Abstract: A semiconductor device and methods of forming the semiconductor device are described herein and are directed towards forming a source/drain contact plug for adjacent finFETs. The source/drain regions of the adjacent finFETs are embedded in an interlayer dielectric and are separated by an isolation region of a cut-metal gate (CMG) structure isolating gate electrodes of the adjacent finFETs The methods include recessing the isolation region, forming a contact plug opening through the interlayer dielectric to expose portions of a contact etch stop layer disposed over the source/drain regions through the contact plug opening, the contact etch stop layer being a different material from the material of the isolation region. Once exposed, the portions of the CESL are removed and a conductive material is formed in the contact plug opening and in contact with the source/drain regions of the adjacent finFETs and in contact with the isolation region.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate; fin active regions protruded above the semiconductor substrate; and a gate stack disposed on the fin active regions; wherein the gate stack includes a high-k dielectric material layer, and various metal layers disposed on the high-k dielectric material layer. The gate stack has an uneven profile in a sectional view with a first dimension D1 at a top surface, a second dimension D2 at a bottom surface, and a third dimension D3 at a location between the top surface and the bottom surface, and wherein each of D1 and D2 is greater than D3.

Abstract: In a radar sensor, a transmitting antenna is configured to radiate a transmitted RF signal, a receiving antenna is configured to receive a reflected RF signal from a target, and a frontend circuit is configured to calculate the distance between the target and the radar sensor by measuring the frequency shift between the transmitted RF signal and the reflected RF signal. The frontend circuit includes a crystal-less signal synthesizer configured to generate the transmitted RF signal without using a crystal, and a mixer configured to provide an IF-band signal associated with the frequency shift between the transmitted RF signal and the reflected RF signal by mixing the reflected RF signal and the transmitted RF signal.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a plurality of memory arrays and a plurality of capacitors. The substrate includes a plurality of memory array regions. Each memory array region includes a plurality of memory blocks and a plurality of dummy blocks. The dummy blocks are located along a boundary of the memory blocks. The plurality of memory arrays are disposed in the plurality of memory blocks. The plurality of capacitors are disposed in the plurality of dummy blocks along the boundary of the plurality of memory blocks. The plurality of memory arrays may include 3D NAND flash memories with high capacity and high performance.

Abstract: A projection lens includes a first and a second optical lens assembly. The first optical lens assembly is configured to transmit an image beam to the second optical lens assembly, which projects out the image beam from the projection lens. The second optical lens assembly includes a first and a second reflective element, and an optical member disposed between the first and the second reflective element and including a translucent region and a reflective region. The first reflective element is configured to reflect the image beam from the first optical lens assembly and transmit to the translucent region, which allows the image beam from the first reflective element to pass through and transmit to the second reflective element. The second reflective element is configured to reflect the image beam from the translucent region and transmit to the reflective region, which reflects the image beam from the second reflective element.

Abstract: Methods for making a semiconductor device using an improved BARC (bottom anti-reflective coating) are provided herein. The improved BARC comprises a polymer formed from at least a styrene monomer having at least one or two hydrophilic substituents. The monomer(s) and substituents can be varied as desired to obtain a balance between film adhesion and wet etch resistance. Also provided is a semiconductor device produced using such methods.

Abstract: An axial-flow heat-dissipation fan including a frame and a blade wheel is provided. The frame has an inlet, an outlet, and an inner wall connected between the inlet and the outlet. The inner wall surrounding the blade wheel has at least one rough region. The blade wheel is rotatably disposed in the frame and located between the inlet and the outlet, and an air flows into the frame via the inlet and flows out of the frame via the outlet by rotation of the blade wheel. A gap exists between a blade end of the blade wheel and the inner wall. A laminar flow is generated at the gap when the blade wheel is rotating and the blade end passes through the rough region so as to prevent a backflow generated at the gap, wherein a flowing direction of the backflow is opposite to a flowing direction of the air flow.

Abstract: EUV masks and methods of fabrication thereof are described herein. An exemplary method includes receiving an EUV mask having a multilayer structure, a capping layer disposed over the multilayer structure, a patterned absorber layer disposed over the capping layer, and a patterned hard mask disposed over the patterned absorber layer. The method further includes removing the patterned hard mask by performing a first etching process to partially remove the patterned hard mask and performing a second etching process to remove a remainder of the patterned hard mask. The first etching process uses a first etchant, and the second etching process uses a second etchant. The second etchant is different than the first etchant. In some embodiments, the first etchant is a halogen-based plasma (e.g., a Cl2 plasma), and the second etchant is a halogen-and-oxygen-based plasma (e.g., a Cl2+O2 plasma).

Abstract: A semiconductor package includes an interposer that has a first side and a second side opposing the first side. A semiconductor device that is on the first side of the interposer and an optical device that is on the first side of the interposer and next to the semiconductor device. A first encapsulant layer includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion of the first encapsulant layer is on the first side of the interposer and along sidewalls of the semiconductor device. A gap is between a first sidewall of the optical device and a second sidewall of the first portion of the first encapsulant layer. A substrate is over the second side of the interposer. The semiconductor device and the optical device are electrically coupled to the substrate through the interposer.

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device includes: forming a via in a first dielectric layer disposed over a substrate; forming a second dielectric layer over the first dielectric layer; forming an opening in the second dielectric layer, where the opening exposes an upper surface of the via; selectively forming a capping layer over the upper surface of the via, where the capping layer has a curved upper surface that extends above a first upper surface of the first dielectric layer distal from the substrate; after forming the capping layer, forming a barrier layer in the opening over the capping layer and along sidewalls of the second dielectric layer exposed by the opening; and filling the opening by forming an electrically conductive material over the barrier layer.

Abstract: A method and system for establishing a model for sensing ions in a solution, and a method and system for sensing ions in a solution apply an ion-sensitive field effect transistor in a machine learning model for ion detection in training solutions. The method for establishing a model includes adjusting environmental parameters, where the environmental parameters are selected from any one of multiple target temperatures or from any one of multiple external electric fields; establishing at least one virtual sensor based on the biasing relationship of the multi-gate ion sensitive field effect transistor; obtaining, by the at least one virtual sensor, multiple training features of the training solution based on the environmental parameters and bias parameters; and loading, by a computer, the environmental parameters and the training features into a machine learning model to establish an ion detection model, which is used to sense the types and concentrations of ions.

Abstract: A projection device includes a light source module, a display panel, a freeform-surface reflective mirror, and a projection lens. The light source module includes a light source, a first Fresnel lens element, and a second Fresnel lens element. The first Fresnel lens element and the second Fresnel lens element are parallel to each other and located between the light source and the display panel. The display panel is arranged between the light source module and the freeform-surface reflective mirror. The projection lens is configured to transmit an image beam out of the projection device, and a direction of an optical axis of the projection lens is different from a direction of a normal of the first Fresnel lens element.

Abstract: Polarization-insensitive metasurfaces using anisotropic nanostructures are disclosed. These anisotropic structures allow for an accurate implementation of phase, group delay, and group delay dispersion, while simultaneously making it possible to realize a polarizationinsensitive, diffraction-limited and achromatic metalens for wavelength, e.g., ?=from about 460 nm to about 700 nm. The approach of polarization-insensitivity can be also applied for other metasurface devices with applications in, e.g., imaging and virtual or augmented reality.

Abstract: Methods, devices, systems, and apparatus for three-dimensional semiconductor structures are provided. In one aspect, a semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor substrate, multiple conductive layers vertically stacked on the semiconductor substrate, and multiple transistors. The multiple conductive layers include a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a third conductive layer that are sequentially stacked together. The multiple transistors include a first transistor and a second transistor in the first conductive layer and a third transistor in the third conductive layer. Each transistor includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a gate terminal. First terminals of the first, second, and third transistors are conductively coupled to a first conductive node in the second conductive layer.

Abstract: A conjugate cam reducer includes input and output units disposed at two opposite sides of a transmission unit along an output axis. The transmission unit includes input-side and output-side cam discs having first and second grooved surfaces. The input unit includes an input disc having a plurality of first receiving grooves registered with the first grooved surfaces to receive input rollers, and an eccentric shaft rotated to drive rotation of the transmission unit in an eccentric cam motion. The output unit includes an output disc having an inner peripheral wall which engages with the output-side cam disc, and a plurality of second receiving grooves which are registered with the second grooves to receive output rollers. An outer diameter of each first toothed surface and an outer diameter of each second toothed surface is gradually increased along a direction parallel to the output axis.

Abstract: A card edge connector includes: a connector base having a card slot and plural terminals; a latch located at one end of the connector base for locking a card; and a releasing member. The releasing member includes two levers and a moving member, the levers are connected with the connector base in a pivoting manner, a first end of the lever is connected with the latch and an opposite second end of the lever is coupled to the moving member, wherein when the card is inserted into the slot and presses against the moving member downwards, the moving member drives the second ends of the levers to move downward, resulting in the first ends moving upwards to push the latch to lock with the card, and when the card is pulled out the moving member resets and drives the levers to release the latch from the card.

Abstract: An imaging optical lens system includes eight lens elements which are, in order from an object side to an image side along an optical path: a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element, a fifth lens element, a sixth lens element, a seventh lens element and an eighth lens element. The first lens element has positive refractive power. The second lens element has negative refractive power. The seventh lens element has an image-side surface being concave in a paraxial region thereof, and the image-side surface of the seventh lens element has at least one convex critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

Abstract: A system for reflowing a semiconductor workpiece including a stage, a first vacuum module and a second vacuum module, and an energy source is provided. The stage includes a base and a protrusion connected to the base, the stage is movable along a height direction of the stage relative to the semiconductor workpiece, the protrusion operably holds and heats the semiconductor workpiece, and the protrusion includes a first portion and a second portion surrounded by and spatially separated from the first portion. The first vacuum module and the second vacuum module respectively coupled to the first portion and the second portion of the protrusion, and the first vacuum module and the second vacuum module are operable to respectively apply a pressure to the first portion and the second portion. The energy source is disposed over the stage to heat the semiconductor workpiece held by the protrusion of the stage.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a fin structure over a substrate, forming a sacrificial gate structure over the fin structure, and etching a source/drain (S/D) region of the fin structure to form an S/D recess. The fin structure includes first semiconductor layers and second semiconductor layers alternately stacked. The method further includes depositing an insulating dielectric layer in the S/D recess, depositing an etch protection layer over a bottom portion of the insulating dielectric layer, and partially removing the insulating dielectric layer. The method further includes growing an epitaxial S/D feature in the S/D recess. The bottom portion of the insulating dielectric layer interposes the epitaxial S/D feature and the substrate.

Abstract: Semiconductor structures and methods for forming the same are provided. The semiconductor structure includes a plurality of nanostructures formed over a substrate, and an inner spacer layer between two adjacent nanostructures. The semiconductor structure includes a source/drain (S/D) structure formed adjacent to the inner spacer layer, and a barrier layer adjacent to the inner spacer layer. The barrier layer extends from the first position to the second position, and the first position is between the inner spacer layer and the nanostructure, and the second position is between the nanostructures and the S/D structure.