Texas Instruments Corporation

Lennox Industries Inc.

Dhishan Kande

Qi-Zhong Hong

Abbas Ali

Gregory Boyd Shinn

Archana Venugopal

Young-Joon Park

Kyle McPherson

Bhaskar Srinivasan

Brian Goodlin

Henry Greist

Sanjeev Hingorani

Pete Hrejsa

Elena Smirnova

Ye Shao

David Matthew Curran

Shih Chang Chang

Emile Abi-Habib

An HVAC system includes one or more air quality sensors, each configured to measure an air quality and a thermostat communicatively coupled to the one or more air quality sensors. The thermostat receives indoor air quality measurements from the one or more air quality sensors. An indoor air quality score is determined based at least in part on the received indoor air quality measurements. The thermostat determines, based at least in part on the indoor air quality score, a mitigation action, wherein the mitigation action comprises one or more actions selected from the group of: (i) a filtering action comprising filtering air provided to the space using an air purification subsystem, and (ii) a ventilation action comprising ventilating the space using a ventilation subsystem. The mitigation action is executed, or implemented, by adjusting one or more components of the HVAC system.

HVAC system with indoor air quality monitoring and mitigation

A device including a thin film resistor (TFR) structure. The TFR structure is accessible by one or more conductive vias that extend vertically from an upper metal layer to completely penetrate a TFR layer positioned thereunder. The conductive vias are coupled to one or more sidewalls of the TFR layer at or near the sites of penetration. The TFR structure can be manufactured by a method that includes etching a via trench completely through the TFR layer and a dielectric layer above the TFR layer, and filling the via trench with a conductor coupled to a sidewall of the TFR layer.

Thin film resistor with punch-through vias

An integrated circuit (IC) includes a substrate with a semiconductor surface layer including functional circuitry having a plurality of interconnected transistors including a dielectric layer thereon with a metal stack including a plurality of metal levels over the dielectric layer. A thin film resistor (TFR) layer including at least one metal is within the metal stack. At least one capacitor is within the metal stack including a capacitor dielectric layer over a metal bottom plate formed from one of the metal levels. The capacitor top plate is formed from the TFR layer on the capacitor dielectric layer and there is at least one resistor lateral to the capacitor formed from the same TFR layer.

Thin film resistor and top plate of capacitor sharing a layer

An integrated circuit has a substrate including semiconductor material and a resistor in an interconnect region, above a first level of interconnect lines. The integrated circuit further includes an electrically isolated thermal conduit having one or more interconnect lines in every interconnect level lower than the resistor. The interconnect lines of the thermal conduit are directly connected through one or more vertical interconnects, including contacts, and possibly vias, to a gate structure located on a dielectric material over the semiconductor material of the substrate. The thermal conduit is electrically isolated from the resistor, from all active components in the integrated circuit, and from the semiconductor material of the substrate.

Structure to enable higher current density in integrated circuit resistor

A method of fabricating an integrated circuit (IC) includes providing a substrate having a semiconductor surface layer comprising an unpatterned resistive layer. Measurements are obtained of a characteristic of the unpatterned resistive layer at each of a plurality of locations over the substrate. The unpatterned resistive layer is modified, such as by targeted removal of layer material, in response to the measurements such that the measured characteristic is more uniform across the substrate. A resistor on the IC is defined from the unpatterned resistive layer after the modifying.

IC with ion milled thin-film resistors

A method of fabricating integrated circuits (ICs) includes depositing a dielectric liner layer on a substrate including a semiconductor surface having a plurality of IC die formed therein each including functional circuitry including a plurality of interconnected transistors. A thin film resistor (TFR) layer including chromium (Cr) is deposited on the dielectric liner layer. The substrate is loaded into a hardmask layer deposition tool that includes a plasma source. The TFR layer is in-situ plasma pre-treated including flowing at least one inert gas and at least one oxidizing gas while in the hardmask layer deposition tool. A hardmask layer is deposited after the plasma pre-treating while remaining in the hardmask layer deposition tool. A pattern is formed on the hardmask layer, and the hardmask layer and TFR layer are etched stopping in the dielectric liner layer to form at least one resistor from the defined TFR layer.

In-situ plasma treatment for thin film resistors

A method of fabricating an integrated circuit (IC) includes depositing an aluminum-containing metal interconnect layer at a first temperature over a semiconductor device having a plurality of transistors. The metal interconnect layer is annealed at a maximum annealing temperature that is less than the first temperature. The metal interconnect layer is patterned after the annealing, thereby interconnecting the transistors.

Metal interconnect processing for an integrated circuit metal stack

A device and method for fabricating an integrated circuit (IC) chip is disclosed. The method includes depositing a first thin film resistor material on a first inter-level dielectric (ILD) layer; depositing an etch retardant layer overlying the first thin film resistor material; and patterning and etching the etch retardant layer and the first thin film resistor material to form a first resistor. The method continues with depositing a second ILD layer overlying the first resistor; and patterning and etching the second ILD layer using a first etch chemistry to form vias through the second ILD layer and the etch retardant layer to the first resistor. The etch retardant layer is selective to a first etch chemistry and the thickness of the etch retardant layer is such that the via etching process removes substantially all exposed portions of the etch retardant layer and substantially prevents consumption of the underlying first thin film resistor material.

Device and method for a thin film resistor using a via retardation layer

A method of fabricating an integrated circuit (IC) includes forming a metal interconnect stack on substrate that includes a plurality of product die each having a plurality of transistors connected together to implement a circuit function. The forming the metal interconnect stack includes depositing a metal interconnect layer comprising aluminum on a barrier layer at a first temperature. After depositing the metal interconnect layer, the metal interconnect stack is annealed in a non-oxidizing ambient at a maximum annealing temperature that is&#x3c;the first temperature. After the annealing, a pattern is formed on the metal interconnect layer, and at least the metal interconnect layer is etched.

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Dallas, TX, United States of America

Dhishan Kande