United Microelectronics Corp.

Shing-Ren Sheu

Chen-Hui Chung

Kuan-Cheng Su

Chen-Chiu Hsue

Cheng-Chih Kung

Chung-Yuan Lee

Yi-Chung Sheng

Chung-Hsien Wu

Chih-Ming Huang

Sheng-Hsing Yang

Kun-Chih Wang

Hermen Liu

Chin-Lung Chen

Jui-Meng Jao

Kuo-Ming Chen

Hung-Min Liu

Chun-Chieh Huang

Yi-Chung Shen

Tzyy-Jye Lin

A device under test (DUT) array provides defect information rapidly and systematically. The DUT array includes a plurality of test units arranged in a matrix, a plurality of bit lines and a plurality of word lines. Each test unit has a first terminal and a second terminal. Each second terminal of the test unit is electrically connected to a ground point. The first terminals of the test units are electrically connected to the bit lines. The word lines are coupled to the test units. Defects in the each test unit can be identified by providing voltages to the bit lines and the word lines. Accordingly, defects in various devices of an integrated circuit can be detected rapidly and systematically by applying signals to the DUT array.

Device under test array for identifying defects

A parasitic capacitance-preventing dummy solder bump structure on a substrate has at least one conductive layer formed on the substrate, a dielectric layer employed to cover the conductive layer, an under bump metallurgy layer (UBM layer) formed on the dielectric layer, and a solder bump formed on the UBM layer.

Parasitic capacitance-preventing dummy solder bump structure and method of making the same

A bonding pad structure of semiconductor device having improved bondability is disclosed. The bonding pad structure uses at least one level comprising conductive islands and conductive plugs used as fasteners to prevent the bonding pad layer from peeling and cracking during the bonding process.

Bonding pad structure of semiconductor device having improved bondability

A mask ROM stores information by selecting the work function of the gates of each FET in an array of FETs. The polysilicon gates of some of the FETs are doped N-type and the gates of the other FETs are doped P-type to form gates having different work functions, thereby forming FETs having different threshold voltages. The ROM consists of a parallel array of buried N bit lines formed in the substrate, a gate oxide layer deposited over the bit lines and a layer of polysilicon deposited on the gate oxide. The polysilicon is blanket doped P-type and then an encoding mask is formed, with openings in the encoding mask exposing regions of the polysilicon to be formed into gates of FETs with low threshold voltages. Either arsenic or phosphorus is doped into the polysilicon through the mask openings. The mask is removed, a layer of conductive material such as tungsten silicide is deposited and the polysilicon and the conductive material are formed into word lines for the ROM. The word lines of the ROM serve as gates for the FETs and the bit lines serve as sources and drains for the FETs.

Variable work function transistor high density mask ROM

A semiconductor read-only memory (ROM) and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The ROM device is structured in such a manner that allows the fabrication to include a fewer number of mask processes. This makes it more cost effective and allows a cycle time that is shorter than that of the prior art. Moreover, the particular structure of the ROM device makes punchthrough less likely to occur between any neighboring pairs of the buried bit lines when the ROM device is further scaled down. The ROM device is constructed on a semiconductor substrate which is partitioned into a peripheral region and a cell region. A plurality of STI structures are formed at predefined locations in both the peripheral region and the cell region. Immediately after this, a first ion-implantation process can be performed on the cell region to form a plurality of buried bit lines. Subsequently, the dielectric isolation layers in all of the STI structures in the cell region are removed, leaving a plurality of empty trenches behind. A conformal insulating layer and a conductive layer are then successively formed over the wafer, and the conductive layer is further selectively removed to form a word line in the cell region and a gate in the peripheral region. In the code implantation process, selected channel regions between the buried bit lines are doped with impurities for code implantation of data into the ROM device.

Semiconductor read-only memory device and method of fabricating the same

A method of manufacturing multiple metallic layered embedded ROM. A substrate has a memory cell region and a peripheral circuit region. A first gate and a first source/drain region are formed in the memory cell region. A second gate and a second source/drain region are formed in the peripheral circuit region. A first dielectric layer is formed over the substrate. A first contact is formed in the first dielectric layer in the periphery circuit region. A first patterned metallic layer that couple electrically with the first contact is formed in the peripheral circuit region. A second dielectric layer is formed over the substrate. A portion of the second dielectric layer in the memory cell region is removed to form a remaining second dielectric layer having a sloping sidewall surrounds a periphery of the memory cell region. A via hole is formed in the second dielectric layer in the peripheral circuit region and a second contact opening is formed in the first dielectric layer in the memory cell region. The via hole exposes the first patterned metallic layer. A metallic barrier layer is formed over the substrate. Ions are implanted into coded regions in the substrate. A second patterned metallic layer is formed in the peripheral circuit region to cover the second dielectric layer and fill the via hole. A third patterned metallic layer is formed in the memory cell region to fill the contact opening. A passivation layer is formed over the substrate.

Method of manufacturing multiple metallic layered embedded ROM

A method for eliminating plasma-induced charging damage during manufacture of an integrated circuit is described. A semiconductor substrate having a first conductivity type is provided. An oxide layer is formed on the semiconductor substrate. An opening is formed in the oxide layer. A polysilicon layer is formed over the oxide layer and in the opening. A diffusion region is formed in the semiconductor substrate, connected to the polysilicon layer through the opening, having a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type, whereby a buried contact is formed. The buried contact is connected, through the substrate, to a ground reference. Further processing in a plasma environment is performed that would normally produce charging damage to the integrated circuit, but whereby the buried contact prevents the charging damage.

Buried contact method to release plasma-included charging damage on

A mask ROM stores information by selecting the work function of the gates of each FET in an array of FETs at a late stage in the manufacture of the ROM. The polysilicon gates of some of the FETs are doped N-type and the gates of the other FETs are doped P-type to form gates having different work functions, thereby forming FETs having different threshold voltages. The ROM consists of a parallel array of buried N.sup.+ bit lines formed in the substrate, a gate oxide layer deposited over the bit lines and a layer of polysilicon deposited on the gate oxide. The polysilicon is blanket doped N-type, gate electrodes are defined by photolithography, and then self-aligned silicide layers are formed on the gate electrodes. An insulating layer is then formed over the gate electrodes. Programming of the ROM is accomplished by forming a mask on the insulating layer and then implanting ions through openings in the mask, through the insulating layer and the silicide layer, and into the polysilicon layer. The implantation converts individual gate electrodes from N-type to P-type to alter the threshold voltage of the selected transistors. Relatively few additional processing steps are needed after the programming to complete the ROM.

Short turn around time mask ROM process

An improved metal oxide field effect transistor (MOSFET) provides an electro-static protection device with a high resistance to electro-static discharge. The electro-static discharge protection device has pre-gate heavily doped regions adjacent to the source and drain regions, where the pre-gate regions extend at least partially under the gate electrode. A single heavily doped pre-gate region may be provided for the MOSFET of the electro-static discharge protection circuit.

Metal oxide semiconductor device for an electro-static discharge circuit

A mask ROM stores information by selecting the work function of the gates of each FET in an array of FETs. The polysilicon gates of some of the FETs are doped N-type and the gates of the other FETs are doped P-type to form gates having different work functions, thereby forming FETs having different threshold voltages. The ROM consists of a parallel array of buried N.sup.+ bit lines formed in the substrate, a gate oxide layer deposited over the bit lines and a layer of polysilicon deposited on the gate oxide. The polysilicon is blanket doped P-type and then an encoding mask is formed, with openings in the encoding mask exposing regions of the polysilicon to be formed into gates of FETs with low threshold voltages. Either arsenic or phosphorus is doped into the polysilicon through the mask openings. The mask is removed, a layer of conductive material such as tungsten silicide is deposited and the polysilicon and the conductive material are formed into word lines for the ROM. The word lines of the ROM serve as gates for the FETs and the bit lines serve as sources and drains for the FETs.

Buried contact method to release plasma-induced charging damage on device

A method of manufacturing a code pattern on a semiconductor substrate with an array of substantially parallel buried bit lines integral therewith and with word lines above the buried bit lines, includes: forming a titanium nitride layer above the word lines, forming and patterning a code mask above the titanium nitride layer, implanting impurities into the substrate through openings in the code mask to form the code pattern, and performing rapid thermal annealing of the implant. The step height of the titanium nitride layer is employed to form the code identification on the substrate.

Post-titanium nitride mask ROM programming method and device

An improved Read-Only-Memory (ROM) structure and a method of manufacturing said ROM device structure having an ultra-high-density of coded ROM cells, was achieved. The array of programmed ROM cells are composed of a single field effect transistor (FET) in each ROM cell. The improved ROM process utilizes the patterning of a ROM code insulating layer over each coded FET (cell) that is selected to remain in an off-state (nonconducting) when a gate voltage is applied. The remaining FETs (cells) have a thin gate oxide which switch to the on-state (conducting) when a gate voltage is applied. The thick ROM code insulating layer eliminates the need to code the FETs in the ROM memory cells by conventional high dose ion implantation. This eliminated the counter-doping of the buried bit lines by the implantation allowing for much tighter ground rules for the spacing between buried bit line. The elimination of the implant also reduces substantially the stand-by leakage current that is so important in battery operated electronic equipment, such as lap-top computers. The gate capacitance of the off-state cells is also substantially reduced because of the thick insulating layer, thereby reducing the RC time delay in the word lines and improving circuit performance.

CVD oxide coding method for ultra-high density mask read-only-memory

A process for fabricating high-voltage MOSFET devices on a semiconductor substrate is disclosed. The substrate has heavily-doped impurities of a first conductivity type, and constitutes the drain region for the MOSFET. The process of fabrication comprises the steps of subsequently forming on the substrate a first doped layer, a second doped layer, a third doped layer and a shielding layer. All of these doped layers are of the first conductivity type. The second doped layer has an impurity concentration and a thickness smaller and larger than the impurity concentration and thickness respectively of the first doped layer, and larger and smaller than the impurity concentration and thickness respectively of the third doped layer. The impurity concentration of the first doped layer is smaller than the impurity concentration of the substrate. An opening in the shielding layer is formed, and then the source region of the MOSFET is formed in the area exposed by the opening. Afterwards, thermal oxidation is performed to form a field oxide layer over the surface of the source region. Next, an etching process is performed to remove the third doped layer, thereby revealing the surface of said second doped layer to form a source protruding body. Sidewalls of the source protruding body is then covered by an insulating layer. Finally, the field oxide layer and the insulating layer are then utilized as masking for implanting impurities of a second conductivity type into the second doped layer, thereby forming the gate region for the MOSFET.

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Tao-Yuan, Taiwan

Shing-Ren Sheu