Patents by Inventor Scott Gerard Balster

Scott Gerard Balster 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: 20150118861
    Abstract: A method of semiconductor fabrication includes providing an unpatterned lightly doped Czochralski bulk silicon substrate (LDCBS substrate) having a concentration of oxygen atoms of at least (?) 1017 atoms/cm3 with a boron doping or n-type doping concentration of between 1×1012 cm?3 and 5×1014 cm?3. Before any oxidization processing, the LDCBS substrate is annealed at a nucleating temperature between 550° C. and 760° C. for a nucleating time that nucleates the oxygen atoms in a sub-surface region of the LDCBS substrate to form oxygen precipitates therefrom. After the annealing, a surface of the LDCBS substrate or an epitaxial layer on the surface of the LDCBS substrate is initially oxidized in an oxidizing ambient at a peak temperature of between 800° C. and 925° C. for a time less than or equal (?) to 30 minutes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: BRADLEY DAVID SUCHER, RICK L. WISE, SCOTT GERARD BALSTER, SEUNG-SA PARK, PHILIP LELAND HOWER, JOHN LIN, GURU MATHUR, YONGXI ZHANG
  • Patent number: 8847359
    Abstract: High voltage bipolar transistors built with a BiCMOS process sequence exhibit reduced gain at high current densities due to the Kirk effect. Threshold current density for the onset of the Kirk effect is reduced by the lower doping density required for high voltage operation. The widened base region at high collector current densities due to the Kirk effect extends laterally into a region with a high density of recombination sites, resulting in an increase in base current and drop in the gain. The instant invention provides a bipolar transistor in an IC with an extended unsilicided base extrinsic region in a configuration that does not significantly increase a base-emitter capacitance. Lateral extension of the base extrinsic region may be accomplished using a silicide block layer, or an extended region of the emitter-base dielectric layer. A method of fabricating an IC with the inventive bipolar transistor is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Scott Gerard Balster, Hiroshi Yasuda, Philipp Steinmann, Badih El-Kareh
  • Patent number: 8294218
    Abstract: An integrated circuit with gate self-protection comprises a MOS device and a bipolar device, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises a semiconductor layer with electrically active regions in which and on which the MOS device and the bipolar device are formed and electrically inactive regions for isolating the electrically active regions from each other. The MOS device comprises a gate structure and a body contacting structure, wherein the body contacting structure is formed of a base layer deposited in a selected region over an electrically active region of the semiconductor layer, and the body contacting structure is electrically connected with the gate structure. The base layer forming the body contacting structure also forms the base of the bipolar device. The present invention further relates to a method for fabricating such an integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Badih El-Kareh, Scott Gerard Balster, Hiroshi Yasuda, Manfred Schiekofer
  • Publication number: 20100308416
    Abstract: An integrated circuit with gate self-protection comprises a MOS device and a bipolar device, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises a semiconductor layer with electrically active regions in which and on which the MOS device and the bipolar device are formed and electrically inactive regions for isolating the electrically active regions from each other. The MOS device comprises a gate structure and a body contacting structure, wherein the body contacting structure is formed of a base layer deposited in a selected region over an electrically active region of the semiconductor layer, and the body contacting structure is electrically connected with the gate structure. The base layer forming the body contacting structure also forms the base of the bipolar device. The present invention further relates to a method for fabricating such an integrated circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Applicant: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Badih EL-KAREH, Scott Gerard BALSTER, Hiroshi YASUDA, Manfred SCHIEKOFER
  • Patent number: 7772057
    Abstract: An integrated circuit with gate self-protection comprises a MOS device and a bipolar device, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises a semiconductor layer with electrically active regions in which and on which the MOS device and the bipolar device are formed and electrically inactive regions for isolating the electrically active regions from each other. The MOS device comprises a gate structure and a body contacting structure, wherein the body contacting structure is formed of a base layer deposited in a selected region over an electrically active region of the semiconductor layer, and the body contacting structure is electrically connected with the gate structure. The base layer forming the body contacting structure also forms the base of the bipolar device. The present invention further relates to a method for fabricating such an integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Badih El-Kareh, Scott Gerard Balster, Hiroshi Yasuda, Manfred Schiekofer
  • Patent number: 7670890
    Abstract: An junction field effect transistor (JFET) is fashioned with a patterned layer of silicide block (SBLK) material utilized in forming gate, source and drain regions. Utilizing the silicide block in this manner helps to reduce low-frequency (flicker) noise associated with the JFET by suppressing the impact of surface states, among other things.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignees: Texas Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Badih El-Kareh, Hiroshi Yasuda, Scott Gerard Balster, Philipp Steinmann, Joe R. Trogolo
  • Publication number: 20100032804
    Abstract: High voltage bipolar transistors built with a BiCMOS process sequence exhibit reduced gain at high current densities due to the Kirk effect. Threshold current density for the onset of the Kirk effect is reduced by the lower doping density required for high voltage operation. The widened base region at high collector current densities due to the Kirk effect extends laterally into a region with a high density of recombination sites, resulting in an increase in base current and drop in the gain. The instant invention provides a bipolar transistor in an IC with an extended unsilicided base extrinsic region in a configuration that does not significantly increase a base-emitter capacitance. Lateral extension of the base extrinsic region may be accomplished using a silicide block layer, or an extended region of the emitter-base dielectric layer. A method of fabricating an IC with the inventive bipolar transistor is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2009
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Applicant: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Scott Gerard Balster, Hiroshi Yasuda, Philipp Steinmann, Badih El-Kareh
  • Publication number: 20080026515
    Abstract: An junction field effect transistor (JFET) is fashioned with a patterned layer of silicide block (SBLK) material utilized in forming gate, source and drain regions. Utilizing the silicide block in this manner helps to reduce low-frequency (flicker) noise associated with the JFET by suppressing the impact of surface states, among other things.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2006
    Publication date: January 31, 2008
    Inventors: Badih El-Kareh, Hiroshi Yasuda, Scott Gerard Balster, Philipp Steinmann, Joe R. Trogolo
  • Patent number: 7312119
    Abstract: The invention relates to a stacked capacitor (10) comprising a silicon base plate (16), a poly-silicon center plate (32) arranged above the base plate (16), a lower gate-oxide dielectric (26) arranged between the base plate (16) and the center plate (32), a cover plate (36) made of a metallic conductor and arranged above the center plate (32), and an upper dielectric (34) arranged between the center plate (32) and the cover plate (36). The cover plate (36) and the base plate (16) are electrically connected to each other and together form a first capacitor electrode. The center plate (32) forms a second capacitor electrode. The invention further relates to an integrated circuit with such a stacked capacitor, as well as to a method for fabrication of a stacked capacitor as part of a CMOS process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Scott Gerard Balster, Badih El-Kareh, Philipp Steinman, Christoph Dirnecker