Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor package includes: forming a first package component including a first and a second conductive bumps; forming a second package component including a third and a fourth conductive bumps, where dimensions of the first and second conductive bumps are less than dimensions of the third and fourth conductive bumps; and forming a first and a second joint structures to bond the second package component to the first package component. A first angle between an exposed sidewall of the first conductive bump and a tangent line at an end point of a boundary of the first joint structure on the sidewall of the first conductive bump is less than a second angle between an exposed sidewall of the second conductive bump and a tangent line at an end point of a boundary of the second joint structure on the sidewall of the second conductive bump.

Abstract: Some embodiments relate to an IC device, including a first chip; and a second chip bonded to the first chip at a bonding interface; where the first and second chips respectively comprise a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer directly contacting; the first chip further comprises a plurality of conductive pads recessed into the first dielectric layer and in a plurality of rows and columns; where the plurality of conductive pads are arranged with a zig-zag layout along the plurality of columns and along the plurality of rows and comprise a first conductive pad and a second conductive pad; the first chip further comprises a first shield line in the first dielectric layer and laterally between the first and second conductive pads, and the second chip further comprises a contact recessed into the second dielectric layer and directly contacting the first conductive pad at the bonding interface.

Abstract: Some embodiments relate to an IC device, including a first chip comprising a plurality of pixel blocks respectively including one of a first plurality of conductive pads, the plurality of pixel blocks arranged in rows extending in a first direction and columns extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a second chip bonded to the first chip at a bonding interface, where the second chip comprises a second plurality of conductive pad recessed and contacting the first plurality of conductive pads along the bonding interface; and a first corrugated shield line having outermost edges set-back along the second direction from outermost edges of a first row of the plurality of pixel blocks, the first corrugated shield line being arranged within a first dielectric layer and laterally separating neighboring ones of the first plurality of conductive pads within the first row of the plurality of pixel blocks.

Abstract: A method and structure providing an optical sensor having an optimized Ge—Si interface includes providing a substrate having a pixel region and a logic region. In some embodiments, the method further includes forming a trench within the pixel region. In various examples, and after forming the trench, the method further includes forming a doped semiconductor layer along sidewalls and along a bottom surface of the trench. In some embodiments, the method further includes forming a germanium layer within the trench and over the doped semiconductor layer. In some examples, and after forming the germanium layer, the method further includes forming an optical sensor within the germanium layer.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards an integrated circuit (IC) including a first IC chip bonded to a second IC chip. The first chip IC includes a first bond structure. The first bond structure includes a first plurality of conductive bond pads and a first plurality of shield structures disposed between adjacent conductive bond pads among the first plurality of conductive bond pads. The second IC chip includes a second bond structure. A bonding interface is disposed between the first bond structure and the second bond structure. The second bond structure includes a second plurality of conductive bond pads and a second plurality of shield structures. The first plurality of conductive bond pads contacts the second plurality of conductive bond pads and the first plurality of shield structures contacts the second plurality of shield structures at the bonding interface.

Abstract: A driving device and a driving method for driving a motor of an electric auxiliary vehicle are provided. The driving device includes a battery module, a transducer, a control circuit. The battery module stores a driving power. When an acceleration command is received, the control circuit controls the transducer to enter a first mode. In the first mode, the transducer provides the driving power to the motor. When a brake command is received, the control circuit controls the transducer to enter a second mode. In the second mode, the transducer provides an inductive power generated by the motor to the battery module. When the acceleration and brake commands are not received and a user does not apply an acceleration force to the electric auxiliary vehicle, the control circuit controls the transducer to enter a third mode. In the third mode, the transducer provides the inductive power to the battery module.

Abstract: A semiconductor package includes first and second package components stacked upon and electrically connected to each other, and first and second joint structures. The first package component includes first and second conductive bumps, the second package component includes third and fourth conductive bumps having dimensions greater than those of the first and second conductive bumps. The first joint structure partially covers the first and third conductive bumps. The second joint structure partially covers the second and the fourth conductive bumps. A first angle between a sidewall of the first conductive bump and a tangent line at an end point of a boundary of the first joint structure on the first conductive bump is greater than a second angle between a sidewall of the second conductive bump and a tangent line at an end point of a boundary of the second joint structure on the second conductive bump.

Abstract: An integrated circuit package and a method of forming the same are provided. The method includes attaching an integrated circuit die to a first substrate. A dummy die is formed. The dummy die is attached to the first substrate adjacent the integrated circuit die. An encapsulant is formed over the first substrate and surrounding the dummy die and the integrated circuit die. The encapsulant, the dummy die and the integrated circuit die are planarized, a topmost surface of the encapsulant being substantially level with a topmost surface of the dummy die and a topmost surface of the integrated circuit die. An interior portion of the dummy die is removed. A remaining portion of the dummy die forms an annular structure.

Abstract: A photovoltaic cell includes a germanium-containing well embedded in a single crystalline silicon substrate and extending to a proximal horizontal surface of the single crystalline silicon substrate, wherein germanium-containing well includes germanium at an atomic percentage greater than 50%. A silicon-containing capping structure is located on a top surface of the germanium-containing well and includes silicon at an atomic percentage greater than 42%. The silicon-containing capping structure prevents oxidation of the germanium-containing well. A photovoltaic junction may be formed within, or across, the trench by implanting dopants of a first conductivity type and dopants of a second conductivity type.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing copolymer includes mixing and reacting a polyester, an aliphatic polyol or an aliphatic polyol oligomer, and a first catalyst in a first region of a screw to form a polyester polyol, and side-feeding a lactone or a lactam to a second region of the screw to copolymerize the lactone or a lactam and the polyester polyol to form a copolymer, wherein the first region and the second region are continuous connecting regions.

Abstract: Systems with a contouring method are provided for contouring one or more targets that correspond to specific organs and/or tumors in a three-dimensional medical image of a patient using neural networks. The contouring system includes a storage unit, a processing unit, and a plurality of modules that are computer operable. The processing unit is used to obtain the image, and then to generate one or more contouring images using a contouring method. The contouring method includes enhancing image features and improving contouring accuracy using an image preprocessing module, and extracting a plurality of multi-scale image representations and expanding these representations to one or more contouring images using a neural network-based contouring module.

Abstract: A method and structure providing an optical sensor having an optimized Ge—Si interface includes providing a substrate having a pixel region and a logic region. In some embodiments, the method further includes forming a trench within the pixel region. In various examples, and after forming the trench, the method further includes forming a doped semiconductor layer along sidewalls and along a bottom surface of the trench. In some embodiments, the method further includes forming a germanium layer within the trench and over the doped semiconductor layer. In some examples, and after forming the germanium layer, the method further includes forming an optical sensor within the germanium layer.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for fabricating an image sensor. The method includes the following operations. A cavity is formed at a first surface of a substrate. A germanium layer is formed in the cavity. A first heavily doped region is formed in the germanium layer by an implantation operation. A second heavily doped region is formed at a position proximal to a top surface of the germanium layer, wherein the second heavily doped region is laterally surrounded by the first heavily doped region from a top view perspective. An interconnect structure is formed over the germanium layer.

Abstract: Structures with doping free connections and methods of fabrication are provided. An exemplary structure includes a substrate; a first region of a first conductivity type formed in the substrate; an overlying layer located over the substrate; a well region of a second conductivity type formed in the overlying layer; a conductive plug laterally adjacent to the well region and extending through the overlying layer to electrically contact with the first region; and a passivation layer located between the conductive plug and the well region.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an integrated chip. The integrated chip includes a substrate having a first semiconductor material. A second semiconductor material is disposed on the first semiconductor material and a passivation layer is disposed on the second semiconductor material. A first doped region and a second doped region extend through the passivation layer and into the second semiconductor material. A silicide is arranged within the passivation layer and along tops of the first doped region and the second doped region.

Abstract: A bonding structure that may be used to form 3D-IC devices is formed using first oblong bonding pads on a first substrate and second oblong bonding pads one a second substrate. The first and second oblong bonding pads are laid crosswise, and the bond is formed. Viewed in a first cross-section, the first bonding pad is wider than the second bonding pad. Viewed in a second cross-section at a right angle to the first, the second bonding pad is wider than the first bonding pad. Making the bonding pads oblong and angling them relative to one another reduces variations in bonding area due to shifts in alignment between the first substrate and the second substrate. The oblong shape in a suitable orientation may also be used to reduce capacitive coupling between one of the bonding pads and nearby wires.

Abstract: Germanium-based sensors are disclosed herein. An exemplary germanium-based sensor includes a germanium photodiode and a junction field effect transistor (JFET) formed from a germanium layer disposed on and/or in a silicon substrate. A doped silicon layer, which can be formed by in-situ doping epitaxially grown silicon, is disposed between the germanium layer and the silicon substrate. In embodiments where the germanium layer is on the silicon substrate, the doped silicon layer is disposed between the germanium layer and an oxide layer. The JFET has a doped polysilicon gate, and in some embodiments, a gate diffusion region is disposed in the germanium layer under the doped polysilicon gate. In some embodiments, a pinned photodiode passivation layer is disposed in the germanium layer. In some embodiments, a pair of doped regions in the germanium layer is configured as an e-lens of the germanium-based sensor.

Abstract: A device structure according to the present disclosure may include a first die having a first substrate and a first interconnect structure, a second die having a second substrate and a second interconnect structure, and a third die having a third interconnect structure and a third substrate. The first interconnect structure is bonded to the second substrate via a first plurality of bonding layers. The second interconnect structure is bonded to the third interconnect structure via a second plurality of bonding layers. The third substrate includes a plurality of photodiodes and a first transistor. The second die includes a second transistor having a source connected to a drain of the first transistor, a third transistor having a gate connected to drain of the first transistor and the source of the second transistor, and a fourth transistor having a drain connected to the source of the third transistor.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards an image sensor including first chip and a second chip. The first chip includes a first substrate, a plurality of photodetectors disposed in the first substrate, a first interconnect structure disposed on a front side of the first substrate, and a first bond structure disposed on the first interconnect structure. The second chip underlies the first chip. The second chip includes a second substrate, a plurality of semiconductor devices disposed on the second substrate, a second interconnect structure disposed on a front side of the second substrate, and a second bond structure disposed on the second interconnect structure. A first bonding interface is disposed between the second bond structure and the first bond structure. The second interconnect structure is electrically coupled to the first interconnect structure by way of the first and second bond structures.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an integrated chip. The integrated chip includes a substrate having a first semiconductor material. A second semiconductor material is disposed on the first semiconductor material. The second semiconductor material is a group IV semiconductor or a group III-V compound semiconductor. A passivation layer is disposed on the second semiconductor material. The passivation layer includes the first semiconductor material. A first doped region and a second doped region extend through the passivation layer and into the second semiconductor material.