Patents by Inventor Ulrike Gruening

Ulrike Gruening 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).

  • Patent number: 7324365
    Abstract: A memory includes transistors in rows and columns providing an array, conductive lines in columns across the array, and phase change elements contacting the conductive lines and self-aligned to the conductive lines. The memory includes bottom electrodes contacting the phase change elements, each bottom electrode self-aligned to a conductive line and coupled to one side of a source-drain path of a transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Ulrike Gruening-von Schwerin, Thomas Happ
  • Patent number: 7321514
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a memory cell arrangement comprising a multiplicity of DRAM memory cells which are arranged in cell rows and cell columns and the selection transistor of which comprises in each case a first gate electrode and also a rear side electrode. The memory cell arrangement contains word lines and also rear side electrode lines which are arranged in each case alternately between adjacent cell columns. The invention provides for in each case the first gate electrodes of adjacent cell columns to be connected to the word line lying between the cell columns and in each case the rear side electrodes of adjacent cell columns to be connected to the rear side line lying between the cell columns. All the rear side lines are held at a constant potential, while for reading from a memory cell that word line is addressed to which the first gate electrode of the memory cell to be read is connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Ulrike Gruening-von Schwerin
  • Publication number: 20080007995
    Abstract: A memory device having at least one resistively switching memory cell is disclosed. In one embodiment, the memory cell includes a volume of switching active material and a pair of electrodes being galvanically coupled to the volume of switching active material, wherein the pair of electrodes is adapted to send a current through the volume of switching active material, and at least one gate electrode adapted to cause an electric field penetrating the volume of switching active material. Another embodiment of the invention discloses a method for driving the memory device and a method for producing the same.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2006
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Inventor: Ulrike Gruening-von Schwerin
  • Publication number: 20070287251
    Abstract: A method for forming a memory device with at least one memory cell, the memory cell including a volume of switching active material is disclosed. The method includes the process of depositing a first layer of insulating material on a substrate, depositing a layer of switching active material on the layer of insulating material, patterning the layer of switching active material to form volumes of switching active material. A second layer of insulating material is deposited. Vias are formed in the layers of the first insulating material, the switching active material and the second layer of insulating material in one method process. The vias are filled with a conductive material to form first and second electrode contacts for electrically coupling the volumes of switching active material. Furthermore the invention relates to a memory device produced by using this method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2006
    Publication date: December 13, 2007
    Inventor: Ulrike Gruening-von Schwerin
  • Patent number: 7301192
    Abstract: Stack and trench memory cells are provided in a DRAM memory cell array. The stack and trench memory cells are arranged so as to form identical cell pairs each having a trench capacitor, a stack capacitor and a semiconductor fin, in which the active areas of two select transistors for addressing the trench and stack capacitors are formed. The semiconductor fins are arranged in succession in the longitudinal direction to form cell rows and in this arrangement are spaced apart from one another by in each case a trench capacitor. Respectively adjacent cell rows are separated from one another by trench isolator structures and are offset with respect to one another by half the length of a cell pair. The semiconductor fins are crossed by at least two active word lines, which are orthogonal with respect to the cell rows, for addressing the select transistors realized in the semiconductor fin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Johann Harter, Wolfgang Mueller, Wolfgang Bergner, Ulrike Grüning Von Schwerin, Till Schloesser, Rolf Weis
  • Patent number: 7291533
    Abstract: A method for producing trench DRAM cells, each having a trench capacitor and a fin field-effect transistor with a curved channel (CFET) for addressing the trench capacitor, is described. The memory cells are arranged in cell rows offset with respect to one another and are separated from one another by strip-like isolator structures. Buried word lines are embedded in the isolator structures and run along the longitudinal faces of semiconductor fins which are formed along the cell rows and include the active regions of the selection transistors. The internal electrodes of the trench capacitors are each connected with a low impedance via surface straps to first source/drain areas of the respective selection transistors. In one embodiment, one word line is formed for each isolator structure using an open bit line architecture, with only every alternate word line being used for addressing. A reinforced word line/trench isolator is provided between the word lines and the trench capacitors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies, AG
    Inventor: Ulrike Gruening von Schwerin
  • Patent number: 7279742
    Abstract: A transistor structure having source/drain regions arranged in a horizontal plane along an x axis has a recess structure, which separates the two source/drain regions from one another and increases the effective channel length Leff of the transistor structure. A vertical gate electrode with respect to the horizontal plane extends along the x axis and in this case encloses an active zone of the transistor structure from two sides or completely. The effective channel width Weff is dependent on the depth to which the gate electrode is formed. A memory cell having a selection transistor in accordance with the transistor structure has both a low leakage current and a good switching behavior. By a suitable integration concept, the transistor structure is integrated into a memory cell array of a DRAM having hole trench capacitors or stacked capacitors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Ulrike Grüning-Von Schwerin
  • Publication number: 20070181932
    Abstract: A memory includes an array of resistive memory cells, bit lines between rows of the memory cells for accessing the memory cells, and a conductive plate coupled to each of the memory cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2006
    Publication date: August 9, 2007
    Inventors: Thomas Happ, Jan Philipp, Ulrike Gruening-von Schwerin
  • Publication number: 20070103971
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for operating a memory device, and to a memory device with a plurality of memory cells (1) which each have at least one switching device (13) assigned thereto for controlling, as well as a current supply line and a current discharge line (11, 12), wherein said current supply line (11) and said current discharge line (12) are substantially parallel to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2005
    Publication date: May 10, 2007
    Applicant: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AG
    Inventors: Ulrike Gruening-Von Schwerin, Thomas Happ
  • Publication number: 20070096182
    Abstract: A transistor, memory cell array and method of manufacturing a transistor are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2006
    Publication date: May 3, 2007
    Applicant: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AG
    Inventors: Till Schloesser, Rolf Weis, Ulrike Gruening-von Schwerin
  • Publication number: 20060252222
    Abstract: In a method for fabricating a semiconductor component, a semiconductor substrate comprising a first surface is provided and a shaping matrix is applied to the first surface. The shaping matrix comprises at least one continuous depression arranged in such a way that contact regions in a region of the first surface are at least partly uncovered. A sacrificial layer is applied to sidewalls of the continuous depression in an upper section of the depression, a first electrode is produced by applying a first conductive layer in a lower section of the depression and to the sacrificial layer, and the sacrificial layer is removed in order to uncover the sidewalls of the shaping matrix in the upper section. A dielectric layer is applied to the first conductive layer and a second electrode is formed by applying a second conductive layer to the dielectric layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2006
    Publication date: November 9, 2006
    Inventor: Ulrike Gruening-Von Schwerin
  • Patent number: 7132333
    Abstract: A transistor, memory cell array and method of manufacturing a transistor are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2006
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Till Schloesser, Rolf Weis, Ulrike Gruening-Von Schwerin
  • Patent number: 7125778
    Abstract: A description is given of a method for a selective masking of a structure with a small structure surface with respect to a structure with a larger structure surface. To that end, the structures are filled with a covering layer. The covering layer is formed with a larger thickness above the first structure, which has the larger structure surface, than above the second structure. Afterward, the covering layer is removed by a homogeneous removal method, so that first the structure surface of the second structure is uncovered. A simple self-aligning method for fabricating a mask for uncovering the second structure is thus provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Dirk Efferenn, Ulrike Grüning Von Schwerin, Hans-Peter Moll, Jörg Radecker, Andreas Wich-Glasen
  • Publication number: 20060054958
    Abstract: A DRAM memory cell array is fabricated such that, for each memory cell of the array, the gate electrode is initially produced such that it is insulated from all the other gate electrodes assigned to a certain word line, and is only connected to the other gate electrodes assigned to the corresponding word line via the word line in a subsequent step.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2005
    Publication date: March 16, 2006
    Inventors: Rolf Weis, Ulrike Gruening Von Schwerin
  • Patent number: 6967133
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for fabricating a semiconductor structure having a plurality of gate stacks (GS1, GS2, GS3, GS4) on a semiconductor substrate (10), having the following steps: application of the gate stacks (GS1, GS2, GS3, GS4) to a gate dielectric (11) above the semiconductor substrate (10); formation of a sidewall oxide (17) on sidewalls of the gate stacks (GS1, GS2, GS3, GS4); application and patterning of a mask (12) on the semiconductor structure; and implantation of a contact doping (13) in a self-aligned manner with respect to the sidewall oxide (17) of the gate stacks (GS1, GS2) in regions not covered by the mask (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Jürgen Amon, Jürgen Faul, Ulrike Gruening, Frank Jakubowski, Thomas Schuster, Rudolf Strasser
  • Patent number: 6828192
    Abstract: A trench capacitor is formed in a trench, which is disposed in a substrate. The trench is filled with a conductive trench filling which functions as an inner capacitor electrode. An epitaxial layer is grown on the sidewall of the trench on the substrate. A buried strap is disposed between the conductive trench filling with the second intermediate layer and the epitaxially grown layer. A dopant outdiffusion formed from the buried strap is disposed in the epitaxially grown layer. Through the epitaxially grown layer, the dopant outdiffusion is further removed from a selection transistor disposed beside the trench, as a result of which it is possible to avoid short-channel effects in the selection transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Gustin, Ulrike Grüning-Von Schwerin, Dietmar Temmler, Martin Schrems, Stefan Rongen, Rudolf Strasser
  • Patent number: 6812091
    Abstract: An improved sub 8F2 memory cell is disclosed. The sub 8F2 cell includes a shallow transistor trench in which a buried portion of the transistor occupies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Ulrike Gruening, Johann Alsmeier
  • Publication number: 20040206722
    Abstract: A method is disclosed by means of which contact holes (K1), (K2) and (K3), leading to integrated components can be produced with just one structuring mask, contact regions (25e, 45e) in the substrate (5) and contact holes (K2) lead to contact regions (35c, 50c) located on layer stacks (35, 50). An auxiliary layer is used for the etching of contact holes (K1), (K2), (K3), which covers a part of the contact holes and thus serves as a selection mask. The auxiliary layer can be structured with a low-resolution lithography in comparison with the mask, such that only one single high-resolution lithography is necessary for the formation of all contact holes (K1), (K2), (K3). The method is particularly suitable for the simultaneous production of contact holes for transistors in the cell field and the logic field of a DRAM.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2004
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Inventors: Ulrike Gruening-Von Schwerin, Wolfgang Gustin, Klaus-Dieter Morhard
  • Publication number: 20040209474
    Abstract: A method for forming substantially uniformly thick, thermally grown, silicon dioxide material on a silicon body independent of bon axis. A trench is formed in a surface of the silicon body, such trench having sidewalls disposed in different crystallographic planes, one of such planes being the <100> crystallographic plane and another one of such planes being the <110> plane. A substantially uniform layer of silicon nitride is formed on the sidewalls. The trench, with the with substantially uniform layer of silicon nitride, is subjected to a silicon oxidation environment with sidewalls in the <110> plane being oxidized at a higher rate than sidewalls in the <100> plane producing silicon dioxide on the silicon nitride layer having thickness over the <110> plane greater than over the <100> plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2004
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Inventors: Helmut Horst Tews, Alexander Michaelis, Stephan Kudelka, Uwe Schroeder, Raj Jammy, Ulrike Gruening
  • Patent number: 6762447
    Abstract: A dynamic random access memory (DRAM) formed in a semiconductor body has individual pairs of memory cells that are isolated from one another by a vertical electrical isolation trench and are isolated from support circuitry. The isolation trench has sidewalls and upper and lower portions, and encircles an area of the semiconductor body which contains the memory cells. This electrically isolates pairs of memory cells from each other and from the support circuitry contained within the semiconductor body but not located within the encircled area. The lower portion of the isolation trench is filled with an electrically conductive material that has sidewall portions thereof which are at least partly separated from the sidewalls of the lower portion of the trench by a first electrical insulator, and that has a lower portion that is in electrical contact with the semiconductor body. The upper portion of the isolation trench is filled with a second electrical insulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2004
    Assignees: Infineon Technologies North America Corp., International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jack A. Mandelman, Rama Divakaruni, Giuseppe Larosa, Ulrike Gruening, Carl Radens