Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

National Semiconductor Corporation

Min-Hwa Chi

Chia-Shiung Tsai

Wen-Chuan Chiang

Cheng-Ku Chen

Yeur-Luen Tu

Mu-Chi Chiang

Tai-Chun Huang

Wen-Chin Lee

Chih-Hsiang Yao

Hung-Wei Chen

Chung-Hu Ke

Chih-Hao Wang

Yee-Chia Yeo

Ching-Wei Tsai

Chih-Hsin Ko

Albert M Bergemont

Fu-Liang Yang

Chenming Hu

Richard B Merrill

Wai-Yi Lien

Jiunn-Ren Hwang

Chih-Heng Shen

Li-Shyue Lai

Hung-Jen Lin

Ching-Chen Hao

Chih-Yang Pai

Bi-Ling Chen

Chang-Ku Chen

Yeur Luen Tu

A semiconductor device is prepared by an annealing process to interconnect at least two components of the device by a conductor line surrounded by an insulator material. The annealing process results in formation of residual stresses within the conductor line and the insulator material. One or multiple notches are designed in the layout on a selective portion of the mask for patterning conductor line. The existence of the notch or notches on the selective portion generates extra stress components within the conductor line than would exist without the existence of the notch. The position of the notch is selected so that the extra stress components substantially counteract the residual stresses, thereby causing a net reduction in the residual stresses. The reduction in the residual stresses results in a corresponding mechanical stress migration and therefore improvement in the reliability of the device.

Conductor layout technique to reduce stress-induced void formations

A semiconductor device is prepared by an annealing process to interconnect at least two components of the device by a conductor line surrounded by an insulator material. The annealing process results in formation of residual stresses within the conductor line and the insulator material. A notch is designed in the layout on a selective portion of the mask for patterning conductor line. The existence of a shape of notch on the selective portion generates extra stress components within the conductor line than if without the existence of the notch. The position of the notch is selected so that the extra stress components substantially counteract the residual stresses, thereby causing a net reduction in the residual stresses. The reduction in the residual stresses results in a corresponding mechanical stress migration and therefore improvement in the reliability of the device.

A logic switch intentionally utilizes GIDL current as its primary mechanism of operation. Voltages may be applied to a doped gate overlying and insulated from a pn junction. A first voltage initiates GIDL current, and the logic switch is bidirectionally conductive. A second voltage terminates GIDL current, but the logic switch is unidirectionally conductive. A third voltage renders the logic switch bidirectionally non-conductive. Circuits containing the logic switch are also described. These circuits include inverters, SRAM cells, voltage reference sources, and neuron logic switches. The logic switch is primarily implemented according to SOI protocols, but embodiments according to bulk protocols are described.

Logic switch and circuits utilizing the switch

A semiconductor device and a method of forming the same. The semiconductor device comprises a gate structure comprising a tunnel oxide over a substrate; a floating gate over the tunnel oxide; a dielectric over the floating gate; and a control gate over the dielectric. The semiconductor device further comprises: spacers along opposite edges of the gate structure; a first impurity region doped with a first type of dopant laterally spaced apart from a first edge of the gate structure; and a second impurity region doped with a second type of dopant, opposite from the first type, the drain being substantially under the drain spacer and substantially aligned with a second edge of the gate structure.

Multi-level flash memory cell capable of fast programming

A method for forming a semiconductor device is disclosed. A substrate including a gate dielectric layer and a gate electrode layer sequentially formed thereon is provided. An offset spacer is formed on sidewalls of the gate dielectric layer and the gate electrode layer. A carbon spacer is formed on a sidewall of the offset spacer, and the carbon spacer is then removed. The substrate is implanted to form a lightly doped region using the gate electrode layer and the offset spacer as a mask. The method may also include providing a substrate having a gate dielectric layer and a gate electrode layer sequentially formed thereon. A liner layer is formed on sidewalls of the gate electrode layer and on the substrate. A carbon spacer is formed on a portion of the liner layer adjacent the sidewall of the gate electrode layer. A main spacer is formed on a sidewall of the carbon spacer. The carbon spacer is removed to form an opening between the liner layer and the main spacer. The opening is sealed by a sealing layer to form an air gap.

Semiconductor device and fabrication thereof

A vertical resistor. A substrate includes a trench filled by an isolation layer. A first doped-type region and a second doped-type region are formed on both sides of the trench. The first doped-type region receives a control bias, the second doped-type region receives a reference bias, and a resistance between the second doped-type region and the substrate is adjusted in response to a voltage difference between the control bias and the reference bias.

Vertical resistors

A CMOS device is provided. A semiconductor device comprises a substrate, the substrate having a first region and a second region, the first region having a first crystal orientation represented by a family of Miller indices comprising {i,j,k}, the second region having a second crystal orientation represented a family of Miller indices comprising {l,m,n}, wherein l+m+n&#x3e;i+j+k. Alternative embodiments further comprise an NMOSFET formed on the first region, and a PMOSFET formed on the second region. Embodiments further comprise a Schottky contact formed with at least one of a the NMOSFET or PMOSFET.

Hybrid Schottky source-drain CMOS for high mobility and low barrier

Disclosed herein is a DRAM memory cell featuring a reduced size, increased retention time, and compatibility with standard logic manufacturing processes, making it well-suited for use as embedded DRAM. The memory cell disclosed herein includes a pass-gate transistor and a storage region. The transistor includes a gate and a drain. The storage region includes a trench, which is preferably a Shallow Trench Isolation (STI). A non-insulating structure, e.g., formed of polysilicon or metal, is located in the trench as serves as a capacitor node. The trench is partially defined by a doped sidewall that serves as a source for the transistor. The poly structure and the trench sidewall are separated by a dielectric layer. The write operation involves charge transport to the non-insulating structure by direct tunneling through the dielectric layer. The read operation is assisted by Gate Induced Drain Leakage (GIDL) current generated on the surface of the sidewall.

Memory cell

A 2-bit FinFET flash memory cell capable of storing 2 bits and a method of forming the same are provided. The memory cell includes a semiconductor fin on a top surface of a substrate, a gate insulation film on the top surface and sidewalls of a channel section of the semiconductor fin, a gate electrode on the gate insulation film, and two charge-trapping regions along opposite sides of the gate electrode, wherein each charge-trapping region is separated from the gate electrode and the semiconductor fin by a tunneling layer. The memory cell further includes a protective layer on the charge-trapping regions. Each of the two charge-trapping regions is capable of storing one bit. The memory cell can be operated by applying different bias voltages to the source, the drain, and the gate of the memory cell.

SONOS type two-bit FinFET flash memory cell

The types of quasi-planar CMOS and FinFET-like transistor devices on a bulk silicon substrate are disclosed. A first device has a doped and recessed channel formed in a shallow trench sidewall. A second device has a doped, recessed channel and has a plurality of edge-fins juxtaposed on an edge of an active region of the device. A third device has an undoped recessed channel formed in a sidewall of a shallow trench, wherein the undoped recessed channel further has a plurality of edge-fins disposed thereon. Additionally, an extra mask may be added to each device to allow for fabrication of both conventional transistors and FinFET-like transistors on bulk silicon. The extra mask may protect the source and drain areas from recess etching of the silicon substrate. Several methods of fabricating each device are also disclosed.

Quasi-plannar and FinFET-like transistors on bulk silicon

Vertical resistors and band-gap voltage reference circuits

Growing community of inventors

Taipei, Taiwan

Min-Hwa Chi