Nec Corporation

Nec Electronics Corporation

Keisuke Hatano

Yasutaka Nakashiba

Masayuki Furumiya

Takahisa Abiru

Takashi Sato

Toru Yamada

Nobukazu Teranishi

Shinichi Kawai

Takao Tamura

Ichiro Murakami

Tsuyoshi Nagata

Chihiro Ogawa

Yasuaki Hokari

Shinichi Horiba

Nobuhiko Mutoh

Michihiro Morimoto

Kouichi Arai

Kozo Orihara

Yuji Surisawa

Kazuma Minami

Shinobu Suwazono

Hiroaki Utsumi

Toru Kawasaki

A semiconductor device according to the present invention comprises a substrate; a copper interconnect layer formed on the top surface side of the substrate; an aluminum bonding pad formed on the top surface side of the copper interconnect layer with an aluminum-based material; and an aluminum interconnect formed on the top surface side of the copper interconnect layer with an aluminum-based material.

Semiconductor device

A solid-state image pickup device is formed such that a charge transfer electrode, a field plate electrode, and a gate electrode are formed of an electrically conductive single-layer electrode material film, and the gaps between the electrodes are filled with an insulating film having a reflow property to be flattened, thereby reducing the height of the device and alleviating the irregularities of the surface. This makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the flattening film required for flattening the device upon formation of micro-lenses and provide an improved sensitivity to the solid-state image pickup device.

Solid-state image pickup device having improved flatness and method for fabricating the same

In a solid state image sensor, tranfer electrodes are formed by selectively etch-removing a single layer of conducting electrode material at a plurality of first regions which divide the single layer of conducting electrode material in a row direction for each one pixel. A patterned mask is formed to cover the first regions and the single layer of conducting electrode material but to expose the single layer of conducting electrode material at a second region above each of the photoelectric conversion sections, and the single layer of conducting electrode material is selectively etch-removed using the patterned mask as a mask. Thereafter, a first conductivity type impurity and a second conductivity type impurity are ion-implanted using the patterned mask and the single layer of conducting electrode material as a mask, to form the photoelectric conversion section at the second region.

Solid state image sensor and method for fabricating the same

A connection via hole is formed in an inter layer insulation film that covers a copper pad. Copper is formed within the connection via hole to form a connection copper via metal. An aluminum pad having a barrier metal thereunder for preventing reaction between copper and aluminum is formed on the connection copper via metal, thereby electrically connecting the copper pad and the aluminum pad to each other through the connection copper via metal. A step formed by the connection via hole that is formed in the inter layer insulation film is made substantially equal to zero with the aid of the connection copper via metal and at the same time, a film thickness of aluminum constituting the aluminum pad is reduced, thereby reducing manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device. Moreover, even when the connection copper via metal directly lying under the aluminum pad is oxidized, oxidation of the copper pad can be prevented, thereby advantageously preventing the breaking of copper interconnects connected to the copper pad and improving reliability of the semiconductor device.

Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same

A solid-state imaging device includes photoelectric conversion portions set in a two-dimensional array; charge readout portions each provided adjacent to each of the photoelectric conversion portions; charge transfer portions each provided adjacent to each of the photoelectric conversion portions; and, charge transfer electrodes spaced apart from each other through a separation portion separated from the opening portion, each of which is also a charge readout electrode, provided with an opening portion over the corresponding one of the photoelectric conversion portions, and formed so as to cover, through an insulation film, the corresponding one of the photoelectric conversion portions, charge readout portions, charge transfer portions, and their peripheral portions.

Solid-state imaging device with photoelectric conversion portions in an array and manufacturing method thereof

In a solid-state imaging device, an insulation film is used to fill a separating region that divides a charge transfer electrode in the row direction, thereby achieving flattening, after which an interlayer insulation film and a metal light-shielding film are formed.

Solid-state imaging device

A semiconductor device protection circuit is composed of a first semiconductor portion of a first conductive type, a second semiconductor portion of a second conductive type connected to the first semiconductor portion, a third semiconductor portion of the first conductive type connect to the second semiconductor portion, and fourth and fifth semiconductor portions of the second conductive type, both connected to the second semiconductor portion. The first conductive portion is connected to a semiconductor circuit which is to be protected from electrostatic breakdown. The third, fourth, and fifth semiconductor portions are short-circuited. The fourth and fifth semiconductor portions are located at opposite sides of the third semiconductor portion.

Semiconductor device protection circuit whose operation is stabilized

A solid state imaging pickup device with a single-layer electrode structure which eliminates the release area at the terminal part of the charge transfer electrodes by surrounding the charge transfer electrodes with a dummy pattern, or with a pattern formed by connecting the charge transfer electrodes of a certain phase with each other at the outermost periphery. Surrounding the charge transfer electrode improves embedding performance when an insulating film is re-flowed for flattening inter-electrode gaps. This enables formation of a good metal wire or shielding film with no step-cut, thus improving the reliability of a solid state imaging pickup device.

Solid state imaging pickup device and method for manufacturing the same

A solid-state imaging device comprises: an electric charge transfer portion for transferring an electric charge produced in a photodetector through photoelectric conversion from incident light to the electric charge; and, an output amplifier portion for detecting the electric charge to issue a signal. The charge transfer portion is provided with a first gate insulation film having a sufficient film thickness to keep a predetermined transfer efficiency. The output amplifier portion is provided with a second gate insulation film having a film thickness suitable for obtaining a predetermined mutual conductance capable of increasing the gain of the output amplifier portion.

Solid-state imaging device and method of its production

A solid state image sensing device comprises a cell area, located at a semiconductor substrate, including photoelectric conversion portions and charge transfer portions and a peripheral circuit area formed around the cell area located at the semiconductor substrate. The peripheral circuit area includes a first p -type semiconductor region and an insulating film with a relatively large thickness formed on the first p -type semiconductor region. The cell area further includes a second p -type semiconductor region and an insulating film with a relatively small thickness formed on the second p -type semiconductor region. The majority of the insulating film with the relatively large thickness is formed by means of a CVD process.

Solid state image sensing device and method of producing the same

In a solid state image sensor, transfer electrodes are formed by selectively etch-removing a single layer of conducting electrode material at a plurality of first regions which divide the single layer of conducting electrode material in a row direction for each one pixel. A patterned mask is formed to cover the first regions and the single layer of conducting electrode material but to expose the single layer of conducting electrode material at a second region above each of the photoelectric conversion sections, and the single layer of conducting electrode material is selectively etch-removed using the patterned mask as a mask. Thereafter, a first conductivity type impurity and a second conductivity type impurity are ion-implanted using the patterned mask and the single layer of conducting electrode material as a mask, to form the photoelectric conversion section at the second region.

In a charge coupled device, trap levels formed by insulating layers or floating electrodes are formed on a semiconductor layer or a semiconductor substrate. Stationary charges are trapped in some of the trap levels or floating electrodes. The charge transfer electrodes are in self-alignment with potential barrier regions.

Single-layer-electrode type two-phase charge coupled device having smooth charge transfer

The present invention provides a semiconductor device having: at least a first diffusion layer having a first impurity concentration; at least a second diffusion layer having a first impurity concentration which is lower than the first impurity concentration, and the first and second diffusion layers being of the same conductivity type, wherein a silicide layer is formed over the first diffusion layer, while no silicide layer is formed over the second diffusion layer.

Semiconductor device with silicide layers and method of forming the same

The film thickness of a second oxide film is set to be larger than that of a first gate oxide film in such a way that, when the identical voltage is applied to both of electrodes, the channel potentials under respective electrodes are &plusmn;0.2 V or less. The second gate oxide film is formed by the CVD method and the like.

Solid state imaging device and manufacturing method thereof

An image pickup element unit and peripheral circuits are formed on a common semiconductor substrate. The image pickup element unit comprises sensors which converts incident lights into charges. The peripheral circuits comprise contact holes therein and transfer signals to external components via the contact holes. A tungsten film which works as both a photo shield and a barrier metal film is formed on the semiconductor substrate so that each of the sensors has its opening portion and the contact holes are filled with the tungsten film. An aluminum film which works as wiring is formed on the tungsten film filing the contact holes. A tungsten silicide layer is formed at conjunction portion between the tungsten film in the contact holes and the semiconductor substrate. Contacts comprising the tungsten film and the tungsten silicide layer show excellent ohmic contact characteristics.

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Tokyo, Japan

Keisuke Hatano