Broadcom Corporation

Avago Technologies International Sales Pte. Limited

Wei Xia

Xiangdong Chen

Frank Hui

Akira Ito

Henry Kuo-Shun Chen

Agnes Woo

Henry Chen

Bruce Chih-Chieh Shen

An embedded flash memory cell and a corresponding method for fabricating the embedded flash memory cell are disclosed. In some embodiments, the flash memory cell comprises a floating gate that has been formed using a metal gate and local interconnect metal. For some embodiments, the embedded flash memory can be fabricated with little-to-no additional processes than what one would normally employ in fabricating a metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET).

Embedded flash memory

Disclosed are various embodiments of FinFET semiconductor devices. A pair of matched capacitors can be formed that share a common source, drain and/or channel. Accordingly, the capacitance characteristics of each capacitor can be manufactured such that they are similar to one another. A resistor manufactured by employing FinFET techniques is also described. The resistor can be manufactured with an effective length that is greater than a distance traversed along a substrate by the resistor.

FinFET devices

According to one exemplary implementation, an integrated circuit (IC) includes a first memory cell transistor of a read only memory (ROM) array, the first memory cell transistor including a first metal gate of a first work function and having a first threshold voltage. The IC also includes a second memory cell transistor of the ROM array, the second memory cell transistor including a second metal gate of a second work function and having a second threshold voltage. The first memory cell transistor and the second memory cell transistor can be of a first conductivity type. Furthermore, the first memory cell transistor can include a first high-k gate dielectric and the second memory cell transistor can include a second high-k gate dielectric.

ROM arrays having memory cell transistors programmed using metal gates

According to one exemplary embodiment, a method for concurrently fabricating a memory region with a logic region in a common substrate includes forming a lower dielectric segment in the common substrate in the memory and logic regions. The method also includes forming a polysilicon segment over the lower dielectric segment in the memory region, while concurrently forming a sacrificial polysilicon segment over the lower dielectric segment in the logic region. Furthermore, the method includes removing from the logic region the lower dielectric segment and the sacrificial polysilicon segment. The method additionally includes forming a high-k segment in the logic region over the common substrate, and in the memory region over the polysilicon segment and forming a metal segment over the high-k segment in the logic and memory regions. An exemplary structure achieved by the described exemplary method is also disclosed.

Method for efficiently fabricating memory cells with logic FETs and related structure

According to one embodiment, a half-FinFET semiconductor device comprises a gate structure formed over a semiconductor body. The semiconductor body includes a source region comprised of a plurality of fins extending beyond a first side of the gate structure and a continuous drain region adjacent a second side of the gate structure opposite the plurality of fins. The continuous drain region causes the half-FinFET semiconductor device to have a reduced ON-resistance. A method for fabricating a semiconductor device having a half-FinFET structure comprises designating source and drain regions in a semiconductor body, etching the source region to produce a plurality of source fins while masking the drain region during the etching to provide a continuous drain region, thereby resulting in the half-FinFET structure having a reduced ON-resistance.

Half-FinFET semiconductor device and related method

According to one exemplary embodiment, a method for fabricating a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor in a semiconductor die comprises forming a bottom capacitor electrode over a device layer situated below a first metallization layer of the semiconductor die, and forming a top capacitor electrode over an interlayer barrier dielectric formed over the bottom capacitor electrode. The top capacitor electrode is formed from a local interconnect metal for connecting devices formed in the device layer. In one embodiment, the bottom capacitor electrode is formed from a gate metal. The method may further comprise forming a metal plate in the first metallization layer and over the top capacitor electrode, and connecting the metal plate to the bottom capacitor electrode to provide increased capacitance density.

MIM capacitor having a local interconnect metal electrode and related structure

A vertically stacked, planar junction Zener diode is concurrently formed with epitaxially grown FET raised S/D terminals. The structure and process of the Zener diode are compatible with Gate-Last high-k FET structures and processes. Lateral separation of diode and transistor structures is provided by modified STI masking. No additional photolithography steps are required. In some embodiments, the non-junction face of the uppermost diode terminal is silicided with nickel to additionally perform as a copper diffusion barrier.

Zener diode structure and process

According to one embodiment, a scalable integrated MIM capacitor in a semiconductor die includes a high-k dielectric segment over a substrate and a metal segment over the high-k dielectric segment, where the metal segment forms a capacitor terminal of the integrated MIM capacitor. The capacitor further includes a filler laterally separating consecutive capacitor terminals, where the filler can be used as a capacitor dielectric of the integrated MIM capacitor. In one embodiment, the metal segment comprises a gate metal. In another embodiment, the integrated MIM capacitor is formed substantially concurrently with one or more transistors without requiring additional fabrication process steps.

Scalable integrated MIM capacitor using gate metal

According to one embodiment, a one-time programmable (OTP) device comprises a memory FinFET in parallel with a sensing FinFET. The memory FinFET and the sensing FinFET share a common source region, a common drain region, and a common channel region. The memory FinFET is programmed by having a ruptured gate dielectric, resulting in the sensing FinFET having an altered threshold voltage and an altered drain current. A method for utilizing such an OTP device comprises applying a programming voltage for rupturing the gate dielectric of the memory FinFET thereby achieving a programmed state of the memory FinFET, and detecting by the sensing FinFET the altered threshold voltage and the altered drain current due to the programmed state of the memory FinFET.

FinFET based one-time programmable device

According to an exemplary embodiment, a method for fabricating a decoupling composite capacitor in a wafer that includes a dielectric region overlying a substrate includes forming a through-wafer via in the dielectric region and the substrate. The through-wafer via includes a through-wafer via insulator covering a sidewall and a bottom of a through-wafer via opening and a through-wafer via conductor covering the through-wafer via insulator. The method further includes thinning the substrate, forming a substrate backside insulator, forming an opening in the substrate backside insulator to expose the through-wafer via conductor, and forming a backside conductor on the through-wafer via conductor, such that the substrate backside conductor extends over the substrate backside insulator, thereby forming the decoupling composite capacitor. The substrate forms a first decoupling composite capacitor electrode and the through-wafer via conductor and substrate backside conductor form a second decoupling composite capacitor electrode.

Decoupling composite capacitor in a semiconductor wafer

According to an exemplary embodiment, an interposer structure for electrically coupling a semiconductor die to a support substrate in a semiconductor package includes at least one through-wafer via extending through a semiconductor substrate, where the at least one through-wafer via provides an electrical connection between the semiconductor die and the support substrate. The interposer structure further includes a passive component including a trench conductor, where the trench conductor extends through the semiconductor substrate. The passive component further includes a dielectric liner situated between the trench conductor and the semiconductor substrate. The passive component can further include at least one conductive pad for electrically coupling the trench conductor to the semiconductor die. The passive component can be, for example, an inductor or an antenna.

Interposer structure with passive component and method for fabricating same

According to one exemplary embodiment, a fin-based bipolar junction transistor (BJT) includes a wide collector situated in a semiconductor substrate. A fin base is disposed over the wide collector. Further, a fin emitter and an epi emitter are disposed over the fin base. A narrow base-emitter junction of the fin-based BJT is formed by the fin base and the fin emitter and the epi emitter provides increased current conduction and reduced resistance for the fin-based BJT. The epi emitter can be epitaxially formed on the fin emitter and can comprise polysilicon. Furthermore, the fin base and the fin emitter can each comprise single crystal silicon.

Fin-based bipolar junction transistor and method for fabrication

According to one exemplary embodiment, a fin-based adjustable resistor includes a fin channel of a first conductivity type, and a gate surrounding the fin channel. The fin-based adjustable resistor also includes first and second terminals of the first conductivity type being contiguous with the fin channel, and being situated on opposite sides of the fin channel. The fin channel is lower doped relative to the first and second terminals. The resistance of the fin channel between the first and second terminals is adjusted by varying a voltage applied to the gate so as to achieve the fin-based adjustable resistor. The gate can be on at least two sides of the fin channel. Upon application of a depletion voltage, the fin channel can be depleted before an inversion is formed in the fin channel.

Fin-based adjustable resistor

According to one exemplary embodiment, a method for fabricating a flash memory cell in a semiconductor die includes forming a control gate stack overlying a floating gate stack in a memory region of a substrate, where the floating gate stack includes a floating gate overlying a portion of a dielectric one layer. The floating gate includes a portion of a metal one layer and the dielectric o one layer includes a first high-k dielectric material. The control gate stack can include a control gate including a portion of a metal two layer, where the metal one layer can include a different metal than the metal two layer.

Method of fabricating a flash memory comprising a high-K dielectric and a metal gate

According to an exemplary embodiment, a method for fabricating a MOS transistor, such as an LDMOS transistor, includes forming a self-aligned lightly doped region in a first well underlying a first sidewall of a gate. The method further includes forming a self-aligned extension region under a second sidewall of the gate, where the self-aligned extension region extends into the first well from a second well. The method further includes forming a drain region spaced apart from the second sidewall of the gate. The method further includes forming a source region in the self-aligned lightly doped region and the first well. The self-aligned lightly doped region and the self-aligned extension region define a channel length of the MOS transistor, such as an LDMOS transistor.

Growing community of inventors

Irvine, CA, United States of America

Wei Xia