Abstract: A method forms a structure has a substrate having at least one semiconductor channel region, a gate dielectric on the upper surface of the substrate over the semiconductor channel region, and a gate conductor on the gate dielectric. Asymmetric sidewall spacers are located on the sidewalls of the gate conductor and asymmetric source and drain regions are located within the substrate adjacent the semiconductor channel region. One source/drain region is positioned closer to the midpoint of the gate conductor than is the other source/drain region. The source and drain regions comprise a material that induces physical stress upon the semiconductor channel region.

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device having two different strains therein is provided. The method includes forming a strain in a first region with a first straining film, and forming a second strain in a second region with a second straining film. Either of the first or second strains may be either tensile or compressive. Additionally the strains may be formed at right angles to one another and may be additionally formed in the same region. In particular a vertical tensile strain may be formed in a base and collector region of an NPN bipolar transistor and a horizontal compressive strain may be formed in the extrinsic base region of the NPN bipolar transistor. A PNP bipolar transistor may be formed with a compression strain in the base and collector region in the vertical direction and a tensile strain in the extrinsic base region in the horizontal direction.

Abstract: A novel CMOS image sensor Active Pixel Sensor (APS) cell structure and method of manufacture. Particularly, a CMOS image sensor APS cell having a predoped transfer gate is formed that avoids the variations of Vt as a result of subsequent manufacturing steps. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the CMOS image sensor APS cell structure includes a doped p-type pinning layer and an n-type doped gate. There is additionally provided a method of forming the CMOS image sensor APS cell having a predoped transfer gate and a doped pinning layer. The predoped transfer gate prevents part of the gate from becoming p-type doped.

Abstract: Passive components are formed in the back end by using the same deposition process and materials as in the rest of the back end. Resistors are formed by connecting in series individual structures on the nth, (n+1)th, etc levels of the back end. Capacitors are formed by constructing a set of vertical capacitor plates from a plurality of levels in the back end, the plates being formed by connecting electrodes on two or more levels of the back end by vertical connection members.

Abstract: A lateral passive device is disclosed including a dual annular electrode. The annular electrodes form an anode and a cathode. The annular electrodes allow anode and cathode series resistances to be optimized to the lowest values at a fixed device area. In addition, the parasitic capacitance to a bottom plate (substrate) is greatly reduced. In one embodiment, a device includes a first annular electrode surrounding a second annular electrode formed on a substrate, and the second annular electrode surrounds an insulator region. A related method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A junction field effect transistor (JFET) has a hyperabrupt junction layer that functions as a channel of a JFET. The hyperabrupt junction layer is formed by two dopant profiles of opposite types such that one dopant concentration profile has a peak concentration depth at a tail end of the other dopant profile. The voltage bias to the channel is provided by a body that is doped with the same type of dopants as the gate. This is in contrast with conventional JFETs that have a body that is doped with the opposite conductivity type as the gate. The body may be electrically decoupled from the substrate by another reverse bias junction formed either between the body and the substrate or between a buried conductor layer beneath the body and the substrate. The capability to form a thin hyperabrupt junction layer allows formation of a JFET in a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate.

Abstract: A lateral passive device is disclosed including a dual annular electrode. The annular electrodes form an anode and a cathode. The annular electrodes allow anode and cathode series resistances to be optimized to the lowest values at a fixed device area. In addition, the parasitic capacitance to a bottom plate (substrate) is greatly reduced. In one embodiment, a device includes a first annular electrode surrounding a second annular electrode formed on a substrate, and the second annular electrode surrounds an insulator region. A related method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A semiconductor-on-insulator transistor device includes a source region, a drain region, a body region, and a source-side lateral bipolar transistor. The source region has a first conductivity type. The body region has a second conductivity type and is positioned between the source region and the drain region. The source-side lateral bipolar transistor includes a base, a collector, and an emitter. A silicide region connects the base to the collector. The emitter is the body region. The collector has the second conductivity type, and the base is the source region and is positioned between the emitter and the collector.

Abstract: Methods of forming hyper-abrupt p-n junctions and design structures for an integrated circuit containing devices structures with hyper-abrupt p-n junctions. The hyper-abrupt p-n junction is defined in a SOI substrate by implanting a portion of a device layer to have one conductivity type and then implanting a portion of this doped region to have an opposite conductivity type. The counterdoping defines the hyper-abrupt p-n junction. A gate structure carried on a top surface of the device layer operates as a hard mask during the ion implantations to assist in defining a lateral boundary for the hyper-abrupt p-n junction.

Abstract: Device structures with hyper-abrupt p-n junctions, methods of forming hyper-abrupt p-n junctions, and design structures for an integrated circuit containing devices structures with hyper-abrupt p-n junctions. The hyper-abrupt p-n junction is defined in a SOI substrate by implanting a portion of a device layer to have one conductivity type and then implanting a portion of this doped region to have an opposite conductivity type. The counterdoping defines the hyper-abrupt p-n junction. A gate structure carried on a top surface of the device layer operates as a hard mask during the ion implantations to assist in defining a lateral boundary for the hyper-abrupt-n junction.

Abstract: A varactor diode includes a portion of a top semiconductor layer of a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate and a gate electrode located thereupon. A first electrode having a doping of a first conductivity type laterally abuts a doped semiconductor region having the first conductivity type, which laterally abuts a second electrode having a doping of a second conductivity type, which is the opposite of the first conductivity type. A hyperabrupt junction is formed between the second doped semiconductor region and the second electrode. The gate electrode controls the depletion of the first and second doped semiconductor regions, thereby varying the capacitance of the varactor diode. A design structure for the varactor diode is also provided.

Abstract: Passive components are formed in the back end by using the same deposition process and materials as in the rest of the back end. Resistors are formed by connecting in series individual structures on the nth, (n+1)th, etc levels of the back end. Capacitors are formed by constructing a set of vertical capacitor plates from a plurality of levels in the back end, the plates being formed by connecting electrodes on two or more levels of the back end by vertical connection members.

Abstract: The present invention is a pixel sensor cell and method of making the same. The pixel sensor cell approximately doubles the available signal for a given quanta of light. The device of the present invention utilizes the holes produced by impinging photons in a pixel sensor cell circuit. A pixel sensor cell having reduced complexity includes an n-type collection well region formed beneath a surface of a substrate for collecting electrons generated by electromagnetic radiation impinging on the pixel sensor cell and a p-type collection well region formed beneath the surface of the substrate for collecting holes generated by the impinging photons. A circuit structure having a first input is coupled to the n-type collection well region and a second input is coupled to the p-type collection well region, wherein an output signal of the pixel sensor cell is the magnitude of the difference of a signal of the first input and a signal of the second input.

Abstract: A trench contact silicide is formed on an inner wall of a contact trench that reaches to a buried conductive layer in a semiconductor substrate to reduce parasitic resistance of a reachthrough structure. The trench contact silicide is formed at the bottom, on the sidewalls of the trench, and on a portion of the top surface of the semiconductor substrate. The trench is subsequently filled with a middle-of-line (MOL) dielectric. A contact via may be formed on the trench contact silicide. The trench contact silicide may be formed through a single silicidation reaction with a metal layer or through multiple silicidation reactions with multiple metal layers.

Abstract: Method of fabricating a varactor that includes providing a semiconductor substrate, doping a lower region of the semiconductor substrate with a first dopant at a first energy level, doping a middle region of the semiconductor substrate with a second dopant at a second energy level lower than the first energy level, and doping an upper region of the semiconductor substrate with a third dopant at a third energy level lower than the second energy level.

Abstract: A dynamic directory and tetrahedralization method. The dynamic directory of degree of freedom data for elements in a non-conformal mixed-element mesh includes elements subdividable into tetrahedral, in which a respective degree of freedom value is stored for each element, wherein the degree of freedom value is current as element subdivision proceeds. The tetrahedralization method includes providing a non-conformal mixed element mesh comprising elements subdividable into tetrahedra, identifying respective degree of freedom values for the elements in the mesh, and performing element subdivision based on the degree of freedom values of elements in the mesh.

Abstract: The invention provides vertically-stacked photodiodes buried in a semiconductor material that are isolated and selectively contacted by deep trenches. One embodiment of the invention provides a pixel sensor comprising: a plurality of photosensitive elements formed in a substrate, each photosensitive element being adapted to generate photocharges in response to electromagnetic radiation; and a plurality of photocharge transfer devices, each photocharge transfer device being coupled to at least one of the plurality of photosensitive elements.

Abstract: The present invention is a pixel sensor cell and method of making the same. The pixel sensor cell approximately doubles the available signal for a given quanta of light. The device of the present invention utilizes the holes produced by impinging photons in a pixel sensor cell circuit. A pixel sensor cell having reduced complexity includes an n-type collection well region formed beneath a surface of a substrate for collecting electrons generated by electromagnetic radiation impinging on the pixel sensor cell and a p-type collection well region formed beneath the surface of the substrate for collecting holes generated by the impinging photons. A circuit structure having a first input is coupled to the n-type collection well region and a second input is coupled to the p-type collection well region, wherein an output signal of the pixel sensor cell is the magnitude of the difference of a signal of the first input and a signal of the second input.

Abstract: The invention provides a method to enhance the programmability of a prompt-shift device, which reduces the programming time to sub-millisecond times, by altering the extension and halo implants, instead of simply omitting the same from one side of the device as is the case in the prior art prompt-shift devices. The invention includes an embodiment in which no additional masks are employed, or one additional mask is employed. The altered extension implant is performed at a reduced ion dose as compared to a conventional extension implant process, while the altered halo implant is performed at a higher ion dose than a conventional halo implant. The altered halo/extension implant shifts the peak of the electrical field to under an extension dielectric spacer.

Abstract: A semiconductor-on-insulator transistor device includes a source region, a drain region, a body region, and a source-side lateral bipolar transistor. The source region has a first conductivity type. The body region has a second conductivity type and is positioned between the source region and the drain region. The source-side lateral bipolar transistor includes a base, a collector, and an emitter. A silicide region connects the base to the collector. The emitter is the body region. The collector has the second conductivity type, and the base is the source region and is positioned between the emitter and the collector.