Patents by Inventor Kai Zuo

Kai Zuo 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).

  • Publication number: 20150380513
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a bipolar transistor device includes performing a first plurality of implantation procedures to implant dopant of a first conductivity type to form emitter and collector regions laterally spaced from one another in a semiconductor substrate, and performing a second plurality of implantation procedures to implant dopant of a second conductivity type in the semiconductor substrate to form a composite base region. The composite base region includes a base contact region, a buried region through which a buried conduction path between the emitter and collector regions is formed during operation, and a base link region electrically connecting the base contact region and the buried region. The base link region has a dopant concentration level higher than the buried region and is disposed laterally between the emitter and collector regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Applicant: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Xin Lin, Daniel J. Blomberg, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Patent number: 9224861
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a body region disposed in the semiconductor substrate and having a first conductivity type, a source region disposed in the semiconductor substrate adjacent the body region and having a second conductivity type, a drain region disposed in the semiconductor substrate, having the second conductivity type, and spaced from the source region to define a conduction path, a gate structure supported by the semiconductor substrate, configured to control formation of a channel in the conduction path during operation, and having a side adjacent the source region that comprises a notch, the notch defining a notch area, and a notch region disposed in the semiconductor substrate in the notch area and having the first conductivity type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Hongning Yang, Pete Rodriguez, Zhihong Zhong, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Publication number: 20150364576
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a transistor device having a channel of a first conductivity type formed during operation in a body region having a second conductivity type includes forming a first well region of the body region in a semiconductor substrate, performing a first implantation procedure to counter-dope the first well region with dopant of the first conductivity type to define a second well region of the body region, and performing a second implantation procedure to form a source region in the first well region and a drain region in the second well region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Publication date: December 17, 2015
    Applicant: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Zhihong Zhang, Daniel J. Blomberg, Hongning Yang, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Patent number: 9202887
    Abstract: Bipolar transistors and methods for fabricating bipolar transistors are provided. In one embodiment, the method includes the step or process of providing a substrate having therein a semiconductor base region of a first conductivity type and first doping density proximate an upper substrate surface. A multilevel collector structure of a second opposite conductivity type is formed in the base region. The multilevel collector includes a first collector part extending to a collector contact, a second collector part Ohmically coupled to the first collector part underlying the upper substrate surface by a first depth, a third collector part laterally spaced apart from the second collector part and underlying the upper substrate surface by a second depth and having a first vertical thickness, and a fourth collector part Ohmically coupling the second and third collector parts and having a second vertical thickness different than the first vertical thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR INC.
    Inventors: Xin Lin, Daniel J. Blomberg, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Publication number: 20150333177
    Abstract: A device includes a semiconductor substrate, a body region in the semiconductor substrate having a first conductivity type and in which a channel is formed during operation, source and drain regions in the semiconductor substrate and having a second conductivity type, the source region being disposed on the body region, and a composite drift region in the semiconductor substrate, having the second conductivity type, and through which charge carriers from the source region drift to reach the drain region after passing through the channel. The composite drift region includes a first section adjacent the channel, a second section adjacent the drain region, and a third section disposed between the first and second sections. The first and second sections have a lower effective dopant concentration level than the third section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2014
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Applicant: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Zhihong Zhang, Hongning Yang, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Publication number: 20150325674
    Abstract: An embodiment of a method of fabricating a diode having a plurality of regions of a first conductivity type and a buried region of a second conductivity type includes performing a first dopant implantation procedure to form the buried region, performing a second dopant implantation procedure to form an intermediate region of the plurality of regions, and performing a third dopant implantation procedure to form a contact region of the plurality of regions. The second and third dopant implantation procedures are configured such that the intermediate region is electrically connected with the contact region. The first, second, and third dopant implantation procedures are configured such that the buried region extends laterally across the contact region and the intermediate region to establish first and second junctions of the diode, respectively, and such that the first junction has a lower breakdown voltage than the second junction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2015
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Applicant: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Xin Lin, Hongning Yang, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Publication number: 20150325565
    Abstract: A device includes a semiconductor substrate, a first constituent transistor including a first plurality of transistor structures in the semiconductor substrate connected in parallel with one another, and a second constituent transistor including a second plurality of transistor structures in the semiconductor substrate connected in parallel with one another. The first and second constituent transistors are disposed laterally adjacent to one another and connected in parallel with one another. Each transistor structure of the first plurality of transistor structures includes a non-uniform channel such that the first constituent transistor has a higher threshold voltage level than the second constituent transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2014
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Applicant: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Hongning Yang, Xin Lin, Pete Rodriguez, Zhihong Zhang, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Patent number: 9184257
    Abstract: Semiconductor device structures and related fabrication methods are provided. An exemplary semiconductor device structure includes a collector region of semiconductor material having a first conductivity type, a base region of semiconductor material within the collector region, the base region having a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type, and a doped region of semiconductor material having the second conductivity type, wherein the doped region is electrically connected to the base region and the collector region resides between the base region and the doped region. In exemplary embodiments, the dopant concentration of the doped region is greater than a dopant concentration of the collector region to deplete the collector region as the electrical potential of the base region exceeds that of the collector region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR INC.
    Inventors: Xin Lin, Daniel J. Blomberg, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Patent number: 9165918
    Abstract: A device includes a semiconductor substrate, a first constituent transistor including a first plurality of transistor structures in the semiconductor substrate connected in parallel with one another, and a second constituent transistor including a second plurality of transistor structures in the semiconductor substrate connected in parallel with one another. The first and second constituent transistors are disposed laterally adjacent to one another and connected in parallel with one another. Each transistor structure of the first plurality of transistor structures includes a non-uniform channel such that the first constituent transistor has a higher threshold voltage level than the second constituent transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Hongning Yang, Xin Lin, Pete Rodriguez, Zhihong Zhang, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Publication number: 20150270333
    Abstract: A device includes a semiconductor substrate, source and drain regions disposed in the semiconductor substrate and having a first conductivity type, a body region disposed in the semiconductor substrate, having a second conductivity type, and in which the source region is disposed, a drift region disposed in the semiconductor substrate, having the first conductivity type, and through which charge carriers drift during operation upon application of a bias voltage between the source and drain regions, a device isolation region disposed in the semiconductor substrate and laterally surrounding the body region and the drift region, and a breakdown protection region disposed between the device isolation region and the body region and having the first conductivity type.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Hongning Yang, Xin Lin, Zhihong Zhang, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Patent number: 9142607
    Abstract: A capacitor suitable for inclusion in a semiconductor device includes a substrate, a first metallization level, a capacitor dielectric, a capacitor plate, an interlevel dielectric layer, and a second metallization level. The first metallization level overlies the substrate and includes a first metallization plate overlying a capacitor region of the substrate. The capacitor dielectric overlies the first metallization plate and includes a dielectric material such as a silicon oxide or silicon nitride compound. The capacitor plate is an electrically conductive structure that overlies the capacitor dielectric. The interlevel dielectric overlies the capacitor plate. The second metallization layer overlies the interlevel dielectric layer and may include a second metallization plate and a routing element. The routing element may be electrically connected to the capacitor plate. The metallization plates may include a fingered structure that includes a plurality of elongated elements extending from a cross bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Xu Cheng, Todd C. Roggenbauer, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Patent number: 9136323
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a transistor includes forming a field isolation region in a substrate. After forming the field isolation region, dopant is implanted in a first region of a substrate for formation of a drift region. A drain region is formed in a second region of the substrate. The first and second regions laterally overlap to define a conduction path for the transistor. The first region does not extend laterally across the second region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Hongning Yang, Daniel J. Blomberg, Xu Cheng, Xin Lin, Won Gi Min, Zhihong Zhang, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Patent number: 9136327
    Abstract: Deep trench isolation structures and systems and methods including the same are disclosed herein. The systems include a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor body, a device region, and the deep trench isolation structure. The deep trench isolation structure is configured to electrically isolate the device region from other device regions that extend within the semiconductor body. The deep trench isolation structure includes an isolation trench, a dielectric material that extends within the isolation trench, a first semiconducting region, and a second semiconducting region. The methods include methods of manufacturing a semiconductor device that includes the disclosed deep trench isolation structures. The methods also include methods of operating an integrated circuit device that includes a plurality of semiconductor devices that include the disclosed deep trench isolation structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Xu Cheng, Daniel J. Blomberg, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Patent number: 9130006
    Abstract: A device includes a semiconductor substrate, emitter and collector regions disposed in the semiconductor substrate, having a first conductivity type, and laterally spaced from one another, and a composite base region disposed in the semiconductor substrate, having a second conductivity type, and including a base contact region, a buried region through which a buried conduction path between the emitter and collector regions is formed during operation, and a base link region electrically connecting the base contact region and the buried region. The base link region has a dopant concentration level higher than the buried region and is disposed laterally between the emitter and collector regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Xin Lin, Daniel J. Blomberg, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Publication number: 20150243781
    Abstract: Breakdown voltage BVdss is enhanced and ON-resistance reduced in RESURF devices, e.g., LDMOS transistors, by careful charge balancing, even when body and drift region charge balance is not ideal, by: (i) providing a plug or sinker near the drain and of the same conductivity type extending through the drift region at least into the underlying body region, and/or (ii) applying bias Viso to a surrounding lateral doped isolation wall coupled to the device buried layer, and/or (iii) providing a variable resistance bridge between the isolation wall and the drift region. The bridge may be a FET whose source-drain couple the isolation wall and drift region and whose gate receives control voltage Vc, or a resistor whose cross-section (X, Y, Z) affects its resistance and pinch-off, to set the percentage of drain voltage coupled to the buried layer via the isolation wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2015
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Inventors: WON GI MIN, HONGZHONG XU, ZHIHONG ZHANG, JIANG-KAI ZUO
  • Patent number: 9117841
    Abstract: A device includes a semiconductor substrate, source and drain regions disposed in the semiconductor substrate, having a first conductivity type, and laterally spaced from one another, and a composite body region disposed in the semiconductor substrate and having a second conductivity type. The composite body region includes a first well region that extends laterally across the source and drain regions and a second well region disposed in the first well region. The drain region is disposed in the second well region such that charge carriers flow from the first well region into the second well region to reach the drain region. The second well region includes dopant of the first conductivity type to have a lower net dopant concentration level than the first well region. A pocket may be disposed in a drain extension region and configured to establish a depletion region along an edge of a gate structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhihong Zhang, Daniel J. Blomberg, Hongning Yang, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Publication number: 20150228713
    Abstract: A trench-isolated RESURF diode structure (100) is provided which includes a substrate (150) in which is formed anode (130, 132) and cathode (131) contact regions separated from one another by a shallow trench isolation region (114, 115), along with a non-uniform cathode region (104) and peripheral anode regions (106, 107) which define vertical and horizontal p-n junctions under the anode contact regions (130, 132), including a horizontal cathode/anode junction that is shielded by the heavily doped anode contact region (132).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2015
    Publication date: August 13, 2015
    Applicant: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Xin Lin, Hongning Yang, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Patent number: 9105657
    Abstract: Adverse tradeoff between BVDSS and Rdson in LDMOS devices employing a drift space adjacent the drain, is avoided by providing a lightly doped region of a first conductivity type (CT) separating the first CT drift space from an opposite CT WELL region in which the first CT source is located, and a further region of the opposite CT (e.g., formed by an angled implant) extending through part of the WELL region under an edge of the gate located near a boundary of the WELL region into the lightly doped region, and a shallow still further region of the first CT Ohmically coupled to the source and ending near the gate edge whereby the effective channel length in the further region is reduced to near zero. Substantial improvement in BVDSS and/or Rdson can be obtained without degrading the other or significant adverse affect on other device properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR INC.
    Inventors: Hongning Yang, Xin Lin, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Patent number: 9099489
    Abstract: A higher breakdown voltage transistor has separated emitter, base contact, and collector contact. Underlying the emitter and the base contact are, respectively, first and second base portions of a first conductivity type. Underlying and coupled to the collector contact is a collector region of a second, opposite, conductivity type, having a central portion extending laterally toward, underneath, or beyond the base contact and separated therefrom by the second base portion. A floating collector region of the same conductivity type as the collector region underlies and is separated from the emitter by the first base portion. The collector and floating collector regions are separated by a part of the semiconductor (SC) region in which the base is formed. A further part of the SC region in which the base is formed, laterally bounds or encloses the collector region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR INC.
    Inventors: Xin Lin, Daniel J. Blomberg, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Patent number: 9093567
    Abstract: An embodiment of a diode includes a semiconductor substrate, a first contact region having a first conductivity type, a second contact region laterally spaced from the first contact region, and having a second conductivity type, an intermediate region disposed in the semiconductor substrate between the first and second contact regions, electrically connected with the first contact region, and having the first conductivity type, and a buried region disposed in the semiconductor substrate, having the second conductivity type, and electrically connected with the second contact region. The buried region extends laterally across the first contact region and the intermediate region to establish first and second junctions, respectively. The first junction has a lower breakdown voltage than the second junction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Xin Lin, Hongning Yang, Jiang-Kai Zuo