Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Globalfoundries Inc.

Other

Mark W Michael

Robert Louis Dawson

H Jim Fulford

Fred N Hause

Derick J Wristers

Mark I Gardner

Frederick N Hause

William S Brennan

Basab Bandyopadhyay

Bradley T Moore

David Donggang Wu

Jon D Cheek

William George En

Akif Sultan

Donna Michael, Legal Representative

James F Buller

Jingrong Zhou

Daniel Kadosh

Zhonghai Shi

Darin A Chan

John G Pellerin

Hai Hong Wang

Jian Feng Chen

Simon Siu-Sing Chan

John Lee Nistler

Jianhong Zhu

Wen-Jie Qi

Charles E May

Simon S Chan

Olov B Karlsson

Yi Zou

Thomas E Spikes, Jr

Marilyn I Wright

Yuansheng Ma

Raymond George Stephany

Ruigang Li

A first bias charge is provided to first bias region at a first level of an electronic device, the first bias region directly underlying a first transistor having a channel region at a second level that is electrically isolated from the first bias region. A voltage threshold of the first transistor is based upon the first bias charge. A second bias charge is provided to second bias region at the first level of an electronic device, the second bias region directly underlying a second transistor having a channel region at a second level that is electrically isolated from the first bias region. A voltage threshold of the second transistor is based upon the second bias charge.

Electronic device and method of biasing

Semiconductor devices having improved contact resistance and methods for fabricating such semiconductor devices are provided. These semiconductor devices include a semiconductor device structure and a contact. The contact is electrically and physically coupled to the semiconductor device structure at both a surface portion and a sidewall portion of the semiconductor device structure.

Methods for fabricating a semiconductor device having decreased contact resistance

Semiconductor device having decreased contact resistance

The present invention generates model scenarios of semiconductor chip design and uses interpolation and Monte Carlo, with random number generation inputs, techniques to iteratively assess the models for a more comprehensive and accurate assessment of design space, and evaluation under projected manufacturing conditions. This evaluation information is then incorporated into design rules in order to improve yield.

Process for design of semiconductor circuits

A method includes receiving design data associated with an integrated circuit device. The integrated circuit device includes a first element having a corner defined therein and a second element overlapping the first element. A dimension specified for the first element in the design data is adjusted based on a distance between the second element and the corner. The integrated circuit device is simulated based on the adjusted dimension.

Compensating for layout dimension effects in semiconductor device modeling

The techniques and technologies described herein relate to the automatic creation of photoresist masks for stress liners used with semiconductor based transistor devices. The stress liner masks are generated with automated design tools that leverage layout data corresponding to features, devices, and structures on the wafer. A resulting stress liner mask (and wafers fabricated using the stress liner mask) defines a stress liner coverage area that extends beyond the boundary of the transistor area and into a stress insensitive area of the wafer. The extended stress liner further enhances performance of the respective transistor by providing additional compressive/tensile stress.

Method for fabricating a semiconductor device having an extended stress liner

The present invention is directed to methods of forming contact openings. In one illustrative embodiment, the method includes forming a feature above a semiconducting substrate, forming a layer stack comprised of a plurality of layers of material above the feature, the layer stack having an original height, reducing the original height of the layer stack to thereby define a reduced height layer stack above the feature, forming an opening in the reduced height layer stack for a conductive member that will be electrically coupled to the feature and forming the conductive member in the opening in the reduced height layer stack.

Methods of forming contact openings

A stress-enhanced semiconductor device is provided which includes a substrate having an inactive region and an active region, a first-type stress layer overlying at least a portion of the active region, and a second-type stress layer. The active region includes a first lateral edge which defines a first width of the active region, and a second lateral edge which defines a second width of the active region. The second-type stress layer is disposed adjacent the second lateral edge of the active region.

Stress enhanced semiconductor device and methods for fabricating same

The halo implant technique described herein employs a halo implant mask that creates a halo implant shadowing effect during halo dopant bombardment. A first transistor device structure and a second transistor device structure are formed on a wafer such that they are orthogonally oriented to each other. A common halo implant mask is created with features that prevent halo implantation of the diffusion region of the second transistor device structure during halo implantation of the diffusion region of the first transistor device structure, and with features that prevent halo implantation of the diffusion region of the first transistor device structure during halo implantation of the diffusion region of the second transistor device structure. The orthogonal orientation of the transistor device structures and the pattern of the halo implant mask obviates the need to create multiple implant masks to achieve different threshold voltages for the transistor device structures.

Method of forming transistor devices with different threshold voltages using halo implant shadowing

The present invention is directed to methods of quantifying variations resulting from manufacturing-induced corner rounding of various features, and structures for testing same. In one illustrative embodiment, the method includes forming a plurality of test structures on a semiconducting substrate, each of the test structures having at least one physical dimension that varies relative to the other of the plurality of test structures, at least some of the test structures exhibiting at least some degree of manufacturing-induced corner rounding, forming at least one reference test structure, performing at least one electrical test on the plurality of test structures and on the reference test structure to thereby produce electrical test results, and analyzing the test results to determine an impact of the manufacturing-induced corner rounding on the performance of the plurality of test structures.

Methods of quantifying variations resulting from manufacturing-induced corner rounding of various features, and structures for testing same

A method includes forming a plurality of functional features on a semiconductor layer in a first region. A non-functional feature corresponding to the functional feature is formed adjacent at least one of the functional features disposed on a periphery of the region. A stress-inducing layer is formed over at least a portion of the functional features and the non-functional feature. A device includes a semiconductor layer, a first dummy gate electrode, and a stress-inducing layer. The plurality of transistor gate electrodes is formed above the semiconductor layer. The plurality includes at least a first end gate electrode, a second end gate electrode, and at least one interior gate electrode. The first dummy gate electrode is disposed proximate the first end gate electrode. The stress-inducing layer is disposed over at least a portion of the plurality of transistor gate electrodes and the first dummy gate electrode.

Providing stress uniformity in a semiconductor device

The present invention is directed to a contact resistance test structure and methods of using same. In one illustrative embodiment, the method includes forming a test structure comprised of two gate electrode structures, forming a plurality of conductive contacts to a doped region between the two gate electrode structures, forcing a current through the test structure and determining a resistance of at least one of the conductive contacts based upon, in part, the forced current.

Contact resistance test structure and methods of using same

A test structure includes first and second combs, at least a first pair of base nodes, and a second pair of finger nodes. The first comb includes a first base and a first plurality of fingers extending from the first base. The second comb includes a second base and a second plurality of fingers extending from the second base. At least a portion of the first and second pluralities of fingers are interleaved. The first pair of base nodes extend from the first base. The second pair of finger nodes extend from a first finger of the first plurality of fingers.

Test structure for measuring electrical and dimensional characteristics

A test structure and methods of using and making the same are provided. In one aspect, a test structure is provided that includes a first conductor that has a first end and a second conductor that has a second end positioned above the first end. A third conductor is positioned between the first end of the first conductor and the second end of the second conductor. A first electrode is coupled to the first conductor at a first distance from the third conductor and a second electrode coupled to the first conductor at a second distance from the third conductor. A third electrode is coupled to the second conductor at a third distance from the third conductor and a fourth electrode is coupled to the second conductor at a fourth distance from the third conductor. The first through fourth electrodes provide voltage sense taps and the first and second conductors provide current sense taps from which the resistance of the third conductor may be derived.

Test structure and method for measuring the resistance of line-end vias

Accurate determination of gate dielectric thickness is required to produce high-reliability and high-performance ultra-thin gate dielectric semiconductor devices. Large area gate dielectric capacitors with ultra-thin gate dielectric layers suffer from high gate leakage, which prevents the accurate measurement of gate dielectric thickness. Accurate measurement of gate dielectric thickness of smaller area gate dielectric capacitors is hindered by the relatively large parasitic capacitance of the smaller area capacitors. The formation of first and second dummy structures on a wafer allow the accurate determination of gate dielectric thickness. First and second dummy structures are formed that are substantially similar to the gate dielectric capacitors except that the first dummy structures are formed without the second electrode of the capacitor and the second dummy structures are formed without the first electrode of the capacitor structure. The capacitance, and therefore thickness, of the gate dielectric capacitor is determined by subtracting the parasitic capacitances measured at the first and second dummy structures.

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Cedar Park, TX, United States of America

Mark W Michael