Infineon Technologies Ag

Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Infineon Technologies North America Corp.

Hartmud Terletzki

Gerd Frankowsky

Thomas Vogelsang

Gerhard Mueller

Oliver Kiehl

Mike A Killian

Ernst Stahl

Manfred Reithinger

Gunther Lehmann

Manfred Menke

Gunther R Lehmann

A method of forming a semiconductor device includes providing a semiconductor substrate including a source/drain region, an active transistor region, and a substrate contact region coupled to a body region. A shallow trench isolation (STI) area is formed in a major surface of the semiconductor substrate in between the active transistor region and the substrate contact region. The method further includes at least partially burying at least one capacitor in the STI area.

Shallow trench isolation area having buried capacitor

A semiconductor chip includes a substrate including a surface, an active transistor region and a substrate contact region formed on the substrate, a shallow trench isolation (STI) area formed in the surface and disposed at least partially between the active transistor region and the substrate contact region, and at least one capacitor at least partially buried in the STI area.

A level shifting circuit includes a level-shifting section responsive to an input logic signal, which varies between a first voltage level (e.g., ground) and a second voltage level (e.g., 2.1V). The level-shifting section provides an output logic signal at an output terminal. The output logic signal varies between the first voltage level and a third voltage level (e.g., 2.5V). The circuit also includes an enable/disable section with a first portion coupled between the level shifting section and a first reference voltage node (e.g., ground) and a second portion coupled between the level shifting section and the third reference voltage node. The enable/disable section causes the output terminal to be placed at a relatively high output impedance condition independent of the logic state of the input logic signal in response to a disable mode indication from an enable/disable signal.

Level-shifting circuitry having 'high' output impedance during disable mode

A semiconductor packaging arrangement, or module, includes a printed circuit board having an electrical interconnect thereon and a semiconductor package mounted to the printed circuit board. The semiconductor package includes a fractional portion of a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of integrated circuit chips thereon, such chips being separated by regions in the fractional portion of the wafer. The fractional portion of the wafer has a plurality of electrical contacts electrically connected to the chips. The package also includes a dielectric member having an electrical conductor thereon. The electrical conductor are electrically connected to the plurality of electrical contacts of the plurality of chips to electrically interconnect such plurality of chips with portions of the electrical conductor spanning the regions in the fractional portion of the wafer. A connector is provided for electrically connecting the electrical conductor of the package to the electrical interconnect of the printed circuit board.

Multiple chip semiconductor arrangement having electrical components in separating regions

A system and method is provided for controlling the impedance and current of an off chip driver circuit to match to load driven by the driver and for reducing noise and ringing in the off chip driver circuit. The driver comprises a pull up transistor for switching the output of the driver to a high-voltage, a pull down transistor for switching the output of the driver to a low voltage, a first current mirror transistor coupled to the pull up transistor for controlling the current transmitted to a load connected to the driver when the output of the driver is at the high-voltage, and a second current mirror transistor coupled to the pull down transistor for controlling the current transmitted to the load when the output of the driver is at the low voltage. In addition, the driver may include a first pre-driver providing a gate signal for the pull up transistor having a controlled slew rate and a second pre-driver providing a gate signal for the pull down transistor having a controlled slew rate.

Off chip driver

Leakage in semiconductors, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices, caused by word line/bit line shorts can be avoided by locating transistors (e.g., isolator, current limiter, equalize) inside isolated p-wells.

Using isolated p-well transistor arrangements to avoid leakage caused by word line/bit line shorts

A level shifting circuit includes a level-shifting section responsive to an input logic signal, which varies between a first voltage level (e.g., ground) and a second voltage level (e.g., 2.1 V). The level-shifting section provides an output logic signal at an output terminal. The output logic signal varies between the first voltage level and a third voltage level (e.g., 2.5V). The circuit also includes an enable/disable section with a first portion coupled between the level shifting section and a first reference voltage node (e.g., ground) and a second portion coupled between the level shifting section and the third reference voltage node. The enable/disable section causes the output terminal to be placed at a relatively high output impedance condition independent of the logic state of the input logic signal in response to a disable mode indication from an enable/disable signal.

Semiconductor package and method

A memory is provided having an array of rows and columns of memory cells. The memory includes plurality of sense amplifiers, each one having a true terminal and a compliment terminal. The memory also includes a plurality of pairs of twisted bit lines, each one of the pairs of lines being coupled to true and compliment terminals of a corresponding one of the plurality of sense amplifiers. A plurality of word lines is provided, each one being connected to a corresponding one of the rows of memory cells. An address logic section is fed by column address signals, fed to the bit lines, and row address signals, fed to the word lines, for producing invert/non-invert signals in accordance with the fed row and column address signals. The memory includes a plurality of inverters each one being coupled to a corresponding one of the sense amplifiers for inverting data fed to or read from the sense amplifier selectively in accordance with the invert/non-invert signals produced by the address logic.

Twisted bit-line compensation

Level-shifting circuitry having a level shifting section and an enable/disable section. The level shifting section is responsive to an input logic signal. The input logic signal has a first voltage level representative of a first logic state or a second voltage level representative of a second logic state. The level-shifting section provides an output logic signal having a third voltage level representative of the logic state of the input logic signal. The enable/disable section is coupled to the level shifting section and is responsive to an enable/disable signal for driving the output terminal of the level-shifting section to a predetermined voltage level during a disable mode. A switch is responsive to the enable/disable signal for preventing current to the level shifting section during the disable mode.

Level-shifting circuitry having &ldquo;low&rdquo; output during disable mode

Level-shifting circuitry having a level-shifting section and an enable/disable section. The level-shifting section is responsive to an input logic signal. The input logic signal has a first voltage level representative of a first logic state and a second voltage level representative of a second logic state. The level-shifting section provides an output logic signal, such output logic signal having a third voltage level representative of the first logic state of the input logic signal. The enable/disable section is responsive to an enable/disable signal for driving the output logic signal to the third voltage level during a disable mode, such third voltage level being greater than the first or second voltage levels.

Level-shifting circuitry having &ldquo;high&rdquo; output during disable mode

A semiconductor circuit is provided including circuitry for producing a pulse. A plurality, n, of delay elements are provided each enabled and disabled in parallel by the pulse. Each delay element is adapted to transmit the pulse from an input to an output, with the pulse reaching the respective outputs at different times. A plurality, n&minus;1, of detectors is provided each having an input coupled to an input of a corresponding delay element. Each detector is adapted to set a state of its output to a predetermined state, from a plurality of states, in response to receiving a portion of the pulse. The outputs of the detectors are coupled to output pins of the semiconductor circuit. A tester is provided that is adapted to couple to the semiconductor output pins and detect the state of the detector outputs.

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Pleasant Valley, NY, United States of America

Hartmud Terletzki