Patents Issued in December 20, 2016
  • Patent number: 9525030
    Abstract: A semiconductor device according to the embodiment comprises a base substrate; patterns on the base substrate; and an epitaxial layer on the base substrate, wherein the epitaxial layer is formed on a surface of the substrate exposed among the patterns. A method for growing a semiconductor crystal comprises the steps of cleaning a silicon carbide substrate; forming patterns on the silicon carbide substrate; and forming an epitaxial layer on the silicon carbide substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Min Young Hwang, Seok Min Kang, Moo Seong Kim, Yeong Deuk Jo
  • Patent number: 9525031
    Abstract: Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an epitaxially grown replacement channel region within a transistor, which mitigates the variations within the channel of the transistor due to fluctuations in the manufacturing processes. The replacement channel region is formed by recessing source/drain and channel regions of the semiconductor substrate, and epitaxially growing a replacement channel region within the recess, which comprises epitaxially growing a lower epitaxial channel region over a bottom surface of the recess, and epitaxially growing an upper epitaxial channel region over a bottom surface of the recess. The lower epitaxial channel region retards dopant back diffusion from the upper epitaxial channel region, resulting in a steep retrograde dopant profile within the replacement channel region. The upper epitaxial channel region increases carrier mobility within the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsung-Hsing Yu, Ken-Ichi Goto, Chia-Wen Liu, Yeh Hsu
  • Patent number: 9525032
    Abstract: Fabrication of doped AlN crystals and/or AlGaN epitaxial layers with high conductivity and mobility is accomplished by, for example, forming mixed crystals including a plurality of impurity species and electrically activating at least a portion of the crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: CRYSTAL IS, INC.
    Inventors: Glen A. Slack, Leo J. Schowalter
  • Patent number: 9525033
    Abstract: A device and a method of making said wherein the device wherein the device has a group III-nitride buffer deposited on a substrate; and a group III-nitride heterostructure disposed on a surface of the group III-nitride buffer, wherein the group III-nitride heterostructure has a group III-nitride channel and a group III-nitride barrier layer disposed on a surface of the group III-nitride channel, the group III-nitride barrier layer including Al as one of its constituent group III elements, the Al having a mole fraction which varies at least throughout a portion of said group III-nitride barrier layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: David F. Brown, Miroslav Micovic
  • Patent number: 9525034
    Abstract: An object is to reduce leakage current and parasitic capacitance of a transistor used for an LSI, a CPU, or a memory. A semiconductor integrated circuit such as an LSI, a CPU, or a memory is manufactured using a thin film transistor in which a channel formation region is formed using an oxide semiconductor which becomes an intrinsic or substantially intrinsic semiconductor by removing impurities which serve as electron donors (donors) from the oxide semiconductor and has larger energy gap than that of a silicon semiconductor. With use of a thin film transistor using a highly purified oxide semiconductor layer with sufficiently reduced hydrogen concentration, a semiconductor device with low power consumption due to leakage current can be realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Hiroyuki Miyake, Kei Takahashi, Kouhei Toyotaka, Masashi Tsubuku, Kosei Noda, Hideaki Kuwabara
  • Patent number: 9525035
    Abstract: A vertical, high-voltage MOS transistor, which has a source region, a body contact region, and a number of trenches structures with field plates, and a method of forming the MOS transistor increase the on-state resistance of the MOS transistor by reducing the trench pitch. Trench pitch can be reduced with metal contacts that simultaneously touch the source regions, the body contact regions, and the field plates. Trench pitch can also be reduced with a gate that increases the size of the LDD region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Christopher Boguslaw Kocon, Simon John Molloy, John Manning Savidge Neilson, Hideaki Kawahara
  • Patent number: 9525036
    Abstract: An semiconductor device is provided. A fin is disposed on a substrate, extending in a lengthwise direction. A first recess is disposed on a sidewall of the fin so that the fin and the first recess is arranged in a straight line along the lengthwise direction. A gate structure crosses the fin in the first direction crossing the lengthwise direction. A spacer is disposed on sidewalk of the gate structure. A source/drain region is disposed in the first recess. The source/drain region is formed under the spacer. A silicide layer is disposed on the source/drain region. The silicide layer and the source/drain region fill the first recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Dong-Il Bae, Bomsoo Kim, Yong-Min Cho
  • Patent number: 9525037
    Abstract: A trench gate metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor includes a substrate and a gate. The substrate has a trench. The trench is extended downwardly from a surface of the substrate. The gate includes an insertion portion and a symmetrical protrusion portion. The insertion portion is embedded in the trench. The symmetrical protrusion portion is symmetrically protruded over the surface of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chun-Hong Peng, Yu-Hsi Lai
  • Patent number: 9525038
    Abstract: A method for producing a semiconductor device includes a first step of forming a fin-shaped semiconductor layer on a semiconductor substrate and forming a first insulating film around the fin-shaped semiconductor layer; and a second step following the first step and including forming a second insulating film around the fin-shaped semiconductor layer, depositing a first polysilicon on the second insulating film to conduct planarization, forming a second resist for forming a gate line and a pillar-shaped semiconductor layer so that the second resist extends in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the fin-shaped semiconductor layer extends, and etching the first polysilicon, the second insulating film, and the fin-shaped semiconductor layer to form a pillar-shaped semiconductor layer and a first dummy gate formed of the first polysilicon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: UNISANTIS ELECTRONICS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Fujio Masuoka, Hiroki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9525039
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a merged p-i-n Schottky (MPS) diode in gallium nitride (GaN) based materials includes providing an n-type GaN-based substrate having a first surface and a second surface. The method also includes forming an n-type GaN-based epitaxial layer coupled to the first surface of the n-type GaN-based substrate, and forming a p-type GaN-based epitaxial layer coupled to the n-type GaN-based epitaxial layer. The method further includes removing portions of the p-type GaN-based epitaxial layer to form a plurality of dopant sources, and regrowing a GaN-based epitaxial layer including n-type material in regions overlying portions of the n-type GaN-based epitaxial layer, and p-type material in regions overlying the plurality of dopant sources. The method also includes forming a first metallic structure electrically coupled to the regrown GaN-based epitaxial layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Avogy, Inc.
    Inventors: Isik C. Kizilyalli, Dave P. Bour, Thomas R. Prunty, Hui Nie, Quentin Diduck, Ozgur Aktas
  • Patent number: 9525040
    Abstract: A method includes providing a semiconductor substrate having an active region and forming an isolation structure to isolate the active region. First and second gate structures are formed over the active region. First and second doped regions are formed within the active region of the substrate, the first doped region has a first conductivity type, the second doped region has the second conductivity type. The first and second gate structures are interposed between the first and second doped regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ming Zhu, Lee-Wee Teo, Harry Hak-Lay Chuang
  • Patent number: 9525041
    Abstract: A semiconductor process for forming gates with different pitches includes the following steps. A gate layer is formed on a substrate. A first mandrel and a second mandrel are respectively formed on the gate layer. A first spacer material is formed to conformally cover the first mandrel but exposing the second mandrel. A second spacer material is formed to conformally cover the first spacer material and the second mandrel. The first spacer material and the second spacer material are etched to form a first spacer beside the first mandrel and a second spacer beside the second mandrel simultaneously. The first mandrel and the second mandrel are removed. Layouts of the first spacer and the second spacer are transferred to the gate layer, thereby a first gate and a second gate being formed. Moreover, a semiconductor process, which forms the first spacer and the second spacer separately, is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventors: En-Chiuan Liou, Yu-Cheng Tung
  • Patent number: 9525042
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a substrate including a first region and a second region, a first gate dielectric layer, a first lower gate electrode, and a first upper gate electrode sequentially stacked on the first region, a second gate dielectric layer, a second lower gate electrode, and a second upper gate electrode sequentially stacked on the second region, a first spacer disposed on a sidewall of the first upper gate electrode, a second spacer disposed on a sidewall of the second upper gate electrode, a third spacer covering the first spacer on the sidewall of the first upper gate electrode, and a fourth spacer covering the second spacer on the sidewall of the second upper gate electrode. At least one of a first sidewall of the first lower gate electrode and a second sidewall of the first lower gate electrode is in contact with the third spacer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Seokjun Won, Youngmook Oh, Moonkyun Song, MinWoo Song, Namgyu Cho
  • Patent number: 9525043
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a trench in a semiconductor body. The method further includes doping a part of the semiconductor body via sidewalls of the trench by plasma doping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Peter Irsigler, Hans-Joachim Schulze
  • Patent number: 9525044
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is manufactured by forming a plurality of trenches extending into a semiconductor material from a first main surface of the semiconductor material to form mesas of semiconductor material between the trenches. A trench fill material is disposed in the trenches, the trench fill material extending above the first main surface of the semiconductor material. Sacrificial spacers are formed on the semiconductor material adjacent opposing sides of the trench fill material, and gate electrodes are formed on the first main surface of the semiconductor material adjacent the sacrificial spacers. The gate electrodes have the same alignment with respect to the trenches and define lateral channel regions in the mesas under the gate electrodes. The sacrificial spacers are removed after formation of the gate electrodes. Source regions are formed in a region of the mesas, and a drain region is formed spaced apart from the source regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austin AG
    Inventor: Martin Vielemeyer
  • Patent number: 9525045
    Abstract: A semiconductor device and a method for forming the same are provided. The semiconductor device includes a substrate having a first conductive type and an epitaxial layer having the first conductive type disposed over the substrate, wherein a trench is formed in the epitaxial layer. The semiconductor device also includes a polysilicon layer having the first conductive type disposed in the trench. The semiconductor device further includes a doped region having a second conductive type disposed along a sidewall and a bottom of the trench in the epitaxial layer, wherein a thickness along the sidewall and the bottom of the trench is uniform, and wherein the thickness is a vertical distance between the outermost side of the trench to the sidewall or the bottom of the trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: VANGUARD INTERNATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chia-Hao Lee, Pei-Heng Hung, Chih-Cherng Liao, Jun-Wei Chen
  • Patent number: 9525046
    Abstract: A gate electrode and method for manufacturing the same includes an amorphous gate metal layer. The amorphous gate metal layer includes an amorphous metal alloy material layer having at least two metallic elements of an amorphous material or an amorphous metal compound material layer having at least one metallic element and at least one non-metallic element selected from the IIIA group, the IVA group, and the VA group of the Periodic Table. The atoms are arranged evenly in the amorphous gate metal layer, there is no noticeable grains and grain boundaries, so that no defects will be generated through a carrier recombination, and the carrier mobility is increased and the carrier can be uniformly distributed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Manufacturing International (Shanghai) Corporation
    Inventor: Fumitake Mieno
  • Patent number: 9525047
    Abstract: A thin film transistor (TFT) substrate, an organic light-emitting display apparatus including the TFT substrate, and a method of manufacturing the TFT substrate that enable simple manufacturing processes and a decrease in the interference between a capacitor and other interconnections are disclosed. The TFT substrate may include a substrate, a TFT arranged on the substrate, the TFT including an active layer, a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode, a pixel electrode electrically connected to one of the source electrode and the drain electrode, and a capacitor including a lower capacitor electrode and an upper capacitor electrode, the lower capacitor electrode formed from the same material as the active layer and arranged on the same layer as the active layer, and the upper capacitor electrode formed from the same material as the pixel electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kwang-Hae Kim, Jae-Beom Choi, Kwan-Wook Jung
  • Patent number: 9525048
    Abstract: A technique relates to a dual epitaxial process a device. A first spacer is disposed on a substrate, dummy gate, and hardmask. A first area extends in a first direction from the gate and a second area extends in an opposite direction. A doped intermediate spacer is disposed on the first spacer. A first region is opened on the substrate by removing first spacer and intermediate spacer at the first region. A first epitaxial layer is disposed in the first region. The intermediate spacer is removed from first area. A second spacer is disposed on the intermediate spacer. A second region is opened on the substrate by removing the first spacer, intermediate spacer, and second spacer. A second epitaxial layer is disposed in second region. The width of the second epitaxial layer is enlarged by annealing causing dopant in the intermediate spacer layer to flow into the second epitaxial layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Veeraraghavan S. Basker, Zuoguang Liu, Tenko Yamashita, Chun-Chen Yeh
  • Patent number: 9525049
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a Fin field effect transistor (FinFET) includes providing a substrate having a first fin and a second fin extending above a substrate top surface, wherein the first fin has a top surface and sidewalls and the second fin has a top surface and sidewalls. The method includes forming an insulation layer between the first and second fins. The method includes forming a first gate dielectric having a first thickness covering the top surface and sidewalls of the first fin using a plasma doping process. The method includes forming a second gate dielectric covering the top surface and sidewalls of the second fin having a second thickness less than the first thickness. The method includes forming a conductive gate strip traversing over both the first gate dielectric and the second gate dielectric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Clement Hsingjen Wann, Ling-Yen Yeh, Chi-Yuan Shih, Yi-Tang Lin, Chih-Sheng Chang
  • Patent number: 9525051
    Abstract: A semiconductor device including a nonvolatile memory cell in which a writing transistor which includes an oxide semiconductor, a reading transistor which includes a semiconductor material different from that of the writing transistor, and a capacitor are included is provided. Data is written to the memory cell by turning on the writing transistor and applying a potential to a node where a source electrode (or a drain electrode) of the writing transistor, one electrode of the capacitor, and a gate electrode of the reading transistor are electrically connected, and then turning off the writing transistor, so that the predetermined amount of charge is held in the node. Further, when a p-channel transistor is used as the reading transistor, a reading potential is a positive potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroki Inoue, Kiyoshi Kato, Takanori Matsuzaki, Shuhei Nagatsuka
  • Patent number: 9525052
    Abstract: In an exemplary implementation, a III-nitride semiconductor device includes a III-nitride heterojunction including a first III-nitride body situated over a second III-nitride body to form a two-dimensional electron gas. The III-nitride semiconductor device further includes a gate well formed in a dielectric body, the dielectric body situated over the III-nitride heterojunction. The III-nitride semiconductor device also includes a gate arrangement situated in the gate well and including a gate electrode and a field plate. The field plate includes at least two steps, the at least two steps being defined in the dielectric body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Americas Corp.
    Inventor: Michael A. Briere
  • Patent number: 9525053
    Abstract: Integrated circuit devices including strained channel regions and methods of forming the same are provided. The integrated circuit devices may include enhancement-mode field effect transistors. The enhancement-mode field effect transistors may include a quantum well channel region having a well thickness Tw sufficient to yield a strain-induced splitting of a plurality of equivalent-type electron conduction states therein to respective unequal energy levels including a lowermost energy level associated with a lowermost surface roughness scattering adjacent a surface of the channel region when, the surface is biased into a state of inversion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryan M. Hatcher, Mark S. Rodder, Robert C. Bowen, Jorge A. Kittl
  • Patent number: 9525054
    Abstract: A High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) includes a first III-V compound layer having a first band gap, and a second III-V compound layer having a second band gap over the first III-V compound layer. The second band gap is smaller than the first band gap. The HEMT further includes a third III-V compound layer having a third band gap over the second III-V compound layer, wherein the third band gap is greater than the first band gap. A gate electrode is formed over the third III-V compound layer. A source region and a drain region are over the third III-V compound layer and on opposite sides of the gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chen-Hao Chiang, Po-Chun Liu, Han-Chin Chiu, Chi-Ming Chen, Chung-Yi Yu
  • Patent number: 9525055
    Abstract: High-electron-mobility transistors that include field plates are described. In a first implementation, a HEMT includes a first and a second semiconductor material disposed to form a heterojunction at which a two-dimensional electron gas arises and source, a drain, and gate electrodes. The gate electrode is disposed to regulate conduction in the heterojunction between the source electrode and the drain electrode. The gate has a drain-side edge. A gate-connected field plate is disposed above a drain-side edge of the gate electrode and extends laterally toward the drain. A second field plate is disposed above a drain-side edge of the gate-connected field plate and extends laterally toward the drain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: POWER INTEGRATIONS. INC.
    Inventors: Alexey Kudymov, Jamal Ramdani, Linlin Liu
  • Patent number: 9525056
    Abstract: A vertical microelectronic component includes a semiconductor substrate having a front side and a back side, and a multiplicity of fins formed on the front side. Each fin has a side wall and an upper side and is separated from other fins by trenches. Each fin includes a GaN/AlGaN heterolayer region formed on the side wall and including a channel region extending essentially parallel to the side wall. Each fin includes a gate terminal region arranged above the GaN/AlGaN heterolayer region and electrically insulated from the channel region in the associated trench on the side wall. A common source terminal region arranged above the fins is connected to a first end of the channel region in a vicinity of the upper sides. A common drain terminal region arranged above the back side is connected to a second end of the channel region in a vicinity of the front side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Schelling, Walter Daves
  • Patent number: 9525057
    Abstract: A source region of a MOSFET includes: a source contact region connected to a source pad; a source extension region adjacent to a channel region in a well region; and a source resistance control region arranged between the source extension region and the source contact region. The source resistance control region is different in an impurity concentration from the source extension region and the source contact region. These three regions are connected in series between the source pad and the channel region in the well region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Naruhisa Miura, Shiro Hino, Akihiko Furukawa, Yuji Abe, Shuhei Nakata, Masayuki Imaizumi, Yasuhiro Kagawa
  • Patent number: 9525058
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a power component including a plurality of first trenches in a cell array and a first conductive material in the first trenches electrically coupled to a gate terminal of the power component, and a diode component including a first diode device trench and a second diode device trench disposed adjacent to each other. A second conductive material in the first and the second diode device trenches is electrically coupled to a source terminal of the diode component. The first trenches, the first diode device trench and the second diode device trench are disposed in a first main surface of a semiconductor substrate. The integrated circuit further includes a diode gate contact including a connection structure between the first and the second diode device trenches. The connection structure is in contact with the second conductive material in the first and the second diode device trenches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventor: Britta Wutte
  • Patent number: 9525059
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer that has a first surface and a second surface, a drift region of a first conductivity type in the semiconductor layer, a body region of a second conductivity type between the drift region and the first surface, a source region of first conductivity type, a first gate electrode, a second gate electrode with the body region interposed between the first gate electrode and the second gate electrode, first and second gate insulating films, a first field plate electrode between the second surface and the first gate electrode, a second field plate electrode between the second surface and the second gate electrode, a first region of the first conductivity type in the drift region, a second region between the first region and the body region, and a third region between the second region and the body region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Kenya Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9525060
    Abstract: An integrated circuit including an isolated device which is isolated with a lower buried layer combined with deep trench isolation. An upper buried layer, with the same conductivity type as the substrate, is disposed over the lower buried layer, so that electrical contact to the lower buried layer is made at a perimeter of the isolated device. The deep trench isolation laterally surrounds the isolated device. Electrical contact to the lower buried layer sufficient to maintain a desired bias to the lower buried layer is made along less than half of the perimeter of the isolated device, between the upper buried layer and the deep trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Yongxi Zhang, Sameer Pendharkar, Seetharaman Sridhar
  • Patent number: 9525061
    Abstract: A device comprising a p-type base region, and a p-type region formed over the p-type base region and in contact with the p-type base region is disclosed. The device also includes an n-well region surrounded by the p-type region, wherein the n-well is formed from an n-type epitaxial layer and the p-type region is formed by counter-doping the same n-type epitaxial layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Jeoung Mo Koo, Purakh Raj Verma, Guowei Zhang
  • Patent number: 9525062
    Abstract: An insulated gate switching element includes: a semiconductor substrate; a gate insulating film disposed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate; and a gate electrode disposed on the gate insulating film. The semiconductor substrate includes a first semiconductor region, a base region, and a second semiconductor region. The gate electrode faces the base region with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween. A high-resistance region, which is separated from the gate insulating film and has higher resistance to a number of carriers of a first conduction type semiconductor than that of the base region, is disposed in at least one of a first interface which is an interface between the base region and the first semiconductor region and a second interface which is an interface between the base region and the second semiconductor region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Ishida, Takashi Okawa
  • Patent number: 9525063
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a switching circuit includes input drain, source and gate nodes, a high voltage depletion mode transistor including a current path coupled in series with a current path of a low voltage enhancement mode transistor, and an overheating detection circuit for detecting overheating of the switching circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Ralf Otremba, Klaus Schiess, Rainald Sander
  • Patent number: 9525064
    Abstract: A method of making a vertical transistor includes forming a doped source on a substrate; depositing a sacrificial gate material on the source; forming a trench in the sacrificial gate material to expose the doped source; growing an epitaxial layer within the trench to form a channel region extending from the doped source and through the sacrificial gate material; performing an epitaxial growth process to grow an epitaxial layer on a portion of the channel region to form a drain over the sacrificial gate material; depositing a dielectric material on the drain to form a spacer that protects the epitaxial growth; and removing the sacrificial gate material and replacing the sacrificial gate material with a gate stack that surrounds the channel region between the doped source and the drain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Karthik Balakrishnan, Kangguo Cheng, Pouya Hashemi, Alexander Reznicek
  • Patent number: 9525065
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices are provided. A semiconductor device includes a stack of gate electrodes. The semiconductor device includes a channel material in a channel recess in the stack. The semiconductor device includes a channel pad on the channel insulating layer. The channel pad has a curved upper surface. Methods of manufacturing semiconductor devices are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dong Min Kyeon, Woong Seop Lee, Jin Hyun Shin
  • Patent number: 9525066
    Abstract: Provided is a technique for promoting miniaturization of a MISFET. A p-type well region is disposed between LDDs (n-type low-concentration regions) of a MISFET (Qn) to cause both the well region and the low-concentration region to partially overlap each other, whereby an overlap region formed of an n-type semiconductor region having a higher resistance than that of the n-type low-concentration region is provided between the p-type well region and each of the n-type low-concentration regions. In this way, the overlap region can relieve an electric field concentration at the end of the n-type low-concentration region, thereby suppressing the occurrence of hot carriers without elongating an offset length of the LDD, which can promote the miniaturization of the MISFET (Qn), particularly, that operates at high voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kiyotaka Miwa
  • Patent number: 9525067
    Abstract: An electronic circuit on a strained semiconductor substrate, includes: electronic components on a first surface of a semiconductor substrate; and at least portions of a layer of a porous semiconductor material on the side of a second surface of the semiconductor substrate, opposite to the first surface, to bend the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
    Inventors: Daniel-Camille Bensahel, Aomar Halimaoui
  • Patent number: 9525068
    Abstract: An improved FinFET has a gate structure on only a portion of the available surface on a fin, thereby providing a FinFET with a finer granularity width dimension. To form the FinFET, a first etch-resistant sacrificial layer and a second etch-resistant spacer layer are formed on the fin. The spacer layer is etched anisotropically to remove the spacer layer from the top and upper sidewalls of the fin while leaving the spacer layer on the lower sidewalls of the FinFET. A gate dielectric and conducting layer are then deposited and shaped to form a structure that is effective as a gate only on the top and upper sidewalls of the fin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Altera Corporation
    Inventors: Mayank Kumar Gupta, Peter Smeys
  • Patent number: 9525069
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a FinFET device includes forming a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate having a semiconductor layer overlaying a buried oxide (BOX) layer; etching the semiconductor layer to form a plurality of fin structures and a semiconductor layer gap in between the plurality of fin structures and the BOX layer; depositing a sacrificial gate over at least one gate region, wherein the gate region separates a source and a drain region; disposing offset spacers on vertical sidewalls of the sacrificial gate; removing the sacrificial gate; removing the semiconductor layer gap in the gate region to prevent merging of the plurality of fin structures in the gate regions; and fabricating a high-k dielectric metal gate structure overlaying the fin structures in the gate region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc.
    Inventors: Andres Bryant, Jeffrey B. Johnson, Effendi Leobandung, Tenko Yamashita
  • Patent number: 9525070
    Abstract: The present invention provides a TFT substrate structure and a manufacturing method thereof. A metal oxide semiconductor layer is formed on an amorphous silicon layer to replace an N-type heavily-doped layer. The potential barrier between the amorphous silicon layer and metal layer is relatively low, making it possible to form an ohmic contact and thus increasing current efficiency, without the need of doping other ions to form the N-type heavily-doped layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: SHENZHEN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Xiaowen Lv
  • Patent number: 9525071
    Abstract: A flexible high-voltage thin-film transistor includes a gate electrode, a source electrode, a drain electrode, a dielectric layer, and a flexible semiconductor layer. The flexible semiconductor layer serves as a channel for the transistor and is in electrical communication with the source electrode and the drain electrode. The drain electrode is laterally offset from the gate electrode. The dielectric layers is configured and arranged with respect to other elements of the transistor such that the transistor is stably operable to facilitate switching of relatively high drain voltages using relatively small controlling gate voltages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Melissa Alyson Smith, Akintunde I. Akinwande
  • Patent number: 9525072
    Abstract: A semiconductor device and method of formation are provided. The semiconductor device includes a substrate, a first active area over the substrate, a second active area over the substrate, a graphene channel between the first active area and the second active area, and a first in-plane gate. In some embodiments, the graphene channel, the first in-plane gate, the first active area, and the second active area include graphene. A method of forming the first in-plane gate, the first active area, the second active area, and the graphene channel from a single layer of graphene is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, National Taiwan University
    Inventors: Meng-Yu Lin, Shih-Yen Lin, Si-Chen Lee
  • Patent number: 9525073
    Abstract: A semiconductor device which occupies a small area is provided. A semiconductor device includes a resistor. The resistor includes a transistor. The increase rate of a drain current of the transistor with a 0.1 V change in drain voltage is preferably higher than or equal to 1% when the drain voltage is higher than a difference between a gate voltage and a threshold voltage of the transistor. The semiconductor device has a function of generating a voltage based on the resistance of the resistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoaki Atsumi, Yoshiyuki Kobayashi, Yutaka Shionoiri, Yuto Yakubo, Shuhei Nagatsuka, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9525074
    Abstract: A display substrate includes a base substrate, a switching device on the base substrate and an alignment pattern. The switching device includes an active pattern, a gate insulation layer pattern partially covering the active pattern, a gate electrode on the gate insulation layer pattern, and a source electrode and a drain electrode electrically connected to the active pattern. The alignment pattern has a multi-layered structure and is spaced apart from the switching device on the base substrate. The alignment pattern includes materials which have different transmittances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung-Ho Kim, Jong-Moo Huh
  • Patent number: 9525075
    Abstract: An array substrate provided according to the present disclosure may include: a base substrate; a gate electrode and a gate insulating layer sequentially formed on the base substrate; a semiconductor layer formed on the base substrate on which the gate insulating layer has been formed; and a source electrode and a drain electrode formed on the base substrate on which the semiconductor layer has been formed. The semiconductor layer may be connected to the source electrode and the drain electrode respectively. A first connection region in which a first connection point is located may be arranged between the semiconductor layer and the source electrode. And a second connection region in which a second connection point is located may be arranged between the semiconductor layer and the drain electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Xiang Liu
  • Patent number: 9525076
    Abstract: A graphene memory includes a source and a drain spaced apart from each other on a conductive semiconductor substrate, a graphene layer contacting the conductive semiconductor substrate and spaced apart from and between the source and the drain, and a gate electrode on the graphene layer. A Schottky barrier is formed between the conductive semiconductor substrate and the graphene layer such that the graphene layer is used as a charge-trap layer for storing charges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jae-ho Lee, Hyun-jong Chung, Seong-jun Park, Kyung-eun Byun, David Seo, Hyun-jae Song, Jin-seong Heo
  • Patent number: 9525077
    Abstract: A vertically oriented BARITT diode is formed in an integrated circuit. The BARITT diode has a source proximate to the top surface of the substrate of the integrated circuit, a drift region immediately below the source in the semiconductor material of the substrate, and a collector in the semiconductor material of the substrate immediately below the drift region. A dielectric isolation structure laterally surrounds the drift region, extending from the source to the collector. The source may optionally include a silicon germanium layer or may optionally include a schottky barrier contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Xiaochuan Bi, Tracey L Krakowski, Suman Banerjee
  • Patent number: 9525078
    Abstract: A device includes a field effect transistor (FET) integrated with at least a portion of a bipolar junction transistor (BJT), in which a back gate of the FET shares an electrical connection with a base of the BJT, and in which a reverse voltage can be applied to the back gate of the FET.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Skyworks Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Bin Li, Peter J. Zampardi, Jr., Andre G. Metzger
  • Patent number: 9525079
    Abstract: A photoelectrical conversion module includes at least one photoelectrical conversion device, at least one first ribbon, a second ribbon, and at least two encapsulation layers. The photoelectrical conversion device includes a solar substrate having a plurality of finger electrodes. The first ribbon is located on the solar substrate and is intersected with the finger electrodes. The first ribbon has a first connection portion located out of the solar substrate. The second ribbon has at least one second connection portion. The first connection portion is intersected and overlapped with the second connection portion, such that a portion of the first connection portion is located above the second connection portion, and another portion of the first connection portion is located under the second connection portion. The relative position of the first and second ribbons is fixed by the encapsulation layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: AU OPTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yung-Chih Chen, Huang-Chi Tseng
  • Patent number: 9525080
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a carrier and semiconductor die having an optically active region. The semiconductor die is mounted to the carrier to form a separation between the carrier and the semiconductor die. The semiconductor device further includes a passivation layer disposed over a surface of the semiconductor die and a glass layer disposed over a surface of the passivation layer. The passivation layer has a clear portion for passage of light to the optically active region of the semiconductor die. The semiconductor device further includes an encapsulant disposed over the carrier within the separation to form an expansion region around a periphery of the semiconductor die, a first via penetrating the expansion region, glass layer, and passivation layer, a second via penetrating the glass layer and passivation layer to expose a contact pad on the semiconductor die, and a conductive material filling the first and second vias.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: STATS ChipPAC Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Zigmund R. Camacho, Henry D. Bathan, Lionel Chien Hui Tay, Arnel Senosa Trasporto