Abstract: A thermally programmable memory has a programmable element (20) of a thermally programmable resistance preferably of phase change material, material and a blown antifuse (80) located adjacent to the programmable material. Such a blown antifuse has a dielectric layer (100) surrounded by conductive layers (90, 110) to enable a brief high voltage to be applied across the dielectric to blow a small hole in the dielectric during manufacture to form a small conductive path which can be used as a tiny electrical heater for programming the material. Due to the current confinement by the hole, the volume of the material that must be heated in order to switch to a highly-resistive state is very small. As a result the programming power can be low.

Abstract: A finFET-based non-volatile memory device on a semiconductor substrate includes source and drain regions, a fin body, a charge trapping stack and a gate. The fin body extends between the source and the drain region as a connection. The charge trapping stack covers a portion of the fin body and the gate covers the charge trapping stack at the location of the fin body. The fin body has a corner-free shape for at least ¾ of the circumference of the fin body which lacks distinct crystal faces and transition zones in between the crystal faces.

Abstract: The electric device (100) according to the invention comprises a layer (107) of a memory material which has an electrical resistivity switchable between a first value and a second value. The memory material may be a phase change material. The electric device (100) further comprises a set of nanowires (NW) electrically connecting a first terminal (172) of the electric device and the layer (107) of memory material thereby enabling conduction of an electric current from the first terminal via the nanowires (NW) and the layer (107) of memory material to a second terminal (272) of the electric device. Each nanowire (NW) electrically contacts the layer (107) of memory material in a respective contact area. All contact areas are substantially identical. The method according to the invention is suited to manufacture the electric device (100) according to the invention.

Abstract: The invention relates to a semiconductor device (10) with a semiconductor body (12) comprising a bipolar transistor with an emitter region, a base region and a collector region (1, 2, 3) of, respectively, a first conductivity type, a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type, and the first conductivity type. One of the emitter or collector regions (1, 3) comprises a nanowire (30). The base region (2) has been formed from a layer (20) at the surface of the semiconductor body (12); the other one (3, 1) of the emitter or collector regions (1, 3) has been formed in the semiconductor body (12) below the base region (2). The emitter or collector region (1, 3) comprising the nanowire (30) has been provided on the surface of the semiconductor body (12) such that its longitudinal axis extends perpendicularly to the surface.

Abstract: A personal X-ray dosimeter system, comprising a portable detector (100) and a reader device (114). The portable detector (100) comprises an array (104) of programmed non-volatile memory elements (102) and a scintillator element (106) for converting a portion of X-radiation incident thereon to UV radiation. As a result of exposure to X-radiation (112) not converted to UV radiation, some of the memory elements (102) will have the charge on their floating gates, thereby causing a corresponding shift in threshold voltage (VT). After some exposure time, the reader device (114) reads from the detector (100) data representative of the number of VT shifted memory elements (102), and determines therefrom using predetermined calibration curves, the radiation dose (122) to which the user has been exposed.

Abstract: A circuit to convert a single ended signal to differential signals is disclosed. The circuit has two paths with each of the two paths comprising a plurality of stages. The number of stages in each of the two paths is the same. A first path of the two paths includes a buffer stage and at least one inverter stage. A second path of the two paths includes at least two inverter stages. The buffer stage has a delay matched to that of a first inverter stage of the second path. The buffer stage comprises a first pair of transistors comprising a first transistor of a first category operatively connected to a first transistor of a second category with their channel connections being connected in series.

Abstract: The invention relates to a semiconductor device (10) comprising a substrate (11) and a semiconductor body (1) of silicon having a semiconductor layer structure comprising, in succession, a first and a second semiconductor layer (2, 3), and having a surface region of a first conductivity type which is provided with a field effect transistor (M) with a channel of a second conductivity type, opposite to the first conductivity type, wherein the surface region is provided with source and drain regions (4A, 4B) of the second conductivity type for the field effect transistor (M) and with—interposed between said source and drain regions—a channel region (3A) with a lower doping concentration which forms part of the second semiconductor layer (3) and with a buried first-conductivity-type semiconductor region (2A), buried below the channel region (3A), with a doping concentration that is much higher than that of the channel region (3A) and which forms part of the first semiconductor layer (2).

Abstract: A radiation detector (46) includes a semiconductor layer(s) (12) formed on a substrate (14) and a scintillator (30) formed on the semiconductor layer(s) (12). The semiconductor layer(s) (12) includes an n?doped region (16) disposed adjacent to the substrate (14), and a p?doped region (18) disposed adjacent to the n?doped region (16). A trench (20) is formed within the semiconductor layer(s) (12) and around the p?doped region (18) and is filled with a material (22) that reduces pn junction curvature at the edges of the pn junction, which reduces breakdown at the edges. The scintillator (30) is disposed over and optically coupled to the p?doped regions (18). The radiation detector (46) further includes at least one conductive electrode (24) that electrically contacts the n?doped region.

Abstract: There is provided a LVDS driver arranged to receive an input signal which switches between two voltage levels. The driver comprises a pre-emphasis block (405) for generating a pre-emphasis signal having a first voltage level for a time period T1 after each switch of the input signal, and a second voltage level at all other times, a differential pair of outputs for generating a differential output voltage across a load resistor (RI); and a driver circuit (401) comprising two parallel branches, each branch being connected to one output and each branch being arranged to receive the pre-emphasis signal.

Abstract: A avalanche mode photodiode array (102) is fabricated using a silicon on insulator wafer and substrate transfer process. The array includes a plurality of photodiodes (100). The photodiodes (100) include an electrically insulative layer (206), a depletion region (204), and first (208) and second (210) doped regions. An interconnection layer (212) includes electrodes (214, 216) which provides electrical connections to the photodiodes. The photodiode array (102) is carried by a handle wafer (217).

Abstract: A transistor comprises a nanowire (22, 22?) having a source (24) and a drain (29) separated by an intrinsic or lowly doped region (26, 28). A potential barrier is formed at the interface of the intrinsic or lowly doped region (26, 28) and one of the source (24) and the drain (29). A gate electrode (32) is provided in the vicinity of the potential barrier such that the height of the potential barrier can be modulated by applying an appropriate voltage to the gate electrode (32).

Abstract: The invention suggests a transistor (21) comprising a source (24) and a drain (29) as well as a barrier region (27) located between the source and the drain. The barrier region is separated from the source and the drain by intrinsic or lowly doped regions (26, 28) of a semiconductor material. Potential barriers are formed at the interfaces of the barrier region and the intrinsic or lowly doped regions. A gate electrode (32) is provided in the vicinity of the potential barriers such that the effective height and/or width of the potential barriers can be modulated by applying an appropriate voltage to the gate electrode.

Abstract: The invention relates to a semiconductor device (10) with a substrate (11) and a semiconductor body (12) comprising a vertical bipolar transistor with an emitter region, a base region and a collector region (1, 2, 3) of, respectively, a first conductivity type, a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type and the first conductivity type, wherein the collector region (3) comprises a first sub-region (3A) bordering the base region (2) and a second sub-region (3B) bordering the first sub-region (3A) which has a lower doping concentration than the second sub-region (3B), and the transistor is provided with a gate electrode (5) which laterally borders the first sub-region (3A) and by means of which the first sub-region (3A) may be depleted.

Abstract: A BiCMOS-compatible JFET device comprising source and drain regions (17, 18) which are formed in the same process as that used to form the emitter out-diffusion or a vertical bipolar device, wherein the semiconductor layer which forms the emitter cap in the bipolar device forms the channel (16) of the JFET device and the layer of material (i.e. the base epi-stack) which forms the intrinsic base region of the bipolar device forms the intrinsic gate region (14) of the JFET device. As a result, the integration of the JFET device into a standard BiCMOS process can be achieved without the need for any additional masking or other processing steps.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device (10) with a substrate (11) and a semi-conductor body (12) which is provided with at least one semiconductor element (E) and comprising a monocrystalline silicon (1) region on top of which an epitaxial silicon region (2) is formed by providing a metal silicide region (3) on the monocrystalline silicon region (1) and a low-crystallinity silicon region (4) on top of the metal silicide region (3), after which the low-crystallinity silicon region (4) is transformed by heating into the epitaxial silicon region (2) having a high-crystallinity, during which process the metal silicide region (3) is moved from the bottom of the low-crystallinity silicon region (4) to the top of the epitaxial silicon region (2).

Abstract: A metal-base transistor is suggested. The transistor comprises a first and a second electrode (2, 6) and base electrode (6) to control current flow between the first and second electrode. The first electrode (2) is made from a semiconduction material. The base electrode (3) is a metal layer deposited on top of the semiconducting material forming the first electrode. According the invention the second electrode is formed by a semiconducting nanowire (6) being in electrical contact with the base electrode (3).

Abstract: The invention relates to a semiconductor device (10) with a substrate and a semiconductor body of silicon comprising a bipolar transistor with an emitter region (1), a base region (2) and a collector region (3) which are respectively of the N-type conductivity, the P-type conductivity and the N-type conductivity by the provision of suitable doping atoms, wherein the base region (2) comprises a mixed crystal of silicon and germanium, the base region (2) is separated from the emitter region by an intermediate region (22) of silicon having a doping concentration which is lower than the doping concentration of the emitter region (1) and with a thickness smaller than the thickness of the emitter region (1) and the emitter region (1) comprises a sub-region comprising a mixed crystal of silicon and germanium which is positioned at the side of emitter region (1) remote from the intermediate region (22).

Abstract: A circuit to convert a single ended signal to differential signals is disclosed. The circuit has two paths with each of the two paths comprising a plurality of stages. The number of stages in each of the two paths is the same. A first path of the two paths includes a buffer stage and at least one inverter stage. A second path of the two paths includes at least two inverter stages. The buffer stage has a delay matched to that of a first inverter stage of the second path. The buffer stage comprises a first pair of transistors comprising a first transistor of a first category operatively connected to a first transistor of a second category with their channel connections being connected in series.

Abstract: A thermally programmable memory has a programmable element (20) of a thermally programmable resistance preferably of phase change material, material and a blown antifuse (80) located adjacent to the programmable material. Such a blown antifuse has a dielectric layer (100) surrounded by conductive layers (90, 110) to enable a brief high voltage to be applied across the dielectric to blow a small hole in the dielectric during manufacture to form a small conductive path which can be used as a tiny electrical heater for programming the material. Due to the current confinement by the hole, the volume of the material that must be heated in order to switch to a highly-resistive state is very small. As a result the programming power can be low.

Abstract: The invention relates to a semiconductor device (10) with a semiconductor body (12) comprising a bipolar transistor with an emitter region (1), a base region (2) and a collector region (3) of, respectively, a first conductivity type, a second conductivity type, opposite to the first conductivity type, and the first conductivity type, wherein, viewed in projection, the emitter region (1) is positioned above or below the base region (2), and the collector region (3) laterally borders the base region (2). According to the invention, the base region (2) comprises a highly doped subregion (2A) the doping concentration of which has a delta-shaped profile in the thickness direction, and said highly doped sub-region (2A) extends laterally as far as the collector region (3). Such a lateral bipolar transistor has excellent high-frequency properties and a relatively high breakdown voltage between the base and collector regions (2, 3), implying that the device is suitable for high power applications.