Patents by Inventor James Robert Todd

James Robert Todd 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: 11581309
    Abstract: An integrated circuit comprises a semiconductor substrate having a surface. A lateral resistor is arranged in a first plane parallel to the surface of the substrate. A vertical reference resistor comprises a layer arranged in a second plane parallel to the surface of the substrate and deeper than the first plane. This layer is doped to promote current flow in the second plane. The vertical reference resistor further comprises a first trench and a second trench coupled between the layer and the surface of the substrate. The first and second trenches are arranged in a vertical direction orthogonal to the first and the second planes and are doped to impede current flow in the vertical direction. A cross-section of the first and second trenches is two-fold rotationally symmetric around the vertical direction, and the lateral resistor and the first and second trenches have the same temperature coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael Szelong, James Robert Todd, Tobias Bernhard Fritz, Ralf Peter Brederlow
  • Patent number: 11374124
    Abstract: Described examples include integrated circuits, drain extended transistors and fabrication methods in which a silicide block material or other protection layer is formed on a field oxide structure above a drift region to protect the field oxide structure from damage during deglaze processing. Further described examples include a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure that laterally surrounds an active region of a semiconductor substrate, where the STI structure is laterally spaced from the oxide structure, and is formed under gate contacts of the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: James Robert Todd, Xiaoju Wu, Henry Litzmann Edwards, Binghua Hu
  • Publication number: 20220173095
    Abstract: An integrated circuit comprises a semiconductor substrate having a surface. A lateral resistor is arranged in a first plane parallel to the surface of the substrate. A vertical reference resistor comprises a layer arranged in a second plane parallel to the surface of the substrate and deeper than the first plane. This layer is doped to promote current flow in the second plane. The vertical reference resistor further comprises a first trench and a second trench coupled between the layer and the surface of the substrate. The first and second trenches are arranged in a vertical direction orthogonal to the first and the second planes and are doped to impede current flow in the vertical direction. A cross-section of the first and second trenches is two-fold rotationally symmetric around the vertical direction, and the lateral resistor and the first and second trenches have the same temperature coefficient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2022
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Inventors: Michael SZELONG, James Robert TODD, Tobias Bernhard FRITZ, Ralf Peter BREDERLOW
  • Publication number: 20220068649
    Abstract: A method of fabricating an IC includes providing a substrate including a semiconductor surface having well diffusions for a plurality of devices including bipolar, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), and double-diffused MOS (DMOS) devices. A polysilicon layer is deposited on a dielectric layer over the semiconductor surface, an anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer is formed on the polysilicon layer, and a photoresist pattern is formed on the ARC layer. The ARC layer is etched in areas exposed by the photoresist pattern to define areas including gate areas having the ARC layer on the polysilicon layer. The photoresist pattern is removed. Polysilicon etching is performed in areas lacking the ARC layer to form polysilicon gates having a remaining ARC portion of the ARC layer thereon. A self-aligned ion implant uses the remaining ARC portion as an additional implant blocking layer for the polysilicon gates, and the remaining ARC portion is stripped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Mona M. Eissa, Jason R. Heine, Pushpa Mahalingam, Henry Litzmann Edwards, James Robert Todd, Alexei Sadovnikov
  • Patent number: 11257814
    Abstract: An integrated circuit comprises a semiconductor substrate having a surface. A lateral resistor is arranged in a first plane parallel to the surface of the substrate. A vertical reference resistor comprises a layer arranged in a second plane parallel to the surface of the substrate and deeper than the first plane. This layer is doped to promote current flow in the second plane. The vertical reference resistor further comprises a first trench and a second trench coupled between the layer and the surface of the substrate. The first and second trenches are arranged in a vertical direction orthogonal to the first and the second planes and are doped to impede current flow in the vertical direction. A cross-section of the first and second trenches is two-fold rotationally symmetric around the vertical direction, and the lateral resistor and the first and second trenches have the same temperature coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Michael Szelong, James Robert Todd, Tobias Bernhard Fritz, Ralf Peter Brederlow
  • Patent number: 11152505
    Abstract: Described examples include integrated circuits, drain extended transistors and fabrication methods in which an oxide structure is formed over a drift region of a semiconductor substrate, and a shallow implantation process is performed using a first mask that exposes the oxide structure and a first portion of the semiconductor substrate to form a first drift region portion for connection to a body implant region. A second drift region portion is implanted in the semiconductor substrate under the oxide structure by a second implantation process using the first mask at a higher implant energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Alexei Sadovnikov, Andrew Derek Strachan, Henry Litzmann Edwards, Dhanoop Varghese, Xiaoju Wu, Binghua Hu, James Robert Todd
  • Patent number: 10903356
    Abstract: A laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) device includes a substrate having a p-epi layer thereon, a p-body region in the p-epi layer and an ndrift (NDRIFT) region within the p-body to provide a drain extension region. A gate stack includes a gate dielectric layer over a channel region in the p-body region adjacent to and on respective sides of a junction with the NDRIFT region. A patterned gate electrode is on the gate dielectric. A DWELL region is within the p-body region. A source region is within the DWELL region, and a drain region is within the NDRIFT region. An effective channel length (Leff) for the LDMOS device is 75 nm to 150 nm which evidences a DWELL implant that utilized an edge of the gate electrode to delineate an edge of a DWELL ion implant so that the DWELL region is self-aligned to the gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Henry Litzmann Edwards, Binghua Hu, James Robert Todd
  • Patent number: 10879387
    Abstract: Described examples include integrated circuits, drain extended transistors and fabrication methods therefor, including a multi-fingered transistor structure formed in an active region of a semiconductor substrate, in which a transistor drain finger is centered in a multi-finger transistor structure, a transistor body region laterally surrounds the transistor, an outer drift region laterally surrounds an active region of the semiconductor substrate, and one or more inactive or dummy structures are formed at lateral ends of the transistor finger structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Henry Litzmann Edwards, James Robert Todd, Binghua Hu, Xiaoju Wu, Stephanie L. Hilbun
  • Patent number: 10861948
    Abstract: An integrated circuit which includes a field-plated FET is formed by forming a first opening in a layer of oxide mask, exposing an area for a drift region. Dopants are implanted into the substrate under the first opening. Subsequently, dielectric sidewalls are formed along a lateral boundary of the first opening. A field relief oxide is formed by thermal oxidation in the area of the first opening exposed by the dielectric sidewalls. The implanted dopants are diffused into the substrate to form the drift region, extending laterally past the layer of field relief oxide. The dielectric sidewalls and layer of oxide mask are removed after the layer of field relief oxide is formed. A gate is formed over a body of the field-plated FET and over the adjacent drift region. A field plate is formed immediately over the field relief oxide adjacent to the gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Henry Litzmann Edwards, Binghua Hu, James Robert Todd
  • Patent number: 10748818
    Abstract: In various examples, a method and apparatus are provided to achieve dynamic biasing to mitigate electrical stress. Described examples include a device includes a first resistor portion having a first terminal and a second terminal, and a second resistor portion having a third terminal and a fourth terminal. The device also includes a well in a substrate proximate to the first resistor portion and the second resistor portion and an insulating layer between the well and the first resistor portion and the second resistor portion. The device also includes a transistor having a control terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first resistor portion and the third terminal of the second resistor portion, the transistor having a first current-handling terminal coupled to a first voltage and a second current-handling terminal coupled to a current source and to the well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Tathagata Chatterjee, Steven Loveless, James Robert Todd, Andrew Strachan
  • Publication number: 20200227408
    Abstract: An integrated circuit comprises a semiconductor substrate having a surface. A lateral resistor is arranged in a first plane parallel to the surface of the substrate. A vertical reference resistor comprises a layer arranged in a second plane parallel to the surface of the substrate and deeper than the first plane. This layer is doped to promote current flow in the second plane. The vertical reference resistor further comprises a first trench and a second trench coupled between the layer and the surface of the substrate. The first and second trenches are arranged in a vertical direction orthogonal to the first and the second planes and are doped to impede current flow in the vertical direction. A cross-section of the first and second trenches is two-fold rotationally symmetric around the vertical direction, and the lateral resistor and the first and second trenches have the same temperature coefficient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Inventors: Michael SZELONG, James Robert TODD, Tobias Bernhard FRITZ, Ralf Peter BREDERLOW
  • Publication number: 20200203230
    Abstract: In various examples, a method and apparatus are provided to achieve dynamic biasing to mitigate electrical stress. Described examples include a device includes a first resistor portion having a first terminal and a second terminal, and a second resistor portion having a third terminal and a fourth terminal. The device also includes a well in a substrate proximate to the first resistor portion and the second resistor portion and an insulating layer between the well and the first resistor portion and the second resistor portion. The device also includes a transistor having a control terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first resistor portion and the third terminal of the second resistor portion, the transistor having a first current-handling terminal coupled to a first voltage and a second current-handling terminal coupled to a current source and to the well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventors: Tathagata Chatterjee, Steven Loveless, James Robert Todd, Andrew Strachan
  • Publication number: 20200083336
    Abstract: An integrated circuit which includes a field-plated FET is formed by forming a first opening in a layer of oxide mask, exposing an area for a drift region. Dopants are implanted into the substrate under the first opening. Subsequently, dielectric sidewalls are formed along a lateral boundary of the first opening. A field relief oxide is formed by thermal oxidation in the area of the first opening exposed by the dielectric sidewalls. The implanted dopants are diffused into the substrate to form the drift region, extending laterally past the layer of field relief oxide. The dielectric sidewalls and layer of oxide mask are removed after the layer of field relief oxide is formed. A gate is formed over a body of the field-plated FET and over the adjacent drift region. A field plate is formed immediately over the field relief oxide adjacent to the gate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Publication date: March 12, 2020
    Inventors: Henry Litzmann Edwards, Binghua Hu, James Robert Todd
  • Publication number: 20200013890
    Abstract: Described examples include integrated circuits, drain extended transistors and fabrication methods therefor, including a multi-fingered transistor structure formed in an active region of a semiconductor substrate, in which a transistor drain finger is centered in a multi-finger transistor structure, a transistor body region laterally surrounds the transistor, an outer drift region laterally surrounds an active region of the semiconductor substrate, and one or more inactive or dummy structures are formed at lateral ends of the transistor finger structures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2019
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Inventors: Henry Litzmann Edwards, James Robert Todd, Binghua Hu, Xiaoju Wu, Stephanie L. Hilbun
  • Publication number: 20200006549
    Abstract: Described examples include integrated circuits, drain extended transistors and fabrication methods in which an oxide structure is formed over a drift region of a semiconductor substrate, and a shallow implantation process is performed using a first mask that exposes the oxide structure and a first portion of the semiconductor substrate to form a first drift region portion for connection to a body implant region. A second drift region portion is implanted in the semiconductor substrate under the oxide structure by a second implantation process using the first mask at a higher implant energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Alexei Sadovnikov, Andrew Derek Strachan, Henry Litzmann Edwards, Dhanoop Varghese, Xiaoju Wu, Binghua Hu, James Robert Todd
  • Publication number: 20200006550
    Abstract: Described examples include integrated circuits, drain extended transistors and fabrication methods in which a silicide block material or other protection layer is formed on a field oxide structure above a drift region to protect the field oxide structure from damage during deglaze processing. Further described examples include a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure that laterally surrounds an active region of a semiconductor substrate, where the STI structure is laterally spaced from the oxide structure, and is formed under gate contacts of the transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: James Robert Todd, Xiaoju Wu, Henry Litzmann Edwards, Binghua Hu
  • Patent number: 10497787
    Abstract: An integrated circuit which includes a field-plated FET is formed by forming a first opening in a layer of oxide mask, exposing an area for a drift region. Dopants are implanted into the substrate under the first opening. Subsequently, dielectric sidewalls are formed along a lateral boundary of the first opening. A field relief oxide is formed by thermal oxidation in the area of the first opening exposed by the dielectric sidewalls. The implanted dopants are diffused into the substrate to form the drift region, extending laterally past the layer of field relief oxide. The dielectric sidewalls and layer of oxide mask are removed after the layer of field relief oxide is formed. A gate is formed over a body of the field-plated FET and over the adjacent drift region. A field plate is formed immediately over the field relief oxide adjacent to the gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Henry Litzmann Edwards, Binghua Hu, James Robert Todd
  • Patent number: 10461182
    Abstract: Described examples include integrated circuits, drain extended transistors and fabrication methods therefor, including a multi-fingered transistor structure formed in an active region of a semiconductor substrate, in which a transistor drain finger is centered in a multi-finger transistor structure, a transistor body region laterally surrounds the transistor, an outer drift region laterally surrounds an active region of the semiconductor substrate, and one or more inactive or dummy structures are formed at lateral ends of the transistor finger structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Henry Litzmann Edwards, James Robert Todd, Binghua Hu, Xiaoju Wu, Stephanie L. Hilbun
  • Publication number: 20190207010
    Abstract: An integrated circuit having silicide block integrated with CMOS transistors is formed by forming a silicide block layer of primarily silicon dioxide, free of silicon nitride and silicon oxy-nitride, at less than 400° C. prior to annealing the PMOS sources and drains. A spike anneal process concurrently anneals the PMOS sources and drains and densifies the silicide block layer. The NMOS drain junctions are less than 120 nanometers; the NMOS halo regions include boron. The NMOS and PMOS transistors are laterally separated by an STI oxide layer. A wet deglaze process prior to metal silicide formation removes less than 25 percent of the silicide block layer, and exposes sides of the NMOS drains less than 20 percent of the drain junction depth. The metal silicide does not extend down the NMOS drains sides, directly adjacent to the STI oxide layer, more than 20 percent of the drain junction depth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2017
    Publication date: July 4, 2019
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Binghua Hu, Michael Allen Ball, Jarvis Benjamin Jacobs, James Robert Todd
  • Patent number: 10096685
    Abstract: An integrated circuit which includes a field-plated FET is formed by forming a first opening in a layer of oxide mask, exposing an area for a drift region. Dopants are implanted into the substrate under the first opening. Subsequently, dielectric sidewalls are formed along a lateral boundary of the first opening. A field relief oxide is formed by thermal oxidation in the area of the first opening exposed by the dielectric sidewalls. The implanted dopants are diffused into the substrate to form the drift region, extending laterally past the layer of field relief oxide. The dielectric sidewalls and layer of oxide mask are removed after the layer of field relief oxide is formed. A gate is formed over a body of the field-plated FET and over the adjacent drift region. A field plate is formed immediately over the field relief oxide adjacent to the gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Henry Litzmann Edwards, Binghua Hu, James Robert Todd