With Specified Crystal Plane Or Axis Patents (Class 257/627)
  • Patent number: 6563146
    Abstract: A lateral heterojunction bipolar transistor comprises a first semiconductor layer in a mesa configuration disposed on an insulating layer, a second semiconductor layer formed by epitaxial growth on the side surfaces of the first semiconductor layer and having a band gap different from that of the first semiconductor layer, and a third semiconductor layer formed by epitaxial growth on the side surfaces of the second semiconductor layer and having a band gap different from that of the second semiconductor layer. The first semiconductor layer serves as a collector of a first conductivity type. At least a part of the second semiconductor layer serves as an internal base layer of a second conductivity type. At least a part of the third semiconductor layer serves as an emitter operating region of the first conductivity type. The diffusion of an impurity is suppressed in the internal base formed by epitaxial growth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Yuki, Minoru Kubo
  • Patent number: 6545320
    Abstract: A high performance circuit is formed by using a TFT with less fluctuation in characteristics, and a semiconductor device including such a circuit is formed. When the TFT is formed, first, a base film and a semiconductor film are continuously formed on a quartz substrate without exposing to the air. After the semiconductor film is crystallized by using a catalytic element, the catalytic element is removed. In the TFT formed in such a process, fluctuation in electrical characteristics such as a threshold voltage and a subthreshold coefficient is extremely small. Thus, it is possible to form a circuit, such as a differential amplifier circuit, which is apt to receive an influence of characteristic fluctuation of a TFT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisashi Ohtani, Jun Koyama, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20030042579
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure and a method of determining an overlay error produced during formation of the semiconductor structure are disclosed. The semiconductor structure comprises a first two-dimensional periodic pattern and a second two-dimensional periodic pattern, which overlap with each other, wherein a relative position between the overlapping first and second two-dimensional periodic patterns indicates the magnitude and direction of an overlay error caused during the formation of the first and second two-dimensional periodic patterns. The semiconductor allows one to independently determine the overlay errors in linearly independent directions by directing a light beam of known optical properties onto the first and second two-dimensional periodic patterns and by analyzing the diffracted beam by comparison with reference data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2002
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Inventor: Bernd Schulz
  • Publication number: 20030042578
    Abstract: A crystalline silicon layer is epitaxially grown on a substrate having a porous silicon layer on the surface. In making epitaxial growth by liquid-phase epitaxy, a silicon material is previously dissolved in a melt at a high temperature and then the silicon substrate to be subjected to epitaxy is immersed in the melt. Then, its temperature is gradually lowered, whereby the silicon precipitated from the melt is epitaxially grown on the silicon substrate. In this epitaxy, a substrate having the principal plane of (111)-plane is used as the silicon substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2002
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Inventors: Masaaki Iwane, Katsumi Nakagawa, Shoji Nishida, Noritaka Ukiyo, Yukiko Iwasaki, Masaki Mizutani
  • Publication number: 20030030117
    Abstract: Diffusion layers 2-5 are formed on a silicon substrate 1, and gate dielectric films 6, 7 and gate electrodes 8, 9 are formed on these diffusion layers 2-5 so as to be MOS transistors. Zirconium oxide or hafnium oxide is used as a major component of gate dielectric films 6, 7. Gate dielectric films 6, 7 are formed, for example, by CVD. As substrate 1, there is used one of which the surface is (111) crystal face so as to prevent diffusion of oxygen into silicon substrate 1 or gate electrodes 8, 9. In case of using a substrate of which the surface is (111) crystal face, diffusion coefficient of oxygen is less than {fraction (1/100)} of the case in which a silicon substrate of which the surface is (001) crystal face is used, and oxygen diffusion is controlled. Thus, oxygen diffusion is controlled, generation of leakage current is prevented and properties are improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2002
    Publication date: February 13, 2003
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomio Iwasaki, Hiroshi Moriya, Hideo Miura, Shuji Ikeda
  • Publication number: 20030020143
    Abstract: An MOS-type semiconductor device comprises two semiconductors separated by an insulator. The two semiconductors comprise monocrystal semiconductors, each having a crystallographic orientation with respect to the insulator (or other crystallographic/semiconductor property) different to the crystallographic orientation (or other respective property) of the other semiconductor. This arrangement of crystallographic orientations (and other crystallographic/semiconductor properties) can yield reduced unintended electron tunneling or current leakage through the insulator vis a vis a semiconductor device in which such an arrangement is not used. Methods for forming the MOS-type semiconductor devices of the invention are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2002
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Inventors: Tatsuo Shimizu, Mieko Matsumura, Shigenobu Kimura, Yutaka Hirose, Yasuhiro Nishioka
  • Publication number: 20030020087
    Abstract: Provided is a nitride semiconductor having a larger low-defective region on a surface thereof, a semiconductor device using the nitride semiconductor, a method of manufacturing a nitride semiconductor capable of easily reducing surface defects in a step of forming a layer through lateral growth, and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device manufactured by the use of the nitride semiconductor. A seed crystal portion is formed into stripes on a substrate with a buffer layer sandwiched therebetween. Then, a crystal is grown from the seed crystal portion in two steps of growth conditions to form a nitride semiconductor layer. In a first step, a low temperature growth portion having a trapezoidal-shaped cross section in a layer thickness direction is formed at a growth temperature of 1030° C., and in a second step, lateral growth predominantly takes place at a growth temperature of 1070° C. Then, a high temperature growth potion is formed between the low temperature growth portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2002
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Inventors: Osamu Goto, Takeharu Asano, Motonobu Takeya, Katsunori Yanashima
  • Publication number: 20030001238
    Abstract: A GaN-based compound semiconductor epi-wafer includes: a substrate 11 made of a first nitride semiconductor belonging to a hexagonal system; and an element layer 12 for forming a semiconductor element, which is made of a second nitride semiconductor belonging to the hexagonal system and which is grown on a principal surface of the substrate 11. An orientation of the principal surface of the substrate 11 has an off-angle in a predetermined direction with respect to a (0001) plane, and the element layer 12 has a surface morphology of a stripe pattern extending substantially in parallel to the predetermined direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2002
    Publication date: January 2, 2003
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuzaburo Ban
  • Patent number: 6501154
    Abstract: There are provided a semiconductor substrate and a semiconductor laser using the semiconductor substrate which promises smooth and optically excellent cleaved surfaces and is suitable for fabricating semiconductor lasers using nitride III-V compound semiconductors. Using a semiconductor substrate, such as GaN substrate, having a major surface substantially normal to a {0001}-oriented face, e.g. {01-10}-oriented face or {11-20}-oriented face, or offset within ±5° from these faces, nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers are epitaxially grown on the substrate to form a laser structure. To make cavity edges, the GaN substrate is cleaved together with the overlying III-V compound semiconductor layers along high-cleavable {0001}-oriented faces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2002
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Etsuo Morita, Masao Ikeda, Hiroji Kawai
  • Patent number: 6495883
    Abstract: A semiconductor device has a dielectric strength for a gate oxide film at a trench bottom that is higher than that of side walls used for channels. An n+0 type substrate 1 having substrate plane orientation of (110) is prepared, and the side walls of a trench where channels are formed are in (100) planes. The other, non-channel forming, side walls of the trench are in (110) planes. Thus, the growth rate of the gate oxide film 7 in the non-channel forming side walls and the trench bottom is faster than that in the channel forming side walls. As a result, the film thickness at the non-channel-forming side walls and the trench bottom is greater than that of the channel-forming side walls. Accordingly, the device has high mobility, and there is no drop of dielectric strength due to partial reduction of the thickness of the gate oxide film 7. This achieves both a reduction of the ON resistance and an increase in the dielectric strength of the semiconductor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Takumi Shibata, Shoichi Yamauchi, Yasushi Urakami, Toshiyuki Morishita
  • Patent number: 6483171
    Abstract: A method for forming NMOS and PMOS transistors that includes cutting a substrate along a higher order orientation and fabricating deep sub-micron NMOS and PMOS transistors on the vertical surfaces thereof. The complementary NMOS and PMOS transistors form a CMOS transistor pair. The transistors are preferably used in structures such as memory circuits, e.g., DRAMs, which are, in turn, used in a processor-based system. Ideally, the deep sub-micron NMOS and PMOS transistors are operated in velocity saturation for optimal switching operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Leonard Forbes, Wendell P. Noble, Alan R. Reinberg
  • Patent number: 6476462
    Abstract: An MOS-type semiconductor device comprises two semiconductors separated by an insulator. The two semiconductors comprise monocrystal semiconductors, each having a crystallographic orientation with respect to the insulator (or other crystallographic/semiconductor property) different to the crystallographic orientation (or other respective property) of the other semiconductor. This arrangement of crystallographic orientations (and other crystallographic/semiconductor properties) can yield reduced unintended electron tunneling or current leakage through the insulator vis a vis a semiconductor device in which such an arrangement is not used. Methods for forming the MOS-type semiconductor devices of the invention are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Tatsuo Shimizu, Mieko Matsumura, Shigenobu Kimura, Yutaka Hirose, Yasuhiro Nishioka
  • Patent number: 6455877
    Abstract: A GaN light-emitting device is provided having a low specific contact resistance of an n-type electrode as well as a low threshold voltage or threshold current density. The GaN light-emitting device has an electrode formed on a nitrogen-terminated surface of a GaN substrate. Specifically, the GaN light-emitting device includes the GaN substrate, a plurality of GaN compound semiconductor layers formed on the GaN substrate, and the n-type electrode and a p-type electrode, wherein the semiconductor substrate is of n-type and the n-type electrode is formed on the nitrogen-terminated surface of the semiconductor substrate. The concentration of n-type impurities in the substrate preferably ranges from 1×1017 cm−3 to 1×1021 cm−3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Ogawa, Takayuki Yuasa, Yoshihiro Ueta, Yuhzoh Tsuda, Masahiro Araki, Mototaka Taneya
  • Publication number: 20020125479
    Abstract: The invention relates to a MOSFET with a doped silicon source layer and a doped polycrystalline silicon gate layer and a doped silicon drain layer and to a method of fabricating the layers of such a transistors, in which an otherwise possible interaction between closely spaced layers or structural components of decreased size is eliminated or at least substantially reduced by incorporation in at least one layer of the MOSFET of an element from Group IV in a predetermined concentration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2001
    Publication date: September 12, 2002
    Inventors: Gunther Lippert, Abbas Ourmazd, Hans-Joerg Osten
  • Publication number: 20020117736
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes TFTs designed in accordance with characteristics of circuits. In a first structure of the invention, the TFT is formed by using a crystalline silicon film made of a unique crystal structure body. The crystal structure body has a structure in which rod-like or flattened rod-like crystals grow in a direction parallel to each other. In a second structure of the invention, growth distances of lateral growth regions are made different from each other in accordance with channel lengths of the TFTs. By this, characteristics of TFTs formed in one lateral growth region can be made as uniform as possible.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2002
    Publication date: August 29, 2002
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co. Ltd. a Japanese corporation
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hisashi Ohtani
  • Patent number: 6436748
    Abstract: A method for forming NMOS and PMOS transistors that includes cutting a substrate along a (111) orientation and fabricating deep sub-micron NMOS and PMOS transistors thereon. The complementary NMOS and PMOS transistors form a CMOS transistor pair. The transistors are preferably used in structures such a memory circuits, e.g., DRAMs, which are, in turn, used in a processor-based system. Ideally, the deep sub-micron NMOS and PMOS transistors are operated in velocity saturation for optimal switching operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Leonard Forbes, Wendell P. Noble
  • Publication number: 20020106874
    Abstract: A crystalline silicon layer is epitaxially grown on a substrate having a porous silicon layer on the surface. In making epitaxial growth by liquid-phase epitaxy, a silicon material is previously dissolved in a melt at a high temperature and then the silicon substrate to be subjected to epitaxy is immersed in the melt. Then, its temperature is gradually lowered, whereby the silicon precipitated from the melt is epitaxially grown on the silicon substrate. In this epitaxy, a substrate having the principal plane of (111)-plane is used as the silicon substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 1999
    Publication date: August 8, 2002
    Inventors: MASAAKI IWANE, KATSUMI NAKAGAWA, SHOJI NISHIDA, NORITAKA UKIYO, YUKIKO IWASAKI, MASAKI MIZUTANI
  • Patent number: 6426251
    Abstract: A dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cell comprising a deep trench storage capacitor having an active transistor device partially disposed on a side wall of the trench. The side wall is aligned to a first crystallographic plane having a crystallographic orientation along a single crystal axis. A process for manufacturing such a DRAM cell comprises: (a) forming a deep trench in a substrate, (b) forming a faceted crystal region along the trench side wall having a single crystallographic orientation, and (c) forming a transistor device partially disposed on the faceted crystal region in the side wall. The faceted crystal region may be formed by growing an oxide collar, such as by local thermal oxidation under oxidation conditions selected to promote a higher oxidation rate along a first family of crystallographic axes than along a second family of crystallographic axes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2002
    Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation, Infineon Technologies North America Corp.
    Inventors: Gary Bronner, Ulrike Gruening, Jack A. Mandelman, Carl J. Radens
  • Patent number: 6420733
    Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor light-emitting device involving the steps of: forming a first semiconductor layer; forming a light-emitting layer of superlattice structure by laminating a barrier layer being made of InY1Ga1−Y1N (Y1≧0) and a quantum well layer being made of InY2Ga1−Y2N (Y2>Y1 and Y2>0) on the first semiconductor layer; and forming a second semiconductor layer on the light- emitting layer, an uppermost barrier layer, which will become an uppermost layer of the light-emitting layer, is made thicker than the other barrier layers. Further, at the time of forming the second semiconductor layer, an upper surface of such uppermost barrier layer is caused to disappear so that the thickness of the uppermost barrier layer becomes substantially equal to those of the other barrier layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Norikatsu Koide, Shinya Asami, Junichi Umezaki, Masayoshi Koike, Shiro Yamasaki, Seiji Nagai
  • Patent number: 6420792
    Abstract: The marking of identification and orientation information along the edge (E) of a semiconductor wafer (20, 20′) is disclosed. The information may be marked by way of laser marking at one or more locations (10) along a flat portion (14) or bevel (12t, 12b) of the edge (E) of the wafer (20, 20′). The wafer marking (10) may be encoded, for example by way of a 2-D bar code. A system (30) for reading the identification information from wafers (20, 20′) in a carrier (32) is also disclosed. The system (30) includes a sensor (36) for sensing reflected light from the wafer markings (10) along the wafer edge (E), and for decoding identification and orientation therefrom. A motor (38), under the control of feedback (RFB) from the sensor (36), rotates the wafers (20, 20′) by way of a roller (39) until the wafer marking (10) is in view by the sensor (36). A processing system (40), which includes a rotatable chuck (41) upon which the wafer (20, 20′) is placed, is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Richard L. Guldi, Keith W. Melcher, John Williston
  • Patent number: 6407430
    Abstract: A high performance circuit is formed by using a TFT with less fluctuation in characteristics, and a semiconductor device including such a circuit is formed. When the TFT is formed, first, a base film and a semiconductor film are continuously formed on a quartz substrate without exposing to the air. After the semiconductor film is crystallized by using a catalytic element, the catalytic element is removed. In the TFT formed in such a process, fluctuation in electrical characteristics such as a threshold voltage and a subthreshold coefficient is extremely small. Thus, it is possible to form a circuit, such as a differential amplifier circuit, which is apt to receive an influence of characteristic fluctuation of a TFT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2002
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisashi Ohtani, Jun Koyama, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 6404027
    Abstract: A high dielectric rare earth oxide of the form Mn2O3 (such as, for example, Gd2O3 or Y2O3) is grown on a clean silicon (100) substrate surface under an oxygen partial pressure less than or equal to 10−7 torr to form an acceptable gate oxide (in terms of dielectric constant (∈˜18) and thickness) that eliminates the tunneling current present in ultra-thin conventional SiO2 dielectrics and avoids the formation of a native oxide layer at the interface between the silicon substrate and the dielectric. Epitaxial films can be grown on vicinal silicon substrates and amorphous films on regular silicon substrates to form the high dielectric gate oxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: Agere Systems Guardian Corp.
    Inventors: Minghwei Hong, Ahmet Refik Kortan, Jueinai Raynien Kwo, Joseph Petrus Mannaerts
  • Publication number: 20020063258
    Abstract: GaN-type LED or LD made on a (0001)GaN single crystal substrate having natural cleavage planes on sides. A GaN/GaN LED has a shape of a equilateral triangle, parallelogram, trapezoid, equilateral hexagon or rhombus. A GaN/GaN LD has a shape of a parallelogram with cleavage planes on two ends and two sides. Another GaN/GaN LD has a shape of a square with cleavage planes on two ends.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 1999
    Publication date: May 30, 2002
    Inventor: KENSAKU MOTOKI
  • Patent number: 6396120
    Abstract: A method and semiconductor structure that uses a field enhanced region where the oxide thickness is substantially reduced, thereby allowing antifuse programming at burn-in voltages which do not damage the standard CMOS logic. The semiconductor device comprises a substrate that has a raised protrusion terminating at a substantially sharp point, an insulator layer over the raised protrusion sufficiently thin to be breached by a breakdown voltage applied to the sharp point, a region comprised of a material on the insulator over the raised protrusion for becoming electrically coupled to the substrate after the insulator layer is breached by the breakdown voltage, and a contact for supplying the breakdown voltage to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Claude L Bertin, Toshiharu Furukawa, Erik L. Hedberg, Jack A. Mandelman, William R. Tonti, Richard Q. Williams
  • Patent number: 6392257
    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. The accommodating buffer layer is lattice matched to both the underlying silicon wafer and the overlying monocrystalline compound semiconductor 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: February 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: Motorola Inc.
    Inventors: Jamal Ramdani, Ravindranath Droopad, Lyndee L. Hilt, Kurt William Eisenbeiser
  • Publication number: 20020053670
    Abstract: A process for fabricating a highly stable and reliable semiconductor, comprising: coating the surface of an amorphous silicon film with a solution containing a catalyst element capable of accelerating the crystallization of the amorphous silicon film, and heat treating the amorphous silicon film thereafter to crystallize the film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2001
    Publication date: May 9, 2002
    Inventors: Hisashi Ohtani, Akiharu Miyanaga, Takeshi Fukunaga, Hongyong Zhang
  • Patent number: 6373075
    Abstract: Semiconductor devices based on thin film transistors formed over substrates. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device comprises at least two thin film transistors formed over a substrate, each of said thin film transistors having a crystalline semiconductor film comprising silicon formed on an insulating surface as an active region thereof, wherein said crystalline semiconductor film of each of said two thin film transistors has substantially no grain boundary therein, and a crystal axis of said crystalline semiconductor film in one of said two thin film transistors deviates from a crystal axis of the crystalline semiconductor film of the other, and the deviation of the crystal axis is within ±10°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Akiharu Miyanaga, Satoshi Teramoto
  • Patent number: 6372981
    Abstract: A group-IV semiconductor substrate has an inclined front surface, the inclination being toward a direction differing from the <010>crystal lattice direction. The substrate is cleansed by heating in the presence of a gas including a compound of the group-IV substrate element. A source gas of a group-III element is then supplied, forming an atomic film of the group-III element on the substrate surface. Starting at the same time, or shortly afterward, a source gas of a group-V element is supplied, and a III-V compound semiconductor hetero-epitaxial layer is grown. Chemical bonding of the group-III element to the group-IV substrate surface produces a crystal alignment of the hetero-epitaxial layer that leads to improved conversion efficiency when the semiconductor substrate is used in the fabrication of solar cells with compound semiconductor base and emitter layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Ueda, Chouho Yamagishi, Osamu Goto
  • Publication number: 20020033521
    Abstract: In a sapphire substrate having a heteroepitaxial growth surface, the heteroepitaxial growth surface is parallel to a plane obtained by rotating a (01{overscore (1)}0) plane of the sapphire substrate about a c-axis of the sapphire substrate through 8° to 20° in a crystal lattice of the sapphire substrate. A semiconductor device, electronic component, and crystal growing method are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2001
    Publication date: March 21, 2002
    Inventor: Takashi Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 6342445
    Abstract: A method of fabricating an SrRuO3 thin film is disclosed. The method utilizes a multi-step deposition process for the separate control of the Ru reagent, relative to the Sr reagent, which requires a much lower deposition temperature than the Sr reagent. A Ru reagent gas is supplied by a bubbler and deposited onto a substrate. Following the deposition of the Ru reagent, the Sr liquid reagent is vaporized and deposited onto the Ru layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2002
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Eugene P. Marsh
  • Patent number: 6337513
    Abstract: A chip packaging system and method for providing enhanced thermal cooling including a first embodiment wherein a diamond thin film is used to replace at least the surface layer of the existing packaging material in order to form a highly heat conductive path to an associated heat sink. An alternative embodiment provides diamond thin film layers disposed on adjacent surfaces of the chip and the chip package. Yet another alternative embodiment includes diamond thin film layers on adjacent chip surfaces in a chip-to-chip packaging structure. A final illustrated embodiment provides for the use of an increased number of solder balls disposed in at least one diamond thin film layer on at least one of a chip and a chip package joined with standard C4 technology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence A. Clevenger, Louis L. Hsu, Li-Kong Wang, Tsorng-Dih Yuan
  • Publication number: 20010048114
    Abstract: There are provided a semiconductor substrate and a semiconductor laser using the semiconductor substrate which promises smooth and optically excellent cleaved surfaces and is suitable for fabricating semiconductor lasers using nitride III-V compound semiconductors. Using a semiconductor substrate, such as GaN substrate, having a major surface substantially normal to a {0001}-oriented face, e.g. {01-10}-oriented face or {11-20}-oriented face, or offset within ±5° from these faces, nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers are epitaxially grown on the substrate to form a laser structure. To make cavity edges, the GaN substrate is cleaved together with the overlying III-V compound semiconductor layers along high-cleavable {0001}-oriented faces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 1998
    Publication date: December 6, 2001
    Inventors: ETSUO MORITA, MASOA IKEDA, HIROJI KAWAI
  • Patent number: 6326638
    Abstract: The semiconductor laser of this invention includes an active layer formed in a c-axis direction, wherein the active layer is made of a hexagonal-system compound semiconductor, and anisotropic strain is generated in a c plane of the active layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Kamiyama, Masakatsu Suzuki, Takeshi Uenoyama, Kiyoshi Ohnaka, Akira Takamori, Masaya Mannoh, Isao Kidoguchi, Hideto Adachi, Akihiko Ishibashi, Toshiya Fukuhisa, Yasuhito Kumabuchi
  • Patent number: 6320215
    Abstract: A dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cell comprising a deep trench storage capacitor having an active transistor device partially disposed on a side wall of the trench. The side wall is aligned to a first crystallographic plane having a crystallographic orientation along a single crystal axis. A process for manufacturing such a DRAM cell comprises: (a) forming a deep trench in a substrate, (b) forming a faceted crystal region along the trench side wall having a single crystallographic orientation, and (c) forming a transistor device partially disposed on the faceted crystal region in the side wall. The faceted crystal region may be formed by growing an oxide collar, such as by local thermal oxidation under oxidation conditions selected to promote a higher oxidation rate along a first family of crystallographic axes than along a second family of crystallographic axes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gary Bronner, Ulrike Gruening, Jack A. Mandelman, Carl J. Radens
  • Patent number: 6313494
    Abstract: A semiconductor device, having a contact pad grown by an anisotropical silicon selective growth technique, includes a first word line crossing a diffusion layer formed on a substrate and surrounded by an element separating region at a right angle, a second word line parallel with the first word line formed over a rounded corner of the diffusion layer, and an area of the diffusion layer rectangularly partitioned by the first and second word lines. So that anisotropical silicon selective epitaxial growth from this area of the diffusion layer is achieved, avoiding isotropical growth deteriorated by the rounded corner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2001
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroki Koga
  • Patent number: 6307214
    Abstract: After an amorphous semiconductor thin film is crystallized by utilizing a catalyst element, the catalyst element is removed by performing a heat treatment in an atmosphere containing a halogen element. A resulting crystalline semiconductor thin film has features that it exhibits {110} orientation and that almost all crystal lattices have continuity at a crystal boundary. This type of grain boundaries greatly contribute to improving the carrier mobility, and make it possible to realize semiconductor devices having very high performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisashi Ohtani, Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Yasushi Ogata, Akiharu Miyanaga
  • Publication number: 20010030328
    Abstract: The nitride semiconductor device includes: a substrate made of a III-V group compound semiconductor containing nitride; and a function region made of a III-V group compound semiconductor layer containing nitride formed on a main surface of the substrate. The main surface of the substrate is tilted from a {0001} surface by an angle in an range of 13° to 90° inclusive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2001
    Publication date: October 18, 2001
    Inventor: Masahiro Ishida
  • Publication number: 20010030354
    Abstract: An MOS-type semiconductor device comprises two semiconductors separated by an insulator. The two semiconductors comprise monocrystal semiconductors, each having a crystallographic orientation with respect to the insulator (or other crystallographic/semiconductor property) different to the crystallographic orientation (or other respective property) of the other semiconductor. This arrangement of crystallographic orientations (and other crystallographic/semiconductor properties) can yield reduced unintended electron tunneling or current leakage through the insulator vis à vis a semiconductor device in which such an arrangement is not used. Methods for forming the MOS-type semiconductor devices of the invention are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2000
    Publication date: October 18, 2001
    Inventors: Tatsuo Shimizu, Mieko Matsumura, Shigenobu Kimura, Yutaka Hirose, Yasuhiro Nishioka
  • Patent number: 6303963
    Abstract: A high performance circuit is formed by using a TFT with less fluctuation in characteristics, and a semiconductor device including such a circuit is formed. When the TFT is formed, first, a base film and a semiconductor film are continuously formed on a quartz substrate without exposing to the air. After the semiconductor film is crystallized by using a catalytic element, the catalytic element is removed. In the TFT formed in such a process, fluctuation in electrical characteristics such as a threshold voltage and a subthreshold coefficient is extremely small. Thus, it is possible to form a circuit, such as a differential amplifier circuit, which is apt to receive an influence of characteristic fluctuation of a TFT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisashi Ohtani, Jun Koyama, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 6303945
    Abstract: In a semiconductor element comprising microcrystalline semiconductor, a semiconductor junction is provided within a microcrystal grain. Further, in a semiconductor element comprising microcrystalline semiconductor, microcrystal grains of different grain diameters are provided as a mixture to form a semiconductor layer. Thereby, discontinuity of a semiconductor junction is lessened to thereby improve the characteristics, durability, and heat resisting properties of a semiconductor element. Distortion in a semiconductor layer is also reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keishi Saito, Masafumi Sano
  • Publication number: 20010026006
    Abstract: Improved methods and structures are provided that are lateral to surfaces with a (110) crystal plane orientation such that an electrical current of such structures is conducted in the <110> direction. Advantageously, improvements in hole carrier mobility of approximately 50% can be obtained by orienting the structure's channel in a (110) plane such that the electrical current flow is in the <110> direction. Moreover, these improved methods and structures can be used in conjunction with existing fabrication and processing techniques with minimal or no added complexity. Embodiments of a method of forming an integrated circuit include forming a trench in a silicon wafer. A trench wall of the trench has a (110) crystal plane orientation. A semiconductor device is also formed lateral to the trench wall such that the semiconductor device is capable of conducting an electrical current in a <110> direction. One method of the present invention provides for forming an integrated circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2001
    Publication date: October 4, 2001
    Applicant: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Wendell P. Noble, Leonard Forbes, Alan R. Reinberg
  • Patent number: 6278141
    Abstract: An enhancement-mode semiconductor device includes a barrier layer formed on a channel layer and a gate electrode provided on the barrier layer, wherein the gate electrode is formed with an orientation chosen so as to maximize a threshold voltage of the semiconductor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2001
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Eizo Mitani, Hiroyuki Oguri
  • Patent number: 6278173
    Abstract: It is intended to provide a semiconductor device, its manufacturing method and substrate for manufacturing the semiconductor device which ensures that good cleavable surfaces be made stably in a semiconductor layer under precise control upon making edges of cleaves surfaces in the semiconductor layer stacked on a substrate even when the substrate is non-cleavable, difficult to cleave or different in cleavable orientation from the semiconductor layer. A semiconductor layer 2 made of III-V compound semiconductors is stacked to form a laser structure on a sapphire substrate 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2001
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toshimasa Kobayashi, Tsuyoshi Tojo
  • Patent number: 6274403
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing heteroepitaxial diamond layers on Si-substrates by means of CVD and standard process gases, in which (a) during the nucleation phase a negative bias voltage is applied to the Si-substrate and (b) following the nucleation phase diamond deposition takes place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2001
    Assignee: Daimler Benz AG
    Inventors: Claus-Peter Klages, Xin Jiang, Hans-Jürgen Füsser, Martin Hartweg, Reinhard Zachai, Manfred Rösler
  • Publication number: 20010010941
    Abstract: To improve crystallographic property of a nitride III-V compound semiconductor layer grown on a sapphire substrate, a plurality of recesses are made on a major surface of the sapphire substrate, and the nitride III-V compound semiconductor layer is grown thereon. At least a part of the inner surface of each recess makes an angle not less than 10 degrees with respect to the major surface of the sapphire substrate. The recesses are buried with nitride III-V compound semiconductor crystal having a higher Al composition ratio than the nitride III-V compound semiconductor layer, such as AlxGa1−xN crystal whose Al composition ratio x is 0.2 or more, for example. Each recess has a depth not less than 25 nm and a width not less than 30 nm. The recesses may be made either upon thermal cleaning of the sapphire substrate or by using lithography and etching, thermal etching, or the like.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2001
    Publication date: August 2, 2001
    Inventor: Etsuo Morita
  • Patent number: 6265089
    Abstract: An electronic device characterized by a 10-300 micron thick sapphire crystal substrate having a polished off a-plane growth surface, a 10-1000 angstrom thick nucleating layer disposed on the substrate for promoting film growth thereon, and a 0.1-10 micron thick semiconducting film disposed on the nucleating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Mohammad Fatemi, Alma E. Wickenden, Daniel D. Koleske, Richard Henry, Mark Twigg
  • Patent number: 6232623
    Abstract: To improve crystallographic property of a nitride III-V compound semiconductor layer grown on a sapphire substrate, a plurality of recesses are made on a major surface of the sapphire substrate, and the nitride III-V compound semiconductor layer is grown thereon. At least a part of the inner surface of each recess makes an angle not less than 10 degrees with respect to the major surface of the sapphire substrate. The recesses are buried with nitride III-V compound semiconductor crystal having a higher Al composition ratio than the nitride III-V compound semiconductor layer, such as AlxGa1−xN crystal whose Al composition ratio x is 0.2 or more, for example. Each recess has a depth not less than 25 nm and a width not less than 30 nm. The recesses may be made either upon thermal cleaning of the sapphire substrate or by using lithography and etching, thermal etching, or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Etsuo Morita
  • Patent number: 6229153
    Abstract: A resonant tunneling diode is produced in a gallium arsenide material system formed with barrier layers of AlGaAs with a quantum well layer of low band-gap material between them. The material of the well is selected to adjust the second energy level to the edge of the conduction band in GaAs, with a preferred quantum well layer formed of InGaAs. The resonant tunneling diode structure is grown by a metal organic chemical vapor deposition process on the surface of the nominally exact (100) GaAs substrate. Layers of doped GaAs may be formed on either side of the multilayer resonant tunneling diode structure, and spacer layers of GaAs may also be provided on either side of the barrier layers to reduce the intrinsic capacitance of the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Corporation
    Inventors: Dan Botez, Luke J. Mawst, Ali R. Mirabedini
  • Patent number: 6229197
    Abstract: A vertical field effect transistor (700) and fabrication method with buried gates (704) having gate sidewall crystal orientation the same as the substrate surface and a low index substrate crystal orientation without tilt to a higher index direction. The gate (704) may have modulated doping along the channel (706), and the drain (708) may have a lighter doping level than the channel which may be accomplished by an epitaxial overgrowth of the gates (704) to form the channels (706).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Donald Lynn Plumton, Tae Seung Kim
  • Patent number: 6229151
    Abstract: An optical semiconductor device having a plurality of GaN-based semiconductor layers containing a strained quantum well layer in which the strained quantum well layer has a piezoelectric field that depends on the orientation of the strained quantum well layer when the quantum layer is grown. In the present invention, the strained quantum well layer is grown with an orientation at which the piezoelectric field is less than the maximum value of the piezoelectric field strength as a function of the orientation. In devices having GaN-based semiconductor layers with a wurtzite crystal structure, the growth orientation of the strained quantum well layer is tilted at least 1° from the {0001} direction of the wurtzite crystal structure. In devices having GaN-based semiconductor layers with a zincblende crystal structure, the growth orientation of the strained quantum well layer is tilted at least 1° from the {111} direction of the zincblende crystal structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Takeuchi, Norihide Yamada, Hiroshi Amano, Isamu Akasaki