Patents by Inventor Pascal Fornara

Pascal Fornara 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: 20210028128
    Abstract: An integrated circuit memory includes a state transistor having a floating gate which stores a respective data value. A device for protecting the data stored in the memory includes a capacitive structure having a first electrically-conducting body coupled to the floating gate of the state transistor, a dielectric body, and a second electrically-conducting body coupled to a ground terminal. The dielectric body is configured, if an aqueous solution is brought into contact with the dielectric body, to electrically couple the floating gate and the ground terminal so as to modify the charge on the floating gate and to lose the corresponding data. Otherwise, the dielectric body is configured to electrically isolate the floating gate and the ground terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2020
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Pascal FORNARA, Fabrice MARINET
  • Publication number: 20210018458
    Abstract: Moisture that is possibly present in an integrated circuit is detected autonomously by the integrated circuit itself. An interconnect region of the integrated circuit includes a metal level with a first track and a second track which are separated by a dielectric material. A detection circuit applies a potential difference between the first and second tracks. A current circulating in one of the first and second tracks in response to the potential difference is measured and compared to a threshold. If the current exceeds the threshold, this is indicative of the presence of moisture which renders said dielectric material less insulating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2020
    Publication date: January 21, 2021
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Matthias VIDAL-DHO, Quentin HUBERT, Pascal FORNARA
  • Patent number: 10895856
    Abstract: A system, supplied by a power supply, is switched into standby mode by an electronic device that includes a charging input coupled to a charge voltage obtained from the voltage delivered by the power supply. A first input is coupled to the power supply and a power supply output is coupled to the system. A storage capacitive element is coupled to the charging input and configured to be charged by the charge voltage. A switching circuit, coupled between the first input and the power supply output, disconnects the power supply output from the first input when the voltage across the terminals of the storage capacitive element is higher than a threshold. A discharge circuit discharges the storage capacitive element so that the capacitor voltage becomes lower than the threshold. The switching circuit further re-connects the first input to the power supply output at the end of the discharge period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Pascal Fornara
  • Patent number: 10886283
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes at least one antifuse element. The antifuse element is formed from a semiconductor substrate, a trench extending down from a first face of the semiconductor substrate into the semiconductor substrate, a first conductive layer housed in the trench and extending down from the first face of the semiconductor substrate into the semiconductor substrate, a dielectric layer on the first face of the semiconductor substrate, and a second conductive layer on the dielectric layer. A program transistor selectively electrically couples the second conductive layer to a program voltage in response to a program signal. A program/read transistor selectively electrically couples the first conductive layer to a ground voltage in response to the program signal and in response to a read signal. A read transistor selectively electrically couples the second conductive layer to a read amplifier in response to the read signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Abderrezak Marzaki, Pascal Fornara
  • Patent number: 10886240
    Abstract: An integrated circuit is protected against at attack. An electrically conductive body at floating potential is situated in the integrated circuit. The electrically conductive body has an initial amount of electric charge prior to the attack and functions to collect electric charge as a result of the attack. A detection circuit operates to detect an amount of electric charge collected on the electrically conductive body and determine whether the collected amount is different from the initial amount. If the detected amount of charge is different from the initial amount, a control circuit trigger the taking of a protective action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Pascal Fornara, Fabrice Marinet
  • Patent number: 10878918
    Abstract: The thinning of a semiconductor substrate of an integrated circuit from a back face is detected using the measurement of a physical quantity representative of the resistance between the ends of two electrically-conducting contacts situated at an interface between an insulating region and an underlying substrate region. The two electrically-conducting contacts extend through the insulating region to reach the underlying substrate region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Pascal Fornara, Christian Rivero
  • Patent number: 10861802
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a semiconductor substrate and a multitude of electrically conductive pads situated between component zones of the semiconductor substrate and a first metallization level of the integrated circuit, respectively. The multitude of electrically conductive pads are encapsulated in an insulating region and include: first pads, in electrical contact with corresponding first component zones, and at least one second pad, not in electrical contact with a corresponding second component zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Christian Rivero, Pascal Fornara, Guilhem Bouton, Mathieu Lisart
  • Patent number: 10770547
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a substrate and at least one component unfavorably sensitive to compressive stress which is arranged at least partially within an active region of the substrate limited by an insulating region. To address compressive stress in the active region, the circuit further includes at least one electrically inactive trench located at least in the insulating region and containing an internal area configured to reduce compressive stress in the active region. The internal area is filled with polysilicon. The polysilicon filled trench may further extend through the insulating region and into the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Guilhem Bouton, Pascal Fornara, Christian Rivero
  • Patent number: 10748726
    Abstract: A device includes a thermally deformable assembly accommodated in a cavity of the interconnection part of an integrated circuit. The assembly can bend when there is a variation in temperature, so that its free end zone is displaced vertically. The assembly can be formed in the back end of line of the integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS
    Inventors: Christian Rivero, Pascal Fornara, Antonio Di-Giacomo, Brice Arrazat
  • Publication number: 20200227517
    Abstract: A diode is formed by a polycrystalline silicon bar which includes a first doped region with a first conductivity type, a second doped region with a second conductivity type and an intrinsic region between the first and second doped regions. A conductive layer extends parallel to the polycrystalline silicon bar and separated from the polycrystalline silicon bar by a dielectric layer. The conductive layer is configured to be biased by a bias voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2020
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Pascal FORNARA
  • Patent number: 10714583
    Abstract: A MOS transistor is produced on and in an active zone which includes a source region and a drain region. The active zone is surrounded by an insulating region. A conductive gate region of the transistor has two flanks which extend transversely to a source-drain direction, and the conductive gate region overlaps two opposite edges of the active zone act overlap zones. The conductive gate region includes, at a location of at least one overlap zone, at least one conductive tag which projects from at least one flank at a foot of the conductive gate region. The conductive tag covers a part of the active zone and a part of the insulating region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Christian Rivero, Guilhem Bouton, Pascal Fornara, Julien Delalleau
  • Patent number: 10685912
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a substrate; an interconnect portion disposed over the substrate, the interconnect portion comprising multiple metallization levels separated by an insulating region; and an antifuse structure coated with a portion of the insulating region, the antifuse structure comprising a beam held at two different points by two arms, a body, and an antifuse insulating zone, the beam, the body and the arms being metal and located within a same metallization level, the body and the beam mutually making contact via the antifuse insulating zone, the antifuse insulating zone configured to undergo breakdown in the presence of a breakdown potential difference between the body and the beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS
    Inventors: Pascal Fornara, Christian Rivero
  • Publication number: 20200160916
    Abstract: The thinning of a semiconductor substrate of an integrated circuit from a back face is detected using the measurement of a physical quantity representative of the resistance between the ends of two electrically-conducting contacts situated at an interface between an insulating region and an underlying substrate region. The two electrically-conducting contacts extend through the insulating region to reach the underlying substrate region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2020
    Publication date: May 21, 2020
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Pascal FORNARA, Christian RIVERO
  • Publication number: 20200111866
    Abstract: The disclosure concerns a capacitive component including a trench and, vertically in line with the trench, first portions of a first silicon oxide layer and first portions of second and third conductive layers including polysilicon or amorphous silicon, the first portion of the first layer being between and in contact with the first portions of the second and third layers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: Abderrezak MARZAKI, Pascal FORNARA
  • Patent number: 10600737
    Abstract: A non-porous dielectric barrier is provided between a porous portion of a dielectric region and an electrically conductive element of an interconnect portion of an integrated circuit. This non-porous dielectric barrier protects the integrated circuit from breakdown of the least one dielectric region caused by electrical conduction assisted by the presence of defects located in the at least one dielectric region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Christian Rivero, Pascal Fornara, Jean-Philippe Escales
  • Publication number: 20200083011
    Abstract: Methods of operating a switching device are provided. The switching device is formed in an interconnect, the interconnect including a plurality of metallization levels, and has an assembly that includes a beam held by a structure. The beam and structure are located within the same metallization level. Locations of fixing of the structure on the beam are arranged so as to define for the beam a pivot point situated between these fixing locations. The structure is substantially symmetric with respect to the beam and to a plane perpendicular to the beam in the absence of a potential difference. The beam is able to pivot in a first direction in the presence of a first potential difference applied between a first part of the structure and to pivot in a second direction in the presence of a second potential difference applied between a second part of the structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Publication date: March 12, 2020
    Inventors: Christian Rivero, Pascal Fornara, Antonio Di-Giacomo, Brice Arrazat
  • Publication number: 20200075506
    Abstract: An ultralong time constant time measurement device includes elementary capacitive elements that are connected in series. Each elementary capacitive element is formed by a stack of a first conductive region, a dielectric layer having a thickness suited for allowing charge to flow by direct tunneling effect, and a second conductive region. The first conductive region is housed in a trench extending from a front face of a semiconductor substrate down into the semiconductor substrate. The dielectric layer rests on the first face of the semiconductor substrate and in particular on a portion of the first conductive region in the trench. The second conductive region rests on the dielectric layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2019
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Abderrezak MARZAKI, Pascal FORNARA
  • Publication number: 20200075611
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a memory cell incorporating an antifuse device. The antifuse device includes a state transistor having a control gate and a second gate that is configured to be floating. A dielectric layer between the control gate and the second gate is selectively blown in order to confer a broken-down state on the antifuse device where the second gate is electrically coupled to the control gate for storing a first logic state. Otherwise, the antifuse device is in a non-broken-down state for storing a second logic state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Pascal FORNARA, Fabrice MARINET
  • Patent number: 10580498
    Abstract: The thinning of a semiconductor substrate of an integrated circuit from a back face is detected using the measurement of a physical quantity representative of the resistance between the ends of two electrically-conducting contacts situated at an interface between an insulating region and an underlying substrate region. The two electrically-conducting contacts extend through the insulating region to reach the underlying substrate region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Pascal Fornara, Christian Rivero
  • Publication number: 20200052073
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a substrate and at least one component unfavorably sensitive to compressive stress which is arranged at least partially within an active region of the substrate limited by an insulating region. To address compressive stress in the active region, the circuit further includes at least one electrically inactive trench located at least in the insulating region and containing an internal area configured to reduce compressive stress in the active region. The internal area is filled with polysilicon. The polysilicon filled trench may further extend through the insulating region and into the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Guilhem BOUTON, Pascal FORNARA, Christian RIVERO