Patents by Inventor Kurt Wostyn

Kurt Wostyn 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: 20210351275
    Abstract: Example embodiments relate to counteracting semiconductor material loss during semiconductor structure formation. One embodiment includes a method for forming a semiconductor structure. The method includes providing a structure. The structure includes a substrate. The structure also includes a layer stack on the substrate. The layer stack includes at least one semiconductor layer of a semiconductor material and at least one sacrificial layer under the semiconductor layer. Further, the structure includes a trench through the layer stack. The further also includes forming a recess in the layer stack by etching a portion of the sacrificial layer exposed by the trench. The etching includes a preferential etch of the sacrificial layer with respect to the semiconductor layer. Additionally, the method includes epitaxially growing a liner of the semiconductor material onto surfaces of the semiconductor layer exposed by the trench.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2021
    Publication date: November 11, 2021
    Inventors: Kurt Wostyn, Yusuke Oniki, Hans Mertens
  • Patent number: 11056574
    Abstract: This disclosed technology generally relates to a semiconductor device. One aspect relates to a method of fabricating a stacked semiconductor including forming a semiconductor structure protruding above the substrate and a gate structure extending across the semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure includes a lower channel layer formed of a first material, an intermediate layer formed of a second material and an upper channel layer formed of a third material. The method additionally includes forming oxidized end portions defining second spacers on end surfaces of an upper layer. And forming the oxidized end portions comprises oxidizing end portions of the upper channel layer at opposite sides of the gate structure using an oxidization process adapted to cause a rate of oxidation of the third material which is greater than a rate of oxidation of the first material, while first spacers cover intermediate end surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: IMEC vzw
    Inventor: Kurt Wostyn
  • Patent number: 10714595
    Abstract: Example embodiments relate to germanium nanowire fabrication. One embodiment includes a method of forming a semiconductor device that includes at least one Ge nanowire. The method includes providing a semiconductor structure that includes at least one, the at least one fin including a stack of at least one Ge layer alternative with SiGe layers. The method also includes at least partially oxidizing the SiGe layer into SiGeOx. Further, the method includes capping the fin with a dielectric material. In addition, the method includes annealing. Still further, the method includes selectively removing the dielectric material and the SiGeOx.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Liesbeth Witters, Kurt Wostyn
  • Publication number: 20200176583
    Abstract: This disclosed technology generally relates to a semiconductor device. One aspect relates to a method of fabricating a stacked semiconductor including forming a semiconductor structure protruding above the substrate and a gate structure extending across the semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure includes a lower channel layer formed of a first material, an intermediate layer formed of a second material and an upper channel layer formed of a third material. The method additionally includes forming oxidized end portions defining second spacers on end surfaces of an upper layer. And forming the oxidized end portions comprises oxidizing end portions of the upper channel layer at opposite sides of the gate structure using an oxidization process adapted to cause a rate of oxidation of the third material which is greater than a rate of oxidation of the first material, while first spacers cover intermediate end surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Inventor: Kurt Wostyn
  • Patent number: 10515855
    Abstract: At least one embodiment relates to a method for integrating Si1-xGex structures with Si1-x?Gex? structures in a semiconductor device. The method includes providing a device that includes a plurality of Si1-xGex structures, where 0?x<1. The method also includes depositing a layer of GeO2 on a subset of the Si1-xGex structures. Further, the method includes heating at least the subset of Si1-xGex structures at a temperature high enough and for a time long enough to transform the subset of Si1-xGex structures into a subset of Si1-x?Gex? structures with x?>x.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: IMEC VZW
    Inventor: Kurt Wostyn
  • Patent number: 10468483
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of forming a semiconductor device comprising horizontal nanowires. The method comprises depositing a multilayer stack on a substrate, the multilayer stack comprising first sacrificial layers alternated with layers of nanowire material; forming at least one fin in the multilayer stack; applying an additional sacrificial layer around the fin such that a resulting sacrificial layer is formed all around the nanowire material; and forming a nanowire spacer, starting from the resulting sacrificial layer, around the nanowire material at an extremity of the nanowire material. The present disclosure also relates to a corresponding semiconductor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Kurt Wostyn, Hans Mertens
  • Publication number: 20190256986
    Abstract: In a step of washing Ge, SiGe or germanide layers in the production of semiconductor devices, resists or metal residues are efficiently removed through washing without dissolving Ge, SiGe or germanides. A sulfuric acid solution with a sulfuric acid concentration of 90 wt % or more and an oxidant concentration of 200 g/L or less is used as a washing liquid. Examples of the washing liquid include an electrolytic solution obtained by electrolysis of the sulfuric acid solution, a solution obtained by mixing hydrogen peroxide with the acid solution or a solution obtained by dissolving an ozone gas in the sulfuric acid solution. A treatment temperature during the washing is preferably 50° C. or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2016
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Inventors: Nobuko GAN, Tatsuo NAGAI, Farid SEBAAI, Kurt WOSTYN
  • Patent number: 10361268
    Abstract: A method of forming an internal spacer between nanowires, the method involving: providing a fin comprising a stack of layers of sacrificial material alternated with nanowire material, and selectively removing part of the sacrificial material, thereby forming a recess. The method also involves depositing dielectric material into the recess resulting in dielectric material within the recess and excess dielectric material outside the recess, where a crevice remains in the dielectric material in each recess, and removing the excess dielectric material using a first etchant. The method also involves enlarging the crevices to form a gap using a second etchant such that a remaining dielectric material still covers the sacrificial material and partly covers the nanowire material, and such that outer ends of the nanowire material are accessible; and growing electrode material on the outer ends such that the electrode material from neighboring outer ends merge, thereby covering the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Kurt Wostyn, Hans Mertens, Liesbeth Witters, Andriy Hikavyy, Naoto Horiguchi
  • Patent number: 10269929
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of forming an internal spacer between nanowires in a semiconductor device. The method includes providing a semiconductor structure comprising at least one fin. The at least one fin is comprised of a stack of layers of sacrificial material alternated with layers of nanowire material. The semiconductor structure is comprised of a dummy gate which partly covers the stack of layers of the at least one fin. The method also includes removing at least the sacrificial material next to the dummy gate and oxidizing the sacrificial material and the nanowire material next to the dummy gate. This removal results, respectively, in a spacer oxide and in a nanowire oxide. Additionally, the method includes removing the nanowire oxide until at least a part of the spacer oxide is remaining, wherein the remaining spacer oxide is the internal spacer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Kurt Wostyn, Liesbeth Witters, Hans Mertens
  • Publication number: 20190013395
    Abstract: Example embodiments relate to germanium nanowire fabrication. One embodiment includes a method of forming a semiconductor device that includes at least one Ge nanowire. The method includes providing a semiconductor structure that includes at least one, the at least one fin including a stack of at least one Ge layer alternative with SiGe layers. The method also includes at least partially oxidizing the SiGe layer into SiGeOx. Further, the method includes capping the fin with a dielectric material. In addition, the method includes annealing. Still further, the method includes selectively removing the dielectric material and the SiGeOx.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Applicant: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Liesbeth Witters, Kurt Wostyn
  • Publication number: 20180286762
    Abstract: At least one embodiment relates to a method for integrating Si1-xGex structures with Si1-x?Gex? structures in a semiconductor device. The method includes providing a device that includes a plurality of Si1-xGex structures, where 0?x<1. The method also includes depositing a layer of GeO2 on a subset of the Si1-xGex structures. Further, the method includes heating at least the subset of Si1-xGex structures at a temperature high enough and for a time long enough to transform the subset of Si1-xGex structures into a subset of Si1-x?Gex? structures with x?>x.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: IMEC VZW
    Inventor: Kurt Wostyn
  • Publication number: 20180254321
    Abstract: A method of forming an internal spacer between nanowires, the method involving: providing a fin comprising a stack of layers of sacrificial material alternated with nanowire material, and selectively removing part of the sacrificial material, thereby forming a recess. The method also involves depositing dielectric material into the recess resulting in dielectric material within the recess and excess dielectric material outside the recess, where a crevice remains in the dielectric material in each recess, and removing the excess dielectric material using a first etchant. The method also involves enlarging the crevices to form a gap using a second etchant such that a remaining dielectric material still covers the sacrificial material and partly covers the nanowire material, and such that outer ends of the nanowire material are accessible; and growing electrode material on the outer ends such that the electrode material from neighboring outer ends merge, thereby covering the gap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2018
    Publication date: September 6, 2018
    Applicant: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Kurt Wostyn, Hans Mertens, Liesbeth Witters, Andriy Hikavyy, Naoto Horiguchi
  • Publication number: 20180166558
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of forming an internal spacer between nanowires in a semiconductor device. The method includes providing a semiconductor structure comprising at least one fin. The at least one fin is comprised of a stack of layers of sacrificial material alternated with layers of nanowire material. The semiconductor structure is comprised of a dummy gate which partly covers the stack of layers of the at least one fin. The method also includes removing at least the sacrificial material next to the dummy gate and oxidizing the sacrificial material and the nanowire material next to the dummy gate. This removal results, respectively, in a spacer oxide and in a nanowire oxide. Additionally, the method includes removing the nanowire oxide until at least a part of the spacer oxide is remaining, wherein the remaining spacer oxide is the internal spacer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Applicant: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Kurt Wostyn, Liesbeth Witters, Hans Mertens
  • Publication number: 20180166535
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of forming a semiconductor device comprising horizontal nanowires. The method comprises depositing a multilayer stack on a substrate, the multilayer stack comprising first sacrificial layers alternated with layers of nanowire material; forming at least one fin in the multilayer stack; applying an additional sacrificial layer around the fin such that a resulting sacrificial layer is formed all around the nanowire material; and forming a nanowire spacer, starting from the resulting sacrificial layer, around the nanowire material at an extremity of the nanowire material. The present disclosure also relates to a corresponding semiconductor device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Applicant: IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Kurt Wostyn, Hans Mertens
  • Patent number: 9842777
    Abstract: The disclosed technology generally relates to semiconductor devices, and more particularly to transistor devices comprising multiple channels. In one aspect, a method of fabricating a transistor device comprises forming on the substrate a plurality of vertically repeating layer stacks each comprising a first layer, a second layer and a third layer stacked in a predetermined order, wherein each of the first, second and third layers is formed of silicon, silicon germanium or germanium and has a different germanium concentration compared to the other two of the first, second and third layers. The method additionally includes selectively removing the first layer with respect to the second and third layers from each of the layer stacks, such that a gap interposed between the second layer and the third layer is formed in each of the layer stacks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: IMEC vzw
    Inventors: Liesbeth Witters, Kurt Wostyn
  • Publication number: 20170025314
    Abstract: The disclosed technology generally relates to semiconductor devices, and more particularly to transistor devices comprising multiple channels. In one aspect, a method of fabricating a transistor device comprises forming on the substrate a plurality of vertically repeating layer stacks each comprising a first layer, a second layer and a third layer stacked in a predetermined order, wherein each of the first, second and third layers is formed of silicon, silicon germanium or germanium and has a different germanium concentration compared to the other two of the first, second and third layers. The method additionally includes selectively removing the first layer with respect to the second and third layers from each of the layer stacks, such that a gap interposed between the second layer and the third layer is formed in each of the layer stacks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Liesbeth Witters, Kurt Wostyn