Ruilong Xie
  • Publication number: 20240113200
    Abstract: An integrated circuit apparatus includes a substrate and a well contact that is disposed on the substrate. The well contact includes first and second source/drain structures that are disposed on the substrate; a metal vertical portion that contacts the substrate immediately between the first and second source/drain structures; inner spacers that electrically insulate the vertical portion from the adjacent source/drain structures; bottom dielectric isolation that electrically insulates the source/drain structures from the substrate; and a well portion that is embedded into the substrate in registry with the vertical portion. The well portion is doped differently than the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2022
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventors: HUIMEI ZHOU, MIAOMIAO WANG, Julien Frougier, Andrew M. Greene, Barry Paul Linder, Kai Zhao, Ruilong Xie, Tian Shen, Veeraraghavan S. Basker
  • Publication number: 20240096871
    Abstract: An integrated circuit is presented including a protection diode including a plurality of first gates and a plurality of first source/drain (S/D) contacts and a device under test (DUT) including a plurality of second gates and a plurality of second S/D contacts, the DUT being electrically connected to the protection diode by either at least one gate contact or at least on CA contact or at least one buried power rail (BPR). The protection diode is electrically connected to the DUT by middle-of-line (MOL) layers for gate oxide protection before M1 formation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2022
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: Huimei Zhou, Terence Hook, Junli Wang, Miaomiao Wang
  • Patent number: 11908743
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices, integrated chips, and methods of forming the same include forming a fill over a stack of semiconductor layers. The stack of semiconductor layers includes a first sacrificial layer and a set of alternating second sacrificial layers and channel layers. A dielectric fin is formed over the stack of semiconductor layers. The first sacrificial layer and the second sacrificial layers are etched away, leaving the channel layers supported by the dielectric fin over an exposed substrate surface. A dielectric layer is conformally deposited on the exposed substrate surface, the dielectric layer having a consistent thickness across the top surface. A conductive material is deposited over the dielectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Huimei Zhou, Andrew M. Greene, Julien Frougier, Ruqiang Bao, Jingyun Zhang, Miaomiao Wang, Dechao Guo
  • Patent number: 11908888
    Abstract: A metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor structure includes a substrate extending along a first direction to define a length, a second direction orthogonal to the first direction to define a width, and a third direction orthogonal to the first and second direction to define a height. The substrate includes a first capacitance region and a second capacitance region. The first capacitance region has a first maximum operating voltage (Vmax) and the second capacitance region has a second Vmax that is greater than the first Vmax.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Baozhen Li, Chih-Chao Yang, Nan Jing, Huimei Zhou
  • Publication number: 20240030139
    Abstract: A buried power rail is provided in a non-active device region. The buried power rail includes a dielectric liner located on a lower portion of a sidewall and a bottommost surface of the buried power rail. A dielectric cap is located on an upper portion of the sidewall of the buried power rail as well as on a topmost surface of the buried power rail. The dielectric cap is present during the fabrication of a functional gate structure and thus the problems associated with prior art buried power rails are circumvented. The dielectric cap can be removed after the functional gate structure has been formed and a via to buried power rail (VBPR) contact structure can be formed in contact with the buried power rail. In some applications, and after a gate cut process, a gate cut dielectric structure can be formed in contact with the dielectric cap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2023
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Inventors: Ruilong Xie, HUIMEI ZHOU, Julien Frougier, Kisik Choi
  • Patent number: 11869812
    Abstract: A complementary field effect transistor (CFET) structure including a first transistor disposed above a second transistor, and a first source/drain region of the first transistor disposed above a second source/drain region of the second transistor, wherein the second source/drain region comprises a recessed notch beneath the first source/drain region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ruilong Xie, Huimei Zhou, Miaomiao Wang, Alexander Reznicek
  • Publication number: 20230417604
    Abstract: A semiconductor device structure and methodology for determining a power consumption of the device structure and to extract accurate real temperatures due to self-heating effects. The semiconductor device structure includes a first transistor device formed as a heater device and an adjacent device such as a second transistor device or a semiconductor junction device. In the method, the first transistor device is operable at different operating states (e.g., off state or at different applied power levels), and at each state, an electrical characteristic is measured at the adjacent second transistor device or junction device. The electrical characteristic measured at the adjacent second semiconductor device is correlated to a power consumption of the first device while excluding a power consumption due to voltage drops due to resistance of connected metal layers, vias or contacts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2022
    Publication date: December 28, 2023
    Inventors: HUIMEI ZHOU, MIAOMIAO WANG, Effendi Leobandung
  • Publication number: 20230420491
    Abstract: Metal-insulator-metal capacitor designs with increased reliability are provided. In one aspect, a capacitor includes: first and second electrodes; and multiple dielectric layers present in between the first and second electrodes, including a first buffer layer disposed on the first electrode, a ferroelectric film disposed on the first buffer layer, and a second buffer layer disposed on the ferroelectric film, where the ferroelectric film includes a combination of at least a first dielectric material and a second dielectric material having a higher ? value than either the first or second buffer layers. The first and second dielectric materials can each include HfO2 and/or ZrO2, in a crystalline phase, which can be combined in a common layer, or present in different layers. A capacitor device having the present capacitors stacked one on top of another is also provided, as is a method of forming the present capacitors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2022
    Publication date: December 28, 2023
    Inventors: Kisik Choi, Paul Charles Jamison, Takashi Ando, Lawrence A. Clevenger, Huimei Zhou, Miaomiao Wang, Ernest Y. Wu
  • Publication number: 20230411392
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure including a gate-all-around input/output (I/O) device and a gate-all-around core logic device integrated on a semiconductor substrate is provided. The gate-all-around I/O device, which has a wider channel length than the gate-all-around core logic device, has a dielectric spacer and/or inner spacers that is (are) laterally wider (i.e., thicker) than a dielectric spacer and/or inner spacers present in the gate-all-around core logic device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2022
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Inventors: HUIMEI ZHOU, MIAOMIAO WANG, Nicolas Jean Loubet
  • Patent number: 11817502
    Abstract: A method of forming stacked fin field effect devices is provided. The method includes forming a layer stack on a substrate, wherein the layer stack includes a first semiconductor layer on a surface of the substrate, a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer, a third semiconductor layer on the second semiconductor layer, a separation layer on the third semiconductor layer, a fourth semiconductor layer on the separation layer, a fifth semiconductor layer on the fourth semiconductor layer, and a sixth semiconductor layer on the fifth semiconductor layer. The method further includes forming a plurality of channels through the layer stack to the surface of the substrate, and removing portions of the second semiconductor layer and fifth semiconductor layer to form lateral grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Huimei Zhou, Su Chen Fan, Shogo Mochizuki, Peng Xu, Nicolas J. Loubet
  • Publication number: 20230361158
    Abstract: Embodiments of present invention provide a resistor structure. The resistor structure includes a first layer of electrically insulating material; and a second layer of resistive material directly adjacent to the first layer, wherein thermal conductivity of the first layer is equal to or larger than 100 W/m/K. In one embodiment, the first layer of electrically insulating material has a band gap equal to or larger than 4 eV and is selected from a group consisting of aluminum-nitride (AlN), boron-nitride (BN), and diamond (C).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2022
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Inventors: HUIMEI ZHOU, Baozhen Li, Chih-Chao Yang, Ashim Dutta
  • Patent number: 11804436
    Abstract: A buried power rail is provided in a non-active device region. The buried power rail includes a dielectric liner located on a lower portion of a sidewall and a bottommost surface of the buried power rail. A dielectric cap is located on an upper portion of the sidewall of the buried power rail as well as on a topmost surface of the buried power rail. The dielectric cap is present during the fabrication of a functional gate structure and thus the problems associated with prior art buried power rails are circumvented. The dielectric cap can be removed after the functional gate structure has been formed and a via to buried power rail (VBPR) contact structure can be formed in contact with the buried power rail. In some applications, and after a gate cut process, a gate cut dielectric structure can be formed in contact with the dielectric cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ruilong Xie, Huimei Zhou, Julien Frougier, Kisik Choi
  • Patent number: 11789064
    Abstract: A ring oscillator circuit design includes three or more inverter stages connected in series. Each inverter stage includes one or more inverter devices including a PMOS device and a coupled NMOS device. The PMOS device in each of odd alternating inverter devices of the three or more inverter stages having a source terminal receiving power from a power rail conductor, and a source terminal of the coupled NMOS device in each of first alternating inverter devices is grounded. An output of a last inverter device of a last stage of the three or more inverter stages is connected to an input of a first inverter stage. The method measures a first frequency of a first ring oscillator circuit and measures a second frequency of a second ring oscillator circuit design to determine either a BTI or HCI failure mechanism of the first ring oscillator circuit based on the measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Huimei Zhou, Liqiao Qin, Miaomiao Wang, Effendi Leobandung
  • Publication number: 20230320056
    Abstract: Embodiments of present invention provide a static random-access-memory (SRAM) device. The SRAM device includes a first set of nanosheets used in an n-type transistor; and a second set of nanosheets with one or more nanosheets of the second set of nanosheets used in a p-type transistor, wherein a width of the second set of nanosheets is wider than a width of the first set of nanosheets. In one embodiment the p-type transistor is used as a pull-up transistor and the n-type transistor is used as a pull-down transistor or a pass-gate transistor. A method of manufacturing the SRAM device is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2022
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: HUIMEI ZHOU, Carl Radens, MIAOMIAO WANG, Ardasheir Rahman
  • Publication number: 20230231707
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and resulting structures for integrated circuits having metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors that serve as both decoupling capacitors and crack stops. In a non-limiting embodiment, an interconnect is formed on a first portion of a substrate in an interior region of the integrated circuit. A second portion of the substrate is exposed in an edge region of the integrated circuit. A MIM capacitor is formed over the second portion of the substrate in the edge region. The MIM capacitor includes two or more plates and one or more dielectric layers. Each dielectric layer is positioned between an adjacent pair of the two or more plates and a portion of the two or more plates extends over the interconnect in the interior region. A plate of the two or more plates is electrically coupled to a last metal wiring level of the interconnect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2023
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Inventors: Baozhen Li, Chih-Chao Yang, HUIMEI ZHOU, Nan JING
  • Patent number: 11694958
    Abstract: Semiconductor device layout designs for Vt tuning are provided. In one aspect, a semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes: at least one first metal line in contact with a source or drain of an FET; at least one second metal line in contact with a gate of the FET, wherein the first metal line crosses the second metal line; and an oxygen diffusion blocking layer on top of the at least one first metal line in an overlap area of the at least one first metal line and the at least one second metal line. A method of forming a semiconductor device is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Huimei Zhou, Su Chen Fan, Miaomiao Wang, Zuoguang Liu
  • Publication number: 20230207622
    Abstract: Vertically stacked, buried power rails are electrically connected to wrap-around contacts or other electrically conductive liners on transistor source/drain regions. The buried power rails are electrically isolated from each other by an electrical insulator. Wrap-around contacts can be electrically connected to different ones of the vertically stacked, buried power rails or to the same buried power rail.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Inventors: HUIMEI ZHOU, Ruilong Xie, Julien Frougier, MIAOMIAO WANG
  • Publication number: 20230197813
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure comprises a first nanosheet device having at least one first channel layer and a first gate, a second nanosheet device disposed above the first nanosheet device and having at least one second channel layer and a second gate, and an isolation layer disposed between the first nanosheet device and the second nanosheet device to electrically isolate the first nanosheet device and the second nanosheet device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Inventors: Huimei Zhou, Ruilong Xie, Miaomiao Wang, Alexander Reznicek
  • Publication number: 20230197606
    Abstract: Method and resistive structure is provided herein. The resistive structure includes a semiconductor substrate comprising one or more circuit elements and a first interconnect layer disposed on the substrate. The first interconnect layer is between a resistive layer and the semiconductor substrate. A dielectric layer is disposed between the first interconnect layer and the resistive layer. A via extending through the dielectric layer forms an electrical connection between the first interconnect layer and the resistive layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Inventors: Baozhen LI, Chih-Chao YANG, Ashim DUTTA, Huimei ZHOU