Texas Instruments Corporation

Robert C Baumann

William R McKee

Ming J Hwang

A thermal neutron shield (,) for integrated circuits (,) deters absorption of thermal neutrons by circuit constituents to form unstable isotopes with subsequent decay which generates bursts of charge which may upset of stored charge and create soft errors. The shielding may be either at the integrated circuit level (such as a layer on insulation or in the filler of plastic packaging material) or at the board level (such as a filler or film on a container wall).

Thermal neutron shielded integrated circuits

A method for making a CMOS device includes: forming a PMOS region 60 of a first conductivity type; forming an NMOS region 62 of a second conductivity type adjacent the PMOS region 60; forming an insulating layer 64 and 66 over the PMOS region 60 and the NMOS region 62 such that the insulating layer is thinner over the PMOS region than over the NMOS region; forming a common gate 48 over the insulating layer 64 and 66; forming PMOS source/drain regions 40 and 42 of the second conductivity type in the PMOS region 60 and aligned to the common gate 48; and forming NMOS source/drain regions 44 and 46 of the first conductivity type in the NMOS region 62 and aligned to the common gate 48.

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki-Ken, Japan

Robert C Baumann