Patents Issued in March 28, 2017
  • Patent number: 9608031
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a solid-state image sensor, the method comprising preparing a substrate including a photoelectric conversion portion, forming, on the substrate, a structure which includes a first member made of a material containing silicon oxide and a second member arranged on the first member and made of a material containing silicon carbide, forming an opening in a position above the photoelectric conversion portion in the structure by removing a part of the first and the second members, and forming a transparent member in the opening, wherein the second member is formed at a first temperature and the transparent member is formed at a second temperature lower than the first temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takayasu Kanesada
  • Patent number: 9608032
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a BSI image sensor includes following steps: A substrate is provided. The substrate includes a front side and a back side opposite to the front side. The substrate further includes a plurality of isolation structures and a plurality of sensing elements formed therein. Next, the isolation structures are exposed from the back side of the substrate. Subsequently, a thermal treatment is performed to the back side of the substrate to form a plurality of cambered surfaces on the back side of the substrate. The cambered surfaces are formed correspondingly to the sensing elements, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventor: Cheng-Yu Hsieh
  • Patent number: 9608033
    Abstract: A solid-state image sensor includes a pixel area and a peripheral circuit area. The pixel area includes a first MOS, and the peripheral circuit area includes a second MOS. A method includes forming a gate of the first MOS and a gate of the second MOS, forming a first insulating film to cover the gates of the first and second MOSs, etching the first insulating film in the peripheral circuit area in a state that the pixel area is masked to form a side spacer on a side face of the gate of the second MOS, etching the first insulating film in the pixel area in a state that the peripheral circuit area is masked, and forming the second insulating film to cover the gates of the first and second MOSs and the side spacers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masatsugu Itahashi, Seiichi Tamura, Nobuaki Kakinuma, Mineo Shimotsusa, Masato Fujita, Yusuke Onuki
  • Patent number: 9608034
    Abstract: Disclosed is a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device including a step of attaching semiconductor wafers together, in which it is prevented that the bonding strength between the attached semiconductor wafers may be decreased due to a void caused between the two semiconductor wafers. Moisture, etc., adsorbed to the surfaces of the semiconductor wafers is desorbed by performing a heat treatment on the semiconductor wafers after cleaning the surfaces thereof with pure water. Subsequently, after a plasma treatment is performed on the semiconductor wafers, the two semiconductor wafers are attached together. The wafers are firmly bonded together by subjecting to a high-temperature heat treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuyoshi Maekawa
  • Patent number: 9608035
    Abstract: The method of wafer-scale integration of semiconductor devices comprises the steps of providing a semiconductor wafer (1), a further semiconductor wafer (2), which differs from the first semiconductor wafer in at least one of diameter, thickness and semiconductor material, and a handling wafer (3), arranging the further semiconductor wafer on the handling wafer, and bonding the further semiconductor wafer to the semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor device may comprise an electrically conductive contact layer (6) arranged on the further semiconductor wafer (2) and a metal layer connecting the contact layer with an integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: AMS AG
    Inventors: Cathal Cassidy, Joerg Siegert, Franz Schrank
  • Patent number: 9608036
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes a pixel having a photoelectric conversion element which generates a charge in response to incident light, a first transfer gate which transfers the charge from the photoelectric conversion element to a charge holding section, and a second transfer gate which transfers the charge from the charge holding section to a floating diffusion. The first transfer gate includes a trench gate structure having at least two trench gate sections embedded in a depth direction of a semiconductor substrate, and the charge holding section includes a semiconductor region positioned between adjacent trench gate sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventor: Takahiro Kawamura
  • Patent number: 9608037
    Abstract: There is provided an electronic device including at least two diodes each having a mesa structure, including: a first and a second doped semiconductor portion forming a p-n junction, such that a first part of the second doped semiconductor portion located between a second part of the second doped semiconductor portion and the first doped semiconductor portion forms an offset from the second part; a first electrode electrically connected to the first portion, and a second electrode electrically connected to the second portion at an upper face of the second part; and dielectric portions covering side faces of the first portion, the second portion, and the first electrode, wherein upper faces of the first electrode, the second electrode, and the dielectric portions form an approximately plane continuous surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives
    Inventors: Hubert Bono, Ivan-Christophe Robin
  • Patent number: 9608038
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an STT-MRAM device comprising a plurality of memory elements. Each of the memory elements includes an MTJ structure in between a seed layer and a cap layer. The MTJ structure includes a magnetic free layer structure and a magnetic reference layer structure with an insulating tunnel junction layer interposed therebetween; and a magnetic fixed layer separated from the magnetic reference layer structure by an anti-ferromagnetic coupling layer. The magnetic reference layer structure includes a first magnetic reference layer formed adjacent to the insulating tunnel junction layer and a second magnetic reference layer separated from the first magnetic reference layer by an intermediate magnetic reference layer. The first, second, and intermediate magnetic reference layers have a first invariable magnetization direction substantially perpendicular to layer planes thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Avalanche Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Zihui Wang, Yuchen Zhou, Huadong Gan, Yiming Huai
  • Patent number: 9608039
    Abstract: A magnetic memory including a plurality of magnetic junctions and at least one spin-orbit interaction (SO) active layer is described. Each of the magnetic junctions includes a reference layer, a free layer and a nonmagnetic spacer layer between reference and free layers. The magnetic junction includes a biasing structure for providing a magnetic bias in a first direction and/or the free layer has a length in the first direction and a width in a second direction. The width is less than the length. The SO active layer(s) are adjacent to the free layer and carry a current in a third direction. The third direction is at a nonzero acute angle from the first direction. The SO active layer(s) exerts a SO torque on the free layer due to the current passing through the at least one SO active layer. The free layer is switchable using the SO torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Dmytro Apalkov, Vladimir Nikitin
  • Patent number: 9608040
    Abstract: A memory device including a substrate, an insulating layer on the substrate, the insulating layer including a first region having a first top surface and a second region having a second top surface, the second top surface being lower than the first top surface with respect to the substrate, the first region including a first through hole penetrating therethrough, the second region including a second through hole penetrating therethrough, a first conductive pattern filling the first through hole, a second conductive pattern at least partially filling the second through hole, a magnetic tunnel junction pattern on the first conductive pattern, and a contact plug coupled to the second conductive pattern may be provided. Further, a method of fabricating the memory device also may be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Gwang-Hyun Baek, Inho Kim, Jong-Kyu Kim, Jongchul Park, Jung-Ik Oh
  • Patent number: 9608041
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device comprising a bit line extending in a first direction, a vertical gate cell including a gate oxide layer and a gate metal layer that are formed in a pillar shape, a lower electrode and a data storage material layer formed on the vertical gate cell, and an interconnection layer formed on the data storage material layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Nam Kyun Park, Kang Sik Choi
  • Patent number: 9608042
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure describe electrode configurations to increase electro-thermal isolation of phase-change memory elements and associated techniques. In an embodiment, an apparatus includes a plurality of phase-change memory (PCM) elements, wherein individual PCM elements of the plurality of PCM elements include a phase-change material layer, a first electrode layer disposed on the phase-change material layer and in direct contact with the phase-change material layer, and a second electrode layer disposed on the first electrode layer and in direct contact with the first electrode layer. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Fabio Pellizzer, Giulio Albini, Stephen W. Russell, Max F. Hineman, Sanjay Rangan
  • Patent number: 9608043
    Abstract: A non-volatile data storage device comprises pairs of immediately adjacent and isolated-from-one-another local bit lines that are independently driven by respective and vertically oriented bit line selector devices. The isolation between the immediately adjacent and isolated-from-one-another local bit lines also isolates from one another respective memory cells of the non-volatile data storage device such that leakage currents cannot flow from memory cells connected to a first of the immediately adjacent and isolated-from-one-another local bit lines to memory cells connected to the second of the pair of immediately adjacent and isolated-from-one-another local bit lines. A method programming a desire one of the memory cells includes applying boosting voltages to word lines adjacent to the bit line of the desired memory cell while not applying boosting voltages to word lines adjacent to the other bit line of the pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Seiji Shimabukuro, Teruyuki Mine, Hiroyuki Ogawa, Naoki Takeguchi
  • Patent number: 9608044
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an OLED display panel, which sequentially includes: a first light emitting layer covering at least two adjacent sub-pixels including the first sub-pixel; a charge blocking layer covering the second sub-pixel and the third sub-pixel; a second light emitting layer covering the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel; a third light emitting layer covering at least two adjacent sub-pixels including the third sub-pixel. LUMO energy levels of a main material of the charge blocking layer, a main light emitting material of the third light emitting layer, a main light emitting material of the second light emitting layer and a main light emitting material of the first light emitting layer are sequentially decreased; or, HOMO energy levels of the main light emitting materials of the first light emitting layer, the second light emitting layer, the third light emitting layer and the charge blocking layer are sequentially decreased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Changyen Wu
  • Patent number: 9608045
    Abstract: A display device includes a first substrate, an organic EL layer formed on the first substrate and curved in each pixel, and color filters disposed in the respective pixels, and curved to match the organic EL layer. With this configuration, a change in the chromaticity and brightness of the display device depending on a viewing angle of a user is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Japan Display Inc.
    Inventors: Yuko Matsumoto, Masahiko Suzuki, Hiroshi Oooka, Takeshi Ookawara, Kouhei Takahashi
  • Patent number: 9608046
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an organic light emitting diode display having a quantum dot. The present disclosure suggests an organic light emitting diode display including a substrate having a plurality of pixel area, each pixel area having a light emitting area and a non-light emitting area; a thin film transistor disposed in the non-light emitting area; an organic light emitting diode including an anode electrode, a cathode electrode and a source energy layer between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, connected to the thin film transistor, and disposed in the light emitting area; an encapsulation layer joined on the substrate; and a quantum light emitting layer radiating lights having any one wavelength by an energy from the source energy layer, and disposed on an inner surface of the encapsulation layer as corresponding to the source energy layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: LG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Choonghoon Lee, Sungjin Park
  • Patent number: 9608047
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a display stack for a touch-sensitive screen. The display stack comprises a plurality of layers in which a top layer comprises a substantially transparent cover layer. The display stack is configured to display a color image. The apparatus also includes a touch sensor provided within the display stack. The touch sensor comprises a plurality of first conductive electrodes contacting a layer of a subset of the plurality of layers of the display stack. The subset of the plurality of layers is below the substantially transparent cover layer. The touch sensor also includes a plurality of second conductive electrodes contacting a layer of the subset of the plurality of layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Atmel Corporation
    Inventors: David Brent Guard, Esat Yilmaz
  • Patent number: 9608048
    Abstract: A touch display device and a method for manufacturing the same are provided. The touch display device includes a first substrate, a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate, and at least one touch signal transmission unit. The touch signal transmission unit includes: a first conductive layer located above a side of the first substrate facing the second substrate; a second conductive layer located above a side of the second substrate facing the first substrate; a touch signal transmission layer, located between the second conductive layer and the second substrate and electrically connected to the first conductive layer via the second conductive layer; and a spacer located between the first substrate and the second substrate, where a vertical projection of the spacer onto the first substrate at least partially overlaps vertical projections of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer onto the first substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignees: SHANGHAI TIANMA AM-OLED CO., LTD., TIANMA MICRO-ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Congyi Su
  • Patent number: 9608049
    Abstract: An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display includes a flexible substrate, a barrier layer disposed on the flexible substrate, and an organic light emitting diode disposed on the barrier layer. The barrier layer includes a plurality of metal layers and a plurality of insulation layers in which the metal layers and the insulation layers are alternatively stacked with each other on the flexible substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jusuck Lee
  • Patent number: 9608050
    Abstract: An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display including: a substrate; a semiconductor layer disposed on the substrate and including a switching semiconductor layer and a driving semiconductor layer connected to the switching semiconductor layer; a first gate insulating layer disposed on the semiconductor layer; a switching gate electrode and a driving gate electrode disposed on the first gate insulating layer and respectively overlapping with the switching semiconductor layer and the driving semiconductor layer; a second gate insulating layer disposed on the switching gate electrode and the driving gate electrode; a driving voltage line configured to transmit a driving voltage and disposed on the second gate insulating layer; an interlayer insulating layer disposed on the driving voltage line and the second gate insulating layer; and a data line configured to transmit a data signal and disposed on the interlayer insulating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Min-Hyun Jin
  • Patent number: 9608051
    Abstract: A display apparatus including: a display region provided with a plurality of pixel portions; wires installed to the respective pixel portions within the display region from an outside of the display region for transmitting a signal to drive the respective pixel portions; connection pads provided on the outside of the display region and serving as input portions to provide the wires with a signal while electrically conducting with the wires; switch elements provided on the outside of the display region in a middle of the wires; and a light shielding covering portion shielding the switch elements from light and formed to cover the connection pads while electrically conducting with the connection pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: JOLED INC.
    Inventors: Shinya Tamonoki, Hiroshi Sagawa
  • Patent number: 9608052
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a sub-pixel arrangement including: a first sub-pixel region, a second sub-pixel region, and a connection region. Each electrode arranged in the sub-pixel and configured to implement display control may be connected to a source/drain electrode of the TFT through a via hole within the connection region, so as to cut an electrode material within the via hole to disconnect the electrode from the source/drain electrode when a pixel is to be repaired. The sub-pixel arrangement may facilitate to improve the success rate of repairing the display panels and improve the yield rate of the display panels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Lungpao Hsin
  • Patent number: 9608053
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an electroluminescence display panel including a pixel circuit, a signal line, a scan line, a drive power supply line, a common power supply line, a power supply line drive circuit, a high-potential power supply line, and a low-potential power supply line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masatsugu Tomida, Mitsuru Asano
  • Patent number: 9608054
    Abstract: A semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same include a semiconductor substrate, a high-k dielectric pattern and a metal-containing pattern sequentially being stacked on the semiconductor substrate, a gate pattern including poly semiconductor and disposed on the metal-containing pattern, and a protective layer disposed on the gate pattern, wherein the protective layer includes oxide, nitride and/or oxynitride of the poly semiconductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chongkwang Chang, Youngjoon Moon, Duck-nam Kim, Yeong-Jong Jeong
  • Patent number: 9608055
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices having germanium active layers with underlying diffusion barrier layers are described. For example, a semiconductor device includes a gate electrode stack disposed above a substrate. A germanium active layer is disposed above the substrate, underneath the gate electrode stack. A diffusion barrier layer is disposed above the substrate, below the germanium active layer. A junction leakage suppression layer is disposed above the substrate, below the diffusion barrier layer. Source and drain regions are disposed above the junction leakage suppression layer, on either side of the gate electrode stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Willy Rachmady, Van H. Le, Ravi Pillarisetty, Jack T. Kavalieros, Robert S. Chau, Harold W. Kennel
  • Patent number: 9608056
    Abstract: In one general aspect, a power rectifier device can include a drift layer including silicon carbide of n-type conductivity, and a Schottky electrode disposed on the drift layer where the Schottky electrode and a surface of the drift layer can provide a Schottky contact. The power rectifier device can also include an array of p-type regions disposed underneath the Schottky electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Andrei Konstantinov
  • Patent number: 9608057
    Abstract: A MOS semiconductor device has a MOS structure, including a p? region that surrounds an n+-type source region and has a net doping concentration lower than a concentration of a p-type impurity in a surface of a p-type well region, and a gate electrode that is provided on top of the surface of the p-type well region sandwiched between the n+-type source region and a surface layer of an n? layer, with a gate insulator disposed between the p-type well region and the gate electrode. This configuration can make the gate insulator thicker without increasing a gate threshold voltage, and help improve the reliability of the gate insulator and reduce the gate capacitance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shuhei Tatemichi, Takeyoshi Nishimura, Yasushi Niimura, Masanori Inoue
  • Patent number: 9608058
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a SiC layer that has a first surface and a second surface, a first electrode in contact with the first surface, a first SiC region of a first conductivity type in the SiC layer, a second SiC region of a second conductivity type in the SiC layer and surrounding a portion of the first SiC region, a third SiC region of the second conductivity type in the SiC layer and surrounding the second SiC region, the third SiC region having an impurity concentration of the second conductivity type lower than that of the second SiC region, and a fourth SiC region of the second conductivity type in the SiC layer between the second SiC region and the third Sic region, the fourth SiC region having an impurity concentration of the second conductivity type higher than that of the second SiC region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Ryoichi Ohara, Takao Noda, Yoichi Hori
  • Patent number: 9608059
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices with isolated body portions are described. For example, a semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor body disposed above a semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor body includes a channel region and a pair of source and drain regions on either side of the channel region. An isolation pedestal is disposed between the semiconductor body and the semiconductor substrate. A gate electrode stack at least partially surrounds a portion of the channel region of the semiconductor body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Annalisa Cappellani, Stephen M. Cea, Tahir Ghani, Harry Gomez, Jack T. Kavalieros, Patrick H. Keys, Seiyon Kim, Kelin J. Kuhn, Aaron D. Lilak, Rafael Rios, Mayank Sahni
  • Patent number: 9608060
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure includes a substrate, a semiconductor device in the substrate, and an isolating structure in the substrate and adjacent to the semiconductor device. The isolating structure has a roughness surface at a sidewall of the isolating structure, and the roughness surface includes carbon atoms thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yu-Chieh Chou, Tsai-Feng Yang, Chun-Yi Yang, Kun-Ming Huang, Shen-Ping Wang, Lieh-Chuan Chen, Po-Tao Chu
  • Patent number: 9608061
    Abstract: A method for fabricating fin field-effect transistors includes providing a semiconductor substrate; and forming a plurality of fins on a surface of the semiconductor substrate. The method also includes forming dummy gates formed over side and top surfaces of the fins; forming a precursor material layer with a surface higher than top surfaces of the fins to cover the dummy gates and the semiconductor substrate; performing a thermal annealing process to convert the precursor material layer into a dielectric layer having a plurality of voids; and planarizing the dielectric layer to expose the top surfaces of the dummy gates. Further, the method also includes performing a post-treatment process using oxygen-contained de-ionized water on the planarized dielectric layer to eliminate the plurality of voids formed in the dielectric layer; removing the dummy gates to form trenches; and forming a high-K metal gate structure in each of the trenches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING INTERNATIONAL (SHANGHAI) CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jie Zhao, Yizhi Zeng
  • Patent number: 9608062
    Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor structure including a fin structure formed on a substrate, and an isolation structure formed in the fin structure. The isolation structure includes a trench, and a first dielectric layer disposed in the trench wherein the first dielectric layer includes a body portion in the bottom, a protruding portion in the top with a top surface, and a shoulder portion connecting the body portion and the protruding portion. The protruding portion has a smaller width than the body portion. The semiconductor structure further includes a second dielectric layer covering a top corner of the trench and sandwiched between the protruding portion, the shoulder portion of the first dielectric layer and the upper sidewall of the trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventors: I-Ming Tseng, Wen-An Liang, Chen-Ming Huang
  • Patent number: 9608063
    Abstract: A nanowire transistor structure is fabricated by using auxiliary epitaxial nucleation source/drain fin structures. The fin structures include semiconductor layers integral with nanowires that extend between the fin structures. Gate structures are formed between the fin structures such that the nanowires extend through the gate conductors. Following spacer formation and nanowire chop, source/drain regions are grown epitaxially between the gate structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Pouya Hashemi, Ali Khakifirooz, Alexander Reznicek
  • Patent number: 9608064
    Abstract: Provided is a MOSFET, comprising: a substrate (100); a gate stack (500) on the substrate (100); source/drain regions (305) in the substrate on both sides of the gate stack (500); an interlayer dielectric layer (400) covering the source/drain regions; and source/drain extension regions (205) under edges on both sides of the gate stack (500); wherein insulators, which are not connected each other, are formed beneath the source/drain extension regions (205) under edges on both sides of the gate stack (500). By means of the MOSFET in the present disclosure, negative effects induced by DIBL on device performance can be effectively reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: INSTITUTE OF MICROELECTRONICS, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
    Inventors: Haizhou Yin, Rui Li
  • Patent number: 9608065
    Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device that includes forming a trench adjacent to a gate structure to expose a contact surface of one of a source region and a drain region. A sacrificial spacer may be formed on a sidewall of the trench and on a sidewall of the gate structure. A metal contact may then be formed in the trench to at least one of the source region and the drain region. The metal contact has a base width that is less than an upper surface width of the metal contact. The sacrificial spacer may be removed, and a substantially conformal dielectric material layer can be formed on sidewalls of the metal contact and the gate structure. Portions of the conformally dielectric material layer contact one another at a pinch off region to form an air gap between the metal contact and the gate structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Marc A. Bergendahl, Kangguo Cheng, Fee Li Lie, Eric R. Miller, John R. Sporre, Sean Teehan
  • Patent number: 9608066
    Abstract: A field effect transistor device includes a gate structure formed over a channel region in a semiconductor material. An inner spacer is formed on sidewalls of the gate structure and over an extension region of the semiconductor material. The inner spacer includes charge or dipoles. A source/drain region is formed adjacent to the gate structure. An inversion layer is formed in the extension region induced by the inner spacer to form a conductive link between the channel region and the source/drain region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Ando, Pouya Hashemi, Vijay Narayanan, Yanning Sun
  • Patent number: 9608067
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure includes a material stack located on a surface of a semiconductor substrate. The material stack includes, from bottom to top, a silicon germanium alloy portion that is substantially relaxed and defect-free and a semiconductor material pillar that is defect-free. A dielectric material structure surrounds sidewalls of the material stack and is present on exposed portions of the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Ramachandra Divakaruni, Hong He, Juntao Li
  • Patent number: 9608068
    Abstract: A method is provided for forming an integrated circuit. A trench is formed in a substrate. Subsequently, a silicon-germanium feature is formed in the trench, and an etch stop layer is formed on the substrate and on the silicon-germanium feature. Lastly, a silicon device layer is formed on the etch stop layer. The silicon device layer has a tensily-strained region overlying the silicon-germanium feature. Regions of the silicon device layer not overlying the silicon-germanium feature are less strained than the tensily-strained region. The tensily-strained region of the silicon device layer may be further processed into channel features in n-type field effect transistors with improved charge carrier mobilities and device drive currents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Bruce B. Doris, Pouya Hashemi, Hong He, Alexander Reznicek
  • Patent number: 9608069
    Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device that may include etching source and drain portions of a fin structure of a first semiconductor material selectively to an underlying semiconductor layer of a second semiconductor material, and laterally etching undercut region in the semiconductor layer underlying the fin structure. The method may further include filling the undercut region with a first conductivity type semiconductor material, and forming a second conductivity type semiconductor material for a source region and a drain region on opposing sides of the channel region portion of the fin structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Intenational Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Veeraraghavan S. Basker, Zuoguang Liu, Tenko Yamashita, Chun-Chen Yeh
  • Patent number: 9608070
    Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises a field effect transistor in a semiconductor substrate having a first main surface. The field effect transistor comprises a source region, a drain region, a body region, and a gate electrode at the body region. The gate electrode is configured to control a conductivity of a channel formed in the body region, and the gate electrode is disposed in gate trenches. The body region is disposed along a first direction between the source region and the drain region, the first direction being parallel to the first main surface. The body region has a shape of a ridge extending along the first direction, the body region being adjacent to the source region and the drain region. The semiconductor device further comprises a source contact and a body contact, the source contact being electrically connected to a source terminal, the body contact being electrically connected to the source contact and to the body region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Andreas Meiser, Till Schloesser
  • Patent number: 9608071
    Abstract: An IGBT manufacturing method is provided. The IGBT has an n-type emitter region, a p-type top body region, an n-type intermediate region, a p-type bottom body region, an n-type drift region, a p-type collector region, trenches penetrating the emitter region, the top body region, the intermediate region and the bottom body region from an upper surface of a semiconductor substrate and reaching the drift region, and gate electrodes formed in the trenches. The method includes forming the trenches on the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate, forming the insulating film in the trenches, forming an electrode layer on the semiconductor substrate and in the trenches after forming the insulating film, planarizing an upper surface of the electrode layer, and implanting n-type impurities to a depth of the intermediate region from the upper surface side of the semiconductor substrate after planarizing the upper surface of the electrode layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takehiro Kato, Toru Onishi
  • Patent number: 9608072
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is provided with a first well region of a first conduction type having a first voltage (voltage VB) applied thereto, a second well region of a second conduction type formed in the surface layer section of the first well region and having a second voltage (voltage VS) different from the first voltage applied thereto, and a charge extracting region of the first conduction type formed in the surface layer section of the second well region and having the first voltage applied thereto. This inhibits the operation of a parasitic bipolar transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kanno, Hitoshi Sumida, Masaharu Yamaji
  • Patent number: 9608073
    Abstract: Provided is a semiconductor device comprising: a first conductivity type base layer having a MOS gate structure formed on its front surface side; a second conductivity type first collector layer formed on a rear surface side of the base layer; a second conductivity type second collector layer formed on a rear surface side of the first collector layer with a material the same with that of the base layer, the second collector layer formed to be thinner than the first collector layer and having a higher impurity concentration than that of the first collector layer; a collector electrode formed on a rear surface side of the second collector layer; and a second conductivity type separation layer surrounding the MOS gate structure on a front surface side of the base layer and formed from a front surface of the base layer to a front surface of the first collector layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toru Muramatsu, Hiroki Wakimoto
  • Patent number: 9608074
    Abstract: A silicon carbide semiconductor device includes a silicon carbide substrate, a gate electrode, and a drain electrode. A trench is formed in a second main surface of the silicon carbide substrate. The silicon carbide substrate includes a first conductivity type region, a body region, a source region, and a first second conductivity type region surrounded by the first conductivity type region. The trench is formed of a side wall surface and a bottom portion. An impurity concentration of the first second conductivity type region is lower than an impurity concentration of the first conductivity type region. The first second conductivity type region is provided so as to face a region between a first contact point and a second contact point and be separated apart from a first main surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Keiji Wada, Toru Hiyoshi
  • Patent number: 9608075
    Abstract: A compound semiconductor device includes a first III-nitride buffer layer doped with carbon and/or iron, a second III-nitride buffer layer above the first III-nitride buffer layer and doped with carbon and/or iron, a first III-nitride device layer above the second III-nitride buffer layer, and a second III-nitride device layer above the first III-nitride device layer and having a different band gap than the first III-nitride device layer. A two-dimensional charge carrier gas arises along an interface between the first and second III-nitride device layers. The first III-nitride buffer layer has an average doping concentration of carbon and/or iron which is greater than that of the second III-nitride buffer layer. The second III-nitride buffer layer has an average doping concentration of carbon and/or iron which is comparable to or greater than that of the first III-nitride device layer. A method of manufacturing the compound semiconductor device is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Americas Corp.
    Inventors: Jianwei Wan, Mihir Tungare, Peter Kim, Seong-Eun Park, Scott Nelson, Srinivasan Kannan
  • Patent number: 9608077
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure includes preparing a semiconductor substrate which includes a memory cell region and a peripheral circuit region; forming a buried word line in the semiconductor substrate in the memory cell region; forming a bit line structure over the semiconductor substrate in the memory cell region; forming a dielectric layer in the peripheral circuit region and the memory cell region; forming a first opening in the dielectric layer in the memory cell region; filling a silicon filler in the first opening; forming a second opening in the dielectric layer in the peripheral circuit region; forming a sidewall spacer over a sidewall of the second opening; recessing the silicon filler to form a silicon plug, wherein the silicon plug fills a lower portion of the first opening; and forming a first metal silicide over a top surface of the silicon plug, and concurrently forming a second metal silicide in a lower portion of the second opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Jeong-Seob Kye, Jae-Sung Kim, Tae-Kyum Kim, Kun-Young Lee
  • Patent number: 9608078
    Abstract: A transistor device includes a semiconductor body, a spacer layer, and a field plate. The spacer layer is over at least a portion of a surface of the semiconductor body. The field plate is over at least a portion of the spacer layer, and includes a first current carrying layer, a refractory metal interposer layer over the first current carrying layer, and a second current carrying layer over the refractory metal interposer layer. By including the refractory metal interposer layer between the first current carrying layer and the second current carrying layer, the electromigration of metals in the field plate is significantly reduced. Since electromigration of metals in the field plate is a common cause of transistor device failures, reducing the electromigration of metals in the field plate improves the reliability and lifetime of the transistor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Helmut Hagleitner, Fabian Radulescu, Saptharishi Sriram, Daniel Etter
  • Patent number: 9608079
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a source finger electrode coupled to a source region in a semiconductor die, a drain finger electrode coupled to a drain region in the semiconductor die, where the source finger electrode includes at least one isolated segment and a main segment having a first portion and a second portion narrower than the first portion, whereby the source finger electrode reduces a drain-to-source capacitance of the semiconductor device. A common source rail is electrically coupled to the at least one isolated segment and the main segment of the source finger electrode. The drain finger electrode includes at least one isolated segment and a main segment having a first portion and a second portion narrower than the first portion. A common drain rail is electrically coupled to the at least one isolated segment and the main segment of the drain finger electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Newport Fab, LLC
    Inventors: Paul D. Hurwitz, Roda Kanawati
  • Patent number: 9608080
    Abstract: An aspect of the invention is directed to a silicon-on-insulator device including a silicon layer on an insulating layer on a substrate; a raised source and a raised drain on the silicon layer; a gate between the raised source and the raised drain; a first spacer separating the gate from the raised source and substantially covering a first sidewall of the gate; a second spacer separating the gate from the raised drain and substantially covering a second sidewall of the gate; and a low-k layer over the raised source, the raised drain, the gate and each of the first spacer and the second spacer; and a dielectric layer over the low-k layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation, STMICROELECTRONICS (CROLLES 2) SAS
    Inventors: Ahmet S. Ozcan, Emmanuel Petitprez
  • Patent number: 9608081
    Abstract: Embodiments of a simple and cost-free multi-time programmable (MTP) structure for non-volatile memory cells are presented. The memory cell includes a substrate, a first transistor having a select gate and a second transistor having a floating gate. The select and floating gates are adjacent to one another and disposed over a transistor well. The transistors include first and second S/D regions disposed adjacent to the sides of the gates. A control gate is disposed over a control well. The control gate is coupled to the floating gate and includes a control capacitor. An erase terminal is decoupled from the control capacitor and transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Shyue Seng Tan, Yuan Sun