Patents by Inventor Soitec

Soitec 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: 20130221496
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to semiconductor structures and methods of forming them. In some embodiments, the methods may be used to fabricate a semiconductor substrate by forming a weakened zone in a donor structure at a predetermined depth to define a transfer layer between an attachment surface and the weakened zone and a residual donor structure between the weakened zone and a surface opposite the attachment surface. A metallic layer is formed on the attachment surface and provides an ohmic contact between the metallic layer and the transfer layer, a matched Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) for the metallic layer that closely matches a CTE of the transfer layer, and sufficient stiffness to provide structural support to the transfer layer. The transfer layer is separated from the donor structure at the weakened zone to form a composite substrate comprising the transfer layer the metallic layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2013
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Applicant: Soitec
    Inventor: Soitec
  • Publication number: 20130207244
    Abstract: Embodiments of to invention relate to a process for fabricating a silicon-on-insulator structure comprising the following steps: providing a donor substrate and a support substrate, only one of the substrates being covered with an oxide layer; forming, in the donor substrate, a weak zone; plasma activating the oxide layer; bonding the donor substrate to the support substrate in a partial vacuum; implementing a bond-strengthening anneal at a temperature of 350° C. or less causing the donor substrate to cleave along the weak zone; and carrying out a heat treatment at a temperature above 900° C. A transition from the temperature of the bond-strengthening anneal to the temperature of the heat treatment may be achieved at a ramp rate above 10° C./s.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: SOITEC
    Inventor: SOITEC
  • Publication number: 20130210171
    Abstract: A method for bonding a first wafer on a second wafer by molecular adhesion, where the wafers have an initial radial misalignment between them. The method includes bringing the two wafers into contact so as to initiate the propagation of a bonding wave between the two wafers while a predefined bonding curvature is imposed on at least one of the two wafers during the contacting step as a function of the initial radial misalignment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: SOITEC
    Inventor: SOITEC
  • Publication number: 20130199441
    Abstract: The present invention provides improved gas injectors for use with CVD (chemical vapour deposition) systems that thermalize gases prior to injection into a CVD chamber. The provided injectors are configured to increase gas flow times through heated zones and include gas-conducting conduits that lengthen gas residency times in the heated zones. The provided injectors also have outlet ports sized, shaped, and arranged to inject gases in selected flow patterns. The invention also provides CVD systems using the provided thermalizing gas injectors. The present invention has particular application to high volume manufacturing of GaN substrates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: SOITEC
    Inventor: SOITEC
  • Publication number: 20130175672
    Abstract: Methods of transferring a layer of semiconductor material from a first donor structure to a second structure include forming recesses in the donor structure, implanting ions into the donor structure to form a generally planar, inhomogeneous weakened zone therein, and providing material within the recesses. The first donor structure may be bonded to a second structure, and the first donor structure may be fractured along the generally planar weakened zone, leaving the layer of semiconductor material bonded to the second structure. Semiconductor devices may be fabricated by forming active device structures on the transferred layer of semiconductor material. Semiconductor structures are fabricated using the described methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Publication date: July 11, 2013
    Applicant: SOITEC
    Inventor: Soitec
  • Publication number: 20130139946
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for bonding two substrates, in particular two semiconductor substrates which, in order to be able to improve the reliability of the process, provides the step of providing a gaseous flow over the bonding surfaces of the substrates. The gaseous flow is preferably a laminar flow that is essentially parallel to the bonding surfaces of the substrates, and has a temperature in a range of from room temperature up to 100° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Applicant: SOITEC
    Inventor: SOITEC
  • Publication number: 20130137247
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing and provides methods that improve chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of semiconductor materials by promoting more efficient thermalization of precursor gases prior to their reaction. In preferred embodiments, the method provides heat transfer structures and their arrangement within a CVD reactor so as to promote heat transfer to flowing process gases. In certain preferred embodiments applicable to CVD reactors transparent to radiation from heat lamps, the invention provides radiation-absorbent surfaces placed to intercept radiation from the heat lamps and to transfer it to flowing process gases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Publication date: May 30, 2013
    Applicant: SOITEC
    Inventor: Soitec
  • Publication number: 20130134547
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for fabricating a locally passivated germanium-on-insulator substrate wherein, in order to achieve good electron mobility, nitridized regions are provided at localised positions. Nitridizing is achieved using a plasma treatment. The resulting substrates also form part of the invention.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2013
    Publication date: May 30, 2013
    Applicants: Commissariat à I'Énergie Atomique, SOITEC
    Inventors: Soitec, Commissariat à I'Énergie Atomique
  • Publication number: 20130105932
    Abstract: A three-dimensional composite structure that includes a wafer and layer of semiconductor crystalline material bonded thereto, with the layer including first and second series of microcomponents on the first and second faces respectively, with the microcomponents being in alignment such that any residual alignment offsets between the first and second series of microcomponents are less than 100 nm homogeneously over the entire surface of the structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2012
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: SOITEC
    Inventor: Soitec
  • Publication number: 20130104802
    Abstract: A system for epitaxial deposition of a Group III-V semiconductor material that includes gallium. The system includes sources of the reactants, one of which is a gaseous Group III precursor having one or more gaseous gallium precursors and another of which is a gaseous Group V component, a reaction chamber wherein the reactants combine to deposit Group III-V semiconductor material, and one or more heating structures for heating the gaseous Group III precursors prior to reacting to a temperature to decompose substantially all dimers, trimers or other molecular variations of such precursors into their monomer forms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2012
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: Soitec
    Inventor: Soitec
  • Publication number: 20130100749
    Abstract: A sense amplifier for a series of cells of a memory, including a writing stage comprising a CMOS inverter, the input of which is directly or indirectly connected to an input terminal of the sense amplifier, and the output of which is connected to an output terminal of the sense amplifier intended to be connected to a local bitline addressing the cells of the series, and a reading stage that includes a sense transistor, the gate of which is connected to the output of the inverter and the drain of which is connected to the input of the inverter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2012
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Applicant: SOITEC
    Inventor: SOITEC
  • Publication number: 20130058369
    Abstract: An InGaN-on-substrate structure that includes an InGaN layer and two mirror layers on opposing sides of and sandwiching the InGaN layer. The InGN layer includes an InGaN seed layer and an active InGaN layer grown on the InGaN seed layer. Such a structure is useful in a vertical optoelectronic device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: SOITEC
    Inventor: SOITEC
  • Publication number: 20130049012
    Abstract: Methods of forming ternary III-nitride materials include epitaxially growing ternary III-nitride material on a substrate in a chamber. The epitaxial growth includes providing a precursor gas mixture within the chamber that includes a relatively high ratio of a partial pressure of a nitrogen precursor to a partial pressure of one or more Group III precursors in the chamber. Due at least in part to the relatively high ratio, a layer of ternary III-nitride material may be grown to a high final thickness with small V-pit defects therein. Semiconductor structures including such ternary III-nitride material layers are fabricated using such methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: Soitec
    Inventors: Soitec, Christophe Figuet, Pierre Tomasini
  • Publication number: 20130043600
    Abstract: Methods of forming semiconductor devices include providing a substrate including a layer of semiconductor material on a layer of electrically insulating material. A first metallization layer is formed over a first side of the layer of semiconductor material. Through wafer interconnects are foamed at least partially through the substrate. A second metallization layer is formed over a second side of the layer of semiconductor material opposite the first side thereof. An electrical pathway is provided that extends through the first metallization layer, the substrate, and the second metallization layer between a first processed semiconductor structure carried by the substrate on the first side of the layer of semiconductor material and a second processed semiconductor structure carried by the substrate on the first side of the layer of semiconductor material. Semiconductor structures are fabricated using such methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2012
    Publication date: February 21, 2013
    Applicants: SOITEC
    Inventors: Soitec, Mariam Sadaka