Xilinx, Inc.

Other

Yuhao Luo

Deepak K Nayak

Daniel Gitlin

Xin X Wu

Shuxian Wu

Jae-Gyung Ahn

Yan E Wang

Nui Chong

Qi Lin

Hong-Tsz Pan

Zhi-min Ling

Bang-Thu Nguyen

Yuezhen Fan

Jonathan Jung-Ching Ho

Jonathan Cheang-Whang Chang

Hing Yee Angela Wong

The present disclosure relates generally to a method to break and assemble solar cells to make solar panel. The present disclosure provides a method to produce solar pieces from solar cell, as well as assemble them together. The present disclosure device is unique when compared with other known devices and solutions because the present disclosure provides a high speed method to break scribed cells into pieces. A method of forming a string of solar cells includes providing a scribe line on a solar cell and placing a first ribbon on the solar cell. The method then includes placing the solar cell on a supporter and then breaking the solar cell into a plurality of solar cell pieces. The method then has the step of placing a second ribbon on the solar cell pieces and soldering the first and second ribbons and the solar cell pieces and then assembling the solar cell pieces into a string of solar cells.

Method to break and assemble solar cells

A semiconductor device exhibiting enhanced carrier mobility within a channel region of the semiconductor device is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a gate stack having first and second sidewall spacers, where the gate stack is implemented above the channel region of the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device further includes first and second trenches formed adjacent to the gate stack, where the first and second trenches are conically shaped to be wider at a top portion of each trench as compared to a width of each trench below the top portion of each trench. The semiconductor device further includes strained silicon alloy formed within the first and second trenches, where a stress force exerted on the channel region of the semiconductor device is maximized at a surface of the semiconductor device below the gate stack.

Semiconductor device with improved trenches

A circuit for protecting a transistor during the manufacture of an integrated circuit device is disclosed. The circuit comprises a transistor having a gate formed over an active region formed in a die of the integrated circuit device; a protection element formed in the die of the integrated circuit device; and a programmable interconnect coupled between the gate of the transistor and the protection element, the programmable interconnect enabling the protection element to be decoupled from the transistor.

Circuit for protecting a transistor during the manufacture of an integrated circuit device

An MOS device has an embedded dielectric structure underlying an active portion of the device, such as a source extension or a drain extension. In an alternative embodiment, an embedded dielectric structure underlies the channel region of a MOS device, as well as the source and drain extensions.

Semiconductor device with backfilled isolation

Recesses are formed in the drain and source regions of an MOS transistor. An ohmic contact layer is formed in the recesses, and a stressed silicon-nitride layer is formed over the ohmic contact layer. The recesses allow the stressed silicon nitride layer to provide strain in the plane of the channel region. In a particular embodiment, a tensile silicon nitride layer is formed over recesses of an NMOS transistor in a CMOS cell, and a compressive silicon nitride layer is formed over recesses of a PMOS transistor in the CMOS cell. In a particular embodiment the stressed silicon nitride layer(s) is a chemical etch stop layer.

Strain-silicon CMOS using etch-stop layer and method of manufacture

A semiconductor process for improved etch control in which an anisotropic selective etch is used to better control the shape and depth of trenches formed within a semiconductor material. The etchants exhibit preferential etching along at least one of the crystallographic directions, but exhibit an etch rate that is much slower in a second crystallographic direction. As such, one dimension of the etching process is time controlled, a second dimension of the etching process is self-aligned using sidewall spacers of the gate stack, and a third dimension of the etching process is inherently controlled by the selective etch phenomenon of the selective etchant along the second crystallographic direction. A deeper trench is implemented by first forming a lightly doped drain (LDD) region under the gate stack and using the sidewall spacers in combination with the LDD regions to deepen the trenches formed within the semiconductor material.

Semiconductor device and process for improved etch control of strained silicon alloy trenches

A method of protecting a transistor formed on a die of an integrated circuit is disclosed. The method comprises forming an active region of the transistor on the die; forming a gate of the transistor over the active region; coupling a primary contact to the gate of the transistor; coupling a programmable element between the gate of the transistor and a protection element; and decoupling the protection element from the gate of the transistor by way of the programmable element. Circuits for protecting a transistor formed on a die of an integrated circuit are also disclosed.

Method of and circuit for protecting a transistor formed on a die

Method and apparatus for compensating an integrated circuit design for mechanical stress effects. One aspect of the invention relates to designing an integrated circuit. Layout data is obtained that describes layers of the integrated circuit. At least one of the layers is analyzed to detect at least one structure susceptible to damage from mechanical stress. A bias is automatically added to each of the at least one structure to reduce mechanical stress of the at least one structure as fabricated. Augmented layout data is then provided for the integrated circuit.

Method and apparatus for compensating an integrated circuit layout for mechanical stress effects

Recesses are formed in the drain and source regions of an MOS transistor. The recesses are formed using two anisotropic etch processes and first and second sidewall spacers. The recesses are made up of first and second recesses, and the depths of the first and second recesses are independently controllable. The recesses are filled with a stressed material to induce strain in the channel, thereby improving carrier mobility. The widths and depths of the first and second recesses are selectable to optimize strain in the channel region.

Method of fabricating strain-silicon CMOS

Sidewall spacers on the gate of a MOS device are formed from stressed material so as to provide strain in the channel region of the MOS device that enhances carrier mobility. In a particular embodiment, the MOS device is in a CMOS cell that includes a second MOS device. The first MOS device has sidewall spacers having a first (e.g., tensile) type of residual mechanical stress, and the second MOS device has sidewall spacers having a second (e.g., compressive) type of residual mechanical stress. Thus, carrier mobility is enhanced in both the PMOS portion and in the NMOS portion of the CMOS cell.

CMOS device with stressed sidewall spacers

A method of testing a semiconductor wafer having a test structure performs an E-beam stress scan of the test structure in an E-beam system to electrically stress the test structure to produce a stress defect. An inspection scan is performed in the E-beam system to identify the stress defect.

In-line reliability test using E-beam scan

A field-effect transistor ('FET') or similar device has a fully silicided ('FUSI') gate electrode. The gate electrode has a gate interface silicide portion between the gate dielectric and a bulk gate silicide portion. The gate interface silicide is formed by depositing a gate electrode interface layer having silicide retardation species underneath the metal/silicon layers used to form the gate silicide. The gate electrode interface layer retards silicide formation at the gate dielectric/gate electrode interface when the bulk gate silicide is formed, and the gate interface silicide is then formed at a higher temperature or longer heat cycle time.

Method of forming silicide gate with interlayer

A semiconductor device has an NMOS portion and a PMOS portion. A first stress layer overlies a first channel to provide a first stress type to the channel and a first modified stress layer is formed from a portion of the first stress layer overlying a second channel. A second stress layer providing a second stress type overlies the first modified stress layer and a second modified stress layer is formed from a portion of the second stress layer overlying the first stress layer.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Yuhao Luo