Vertical Controlled Current Path Patents (Class 257/263)
  • Patent number: 8119471
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including a vertical double-diffusedmetal-oxide-semiconductor (VDMOS) transistor includes preparing a semiconductor substrate and injecting a first impurity of a second conductivity type to a first region, injecting a second impurity to a second region that is located inside and is narrower than the first region, and forming an epitaxial layer on the semiconductor substrate and forming the semiconductor layer constituted by the semiconductor substrate and the epitaxial layer, and at a same time, diffusing the first and the second impurities injected in a first impurity injection and a second impurity injection to form a buried layer of the second conductivity type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroki Fujii
  • Publication number: 20120012902
    Abstract: A semiconductor device as described herein includes a body region of a first conductivity type adjoining a channel region of a second conductivity at a first side of the channel region. A gate control region of the first conductivity type adjoins the channel region at a second side of the channel region opposed to the first side, the channel region being configured to be controlled in its conductivity by voltage application between the gate control region and the body region. A source zone of the second conductivity type is arranged within the body region and a channel stop zone of the second conductivity type is arranged at the first side, the channel stop zone being arranged at least partly within at least one of the body region and the channel region. The channel stop zone includes a maximum concentration of dopants lower than a maximum concentration of dopants of the source zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2010
    Publication date: January 19, 2012
    Applicant: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRIA AG
    Inventor: Rudolf Elpelt
  • Publication number: 20110303955
    Abstract: A junction field effect transistor includes a channel region, a gate region coupled to the channel region, a well tap region coupled to the gate region and the channel region, and a well region coupled to the well tap region and the channel region. A double gate operation is achieved by this structure as a voltage applied to the gate region is also applied to the well region through the well tap region in order to open the channel from both the gate region and the well region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2011
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Applicant: SuVolta, Inc.
    Inventor: Srinivasa R. Banna
  • Publication number: 20110291107
    Abstract: A vertical junction field effect transistor (VJFET) having a self-aligned pin, a p+/n/n+ or a p+/p/n+ gate-source junction is described. The device gate can be self-aligned to within 0.5 ?m to the source in order to maintain good high voltage performance (i.e. low DIBL) while reducing gate-source junction leakage under reverse bias. The device can be a wide-bandgap semiconductor device such as a SiC vertical channel junction field effect. Methods of making the device are also described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2011
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Applicant: SEMISOUTH LABORATORIES, INC.
    Inventors: Andrew Ritenour, David C. Sheridan
  • Patent number: 8063419
    Abstract: An integrated circuit and component is disclosed. In one embodiment, the component is a compensation component, configuring the compensation regions in the drift zone in V-shaped fashion in order to achieve a convergence of the space charge zones from the upper to the lower end of the compensation regions is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Armin Willmeroth, Holger Kapels
  • Patent number: 8058674
    Abstract: A 4-Terminal JFET includes a substrate having a first conduction type and an upper layer having a second, opposite, conduction type over the substrate. A gate and a source are embedded in the upper layer. A gate pad is electrically connected to the gate. A region, which has a first conduction type, is formed in the upper layer and separates the upper layer into two sections. This region reduces the overall capacitance between the gate pad and the source. Reduced overall gate to source capacitance can result in reduced noise amplification in the JFET.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Moxtek, Inc.
    Inventors: Derek Hullinger, Keith Decker
  • Patent number: 8048740
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a vertical MOS transistor is formed without a thick field oxide and particularly without a thick field oxide in the termination region of the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
    Inventor: Prasad Venkatraman
  • Patent number: 8022414
    Abstract: The silicon carbide semiconductor device includes a trench formed from a surface of a drift layer of a first conductivity type formed on a substrate of the first conductivity type, and a deep layer of a second conductivity type located at a position in the drift layer beneath the bottom portion of the trench. The deep layer is formed at a certain distance from base regions of the second conductivity type formed on the drift layer so as to have a width wider than the width of the bottom portion of the trench, and surround both the corner portions of the bottom portion of the trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naohiro Suzuki, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7994548
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices are described wherein current flow in the device is confined between the rectifying junctions (e.g., p-n junctions or metal-semiconductor junctions). The device provides non-punch-through behavior and enhanced current conduction capability. The devices can be power semiconductor devices as such as Junction Field-Effect Transistors (VJFETs), Static Induction Transistors (SITs), Junction Field Effect Thyristors, or JFET current limiters. The devices can be made in wide bandgap semiconductors such as silicon carbide (SiC). According to some embodiments, the device can be a normally-off SiC vertical junction field effect transistor. Methods of making the devices and circuits comprising the devices are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Semisouth Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: David C. Sheridan, Andrew Ritenour
  • Patent number: 7977713
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices are described wherein current flow in the device is confined between the rectifying junctions (e.g., p-n junctions or metal-semiconductor junctions). The device provides non-punch-through behavior and enhanced current conduction capability. The devices can be power semiconductor devices as such as Junction Field-Effect Transistors (VJFETs), Static Induction Transistors (SITs), Junction Field Effect Thyristors, or JFET current limiters. The devices can be made in wide bandgap semiconductors such as silicon carbide (SiC). According to some embodiments, the device can be a normally-off SiC vertical junction field effect transistor. Methods of making the devices and circuits comprising the devices are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Semisouth Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Igor Sankin, David C. Sheridan, Joseph Neil Merrett
  • Patent number: 7968940
    Abstract: Double gate IGBT having both gates referred to a cathode in which a second gate is for controlling flow of hole current. In on-state, hole current can be largely suppressed. While during switching, hole current is allowed to flow through a second channel. Incorporating a depletion-mode p-channel MOSFET having a pre-formed hole channel that is turned ON when 0V or positive voltages below a specified threshold voltage are applied between second gate and cathode, negative voltages to the gate of p-channel are not used. Providing active control of holes amount that is collected in on-state by lowering base transport factor through increasing doping and width of n well or by reducing injection efficiency through decreasing doping of deep p well. Device includes at least anode, cathode, semiconductor substrate, n? drift region, first & second gates, n+ cathode region; p+ cathode short, deep p well, n well, and pre-formed hole channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Anpec Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Florin Udrea
  • Publication number: 20110133211
    Abstract: A wide band gap semiconductor device having a JFET, a MESFET, or a MOSFET mainly includes a semiconductor substrate, a first conductivity type semiconductor layer, and a first conductivity type channel layer. The semiconductor layer is formed on a main surface of the substrate. A recess is formed in the semiconductor layer in such a manner that the semiconductor layer is divided into a source region and a drain region. The recess has a bottom defined by the main surface of the substrate and a side wall defined by the semiconductor layer. The channel layer has an impurity concentration lower than an impurity concentration of the semiconductor layer. The channel layer is formed on the bottom and the side wall of the recess by epitaxial growth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Rajesh Kumar MALHAN, Naohiro Sugiyama, Yuuichi Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20110127587
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, which includes a junction region formed in an active area of a semiconductor substrate; a trench defining a buried gate predetermined area within the semiconductor substrate; a gate electrode buried in an lower portion of the trench; an ion implantation region formed in a sidewall of the trench; and a capping insulation layer formed in an upper portion of the gate electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2010
    Publication date: June 2, 2011
    Applicant: Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventor: Hee Jung YANG
  • Patent number: 7936000
    Abstract: A vertical transistor having a wrap-around-gate and a method of fabricating such a transistor. The wrap-around-gate (WAG) vertical transistors are fabricated by a process in which source, drain and channel regions of the transistor are automatically defined and aligned by the fabrication process, without photolithographic patterning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Sanh D. Tang, Robert J. Burke, Anand Srinivasan
  • Patent number: 7928470
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having a super junction MOS transistor includes: a semiconductor substrate; a first semiconductor layer on the substrate; a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer; a channel forming region on a first surface portion of the second semiconductor layer; a source region on a first surface portion of the channel forming region; a source contact region on a second surface portion of the channel forming region; a gate electrode on a third surface portion of the channel forming region; a source electrode on the source region and the source contact region; a drain electrode on a backside of the substrate; and an anode electrode on a second surface portion of the second semiconductor layer. The anode electrode provides a Schottky barrier diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hitoshi Yamaguchi, Jun Sakakibara
  • Patent number: 7927944
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) transistor structure includes a self-aligned outrigger less than 0.4 microns from a gate electrode that is 50 microns wide. The outrigger is fabricated on ordinary logic transistors of an integrated circuit without severely affecting the performance of the transistors. The outrigger is used as an implant blocking structure to form first and second drain regions on either side of a lightly doped region that underlies the outrigger. The self-aligned outrigger and the lightly doped region beneath it are used to move the location of avalanche breakdown upon an ESD event away from the channel region. Durability is extended when fewer “hot carrier” electrons accumulate in the gate oxide. A current of at least 100 milliamperes can flow into the drain and then through the ESD transistor structure for a period of more than 30 seconds without causing a catastrophic failure of the ESD transistor structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: IXYS CH GmbH
    Inventors: John A. Ransom, Brett D. Lowe, Michael J. Westphal
  • Publication number: 20110037104
    Abstract: Methods include, for example, forming a vertically disposed active region on a substrate; forming a first gate over a portion of the vertically disposed active region; forming a dielectric over the portion; exposing an upper surface of the first gate; forming a second gate over the upper surface; and forming a spacer pocket region between the vertically disposed active region, the first gate and the dielectric, wherein the spacer pocket region is self-aligned to a lower surface of the second gate and has a substantially uniform thickness from an upper to a lower extent thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2009
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brent A. Anderson, Edward J. Novak
  • Patent number: 7888712
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a first conductive type SiC semiconductor substrate; a second conductive type well formed on the SiC semiconductor substrate; a first impurity diffusion layer formed by introducing a first conductive type impurity so as to be partly overlapped with the well in a region surrounding the well; a second impurity diffusion layer formed by introducing the first conductive type impurity in a region spaced apart for a predetermined distance from the impurity diffusion layer in the well; and a gate electrode opposed to a channel region between the first and the second impurity diffusion layers with gate insulating film sandwiched therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Mineo Miura
  • Patent number: 7884390
    Abstract: A vertically conducting semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a topside surface and a backside surface. The semiconductor substrate serves as a terminal of the vertically conducting device for biasing the vertically conducting device during operation. An epitaxial layer extends over the topside surface of the semiconductor substrate but terminates prior to reaching an edge of the semiconductor substrate so as to form a recessed region along a periphery of the semiconductor substrate. An interconnect layer extends into the recessed region but terminates prior to reaching an edge of the semiconductor substrate. The interconnect layer electrically contacts the topside surface of the semiconductor substrate in the recessed region to thereby provide a topside contact to the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: John T. Andrews, Hamza Yilmaz, Bruce Marchant, Ihsiu Ho
  • Patent number: 7880260
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes an active region with a vertical drift path of a first conduction type and with a near-surface lateral well of a second, complementary conduction type. In addition, the semiconductor device has an edge region surrounding the active region. This edge region has a variable lateral doping material zone of the second conduction type, which adjoins the well. A transition region in which the concentration of doping material gradually decreases from the concentration of the well to the concentration at the start of the variable lateral doping material zone is located between the lateral well and the variable lateral doping material zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Infineon Technology Austria AG
    Inventors: Elmar Falck, Josef Bauer, Gerhard Schmidt
  • Patent number: 7872285
    Abstract: Affords epitaxial substrates for vertical gallium nitride semiconductor devices that have a structure in which a gallium nitride film of n-type having a desired low carrier concentration can be provided on a gallium nitride substrate of n type. A gallium nitride epitaxial film (65) is provided on a gallium nitride substrate (63). A layer region (67) is provided in the gallium nitride substrate (63) and the gallium nitride epitaxial film (65). An interface between the gallium nitride substrate (43) and the gallium nitride epitaxial film (65) is positioned in the layer region (67). In the layer region (67), a peak value of donor impurity along an axis from the gallium nitride substrate (63) to the gallium nitride epitaxial film (65) is 1×1018 cm?3 or more. The donor impurity is at least either silicon or germanium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shin Hashimoto, Makoto Kiyama, Tatsuya Tanabe, Kouhei Miura, Takashi Sakurada
  • Patent number: 7863656
    Abstract: A unipolar semiconductor device having a drift layer (3) doped according to a first conductivity type forming a conducting path and regions (7, 8) doped according to a second conductivity type and arranged next to the drift layer, has the drift layer and the regions of a semiconductor material having an ionization energy Ei of dopants of the second conductivity type therein exceeding 0.5 eV and/or a solubility of the dopants of the second conductivity type therein being less than 1018 cm?3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Cree Sweden AB
    Inventors: Christopher Harris, Mietek Bakowski
  • Publication number: 20100320476
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices and methods of making the devices are described. The devices can be junction field-effect transistors (JFETs) or diodes such as junction barrier Schottky (JBS) diodes or PiN diodes. The devices have graded p-type semiconductor layers and/or regions formed by epitaxial growth. The methods do not require ion implantation. The devices can be made from a wide-bandgap semiconductor material such as silicon carbide (SiC) and can be used in high temperature and high power applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Publication date: December 23, 2010
    Applicant: SemiSouth Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Lin CHENG, Michael MAZZOLA
  • Patent number: 7838913
    Abstract: A stack of a vertical fin and a planar semiconductor portion are formed on a buried insulator layer of a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate. A hybrid field effect transistor (FET) is formed which incorporates a finFET located on the vertical fin and a planar FET located on the planar semiconductor portion. The planar FET enables a continuous spectrum of on-current. The surfaces of the vertical fin and the planar semiconductor portion may be set to coincide with crystallographic orientations. Further, different crystallographic orientations may be selected for the surfaces of the vertical fin and the surfaces of the planar semiconductor portion to tailor the characteristics of the hybrid FET.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Qingqing Liang, Huilong Zhu
  • Patent number: 7800196
    Abstract: An exemplary edge termination structure maintains the breakdown voltage of the semiconductor device after it has been sawed off the wafer and packaged by creating an electric field stop layer at a periphery of the semiconductor device. The electric field stop layer has a dopant concentration higher than that of the layer in which an edge termination is implemented, such as a drift layer or a channel layer. The electric field stop layer may be created by selectively masking the peripheries of the device during the device processing, i.e., mesa etch, to protect and preserve the highly doped material at the peripheries of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: John Victor D. Veliadis, Ty R. McNutt
  • Patent number: 7772621
    Abstract: A semiconductor device with structured current spread region and method is disclosed. One embodiment provides a drift portion of a first conductivity type, a current spread portion of the first conductivity type and first portions of the first conductivity type. The current spread portion and the first portions are arranged in a first plane on the drift portion, wherein the current spread portion surrounds at least partially the first portions. The semiconductor body further includes spaced apart body regions of a second conductivity type which are arranged on the current spread portion. Further, the doping concentration of the current spread portion is higher than the doping concentrations of the drift portion and of the first portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Michael Treu, Roland Rupp, Rudolf Elpelt
  • Patent number: 7750377
    Abstract: A vertical JFET 1a according to the present invention has an n+ type drain semiconductor portion 2, an n-type drift semiconductor portion 3, a p+ type gate semiconductor portion 4, an n-type channel semiconductor portion 5, an n+ type source semiconductor portion 7, and a p+ type gate semiconductor portion 8. The n-type drift semiconductor portion 3 is placed on a principal surface of the n+ type drain semiconductor portion 2 and has first to fourth regions 3a to 3d extending in a direction intersecting with the principal surface. The p+ type gate semiconductor portion 4 is placed on the first to third regions 3a to 3c of the n-type drift semiconductor portion 3. The n-type channel semiconductor portion 5 is placed along the p+ type gate semiconductor portion 4 and is electrically connected to the fourth region 3d of the n-type drift semiconductor portion 3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Hoshino, Shin Harada, Kazuhiro Fujikawa, Satoshi Hatsukawa, Kenichi Hirotsu
  • Publication number: 20100163935
    Abstract: In a junction FET of a normally-off type, a technique capable of achieving both of improvement of a blocking voltage and reduction of an ON resistance is provided. In a junction FET using silicon carbide as a substrate material, impurities are doped to a vicinity of a p-n junction between a gate region and a channel-formed region, the impurities having a conductive type which is reverse to that of impurities doped in the gate region and same as that of impurities doped in the channel-formed region. In this manner, an impurity profile of the p-n junction becomes abrupt, and further, an impurity concentration of a junction region forming the p-n junction with the gate region in the channel-formed region is higher than those of a center region in the channel-formed region and of an epitaxial layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Publication date: July 1, 2010
    Inventors: Haruka Shimizu, Natsuki Yokoyama
  • Publication number: 20100148224
    Abstract: A semiconductor vertical junction field effect power transistor formed by a semiconductor structure having top and bottom surfaces and including a plurality of semiconductor layers with predetermined doping concentrations and thicknesses and comprising at least a bottom layer as drain layer, a middle layer as blocking and channel layer, a top layer as source layer. A plurality of laterally spaced U-shaped trenches with highly vertical side walls defines a plurality of laterally spaced mesas. The mesas are surrounded on the four sides by U-shaped semiconductor regions having conductivity type opposite to that of the mesas forming U-shaped pn junctions and defining a plurality of laterally spaced long and vertical channels with a highly uniform channel opening dimension. A source contact is formed on the top source layer and a drain contact is formed on the bottom drain layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2009
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Applicant: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
    Inventor: Jian H. Zhao
  • Patent number: 7714365
    Abstract: A description is given of a semiconductor component comprising a drift zone of a first conduction type and at least one Schottky metal zone arranged in the drift zone, and of a method for producing a semiconductor component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventor: Wolfgang Werner
  • Publication number: 20100109051
    Abstract: A multiple field plate transistor includes an active region, with a source, a drain, and a gate. A first spacer layer is over the active region between the source and the gate and a second spacer layer over the active region between the drain and the gate. A first field plate on the first spacer layer is connected to the gate. A second field plate on the second spacer layer is connected to the gate. A third spacer layer is on the first spacer layer, the second spacer layer, the first field plate, the gate, and the second field plate, with a third field plate on the third spacer layer and connected to the source. The transistor exhibits a blocking voltage of at least 600 Volts while supporting a current of at least 2 Amps with an on resistance of no more than 5.0 m?-cm2, of at least 600 Volts while supporting a current of at least 3 Amps with an on resistance of no more than 5.3 m?-cm2, of at least 900 Volts while supporting a current of at least 2 Amps with an on resistance of no more than 6.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2009
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Inventors: YIFENG WU, Primit Parikh, Umesh Mishra
  • Patent number: 7709864
    Abstract: A rectifier device (10) comprising a multi-layer epitaxial film (12) and a rectifier and a transistor manufactured in the film (12), wherein the transistor is oriented vertically relative to the plane of the rectifier. The rectifier and transistor are separated by a transition zone of inverted bias. The rectifier is a Schottky barrier rectifier, and the transistor is a JFET. More specifically, the device (1) comprises the film (12), a trench (16), a first region (18) associated with an upper portion of the trench (16), and second region (20) associated with a lower portion. The interface between the p+ material of the second region (20) and the n material of the film (12) creates a p+/n junction. The device (10) has use in high frequency, low-loss power circuit applications in which high switching speed and low forward voltage drop are desirable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Diodes Fabtech Inc
    Inventors: Roman Hamerski, Chris Hruska, Fazia Hossain
  • Patent number: 7696540
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for a fast recovery rectifier structure. Specifically, the structure includes a substrate of a first dopant. A first epitaxial layer lightly doped with the first dopant is coupled to the substrate. A first metallization layer is coupled to the first epitaxial layer. A plurality of trenches is recessed into the first epitaxial layer, each of which is coupled to the metallization layer. The device also includes a plurality of wells each doped with a second dopant type, wherein each well is formed beneath and adjacent to a corresponding trench. A plurality of oxide layers is formed on walls and a bottom of a corresponding trench. A plurality of channel regions doped with the first dopant is formed within the first epitaxial layer between two corresponding wells. Each of the plurality of channel regions is more highly doped with the first dopant than the first epitaxial layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Qspeed Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Francis, Yang Yu Fan, Eric Johnson, Hy Hoang
  • Patent number: 7674669
    Abstract: Methods, devices and systems for a FinFET are provided. One method embodiment includes forming a FinFET by forming a relaxed silicon germanium (Si1-XGeX) body region for a fully depleted Fin field effect transistor (FinFET) having a body thickness of at least 10 nanometers (nm) for a process design rule of less than 25 nm. The method also includes forming a source and a drain on opposing ends of the body region, wherein the source and the drain are formed with halo ion implantation and forming a gate opposing the body region and separated therefrom by a gate dielectric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Hussein I. Hanafi
  • Publication number: 20100003573
    Abstract: A method for processing at least one wall of an opening formed in a silicon substrate, successively including the steps of implanting fluorine atoms into an upper portion of the wall of the opening, performing an oxidization step, and applying a specific processing to at least a portion of the non-implanted portion of the opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2008
    Publication date: January 7, 2010
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.A.
    Inventors: Edgard Jeanne, Sylvain Nizou
  • Patent number: 7629633
    Abstract: A vertical thin film transistor (TFT) structure allows for a channel length to be scaled down, below that allowed by lateral TFT structures, to nanoscale (i.e., below 100 nm). However, while reducing the channel length, short-channel effects have been found in previous VTFT structures. Aspects of the new vertical TFT structure allow for the suppression of some of the short-channel effects. Advantageously, the capability of defining nanoscale channel length with short-channel effect suppression allows for p-channel vertical TFTs, where previously these were impractical. Furthermore, in aspects of the vertical TFT structure, the gate electrode is entirely vertical and by eliminating the horizontal overlap of the gate electrode over the drain electrode that present in earlier vertical TFT structures, parasitic gate-to-drain capacitance is eliminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2009
    Inventors: Isaac Wing Tak Chan, Arokia Nathan
  • Patent number: 7615802
    Abstract: The invention relates to a semiconductor structure for controlling a current (I), comprising a first n-conductive semiconductor region (2), a current path that runs within the first semiconductor region (2) and a channel region (22). The channel region (22) forms part of the first semiconductor region (2) and comprises a base doping. The current (I) in the channel region (22) can be influenced by means of at least one depletion zone (23, 24). The channel region (22) contains an n-conductive channel region (225) for conducting the current, said latter region having a higher level of doping than the base doping. The conductive channel region (225) is produced by ionic implantation in an epitaxial layer (262) that surrounds the channel region (22).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: SiCED Electronics Development GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Rudolf Elpelt, Heinz Mitlehner, Reinhold Schörner
  • Patent number: 7598547
    Abstract: We disclose the structure of a JFET device, the method of making the device and the operation of the device. The device is built near the top of a substrate. It has a buried layer that is electrically communicable to a drain terminal. It has a channel region over the buried layer contacting gate regions that connect to a gate terminal. The channel region, of which the length spans the distance between the buried layer and a source region, is connected to a source terminal. The device current flows in the channel substantially perpendicularly to the top surface of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Sameer P Pendharker, Pinghai Hao, Xiaoju Wu
  • Patent number: 7586130
    Abstract: A vertical field effect transistor includes: an active region with a bundle of linear structures functioning as a channel region; a lower electrode, functioning as one of source and drain regions; an upper electrode, functioning as the other of the source and drain regions; a gate electrode for controlling the electric conductivity of at least a portion of the bundle of linear structures included in the active region; and a gate insulating film arranged between the active region and the gate electrode to electrically isolate the gate electrode from the bundle of linear structures. The transistor further includes a dielectric portion between the upper and lower electrodes. The upper electrode is located over the lower electrode with the dielectric portion interposed and includes an overhanging portion sticking out laterally from over the dielectric portion. The active region is located right under the overhanging portion of the upper electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Kawashima, Tohru Saitoh, Takeshi Takagi
  • Publication number: 20090212331
    Abstract: A description is given of a semiconductor component comprising a drift zone of a first conduction type and at least one Schottky metal zone arranged in the drift zone, and of a method for producing a semiconductor component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2008
    Publication date: August 27, 2009
    Applicant: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRIA AG
    Inventor: Wolfgang Werner
  • Publication number: 20090194796
    Abstract: Affords epitaxial substrates for vertical gallium nitride semiconductor devices that have a structure in which a gallium nitride film of n-type having a desired low carrier concentration can be provided on a gallium nitride substrate of n type. A gallium nitride epitaxial film (65) is provided on a gallium nitride substrate (63). A layer region (67) is provided in the gallium nitride substrate (63) and the gallium nitride epitaxial film (65). An interface between the gallium nitride substrate (43) and the gallium nitride epitaxial film (65) is positioned in the layer region (67). In the layer region (67), a peak value of donor impurity along an axis from the gallium nitride substrate (63) to the gallium nitride epitaxial film (65) is 1×1018 cm?3 or more. The donor impurity is at least either silicon or germanium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Applicant: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Shin Hashimoto, Makoto Kiyama, Tatsuya Tanabe, Kouhei Miura, Takashi Sakurada
  • Patent number: 7554137
    Abstract: A semiconductor component (1) with charge compensation structure (3) has a semiconductor body (4) having a drift path (5) between two electrodes (6, 7). The drift path (5) has drift zones of a first conduction type, which provide a current path between the electrodes (6, 7) in the drift path, while charge compensation zones (11) of a complementary conduction type constrict the current path of the drift path (5). For this purpose, the drift path (5) has two alternately arranged, epitaxially grown diffusion zone types (9, 10), the first drift zone type (9) having monocrystalline semiconductor material on a monocrystalline substrate (12), and a second drift zone type (10) having monocrystalline semiconductor material in a trench structure (13), with complementarily doped walls (14, 15), the complementarily doped walls (14, 15) forming the charge compensation zones (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Stefan Sedlmaier, Hans-Joachim Schulze, Anton Mauder, Helmut Strack, Armin Willmeroth, Frank Pfirsch
  • Patent number: 7547932
    Abstract: A vertical gate-depleted single electron transistor (SET) is fabricated on a conducting or insulating substrate. A plurality of lightly doped basic materials and tunneling barriers are fabricated on top of a substrate, wherein at least two of the layers of basic materials sandwich the layers of tunneling barriers and at least two of the layers of tunneling barriers sandwich at least one of the layers of basic materials. A mesa is fabricated on top of the layers of basic materials and tunneling barriers, and has an undercut shape. An ohmic contact is fabricated on top of the mesa, and one or more gate Schottky contacts are fabricated on top of the layers of lightly doped basic materials and tunneling barriers. A quantum dot is induced by gate depletion, when a source voltage is set as zero, a drain voltage is set to be less than 0.1, and a gate voltage is set to be negative.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Yaohui Zhang, Filipp A. Baron, Kang L. Wang
  • Publication number: 20090127593
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a drain, an epitaxial layer overlaying the drain, a body disposed in the epitaxial layer, a source embedded in the body, a gate trench extending into the epitaxial layer, a gate disposed in the gate trench, an active region contact trench extending through the source, the active region contact trench having a varying contact trench depth, and an active region contact electrode disposed within the active region contact trench.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2008
    Publication date: May 21, 2009
    Inventors: Anup Bhalla, Xiaobin Wang
  • Patent number: 7535039
    Abstract: A dual gate power switch comprised of a vertical arrangement of a normally off SIT (static induction transistor) in series with a normally on SIT in a monolithic semiconductor structure. The structure includes a first pillar having at the base thereof laterally extending shoulder portions having sections of a first gate for controlling the normally off SIT. The structure includes a second pillar, of a width greater than the first pillar and which also has laterally extending shoulder portions having sections of a second gate for controlling the normally on SIT. Contacts are provided for SIT operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corp
    Inventors: Eric J. Stewart, Stephen Van Campen, Rowland C. Clarke
  • Patent number: 7510924
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a memory cell on a substrate having a plurality of shallow trench isolations form therein, wherein top surfaces of the shallow trench isolations are lower than a top surface of the substrate and the shallow trench isolations together define a vertical fin structure of the substrate. The memory comprises a straddle gate, a carrier trapping layer and at least two source/drain regions. The straddle gate is located on the substrate and straddles over the vertical fin structure. The carrier trapping layer is located between the straddle gate and the substrate. The source/drain regions are located in a portion of the vertical fin structure of the substrate exposed by the straddle gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: Macronix International Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tzu-Hsuan Hsu, Erh-Kun Lai, Hang-Ting Lue, Chia-Hua Ho
  • Publication number: 20090078971
    Abstract: A semiconductor device with structured current spread region and method is disclosed. One embodiment provides a drift portion of a first conductivity type, a current spread portion of the first conductivity type and first portions of the first conductivity type. The current spread portion and the first portions are arranged in a first plane on the drift portion, wherein the current spread portion surrounds at least partially the first portions. The semiconductor body further includes spaced apart body regions of a second conductivity type which are arranged on the current spread portion. Further, the doping concentration of the current spread portion is higher than the doping concentrations of the drift portion and of the first portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2007
    Publication date: March 26, 2009
    Applicant: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRIA AG
    Inventors: Michael Treu, Roland Rupp, Rudolf Elpelt
  • Patent number: 7498633
    Abstract: A semiconductor device, such as a metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor, includes a semiconductor substrate, a drift layer formed on the substrate, a first and a second source region, and a JFET region defined between the first and the second source regions. The JFET region may have a short width and/or a higher concentration of impurities than the drift layer. The semiconductor device may also include a current spreading layer formed on the drift layer. The current spreading layer may also have a higher concentration of impurities than the drift layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation
    Inventors: James A. Cooper, Asmita Saha
  • Publication number: 20080265289
    Abstract: This invention discloses a semiconductor power device. The trenched semiconductor power device includes a trenched gate, opened from a top surface of a semiconductor substrate, surrounded by a source region encompassed in a body region near the top surface above a drain region disposed on a bottom surface of a substrate. The semiconductor power device further includes an implanting-ion block disposed above the top surface on a mesa area next to the body region having a thickness substantially larger than 0.3 micron for blocking body implanting ions and source ions from entering into the substrate under the mesa area whereby masks for manufacturing the semiconductor power device can be reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2007
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Inventors: Anup Bhalla, Francios Hebert, Sung-Shan Tai, Sik K. Lui
  • Patent number: 7439563
    Abstract: A high-breakdown-voltage semiconductor device comprises a high-resistance semiconductor layer, trenches formed on the surface thereof in a longitudinal plane shape and in parallel, first regions formed on the semiconductor layer to be sandwiched between adjacent ones of the trenches and having an impurity concentration higher than that of the semiconductor layer, a second region having opposite conductivity to the first regions and continuously disposed in a trench sidewall and bottom portion, a sidewall insulating film disposed on the second region of the trench sidewall, a third region disposed on the second region of the trench bottom portion and having the same conductivity as and the higher impurity concentration than the second region, a fourth region disposed on the back surface of the semiconductor layer, a first electrode formed on each first region, a second electrode connected to the third region, and a third electrode formed on the fourth region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tetsuo Hatakeyama, Takashi Shinohe