Texas Instruments Corporation

Randolph William Kahn

Kenneth G Vickers

Yaojian Leng

Richard L Guldi

Edward J Leonard

James Fred Salzman

Richard Guerra Roybal

James C Reed, Jr

Hank G Prosack

Disclosed examples include integrated circuits and bipolar transistors with a first region of a first conductivity type in a substrate, a collector region of a second conductivity type disposed in the substrate, and a base region of the first conductivity type extending into the first region. A first emitter region of the second conductivity type extends into the first region and includes a lateral side spaced from and facing the base region. A second emitter region of the second conductivity type extends downward into the first region, abutting the top surface and an upper portion of the first lateral side of the first emitter region to mitigate surface effects and gain degradation caused by hydrogen injection from radiation to provide a radiation hardened bipolar transistor.

Radiation enhanced bipolar transistor

A semiconductor device containing an NPN bipolar junction transistor may be formed by forming a p-type radiation induced diode structure (RIDS) region in an intrinsic p-type base region of the NPN bipolar junction transistor at a boundary of the intrinsic p-type base region with a dielectric layer over a substrate of the semiconductor device, between an emitter of the NPN bipolar junction transistor and an extrinsic p-type base region of the NPN bipolar junction transistor. The p-type RIDS region has a doping density high enough to prevent inversion of a surface of the p-type RIDS region adjacent to the dielectric layer when trapped charge is accumulated in the dielectric layer, while the intrinsic p-type base region may invert from the trapped charge forming the radiation induced diode structure. The p-type RIDS region is separated from the emitter and from the extrinsic base region by portions of the intrinsic base region.

Radiation induced diode structure

Wafer order is randomized in-situ by use of a separate wafer staging area and randomly shuffling wafers to and from this staging area to shuffle the processing order of the wafer lot. Positional data is captured for each wafer at both the send and receive ends of the process.

In-situ randomization and recording of wafer processing order at process tools

In a system (12) wherein articles are manufactured by a plurality of process steps (20, 22, & 24), a method for identifying causes of variations in performance of the manufactured articles is provided. The method includes tracking orientation data (48) for the articles during each of the process steps (20, 22, & 24) and then measuring (50) performance data for each of the articles. The method also includes preparing surface performance characteristic maps (54) for each of the articles from the performance data and ordering the surface performance characteristic maps (56) for each of the articles in accordance with the orientation data for each article at a given process step (20, 22, & 24).

Method and system for enhancing the identification of causes of

The apparatus (10) includes a batch wafer presentation system (12) receiving a cassette (14) carrying a plurality of wafers (16). The batch wafer presentation system (12) arranges the plurality of wafers (16) along an inclined presentation axis, .alpha., to simultaneously expose the bar code inscription on each wafer (16). A laser scanner (30) is mounted on an arm assembly (32) which travels long a track (34) parallel with the presentation axis. The laser scanner (30) is mounted such that its angular and spatial positions relative to the plurality of wafers (16) may be easily adjusted.

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McKinney, TX, United States of America

Randolph William Kahn