Infineon Technologies Ag

Pmdtechnologies Ag

Qimonda Ag

Infineon Technologies Flash Gmbh & Co. Kg

Stefano Parascandola

Henning Feick

Dirk Offenberg

Thoralf Kautzsch

Dirk Caspary

Dirk Meinhold

Hanno Melzner

Ines Uhlig

Thomas Bever

Jens Prima

Matthias Franke

Robert Roessler

Michael Bernhard Sommer

Stephan Riedel

Mirko Vogt

Maik Stegemann

Heiko Froehlich

Roman Knoefler

Christoph Nölscher

Tobias Mono

Dominik Olligs

Andre Roeth

Thomas Popp

Arnd Scholz

Alfred Sigl

Torsten Mueller

Olga Khvostikova

Dirk Vietzke

An image sensor device includes a pixel. The pixel includes a semiconductor layer having a first surface. A photodiode is formed in the semiconductor layer and is configured to generate charge carriers based on light reaching the photodiode. A storage node is formed in the semiconductor layer, the storage node being arranged so that charge carriers generated in the photodiode are transferred to the storage node. A light-shielding structure is formed in the semiconductor layer and is disposed at least between the first surface of the semiconductor layer and the storage node so as to prevent at least part of the light travelling in the semiconductor layer away from the first surface from reaching the storage node.

Image sensor device

A method of generating a germanium structure includes performing an epitaxial depositing process on an assembly of a silicon substrate and an oxide layer, wherein one or more trenches in the oxide layer expose surface portions of the silicon substrate. The epitaxial depositing process includes depositing germanium onto the assembly during a first phase, performing an etch process during a second phase following the first phase in order to remove germanium from the oxide layer, and repeating the first and second phases. A germanium crystal is grown in the trench or trenches. An optical device includes a light-incidence surface formed by a raw textured surface of a germanium structure obtained by an epitaxial depositing process without processing the surface of the germanium structure after the epitaxial process.

Method of generating a germanium structure and optical device comprising a germanium structure

An optical sensor device configured to detect a time of flight of an electromagnetic signal includes a semiconductor substrate having a main surface and a conversion region configured to convert at least a fraction of the electromagnetic signal into photo-generated charge carriers; a first control electrode formed in a trench extending from the main surface into the semiconductor substrate; a second control electrode disposed directly or indirectly on the main surface; a control circuit configured to apply a varying first potential to the first control electrode and to apply a varying second potential to the second control electrode, where the varying second potential has a fixed phase relationship to the first varying potential, to generate electric potential distributions in the conversion region to direct the photo-generated charge carriers; and a readout node arranged in the semiconductor substrate and configured to detect the directed photo-generated charge carriers.

Optical sensor device with deep and shallow control electrodes

Embodiments related to controlling of photo-generated charge carriers are described and depicted. At least one embodiment provides a semiconductor substrate comprising a photo-conversion region to convert light into photo-generated charge carriers; a region to accumulate the photo-generated charge carriers; a control electrode structure including a plurality of control electrodes to generate a potential distribution such that the photo-generated carriers are guided towards the region to accumulate the photo-generated charge carriers based on signals applied to the control electrode structure; a non-uniform doping profile in the semiconductor substrate to generate an electric field with vertical field vector components in at least a part of the photo-conversion region.

Controlling of photo-generated charge carriers

An optical sensor device configured to detect a time of flight of an electromagnetic signal includes a semiconductor substrate with a conversion region configured to convert at least a portion of the electromagnetic signal into photo-generated charge carriers. A deep control electrode is formed in a trench extending into the semiconductor substrate. The deep control electrode extends deeper into the semiconductor substrate than a shallow control electrode. A control circuit is configured to apply to the deep control electrode and to the shallow control electrode varying potentials having a fixed phase relationship to each other, to generate electric potential distributions in the conversion region, by which the photo-generated charge carriers in the conversion region are directed. The directed photo-generated charge carriers are detected at at least one readout node.

An optical sensor device includes a semiconductor substrate including a conversion region to convert an electromagnetic signal into photo-generated charge carriers, a read-out node configured to read-out a first portion of the photo-generated charge carriers, a control electrode, which is formed in a trench extending into the semiconductor substrate, and a doping region in the semiconductor substrate, where the doping region is adjacent to the trench, where the doping region has a doping type different from the read out node, and where the doping region has a doping concentration so that the doping region remains depleted during operation.

Optical sensor device having a depleted doping region adjacent to a control electrode and method for manufacturing the optical sensor device

Embodiments related to the manufacturing of an imager device and an imager device are disclosed. Embodiments associated with methods of an imager device are also disclosed.

Manufacturing of an imager device and imager device

A method of manufacturing semiconductor structures is disclosed. In one embodiment, a first mask is provided above a substrate. The first mask includes first mask lines extending along a first axis. A second mask is provided above the first mask. The second mask includes second mask lines extending along a second axis that intersects the first axis. At least one of the first and second masks is formed by a pitch fragmentation method. Structures may be formed in the substrate, wherein the first and the second mask are effective as a combined mask. The structures may be equally spaced at a pitch in the range of a minimum lithographic feature size for repetitive line structures.

Methods of manufacturing semiconductor structures

The bit lines are produced by an implantation of a dopant by means of a sacrificial hard mask layer, which is later replaced with the gate electrodes formed of polysilicon in the memory cell array. Striplike areas of the memory cell array, which run transversely to the bit lines, are reserved by a blocking layer to be occupied by the bit line contacts. In these areas, the hard mask is used to form contact holes, which are self-aligned with the implanted buried bit lines. Between the blocked areas, the word lines are arranged normally to the bit lines.

Semiconductor memory device and method of production

A memory layer sequence comprising a lower confinement layer (), a charge-trapping layer (), and an upper confinement layer () is applied on the main surface of a silicon substrate (). By a photolithography step, trenches running parallel at a distance from one another are etched to delimitate the active area. A trench filling () is applied by growth or deposition of dielectric material or by a selective oxidation of the substrate material. After the removal of the charge-trapping layer sequence in a peripheral area and the deposition of a gate dielectric material provided for the transistors of an addressing circuitry, wordline stacks () are formed.

Method for producing charge-trapping memory cell arrays

Spacers are formed on sidewalls of striplike parts of a pattern layer of periodic structure. The pattern layer is removed, and the spacers are covered with a further spacer layer, which is then structured to second sidewall spacers. Gaps between the spacers are filled with a complementary layer. The upper surface is planarized to a lower surface level, leaving a periodic succession of the first spacers, the second spacers and the residual parts of the complementary layer. The lateral dimensions are adapted in such a manner that a removal of one or two of the remaining layers renders a periodic pattern of smaller pitch.

Method of production pitch fractionizations in semiconductor technology

Final sections of the word lines are arranged in a staggered fashion to fan out and have larger lateral extensions than the word lines. Interspaces are filled with a dielectric material, and a mask is applied that partially covers the final sections and leaves contact areas in regions adjacent to the final sections and to the interspaces open. This mask is used to remove the dielectric material between the word line stacks. A second word line layer is applied and planarized to form second word lines between the first word lines, which have contact areas arranged in a staggered fashion to fan out like the final sections of the first word lines.

Growing community of inventors

Dresden, Germany

Stefano Parascandola