Complementary Transistors In Wells Of Opposite Conductivity Types More Heavily Doped Than The Substrate Region In Which They Are Formed, E.g., Twin Wells Patents (Class 257/371)
  • Patent number: 8461624
    Abstract: Photodetectors operable to achieve multiplication of photogenerated carriers at ultralow voltages. Embodiments include a first p-i-n semiconductor junction combined with a second p-i-n semiconductor junction to form a monolithic photodetector having at least three terminals. The two p-i-n structures may share either the p-type region or the n-type region as a first terminal. Regions of the two p-i-n structures doped complementary to that of the shared terminal form second and third terminals so that the first and second p-i-n structures are operable in parallel. A multiplication region of the first p-i-n structure is to multiply charge carriers photogenerated within an absorption region of the second p-i-n structure with voltage drops between the shared first terminal and each of the second and third terminals being noncumulative.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Yun-chung N Na, Yimin Kang
  • Patent number: 8456910
    Abstract: One embodiment relates to a memory device. The memory device includes a capacitor having a first capacitor plate and a second capacitor plate, wherein the first and second capacitor plates are separated by an insulating layer and are formed over a first portion of a semiconductor substrate. The memory device also includes a transistor having a source region, a drain region, and a gate region, where the gate region is coupled to the second capacitor plate. The transistor is formed over a second portion of the semiconductor substrate. A well region is disposed in the first and second portions of the semiconductor substrate and has a doping-type that is opposite a doping-type of the semiconductor substrate. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Dzianis Lukashevich
  • Patent number: 8445943
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes: a plurality of data holding circuits; and a plurality of wells. The plurality of data holding circuits is provided in a substrate of a first conductive type. Each of the plurality of data holding circuits includes a first well of the first conductive type and a second well of a second conductive type different from the first conductive type. The plurality of wells is arranged in two directions for the each of the plurality of data holding circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Furuta
  • Patent number: 8441070
    Abstract: A sinker layer is in contact with a first conductivity-type well, and is separated from a first conductivity-type collector layer and a second conductivity-type drift layer. A second conductivity-type diffusion layer (second second-conductivity-type high-concentration diffusion layer) is formed in the surface layer of the sinker layer. The second conductivity-type diffusion layer has a higher impurity concentration than that of the sinker layer. The second conductivity-type diffusion layer and the first conductivity-type collector layer are isolated from each other with an element isolation insulating film interposed therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroki Fujii
  • Patent number: 8431955
    Abstract: Methods and systems evaluate an integrated circuit design for power consumption balance and performance balance, using a computerized device. Based on this process of evaluating the integrated circuit, the methods and systems can identify first sets of integrated circuit transistor structures within the integrated circuit design that need reduced power leakage and second sets of integrated circuit transistor structures that need higher performance to achieve the desired power consumption balance and performance balance. With this, the methods and systems alter the integrated circuit design to include implantation of a first dopant into a substrate before a gate insulator formation for the first sets of integrated circuit transistor structures; and alter the integrated circuit design to include implantation of a second dopant into the substrate before a gate insulator formation for the second sets of integrated circuit transistor structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brent A. Anderson, Terence B. Hook
  • Patent number: 8426891
    Abstract: A semiconductor substrate according to one embodiment includes: a first transistor having a first gate insulating film formed on a semiconductor substrate, a first gate electrode formed on the first gate insulating film and a first sidewall formed on a side face of the first gate electrode, the first gate insulating film comprising a high-dielectric constant material as a base material, a part of the first sidewall contacting with the first gate insulating film and containing Si and N; and a second transistor having a second gate insulating film formed on the semiconductor substrate, a second gate electrode formed on the second gate insulating film and a second sidewall formed on a side face of the second gate electrode so as to contact with the second gate insulating film, the second gate insulating film comprising a high-dielectric constant material as a base material, a part of the second sidewall contacting with the second gate insulating film and containing Si and N, wherein at least one of an abundance
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Masakazu Goto
  • Patent number: 8420472
    Abstract: Systems and methods for integrated circuits comprising multiple body biasing domains. In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor structure comprises a substrate of first type material. A first closed structure comprising walls of second type material extends from a surface of the substrate to a first depth. A planar deep well of said second type material underlying and coupled to the closed structure extends from the first depth to a second depth. The closed structure and the planar deep well of said second type material form an electrically isolated region of the first type material. A second-type semiconductor device is disposed to receive a first body biasing voltage from the electrically isolated region of the first type material. A well of the second-type material within the electrically isolated region of the first type material is formed and a first-type semiconductor device is disposed to receive a second body biasing voltage from the well of second-type material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Inventors: Kleanthes G. Koniaris, Robert Paul Masleid, James B. Burr
  • Patent number: 8415747
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a cathode and an anode. The anode includes a first p-type semiconductor anode region and a second p-type semiconductor anode region. The first p-type semiconductor anode region is electrically connected to an anode contact area. The second p-type semiconductor anode region is electrically coupled to the anode contact area via a switch configured to provide an electrical connection or an electrical disconnection between the second p-type anode region and the anode contact area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Hans-Günter Eckel, Jörg Schumann
  • Patent number: 8399932
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a silicon substrate; an element isolation region; an element region including a first well; a contact region; a gate electrode extending from the element region to a sub-region of the element isolation region between the element region and the contact region; a source diffusion region; a drain diffusion region; a first insulating region contacting a lower end of the source diffusion region; a second insulating region contacting a lower end of the drain diffusion region; and a via plug configured to electrically connect the gate electrode with the contact region. The first well is disposed below the gate electrode and is electrically connected with the contact region via the silicon substrate under the sub-region. The lower end of the element isolation region except the sub-region is located lower than the lower end of the first well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Eiji Yoshida, Akihisa Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 8399934
    Abstract: A method of forming transistors and structures thereof. A CMOS device includes high k gate dielectric materials. A PMOS device includes a gate that is implanted with an n type dopant. The NMOS device may be doped with either an n type or a p type dopant. The work function of the CMOS device is set by the material selection of the gate dielectric materials. A polysilicon depletion effect is reduced or avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Hong-Jyh Li
  • Patent number: 8384163
    Abstract: Design time (TAT) is reduced in a layout design of a semiconductor integrated circuit having a well supplied with a potential different from a substrate potential. A layout design method of the present invention includes preparing a first cell pattern placed on a semiconductor substrate of a first conductive type, preparing a second cell pattern having a deep well of a second conductive type, placing the first cell pattern in a first circuit region, and placing the second cell pattern in a second region different from the first circuit region. This reduces TAT in chip design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Kenichi Yoda
  • Patent number: 8373154
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention relate to a CMOS device having (1) an NMOS channel of silicon material selectively deposited on a first area of a graded silicon germanium substrate such that the selectively deposited silicon material experiences a tensile strain caused by the lattice spacing of the silicon material being smaller than the lattice spacing of the graded silicon germanium substrate material at the first area, and (2) a PMOS channel of silicon germanium material selectively deposited on a second area of the substrate such that the selectively deposited silicon germanium material experiences a compressive strain caused by the lattice spacing of the selectively deposited silicon germanium material being larger than the lattice spacing of the graded silicon germanium substrate material at the second area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Boyan Boyanov, Anand Murthy, Brian S. Doyle, Robert Chau
  • Patent number: 8372704
    Abstract: A manufacturing method for a semiconductor integrated device including forming a second impurity layer of a second conductivity type that is higher in impurity concentration than a second well of the second conductivity type on a first impurity layer of a first conductivity type that is higher in impurity concentration than a first well of the first conductivity type, forming the first well of the first conductivity type on the second impurity layer of the second conductivity type on the first impurity layer of the first conductivity type, the first well being supplied with potential from the first impurity layer of the first conductivity type, and forming the second well of the second conductivity type on the second impurity layer of the second conductivity type on the first impurity layer of the first conductivity type, the second well being supplied with potential from the second impurity layer of the second conductivity type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Hitoshi Okamoto
  • Publication number: 20130032890
    Abstract: CMOS devices (60, 61, 61?) having improved latch-up robustness are provided by including with one or both WELL regions (22, 29) underlying the source-drains (24, 25; 31, 32) and the body contacts (27, 34), one or more further regions (62, 62?, 62-2) doped with deep acceptors or deep donors (or both) of the same conductivity type as the corresponding WELL region and whose ionization substantially increases as operating temperature increases. The increase in conductivity exhibited by these further regions as a result of the increasing ionization of the deep acceptors or donors off-sets, in whole or part, the temperature driven increase in gain of the parasitic NPN and/or PNP bipolar transistors inherent in prior art CMOS structures. By clamping or lowering the gain of the parasitic bipolar transistors, the CMOS devices (60, 61, 61?) are less likely to go into latch-up with increasing operating temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2011
    Publication date: February 7, 2013
    Inventors: Yanxiang Liu, Xiaodong Yang, Gan Wang
  • Patent number: 8354722
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit, methods of fabricating an ESD protection circuit, methods of providing ESD protection, and design structures for an ESD protection circuit. An NFET may be formed in a p-well and a PFET may be formed in an n-well. A butted p-n junction formed between the p-well and n-well results in an NPNP structure that forms an SCR integrated with the NFET and PFET. The NFET, PFET and SCR are configured to collectively protect a pad, such as a power pad, from ESD events. During normal operation, the NFET, PFET, and SCR are biased by an RC-trigger circuit so that the ESD protection circuit is in a high impedance state. During an ESD event while the chip is unpowered, the RC-trigger circuit outputs trigger signals that cause the SCR, NFET, and PFET to enter into conductive states and cooperatively to shunt ESD currents away from the protected pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John B. Campi, Jr., Shunhua Chang, Kiran V. Chatty, Robert J. Gauthier, Jr., Junjun Li, Rahul Mishra, Mujahid Muhammad
  • Patent number: 8350304
    Abstract: A junction-field-effect-transistor (JFET) device includes a substrate of a first-type impurity, a first well region of a second-type impurity in the substrate, a pair of second well regions of the first-type impurity separated from each other in the first well region, a third well region of the first-type impurity between the pair of second well regions, a first diffused region of the second-type impurity between the third well region and one of the second well regions, and a second diffused region of the second-type impurity between the third well region and the other one of the second well regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Macronix International Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chih-Min Hu, Chung Yu Hung, Wing Chor Chan, Jeng Gong
  • Patent number: 8338831
    Abstract: Recesses are formed in a pMOS region 2, and a SiGe layer is then formed so as to cover a bottom surface and a side surface of each of the recesses. Next, a SiGe layer containing Ge at a lower content than that in the SiGe layer is formed on each of the SiGe layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Naoyoshi Tamura, Yosuke Shimamune, Hirotaka Maekawa
  • Patent number: 8334160
    Abstract: A semiconductor photovoltaic device comprises a semiconductor substrate having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface and the second surface being opposed to each other, a plurality of trenches extending into the semiconductor substrate from the first surface, the first surface being a substantially planar surface, a dopant region in the semiconductor substrate near the first surface and the plurality of trenches, a first conductive layer over the semiconductor substrate, and a second conductive layer on the second surface of the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Lof Solar Corporation
    Inventors: Brite Jui-Hsien Wang, Naejye Hwang, Zingway Pei
  • Patent number: 8330227
    Abstract: A SRAM device with metal gate transistors is provided. The SRAM device includes a PMOS structure and an NMOS structure over a substrate. Each of the PMOS and the NMOS structure includes a p-type metallic work function layer and an n-type metallic work function layer. The p-type work metallic function layer and the n-type metallic work function layer form a combined work function for the PMOS and the NMOS structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Sheng Chiang Hung, Huai-Ying Huang, Ping-Wei Wang
  • Patent number: 8310012
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a gate dielectric layer formed on the semiconductor substrate, and at least a first conductive-type metal gate formed on the gate dielectric layer. The first conductive-type metal gate includes a filling metal layer and a U-type metal layer formed between the filling metal layer and the gate dielectric layer. A topmost portion of the U-type metal layer is lower than the filling metal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: United Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Guang-Yaw Hwang, Yu-Ru Yang, Jiunn-Hsiung Liao, Pei-Yu Chou
  • Patent number: 8288824
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a vertical IGBT and a vertical free-wheeling diode in a semiconductor substrate. A plurality of base regions is disposed at a first-surface side portion of the semiconductor substrate, and a plurality of collector regions and a plurality of cathode regions are alternately disposed in a second-surface side portion of the semiconductor substrate. The base regions include a plurality of regions where channels are provided when the vertical IGBT is in an operating state. The first-side portion of the semiconductor substrate include a plurality of IGBT regions each located between adjacent two of the channels, including one of the base regions electrically coupled with an emitter electrode, and being opposed to one of the cathode regions. The IGBT regions include a plurality of narrow regions and a plurality of wide regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukio Tsuzuki, Hiromitsu Tanabe, Kenji Kouno
  • Patent number: 8288826
    Abstract: A semiconductor-on-insulator structure includes a buried dielectric layer interposed between a base semiconductor substrate and a surface semiconductor layer. The buried dielectric layer comprises an oxide material that includes a nitrogen gradient that peaks at the interface of the buried dielectric layer with at least one of the base semiconductor substrate and surface semiconductor layer. The interface of the buried dielectric layer with the at least one of the base semiconductor substrate and surface semiconductor layer is abrupt, providing a transition in less than about 5 atomic layer thickness, and having less than about 10 angstroms RMS interfacial roughness. A second dielectric layer comprising an oxide dielectric material absent nitrogen may be located interposed between the buried dielectric layer and the surface semiconductor layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Anthony I. Chou, Toshiharu Furukawa, Wilfried Haensch, Zhibin Ren, Dinkar V. Singh, Jeffrey W. Sleight
  • Patent number: 8278719
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices can be fabricated using conventional designs and process but including specialized structures to reduce or eliminate detrimental effects caused by various forms of radiation. Such semiconductor devices can include one or more parasitic isolation devices and/or buried layer structures disclosed in the present application. The introduction of design and/or process steps to accommodate these novel structures is compatible with conventional CMOS fabrication processes, and can therefore be accomplished at relatively low cost and with relative simplicity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Silicon Space Technology Corp.
    Inventor: Wesley H. Morris
  • Publication number: 20120228717
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing Schottky diodes in a CMOS process includes forming wells, including first wells (16) for forming CMOS devices and second wells (18) for forming Schottky devices. Then, transistors arc formed in the first wells, the second wells protected with a protection layer (20) and suicide contacts (40) formed to source and drain regions in the first wells. The protection layer is then removed, a Schottky material deposited and etched away except in a contact region in each second well to form a Schottky contact between the Schottky material (74) and each second well (18).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2010
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.,Ltd
    Inventors: Georgios Vellianitis, Gilberto Curatola, Kyriaki Fotopoulou, Nader Akil
  • Publication number: 20120211842
    Abstract: A semiconductor body comprising a first connection for feeding an upper supply potential and a first and a second terminal cell, which are situated at a distance from each other. The semiconductor body further comprises an arrester structure, which is arranged between the first and second terminal cells in a p-doped substrate. The arrester structure comprises a first and a second p-channel field-effect transistor structure, each of which is set in a respective n-doped well substantially parallel to the first and second terminal cells, and a diode structure with a p-doped region set in a further n-doped well between the n-doped wells of the first and second p-channel field-effect transistor structures. The diode structure is designed to activate the first and second p-channel field-effect transistor structure as arrester elements during an electrostatic discharge in the semiconductor body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: austriamicrosystems AG
    Inventors: Wolfgang REINPRECHT, Frederic Roger
  • Patent number: 8247873
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a first MISFET and a second MISFET, wherein the first MISFET includes a semiconductor substrate 100, a first gate insulating film 101a and a first gate electrode 102a formed on the first region of the semiconductor substrate, and first side walls (103a, 120a) formed on the side surface of the first gate electrode 102a, and the second MISFET includes a second gate insulating film 101b and a second gate electrode 102b formed on the second region of the semiconductor substrate 100, and second side walls (103b, 120b) formed on the side surface of the second gate electrode 102b. The width of the first side wall is smaller than the width of the second side wall, and the second side wall includes the second spacer 103b containing a higher concentration of hydrogen than the first spacer 103a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Shinji Takeoka
  • Patent number: 8237230
    Abstract: Provided are a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device can include first transistors that include a first gate insulating layer having a first thickness and second transistors include a second gate insulating layer having a second thickness less than the first thickness. At least one of the transistors formed on the first or second gate insulating layers is directly over a dummy well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dongyean Oh, Woon-kyung Lee
  • Publication number: 20120181620
    Abstract: An IGFET (40 or 42) has a channel zone (64 or 84) situated in body material (50). Short-channel threshold voltage roll-off and punchthrough are alleviated by arranging for the net dopant concentration in the channel zone to longitudinally reach a local surface minimum at a location between the IGFET's source/drain zones (60 and 62 or 80 and 82) and by arranging for the net dopant concentration in the body material to reach a local subsurface maximum more than 0.1 ?m deep into the body material but not more than 0.1 ?m deep into the body material. The source/drain zones (140 and 142 or 160 and 162) of a p-channel IGFET (120 or 122) are provided with graded-junction characteristics to reduce junction capacitance, thereby increasing switching speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2010
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Inventors: Constantin Bulucea, Fu-Cheng Wang, Prasad Chaparala, Chih Sieh Teng, Chin-Miin Shyu
  • Patent number: 8217459
    Abstract: A distance “a” from a first gate electrode of a first transistor of a high-frequency circuit to a first contact is greater than a distance “b” from a second electrode of a second transistor of a digital circuit to a second contact. The first contact is connected to a drain or source of the first transistor, and the second contact is connected to a drain or source of the second transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Takafumi Kuramoto, Yasutaka Nakashiba
  • Patent number: 8198687
    Abstract: A structure that includes a rectifier further comprises a semiconductor region of a first conductivity type, and trenches that extend into the semiconductor region. A dielectric layer lines lower sidewalls of each trench but is discontinuous along a bottom of each trench. A silicon region of a second conductivity type extends along the bottom of each trench and forms a PN junction with the semiconductor region. A shield electrode in a bottom portion of each trench is in direct contact with the silicon region. A gate electrode extends over the shield electrode. An interconnect layer extends over the semiconductor region and is in electrical contact with the shield electrode. The interconnect layer further contacts mesa surfaces of the semiconductor region between adjacent trenches to form Schottky contacts therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Mark Rinehimer
  • Patent number: 8178930
    Abstract: A novel MOS transistor structure and methods of making the same are provided. The structure includes a MOS transistor formed on a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type with a plug region of first conductivity type formed in the drain extension region of second conductivity type (in the case of a high voltage MOS transistor) or in the lightly doped drain (LDD) region of second conductivity type (in the case of a low voltage MOS transistor). Such structure leads to higher on-breakdown voltage. The inventive principle applies to MOS transistors formed on bulky semiconductor substrate and MOS transistors formed in silicon-on-insulator configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shen-Ping Wang, Tsung-Yi Huang, Wen-Liang Wang
  • Patent number: 8174049
    Abstract: A semiconductor device according to one embodiment includes: a semiconductor substrate having first and second regions; a first transistor comprising a first gate insulating film and a first gate electrode thereon in the first region on the semiconductor substrate, the first gate insulating film comprising a first interface layer containing nitrogen atoms and a first high dielectric constant layer thereon; a second transistor comprising a second gate insulating film and a second gate electrode thereon in the second region on the semiconductor substrate, the second gate insulating film comprising a second interface layer and a second high dielectric constant layer thereon, the second interface layer containing nitrogen atoms at an average concentration lower than that of the first interface layer or not containing nitrogen atoms, and the second transistor having a threshold voltage different from that of the first transistor; and an element isolation region on the semiconductor substrate, the element isolation
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Masakazu Goto
  • Patent number: 8148785
    Abstract: A semiconductor device can output a reference voltage for an arbitrary potential and can detect the voltage of each cell in a battery including multiple cells very precisely. The device includes a depletion-type MOSFET 21 and an enhancement type MOSFET 22, and has a floating structure that isolates depletion-type MOSFET 21 and enhancement type MOSFET 22 from a ground terminal. The depletion-type MOSFET 21 and enhancement type MOSFET 22 are connected in series to each other, wherein the depletion-type MOSFET 21 is connected to high-potential-side terminal and the enhancement type MOSFET 22 is connected to low-potential-side terminal. The semiconductor device having the configuration described above is disposed in a voltage detecting circuit section in a control IC for a battery including multiple cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaharu Yamaji, Akio Kitamura
  • Publication number: 20120061768
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a power amplifier is provided with at least one first growth ring gate structure and multiple second growth ring gate structures. The first growth ring gate structure is bounded by a semiconductor layer and performs a power amplification operation. The multiple second growth ring gate structures are bounded by the semiconductor layer and are arranged adjacently around the first growth ring gate structure in a surrounding manner. When the first growth ring gate structure performs a power amplification operation, the multiple second growth ring gate structures are depleted by applying a reverse bias to the multiple second growth ring gate structures whereby the depleted multiple second growth ring gate structures isolate the first growth ring gate structure from a surrounding portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Tadahiro SASAKI, Kazuhide Abe, Atsuko Iida, Kazuhiko Itaya
  • Patent number: 8129793
    Abstract: A first exemplary aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a semiconductor integrated device comprising a semiconductor substrate, a first impurity layer of a first conductivity type formed in the semiconductor substrate, a second impurity layer of a second conductivity type formed on the first impurity layer, a first well of the first conductivity type formed on the second impurity layer and supplied with potential from the first impurity layer via an impurity region of the first conductivity type selectively formed in a part of the second impurity layer, and a second well of the second conductivity type formed on the second impurity layer and supplied with potential from the second impurity layer, wherein the impurity concentrations of the first impurity layer and the impurity region are higher than that of the first well, and the impurity concentration of the second impurity layer is higher than that of the second well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Hitoshi Okamoto
  • Patent number: 8120058
    Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device having an asymmetrical source and drain. In one embodiment, the method includes forming a gate structure on a first portion of the substrate having a well of a first conductivity. A source region of a second conductivity and drain region of the second conductivity is formed within the well of the first conductivity in a portion of the substrate that is adjacent to the first portion of the substrate on which the gate structure is present. A doped region of a second conductivity is formed within the drain region to provide an integrated bipolar transistor on a drain side of the semiconductor device, in which a collector is provided by the well of the first conductivity, the base is provided by the drain region of the second conductivity and the emitter is provided by the doped region of the second conductivity that is present in the drain region. A semiconductor device formed by the above-described method is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jae-Eun Park, Xinlin Wang, Xiangdong Chen
  • Publication number: 20120038003
    Abstract: A second conduction-type MIS transistor in which a source is coupled to a second power source over the surface of a first conduction-type well and a drain is coupled to the open-drain signal terminal is provided. A second conduction-type first region is provided at both sides of the MIS transistor in parallel with a direction where the electric current of the MIS transistor flows and coupled to the open-drain signal terminal. The whole these components are surrounded by a first conduction-type guard ring coupled to the second power source and the outside surrounded by the first conduction-type guard ring is further surrounded by a second conduction-type guard ring coupled to a first power source. Thereby, the semiconductor device is capable of achieving ESD protection of an open-drain signal terminal having a small area and not providing a protection element between power source terminals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2011
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Applicant: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Toshikatsu Kawachi
  • Patent number: 8110878
    Abstract: There is provided a technology which allows improvements in manufacturing yield and product reliability in a semiconductor device having a triple well structure. A shallow p-type well is formed in a region different from respective regions in a p-type substrate where a deep n-type well, a shallow p-type well, and a shallow n-type well are formed. A p-type diffusion tap formed in the shallow p-type well is wired to a p-type diffusion tap formed in a shallow n-type well in the deep n-type well using an interconnection in a second layer. The respective gate electrodes of an nMIS and a pMIS each formed in the deep n-type well are coupled to the respective drain electrodes of an nMIS and a pMIS each formed in the substrate using an interconnection in a second or higher order layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Naozumi Morino, Atsushi Hiraiwa, Kazutoshi Oku, Toshiaki Ito, Motoshige Igarashi, Takayuki Sasaki, Masao Sugiyama, Hiroshi Yanagita, Shinichi Watarai
  • Patent number: 8102007
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for trimming a high-resolution digital-to-analog converter (DAC) utilizes floating-gate synapse transistors to trim the current sources in the DAC by providing a trimmable current source. Fowler-Nordheim electron tunneling and hot electron injection are the mechanisms used to vary the amount of charge on the floating gate. Since floating gate devices store charge essentially indefinitely, no continuous trimming mechanism is required, although one could be implemented if desired. By trimming the current sources with high accuracy, a DAC can be built with a much higher resolution and with smaller size than that provided by intrinsic device matching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: John D. Hyde, Miguel E. Figueroa, Todd E. Humes, Christopher J. Diorio, Terry D. Hass, Chad A. Lindhorst
  • Patent number: 8101969
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a transistor is formed to have a first current flow path to selectively conduct current in both directions through the transistor and to have a second current flow path to selectively conduct current in one direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Francine Y. Robb, Stephen P. Robb
  • Patent number: 8097923
    Abstract: A non-volatile memory cell includes a program transistor and a control capacitor. A portion of a substrate associated with the program transistor is exposed to multiple implantations (such as DNW, HiNWell, HiPWell, and P-well implantations). Similarly, a portion of the substrate associated with the control capacitor is exposed to multiple implantations (such as DNW, HiNWell, HiPWell, P-well, and N-well implantations). These portions of the substrate may have faster oxidation rates than other portions of the substrate, allowing a thicker front-end gate oxide to be formed over these portions of the substrate. In addition, a rapid thermal process anneal can be performed, which may reduce defects in the front-end gate oxide and increase its quality without having much impact on the oxide over the other portions of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Thanas Budri, Jiankang Bu
  • Publication number: 20120001268
    Abstract: A method implants impurities into well regions of transistors. The method prepares a first mask over a substrate and performs a first shallow well implant through the first mask to implant first-type impurities to a first depth of the substrate. The first mask is removed and a second mask is prepared over the substrate. The method performs a second shallow well implant through the second mask to implant second-type impurities to the first depth of the substrate and then removes the second mask. A third mask is prepared over the substrate. The third mask has openings smaller than openings in the first mask and the second mask. A first deep well implant is performed through the third mask to implant the first-type impurities to a second depth of the substrate, the second depth of the substrate being greater than the first depth of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2011
    Publication date: January 5, 2012
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James W. Adkisson, Andres Bryant, Mark D. Jaffe, Alain Loiseau
  • Patent number: 8076957
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to reduce the chip area of a semiconductor integrated circuit. A semiconductor integrated circuit of the invention includes a first transistor, a second transistor disposed adjacent to the first transistor along a Y axis, and a third transistor disposed adjacent to the second transistor along an X axis. The semiconductor integrated circuit further includes a fourth transistor disposed adjacent to the third transistor along the Y axis and disposed adjacent to the first transistor along the X axis. The first to fourth transistors share a well, and an output signal of the first transistor and an output signal of the second transistor have phases opposite to each other. An output signal of the second transistor and an output signal of the third transistor have phases opposite to each other. An output of the third transistor and an output signal of the fourth transistor have phases opposite to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Masanori Isoda
  • Patent number: 8068157
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a photoelectric converter, a source-follower transistor, and a selection transistor. The photoelectric converter generates electric charge in response to received light, and the electric charge varies a voltage of a detection node. The source-follower transistor is coupled between the detection node and an output node and has a first threshold voltage. The selection transistor is coupled between the source-follower transistor and a voltage node with a power supply voltage or a boosted voltage applied thereon, and has a second threshold voltage with a magnitude that is less than a magnitude of the first threshold voltage such that the source-follower transistor operates in saturation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sang-Il Jung, Min-Young Jung
  • Patent number: 8053306
    Abstract: A PFET having tailored dielectric constituted in part by an NFET threshold voltage (Vt) work function tuning layer in a gate stack thereof, related methods and integrated circuit are disclosed. In one embodiment, the PFET includes an n-type doped silicon well (N-well), a gate stack including: a doped band engineered PFET threshold voltage (Vt) work function tuning layer over the N-well; a tailored dielectric layer over the doped band engineered PFET Vt work function tuning layer, the tailored dielectric layer constituted by a high dielectric constant layer over the doped band engineered PFET Vt work function tuning layer and an n-type field effect transistor (NFET) threshold voltage (Vt) work function tuning layer over the high dielectric constant layer; and a metal over the NFET Vt work function tuning layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Rick Carter, Michael P. Chudzik, Rashmi Jha, Naim Moumen
  • Patent number: 8053844
    Abstract: Embodiments herein present device, method, etc. for a hybrid orientation scheme for standard orthogonal circuits. An integrated circuit of embodiments of the invention comprises a hybrid orientation substrate, comprising first areas having a first crystalline orientation and second areas having a second crystalline orientation. The first crystalline orientation of the first areas is not parallel or perpendicular to the second crystalline orientation of the second areas. The integrated circuit further comprises first type devices on the first areas and second type devices on the second areas, wherein the first type devices are parallel or perpendicular to the second type devices. Specifically, the first type devices comprise p-type field effect transistors (PFETs) and the second type devices comprise n-type field effect transistors (NFETs).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Dureseti Chidambarrao
  • Patent number: 8053373
    Abstract: A semiconductor-on-insulator structure includes a buried dielectric layer interposed between a base semiconductor substrate and a surface semiconductor layer. The buried dielectric layer comprises an oxide material that includes a nitrogen gradient that peaks at the interface of the buried dielectric layer with at least one of the base semiconductor substrate and surface semiconductor layer. The interface of the buried dielectric layer with the at least one of the base semiconductor substrate and surface semiconductor layer is abrupt, providing a transition in less than about 5 atomic layer thickness, and having less than about 10 angstroms RMS interfacial roughness. A second dielectric layer comprising an oxide dielectric material absent nitrogen may be located interposed between the buried dielectric layer and the surface semiconductor layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Anthony I. Chou, Toshiharu Furukawa, Wilfried Haensch, Zhibin Ren, Dinkar V. Singh, Jeffrey W. Sleight
  • Patent number: 8053301
    Abstract: Silicon germanium (SiGe) is epitaxially grown on a silicon channel above nFET and pFET regions of a substrate. SiGe is removed above the nFET regions. A device includes a silicon channel above the nFET regions and a SiGe channel above the pFET regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel J. Jaeger, Michael V. Aquilino, Christopher V. Baiocco
  • Publication number: 20110266631
    Abstract: There is provided a technology which allows improvements in manufacturing yield and product reliability in a semiconductor device having a triple well structure. A shallow p-type well is formed in a region different from respective regions in a p-type substrate where a deep n-type well, a shallow p-type well, and a shallow n-type well are formed. A p-type diffusion tap formed in the shallow p-type well is wired to a p-type diffusion tap formed in a shallow n-type well in the deep n-type well using an interconnection in a second layer. The respective gate electrodes of an nMIS and a pMIS each formed in the deep n-type well are coupled to the respective drain electrodes of an nMIS and a pMIS each formed in the substrate using an interconnection in a second or higher order layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2011
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Inventors: Naozumi MORINO, Atsushi HIRAIWA, Kazutoshi OKU, Toshiaki ITO, Motoshige IGARASHI, Takayuki SASAKI, Masao SUGIYAMA, Hiroshi YANAGITA, Shinichi WATARAI
  • Patent number: RE43922
    Abstract: A static random access memory (SRAM) is laid out to be balanced so that, when power is applied to the SRAM, the cells of the SRAM have no preferred logic state, In addition, the SRAM is fabricated in a process the emphasizes mismatches so that each individual cell assumes a non-random logic state when power is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Elroy Lucero