Containing Germanium, Ge Patents (Class 257/616)
  • Patent number: 6639256
    Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a heterojunction bipolar transistor comprises a base having a concentration of germanium, where the concentration of germanium decreases between a first depth and a second depth in the base. According to this exemplary embodiment, the base of the heterojunction bipolar transistor further comprises a concentration of a diffusion suppressant of a base dopant, where the concentration of the diffusion suppressant decreases between a third depth and a fourth depth so as to counteract a change in band gap in the base between the first depth and the second depth. For example, the diffusion suppressant can be carbon and the base dopant can be boron. For example, the concentration of diffusion suppressant may decrease between the third depth and fourth depth so as to counteract the change in band gap at approximately the second depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2003
    Assignee: Newport Fab, LLC
    Inventors: Greg D. U'Ren, Klaus F. Schuegraf, Marco Racanelli
  • Patent number: 6635951
    Abstract: An ultra-small electrode or plug contact for use in chalcogenide memory cells specifically, and in semiconductor devices generally. The ultra-small electrode is fabricated by a technique in which disposable spacers are utilized to fabricate ultra-small pores into which the electrodes are formed. The electrodes thus defined have minimum lateral dimensions ranging from approximately 500 to 4000 Angstroms. The pores thus defined may then be used to fabricate a chalcogenide memory cell or other semiconductor devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Russell C. Zahorik
  • Patent number: 6633070
    Abstract: A field-effect transistor including a gate electrode, silicon layers, and source and drain regions at a surface of a silicon substrate. Sidewall insulating films on the opposite side surfaces of the gate electrode are located between the gate electrode and the silicon layers and contain respective voids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naruhisa Miura, Toshiyuki Oishi, Yuji Abe, Kohei Sugihara
  • Patent number: 6633066
    Abstract: CMOS integrated circuit devices include an electrically insulating layer and an unstrained silicon active layer on the electrically insulating layer. An insulated gate electrode is also provided on a surface of the unstrained silicon active layer. A Si1−xGex layer is also disposed between the electrically insulating layer and the unstrained silicon active layer. The Si1−xGex layer forms a first junction with the unstrained silicon active layer and has a graded concentration of Ge therein that decreases monotonically in a first direction extending from a peak level towards the surface of the unstrained silicon active layer. The peal Ge concentration level is greater than x=0.15 and the concentration of Ge in the Si1−xGex layer varies from the peak level to a level less than about x=0.1 at the first junction. The concentration of Ge at the first junction may be abrupt. More preferably, the concentration of Ge in the Si1−xGex layer varies from the peak level where 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Geum-jong Bae, Tae-hee Choe, Sang-su Kim, Hwa-sung Rhee, Nae-in Lee, Kyung-wook Lee
  • Patent number: 6621125
    Abstract: A buried channel device structure for an electrostatic discharge protection circuit capable of minimizing the effect on the electrostatic discharge protection circuit due to current flowing close to gate oxide layer. A p+ ion-doped region is formed above a p-type substrate. The p+ ion-doped region serves as a gate terminal. A first and a second n+ ion-doped region are also formed in the p-type substrate on each side of the p+ gate terminal. In addition, an n-doped region is formed in the p-type substrate under the p+ gate terminal between the first and the second n+ ion-doped region. A similar buried channel device structure can also be formed on an n-type structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: United Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventor: Jeffrey Wang
  • Publication number: 20030160300
    Abstract: A semiconductor substrate comprising a silicon substrate with an oxide film on its surface, on which a silicon layer, a warp-relieved SiGe layer and a warped cap layer are formed in this order, a semiconductor device comprising a transistor, a diode, a capacitor and/or a bipolar transistor formed solely or in combination on the above semiconductor substrate and a method of manufacturing the above semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2003
    Publication date: August 28, 2003
    Inventors: Masahiro Takenaka, Katsumasa Fujii
  • Publication number: 20030151117
    Abstract: Layered germanium polymers that are semiconductive and demonstrate a strong red or infrared luminescence are produced through the topochemical conversion of calcium digermanide. Furthermore, silicon/germanium layer polymers can also be produced in this manner. These layer polymers can be produced epitaxially on substrates comprising crystalline germanium, and can be used to construct light-emitting optoelectronic components such as light-emitting diodes or lasers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2003
    Publication date: August 14, 2003
    Inventors: Gunther Vogg, Martin Brandt, Martin Stutzmann
  • Publication number: 20030146494
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a semiconducting device on a substrate, where the improvement includes forming a strained silicon germanium channel layer on the substrate. A gate insulation layer is formed on top of the strained silicon germanium channel layer, at a temperature that does not exceed about eight hundred centigrade. A gate electrode is formed on top of the gate insulation layer, and the gate electrode is patterned. A low dose drain dopant is impregnated into the substrate, and activated with a first laser anneal. A source-drain dopant is impregnated into the substrate, and activated with a second laser anneal. After the step of activating the low dose drain dopant with the first laser anneal, an insulating layer is formed around the gate electrode, at a temperature that does not exceed about eight hundred centigrade, and a spacer is formed around the gate electrode. The spacer is formed of a material that is reflective to the second laser anneal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2003
    Publication date: August 7, 2003
    Applicant: LSI Logic Corporation
    Inventors: Helmut Puchner, Gary K. Giust
  • Patent number: 6599803
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a semiconductor device suitable for embodying an isotropic etching profile in etching a silicon substrate when a single drain cell is formed, including the steps of: a) forming a gate electrode on a silicon substrate; b) forming a spacer contacting both sides of the gate electrode; c) growing a silicon germanium layer on the silicon substrate exposed at the bottom of the spacer; d) exposing a source/drain formation region by selectively removing the silicon germanium layer; and e) growing an epitaxial silicon layer doped on the opened source/drain region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventors: Dae-Hee Weon, Seung-Ho Hahn
  • Patent number: 6600212
    Abstract: A semiconductor device has a semiconductor substrate, a first transistor having a first gate electrode formed of a polycrystalline silicon germanium film as formed above said semiconductor substrate, and a second transistor having a second gate electrode which is formed of a polycrystalline silicon germanium film as formed above the semiconductor substrate and which is different in concentration of germanium from the first gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Mariko Takayanagi, Hironobu Fukui
  • Patent number: 6600178
    Abstract: A bipolar transistor is provided which is of high reliability and high gain, and which is particularly suitable to high speed operation. The bipolar transistor operates with high accuracy and with no substantial change of collector current even upon change of collector voltage. It also has less variation than conventional bipolar transistors for the collector current while ensuring high speed properties and high gain. In one example, the band gap in the base region is smaller than the band gap in the emitter and collector regions. The band gap is constant near the junction with the emitter region and decreases toward the junction with the collector region. A single crystal silicon/germanium is a typically used for the base region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi DeviceEngineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuyoshi Washio, Reiko Hayami, Hiromi Shimamoto, Masao Kondo, Katsuya Oda, Eiji Oue, Masamichi Tanabe
  • Publication number: 20030132506
    Abstract: In a CMOS semiconductor device having a substrate, a gate insulating layer formed on the substrate, at least one first polysilicon gate formed over the substrate in at least one PMOS transistor region, and at least one second polysilicon gate formed over the substrate in at least one NMOS transistor region, a total amount of Ge in the first polysilicon gate is the same as that in the second polysilicon gate, a distribution of Ge concentration in the first and/or second polysilicon gate is different according to a distance from the gate insulating layer, and Ge concentration in a portion of the first polysilicon gate adjacent to the gate insulating layer is higher than that in the second polysilicon gate. The Ge concentration in the portion of the first polysilicon gate adjacent to the gate insulating layer is more than two times as high as that in the second polysilicon gate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2003
    Publication date: July 17, 2003
    Inventors: Hwa-Sung Rhee, Geum-Jong Bae, Tae-Hee Choe, Sang-Su Kim, Nae-In Lee
  • Patent number: 6593641
    Abstract: Structures and methods for fabricating high speed digital, analog, and combined digital/analog systems using planarized relaxed SiGe as the materials platform. The relaxed SiGe allows for a plethora of strained Si layers that possess enhanced electronic properties. By allowing the MOSFET channel to be either at the surface or buried, one can create high-speed digital and/or analog circuits. The planarization before the device epitaxial layers are deposited ensures a flat surface for state-of-the-art lithography.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: AmberWave Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Eugene A. Fitzergald
  • Patent number: 6590236
    Abstract: High quality epitaxial layers of compound semiconductor materials can be grown overlying large silicon wafers by first growing an accommodating buffer layer on a silicon wafer. The accommodating buffer layer is a layer of monocrystalline oxide spaced apart from the silicon wafer by an amorphous interface layer of silicon oxide. The amorphous interface layer dissipates strain and permits the growth of a high quality monocrystalline oxide accommodating buffer layer. Any lattice mismatch between the accommodating buffer layer and the underlying silicon substrate is taken care of by the amorphous interface layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Nada El-Zein, Jamal Ramdani, Kurt Eisenbeiser, Ravindranath Droopad
  • Publication number: 20030116781
    Abstract: An aspect of the present invention includes a first conductive type semiconductor region formed in a semiconductor substrate, a gate electrode formed on the first conductive type semiconductor region, a channel region formed immediately below the gate electrode in the first conductive type semiconductor region, and a second conductive type first diffusion layers constituting source/drain regions formed at opposite sides of the channel region in the first conductive type semiconductor region, the gate electrode being formed of polycrystalline silicon-germanium, in which the germanium concentration of at least one of the source side and the drain side is higher than that of the central portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2002
    Publication date: June 26, 2003
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventor: Kazuya Ohuchi
  • Patent number: 6583437
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device which includes forming a first SiGe layer having a low content of Ge, forming an oxide layer by implanting oxygen ions into the first SiGe layer, and then annealing the first SiGe layer. The method also includes forming, on the first SiGe layer, a second SiGe layer which has a higher content of Ge than the first SiGe layer, forming a strained Si layer on the second SiGe layer, and forming a field effect transistor in which the strained Si layer is used a channel region. Further, a field effect transistor may be formed on a semiconductor substrate having an indefectible, high-quality, buried oxide layer and a largely strained Si layer, and hence a high-speed, low-power-consumption semiconductor device can be realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tomohisa Mizuno, Naoharu Sugiyama, Shinichi Takagi
  • Patent number: 6576937
    Abstract: A semiconductor device including a bipolar transistor having an emitter layer consisting of a semiconductor containing indium, and a protective insulating film containing silicon and oxygen which is formed on the surface of the guard ring of the emitter layer, wherein the protective insulating film has a density of oxygen of less than 7×1022 cm−3. This semiconductor device prevents performance deterioration and ensures high performance in a power amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Takazawa, Tohru Oka, Isao Ohbu, Yoshinori Imamura
  • Patent number: 6573539
    Abstract: A silicon-germanium base capable of use in heterojunction bipolar transistor includes a silicon substrate having a mesa surrounded by a trench. The mesa has a top surface and a silicon-germanium layer is disposed only on the top surface of the mesa. In addition, a heterojunction bipolar transistor includes the silicon-germanium base as described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Feng-Yi Huang
  • Patent number: 6570241
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a SiGe base bipolar transistor. The SiGe base bipolar transistor includes an emitter layer, a collector layer and a SiGe base layer formed of silicon containing germanium. A Ge concentration of the SiGe base layer is increased from 0% to 10% from a side of the emitter layer towards a side of the collector layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Takasuke Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 6566734
    Abstract: In making a field effect transistor, a dummy gate electrode is formed before a gate electrode is formed. Extension regions, a side wall silicon nitride film, source/drain regions, a silicon oxide film, and other elements are formed with respect to the dummy gate electrode. The dummy gate electrode is removed, and a part of the extension regions diffused into a region immediately under the dummy gate electrode is removed. The removed part is filled with silicon selection epitaxial film. Thereafter, the intended gate electrode is formed. This production method produces a field effect transistor that prevents deterioration of electrical characteristics caused by the short channel effect and parasitic resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kohei Sugihara, Toshiyuki Oishi, Naruhisa Miura, Yuji Abe, Yasunori Tokuda
  • Patent number: 6563152
    Abstract: A method for forming a strain layer on an underside of a channel in an MOS transistor in order to produce a mechanical stress in the channel, increasing a mobility of carriers in the channel and an apparatus produced from such a method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Brian Roberds, Brian S. Doyle
  • Publication number: 20030071307
    Abstract: The present invention pertains to a high-performance thin film transistor having a gate and an active region, whose active region comprises a poly-Si1−xGex alloy material and a channel layer of silicon, in which the channel layer of silicon is interposed between the poly-Si1−xGex alloy material and the gate, and a method for fabricating such a high-performance thin film transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2002
    Publication date: April 17, 2003
    Inventors: Takashi Noguchi, Rafael Reif, Julie Tsai, Andrew J. Tang
  • Publication number: 20030071277
    Abstract: The invention relates to a silicon germanium hetero bipolar transistor and a method of fabricating the epitaxial individual layers of a silicon germanium hetero bipolar transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2002
    Publication date: April 17, 2003
    Inventors: Gunther Lippert, Hans-Jorg Osten, Bernd Heinemann
  • Patent number: 6545299
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a process that uses selective etching to form a structure on a silicon substrate. The process starts by receiving the silicon substrate with a first layer composed of a first material, which includes voids created by a first etching operation. The process then forms a second layer composed of a second material over the first layer, so that the second layer fills in portions of voids in the first layer created by the first etching operation. Next, the process performs a chemo-mechanical polishing operation on the second layer down to the first layer so that only remaining portions of the second layer, within the voids created by the first etching operation, remain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Jeffrey J. Peterson, Charles E. Hunt
  • Patent number: 6545323
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer used as a substrate formed on an insulating film, a plurality of MOS transistors arranged on the semiconductor layer and each having a gate, a source, and a drain, a pair of MOS transistors of the plurality of MOS transistors constituting a detection circuit for detecting magnitudes of potentials applied to the gates as a difference between conductances of the pair of transistors, and a diffusion layer region of the same conductivity type as that of the semiconductor layer, arranged on one of portions of the sources and drains of the pair of MOS transistors constituting the detection circuit, for connecting portions serving as the substrates of the pair of MOS transistors to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Yukihito Oowaki, Masako Yoshida, Makoto Yoshimi
  • Publication number: 20030057416
    Abstract: Semiconductor structures and devices including strained material layers having impurity-free zones, and methods for fabricating same. Certain regions of the strained material layers are kept free of impurities that can interdiffuse from adjacent portions of the semiconductor. When impurities are present in certain regions of the strained material layers, there is degradation in device performance. By employing semiconductor structures and devices (e.g., field effect transistors or “FETs”) that have the features described, or are fabricated in accordance with the steps described, device operation is enhanced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2002
    Publication date: March 27, 2003
    Applicant: AmberWave Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew Currie, Anthony Lochtefeld, Richard Hammond, Eugene Fitzgerald
  • Publication number: 20030042576
    Abstract: A method for enhancing the equilibrium solid solubility of dopants in silicon, germanium and silicon-germanium alloys. The method involves subjecting silicon-based substrate to biaxial or compression strain. It has been determined that boron solubility was largely enhanced (more than 100%) by a compressive bi-axial strain, based on a size-mismatch theory since the boron atoms are smaller than the silicon atoms. It has been found that the large enhancement or mixing properties of dopants in silicon and germanium substrates is primarily governed by their, and to second order by their size-mismatch with the substrate. Further, it has been determined that the dopant solubility enhancement with strain is most effective when the charge and the size-mismatch of the impurity favor the same type of strain. Thus, the solid solubility of small p-type (e.g., boron) as well as large n-type (e.g.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2001
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Applicant: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Babak Sadigh, Thomas J. Lenosky, Tomas Diaz De La Rubia
  • Publication number: 20030042577
    Abstract: A method for enhancing the equilibrium solid solubility of dopants in silicon, germanium and silicon-germanium alloys. The method involves subjecting silicon-based substrate to biaxial or compression strain. It has been determined that boron solubility was largely enhanced (more than 100%) by a compressive bi-axial strain, based on a size-mismatch theory since the boron atoms are smaller than the silicon atoms. It has been found that the large enhancement or mixing properties of dopants in silicon and germanium substrates is primarily governed by their, and to second order by their size-mismatch with the substrate. Further, it has been determined that the dopant solubility enhancement with strain is most effective when the charge and the size-mismatch of the impurity favor the same type of strain. Thus, the solid solubility of small p-type (e.g., boron) as well as large n-type (e.g.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2002
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Applicant: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Babak Sadigh, Thomas J. Lenosky, Tomas Diaz De La Rubia
  • Patent number: 6528851
    Abstract: A semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) transistor is disclosed. The SOI transistor includes a source region, a drain region and a body region disposed therebetween, the body region including a gate disposed thereon, the source and drain regions including respective silicide regions. The body region includes a region of recombination centers formed by atom implantation, wherein atoms forming the region of recombination centers are implanted at an angle from opposite sides of the gate in a direction towards the body region, with the gate and source and drain silicide regions acting as an implant blocking mask, such that the region of recombination centers is disposed between a source/body junction and a drain/body junction. Also disclosed is a method of fabricating the SOI transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventor: Bin Yu
  • Patent number: 6528862
    Abstract: The upper epitaxial layer of a bipolar transistor has a silicon germanium layer and an overlying cap layer. The upper epitaxial layer includes an intrinsic emitter region and a base region. The silicon germanium layer is spaced apart from the intrinsic emitter region, and lies outside of the depletion region associated with the junction between the intrinsic emitter region and the base region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Alexei Sadovnikov
  • Patent number: 6521974
    Abstract: A bipolar transistor according to the invention is provided with structure that an intrinsic base made of single crystal Si—Ge and a base leading-out electrode are connected via a link base made of polycrystal Si—Ge by doping at high concentration, further, a part immediately under the intrinsic base has the same conductive type as that of a collector and in a peripheral part, a single crystal Si—Ge layer having the same conductive type as that of a base is provided between the intrinsic base and a collector layer. Hereby, the reduction of the resistance of the link base between the intrinsic base and the base leading-out electrode and the reduction of capacitance between the collector and the base are simultaneously realized, and a self-aligned bipolar transistor wherein capacitance between an emitter and the base and capacitance between the collector and the base are respectively small, power consumption is small and high speed operation is enabled is acquired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2003
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Device Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuya Oda, Eiji Ohue, Masao Kondo, Katsuyoshi Washio, Masamichi Tanabe, Hiromi Shimamoto
  • Patent number: 6518645
    Abstract: In an SOI-type semiconductor device and a method of forming the same a semiconductor device is formed in an SOI-type substrate that is composed of a lower silicon layer, a buried oxide layer, and an SOI layer. The SOI substrate includes a device region isolated by a device isolation layer and the buried oxide layer, in which a source/drain region for forming at least one MOSFET at a body composed of the SOI layer is formed; and a ground region which is isolated from the device region by the device isolation layer and is composed of the body. A bottom portion of the device isolation layer is separated from the buried oxide layer by a connecting portion that electrically connects a body of the device region to a body of the ground region through the SOI layer. A silicon germanium layer is formed in the SOI layer, and at least partially remains at the SOI layer connecting the body of the device region to the body of the ground region in the connecting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2003
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Geum-Jong Bae, Sang-Su Kim, Tae-Hee Choe, Hwa-Sung Rhee
  • Patent number: 6518644
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure and method of processing same including a substrate, a lattice-mismatched first layer deposited on the substrate and annealed at a temperature greater than 100° C. above the deposition temperature, and a second layer deposited on the first layer with a greater lattice mismatch to the substrate than the first semiconductor layer. In another embodiment there is provided a semiconductor graded composition layer structure on a semiconductor substrate and a method of processing same including a semiconductor substrate, a first semiconductor layer having a series of lattice-mismatched semiconductor layers deposited on the substrate and annealed at a temperature greater than 100° C. above the deposition temperature, a second semiconductor layer deposited on the first semiconductor layer with a greater lattice mismatch to the substrate than the first semiconductor layer, and annealed at a temperature greater than 100° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2003
    Assignee: AmberWave Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Eugene A. Fitzgerald
  • Patent number: 6515335
    Abstract: A method of fabricating relaxed SiGe buffer layers with low threading dislocation densities on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates is provided. The relaxed SiGe buffer layers are fabricated by the epitaxial deposition of a defect-free Stranski-Krastanov Ge or SiGe islands on a surface of the SOI substrate; the capping and planarizing of the islands with a Si or Si-rich SiGe layer, and the annealing of the structure at elevated temperatures until intermixing and thereby formation of a relaxed SiGe layer on the insulating layer (i.e., buried oxide layer) of the initial SOI wafer is achieved. The present invention is also directed to semiconductor structures, devices and integrated circuits which include at least the relaxed SiGe buffer layer mentioned above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Silke H. Christiansen, Alfred Grill, Patricia M. Mooney
  • Patent number: 6512252
    Abstract: A HDTMOS includes a Si substrate, a buried oxide film and a semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer includes an upper Si film, an epitaxially grown Si buffer layer, an epitaxially grown SiGe film, and an epitaxially grown Si film. Furthermore, the HDTMOS includes an n-type high concentration Si body region, an n− Si region, a SiGe channel region containing n-type low concentration impurities, an n-type low concentration Si cap layer, and a contact which is a conductor member for electrically connecting the gate electrode and the Si body region. The present invention extends the operation range while keeping the threshold voltage small by using, for the channel layer, a material having a smaller potential at the band edge where carriers travel than that of a material constituting the body region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Takagi, Akira Inoue
  • Patent number: 6509586
    Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises: a channel region 14 of silicon, a source region 26 and a drain region 26 respectively forming junction with the channel region 14, and a gate electrode 30 formed on the channel region 14 interposing an insulation film 16 therebetween, either of the source region 26 and the drain region 26 being formed of SiGeC, which lattice-matches with silicon. Whereby parasitic resistance between the source region and the drain region can be much decreased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2003
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Yuji Awano
  • Patent number: 6509587
    Abstract: High-speed and low-power-consuming transistors such as field effect transistors having strained Si channels and hetero-bipolar transistors are integrated with each other. Used here is a complex structure in which an MOSFET having a thin-film SiGe buffer layer and a strained Si channel are laminated on an insulating film and an HBT having an SiGe base layer formed on a thin-film SiGe layer by epitaxial growth and an Si emitter layer formed on the SiGe base layer are combined with each other. The thin-film SiGe layer formed on the insulating film of the MOSFET is made thinner than the counterpart of the HBT. The thin-film SiGe layer formed on the insulating film of the MOSFET has Ge concentration higher than that of the counterpart of the HBT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2003
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Naoharu Sugiyama, Tsutomu Tezuka, Tomohisa Mizuno, Shinichi Takagi
  • Patent number: 6507091
    Abstract: An indium-implanted transistor is provided. The transistor has a silicon channel region that includes a buried layer of an Si1−xGex alloy into which indium is implanted, with 10−5≦x≦4×10−1. A first method for fabricating an indium-implanted transistor is also provided. A multilayer composite film is produced on at least one region of a surface of a silicon substrate where a channel region of the transistor is to be formed. The multilayer composite film includes at least one Si1−xGex alloy layer, in which 10−5≦x≦4×10−1, and an external silicon layer. Indium is implanted into the Si1−xGex alloy layer, and fabrication of the transistor is completed so as to produce the transistor with a channel region that includes a buried Si1−xGex alloy layer. Additionally, a second method for fabricating an indium-implanted transistor is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.A.
    Inventors: Thomas Skotnicki, Jérôme Alieu
  • Publication number: 20030006461
    Abstract: An integrated circuit device comprises an insulation layer formed on a substrate, a plurality of lattice relaxed SiGe layers each formed in an island form on the insulation layer, wherein a maximum size of the island form thereof is 10 &mgr;m or less, one of a strained Si layer, a strained SiGe layer and a strained Ge layer formed on at least one of the plurality of lattice relaxed SiGe layers, and a field effect transistor having a gate electrode and source and drain regions, wherein the gate electrode is formed on one of the strained Si layer, the strained SiGe layer and the strained Ge layer with a gate insulation film is disposed therebetween, and the source and drain regions is formed to sandwich a channel region formed below the gate electrode with the gate insulation film disposed therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2002
    Publication date: January 9, 2003
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tsutomu Tezuka, Takashi Kawakubo, Noaharu Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 6498359
    Abstract: In field-effect transistors, semiconductor clusters, which can extend from the source region to the drain region and which can be implemented in two ways, are embedded in one or a plurality of layers. In a first embodiment, the semiconductor material of the adjacent channel region can be strained by the clusters and the effective mass can thus be reduced by altering the energy band structure and the charge carrier mobility can be increased. In a second embodiment, the clusters themselves can be used as a canal region. These two embodiments can also appear in mixed forms. The invention can be applied to the Si material system with SiGe clusters or to the GaAs material system with InGaAs clusters or to other material systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2002
    Assignee: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Wissenschaften e.V.
    Inventors: Oliver G. Schmidt, Karl Eberl
  • Publication number: 20020190269
    Abstract: Ge/Si and other nonsilicon film heterostructures are formed by hydrogen-induced exfoliation of the Ge film which is wafer bonded to a cheaper substrate, such as Si. A thin, single-crystal layer of Ge is transferred to Si substrate. The bond at the interface of the Ge/Si heterostructures is covalent to ensure good thermal contact, mechanical strength, and to enable the formation of an ohmic contact between the Si substrate and Ge layers. To accomplish this type of bond, hydrophobic wafer bonding is used, because as the invention demonstrates the hydrogen-surface-terminating species that facilitate van der Waals bonding evolves at temperatures above 600° C. into covalent bonding in hydrophobically bound Ge/Si layer transferred systems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2002
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Inventors: Harry A. Atwater, James M. Zahler
  • Patent number: 6492711
    Abstract: A heterojunction bipolar transistor is fabricated by stacking a Si collector layer, a SiGeC base layer and a Si emitter layer in this order. By making the amount of a lattice strain in the SiGeC base layer on the Si collector layer 1.0% or less, the band gap can be narrower than the band gap of the conventional practical SiGe (the Ge content is about 10%), and good crystalline can be maintained after a heat treatment. As a result, a narrow band gap base with no practical inconvenience can be realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Takagi, Koichiro Yuki, Kenji Toyoda, Yoshihiko Kanzawa
  • Patent number: 6486510
    Abstract: A FET with reduced reverse short channel effects is described, as well as a method to make said FET. Germanium is implanted throughout a semiconductor substrate at an intensity and dose such that a peak ion concentration is created below the source and drain of the FET. The germanium can be implanted prior to gate and source and drain formation, and reduces the reverse short channel effect normally seen in FETs. The short channel effect normally occurring in FETs is not negatively impacted by the germanium implant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey Scott Brown, Stephen Scott Furkay, Robert J. Gauthier, Jr., Dale Warner Martin, James Albert Slinkman
  • Patent number: 6486520
    Abstract: A structure for, and method of forming, a metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor in an integrated circuit is disclosed. The disclosed method comprises forming a germanium layer 52 on a semiconductor substrate (e.g. silicon 20), depositing a large-permittivity gate dielectric (e.g. tantalum pentoxide 56) on the germanium layer, and forming a gate electrode (e.g., titanium nitride 60) on the gate dielectric. The method may comprise forming source and drain regions 64 in the substrate on either side of the gate dielectric. The germanium layer, which is preferably epitaxially grown, generally prevents formation of a low dielectric constant layer between the gate dielectric and the semiconductor substrate. The disclosed structure comprises a germanium layer 52 disposed on a semiconductor substrate (e.g. silicon 20), a large-permittivity gate dielectric (e.g. tantalum pentoxide 56) disposed on the germanium layer, and a gate electrode (e.g., titanium nitride 60) disposed on the gate dielectric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Yasutoshi Okuno, Scott R. Summerfelt
  • Patent number: 6479358
    Abstract: A MOSFET with raised source/drains that can readily be silicidated and have shallow source/drain extensions. The invention uses chemical vapor epitaxy to create raised source/drains. The invention provides molecules containing silicon and molecules containing germanium, preferably GeH4, for the chemical vapor epitaxy. Initially, the concentration of GeH4 is between 5 to 10% of the concentration of molecules containing silicon. During the chemical vapor epitaxy, the concentration of GeH4 is reduced to zero. The raised source/drains and the gate are subjected to silicidation. The higher concentrations of GeH4 allow more selective epitaxy to silicon, thus preventing deposition on the polysilicon gate, nitride spacers and isolation trenches. It also allows for the use of lower epitaxy temperatures reducing movements of dopants in the source/drain extension. The slow reduction in concentration of GeH4 allows for the epitaxy temperature to be kept low.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventor: Bin Yu
  • Patent number: 6469388
    Abstract: A new method and structure for an improved contact using doped silicon is provided. The structures are integrated into several higher level embodiments. The improved contact has low contact resistivity. Improved junctions are thus provided between an IGFET device and subsequent metallization layers. The improvements are obtained through the use of a silicon-germanium (Si—Ge) alloy. The alloy can be formed from depositing germanium onto the substrate and subsequently annealing the contact or by selectively depositing the preformed alloy into a contact opening. The above advantages are incorporated with relatively few process steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Randhir P. S. Thakur
  • Patent number: 6455919
    Abstract: A bipolar transistor is disclosed. The bipolar transistor comprises: a silicon substrate; a collector formed in the semiconductor substrate, a base formed over the collector, the base having an intrinsic base region and an extrinsic base region, the extrinsic base region forming an internal resistor, an emitter formed over the intrinsic base region; and a dielectric layer formed between the extrinsic base region and the collector, the extrinsic base region. the dielectric layer and the collector forming an internal capacitor. The base of the transistor may be silicon-germanium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ciaran J. Brennan, Steven H. Voldman
  • Publication number: 20020130392
    Abstract: A bipolar transistor is disclosed. The bipolar transistor comprises: a silicon substrate; a collector formed in the semiconductor substrate; a base formed over the collector, the base having an intrinsic base region and an extrinsic base region, the intrinsic base region forming an internal resistor; an emitter formed over the intrinsic base region; and a dielectric layer formed between the extrinsic base region and the collector, the extrinsic base region, the dielectric layer and the collector forming an internal capacitor. The base of the transistor may be silicon-germanium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2001
    Publication date: September 19, 2002
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ciaran J. Brennan, Steven H. Voldman
  • Publication number: 20020130393
    Abstract: A semiconductor device has a semiconductor substrate, a first transistor having a first gate electrode formed of a polycrystalline silicon germanium film as formed above said semiconductor substrate, and a second transistor having a second gate electrode which is formed of a polycrystalline silicon germanium film as formed above the semiconductor substrate and which is different in concentration of germanium from the first gate electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2002
    Publication date: September 19, 2002
    Inventors: Mariko Takayanagi, Hironobu Fukui
  • Publication number: 20020125497
    Abstract: Structures and methods for fabricating high speed digital, analog, and combined digital/analog systems using planarized relaxed SiGe as the materials platform. The relaxed SiGe allows for a plethora of strained Si layers that possess enhanced electronic properties. By allowing the MOSFET channel to be either at the surface or buried, one can create high-speed digital and/or analog circuits. The planarization before the device epitaxial layers are deposited ensures a flat surface for state-of-the-art lithography. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor structure including a planarized relaxed Si1−xGex layer on a substrate; and a device heterostructure deposited on said planarized relaxed Si1−xGex layer including at least one strained layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2001
    Publication date: September 12, 2002
    Inventor: Eugene A. Fitzgerald