Patents Examined by Mary Wilczewski
  • Patent number: 11915968
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor structure and a method for manufacturing the same. The method includes: providing a base, at least one shallow trench isolating structure being formed in the base and several active regions arranged at an interval being isolated by the shallow trench isolating structure in the base; forming a first trench in the base, a part of the active regions being exposed in the first trench; forming a first conducting structure in the first trench; forming a first dielectric layer on the base; forming a second trench in the first dielectric layer, the first conducting structure being exposed in the second trench and a width of a top of the second trench being greater than a width of a top of the first trench; and forming a second conducting structure in the second trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: CHANGXIN MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Wenli Chen
  • Patent number: 11917813
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) array. The memory array includes a semiconductor substrate, an isolation structure and contact enhancement sidewall spacers. The semiconductor substrate has a trench defining laterally separate active areas formed of surface regions of the semiconductor substrate. Top surfaces of a first group of the active areas are recessed with respect to top surfaces of a second group of the active areas. The isolation structure is filled in the trench and in lateral contact with bottom portions of the active areas. The contact enhancement sidewall spacers laterally surround top portions of the active areas, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: NANYA TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ping Hsu
  • Patent number: 11916011
    Abstract: Memory devices are implemented within a vertical memory structure, comprising a stack of alternating layers of insulator material and word line material, with a series of alternating conductive pillars and insulating pillars disposed through stack. Data storage structures are disposed on inside surfaces of the layers of word line material at cross-points of the insulating pillars and the layers of word line material. Semiconductor channel material is disposed between the insulating pillars and the data storage structures at cross-points of the insulating pillars with the layers of word line material. The semiconductor channel material extends around an outside surface of the insulating pillars, contacting the adjacent conductive pillars on both sides to provide source/drain terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: MACRONIX INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Erh-Kun Lai, Hsiang-Lan Lung
  • Patent number: 11908703
    Abstract: Heating treatment is performed on multiple dummy wafers to preheat in-chamber structures including a susceptor and the like prior to the treatment of a semiconductor wafer to be treated. The first few ones of the multiple dummy wafers are heated to a first heating temperature by light irradiation from halogen lamps, and are thereafter irradiated with a flash of light. The subsequent few ones of the multiple dummy wafers are heated to a second heating temperature lower than the first heating temperature by light irradiation from the halogen lamps, and are thereafter irradiated with a flash of light. This stabilizes the temperature of the in-chamber structures in a shorter time with fewer dummy wafers because the dummy wafers are heated to the high temperature and thereafter heated to the low temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mao Omori, Kazuhiko Fuse
  • Patent number: 11910595
    Abstract: The invention discloses a semiconductor memory device, which is characterized by comprising a substrate defining a cell region and an adjacent periphery region, a plurality of bit lines are arranged on the substrate and arranged along a first direction, each bit line comprises a conductive part, and the bit line comprises four sidewalls, and a spacer surrounds the four sidewalls of the bit line, the spacer comprises two short spacers covering two ends of the conductive part, two long spacers covering the two long sides of the conductive part, and a plurality of storage node contact isolations located between any two adjacent bit lines, at least a part of the storage node contact isolations cover directly above the spacers. The structure of the invention can improve the electrical isolation effect, preferably avoid leakage current and improve the quality of components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yu-Cheng Tung, Janbo Zhang, Shih-Han Hung, Li-Wei Feng
  • Patent number: 11901210
    Abstract: A 3D semiconductor device including: a first level including a plurality of first single-crystal transistors; a plurality of memory control circuits formed from at least a portion of the plurality of first single-crystal transistors; a first metal layer disposed atop the plurality of first single-crystal transistors; a second metal layer disposed atop the first metal layer; a second level disposed atop the second metal layer, the second level including a plurality of second transistors; a third level including a plurality of third transistors, where the third level is disposed above the second level; a third metal layer disposed above the third level; and a fourth metal layer disposed above the third metal layer, where the plurality of second transistors are aligned to the plurality of first single crystal transistors with less than 140 nm alignment error, the second level includes first memory cells, the third level includes second memory cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Monolithic 3D Inc.
    Inventors: Zvi Or-Bach, Brian Cronquist, Deepak C. Sekar
  • Patent number: 11895844
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device according to an embodiment includes a substrate including block areas, members, conductive layers, and pillars. Each of the members is respectively disposed at a boundary portion between the block areas. At least one member of the members includes first portions and a second portion. The first portions are arranged in a first direction. The second portion is disposed between any two adjacent ones of the first portions. Either one of one of the first portions and the second portion of the member is referred to as a third portion. The other one of the one of the first portions and the second portion of the member is referred to as a fourth portion. The third portion has a width in a second direction greater than a width of the fourth portion in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventor: Genki Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 11895875
    Abstract: A display device includes: a substrate including a curved portion and a flat portion; an insulating layer disposed on the substrate; a first organic light emitting diode disposed on the insulating layer and having a first projection; and a second organic light emitting diode having a second projection, wherein a light emission portion is disposed in the curved portion and the flat portion, the first projection overlaps the light emission portion disposed in the curved portion and is asymmetric in the light emission portion, and the second projection overlaps the light emission portion in the flat portion and is symmetric in the light emission portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Won Ju Kwon, Hee Seong Jeong
  • Patent number: 11889683
    Abstract: A method used in forming a memory array comprising strings of memory cells comprises forming a stack comprising vertically-alternating first tiers and second tiers. A channel-material string is in individual channel openings in the vertically-alternating first tiers and second tiers. A conductor-material contact is in the individual channel openings directly against the channel material of individual of the channel-material strings. The conductor-material contacts are vertically recessed in the individual channel openings. A conductive via is formed in the individual channel openings directly against the vertically-recessed conductor-material contact in that individual channel opening. Other aspects, including structure independent of method, are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: John D. Hopkins, Darwin A. Clampitt, Michael J. Puett, Christopher R. Ritchie
  • Patent number: 11876006
    Abstract: Film information about a thin film formed on the front surface of a semiconductor wafer, substrate information about the semiconductor wafer, and an installation angle of an upper radiation thermometer are set and input. Emissivity of the front surface of the semiconductor wafer formed with a multilayer film is calculated based on the various kinds of information. Further, a weighted average efficiency of the emissivity of the front surface of the semiconductor wafer is determined based on a sensitivity distribution of the upper radiation thermometer. Front surface temperature of the semiconductor wafer at the time of heat treatment is measured using the determined weighted average efficiency of the emissivity. The emissivity is determined based on the film information and the like, so that the front surface temperature of the semiconductor wafer can be accurately measured even when thin films are formed in multiple layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Ueno, Takahiro Kitazawa, Yoshihide Nozaki
  • Patent number: 11864378
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes following steps: providing a semiconductor substrate, and forming active regions and trench isolation structures in the semiconductor substrate, wherein the trench isolation structures are located between the active regions; forming first grooves in the active regions; filling the first grooves to form inversion polysilicon layers, the inversion polysilicon layers being inversely doped with the active regions; forming second grooves, the second grooves running through the polysilicon layers and a part of the semiconductor substrate, and reserving parts of the inversion polysilicon layers located on side faces of the second grooves; and, forming buried word line structures in the second grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: CHANGXIN MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Yong Lu, Gongyi Wu, Hongkun Shen, Qiuhu Pang
  • Patent number: 11854688
    Abstract: Methods for performing a pre-clean process to remove an oxide in semiconductor devices and semiconductor devices formed by the same are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method includes forming a shallow trench isolation region over a semiconductor substrate; forming a gate stack over the shallow trench isolation region; etching the shallow trench isolation region adjacent the gate stack using an anisotropic etching process; and after etching the shallow trench isolation region with the anisotropic etching process, etching the shallow trench isolation region with an isotropic etching process, process gases for the isotropic etching process including hydrogen fluoride (HF) and ammonia (NH3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Feng-Ching Chu, Wei-Yang Lee, Feng-Cheng Yang, Yen-Ming Chen
  • Patent number: 11856655
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes: a chamber having a container including at least one substrate-heating region and at least one substrate-cooling region; a heating mechanism configured to heat a first substrate in the at least one substrate-heating region; a cooling mechanism configured to cool a second substrate in the at least one substrate-cooling region while the first substrate is being heated; and a partition provided in the container and configured to separate the at least one substrate-heating region and the at least one substrate-cooling region from each other in terms of heat and pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Hirofumi Yamaguchi, Yoshiaki Sasaki, Yuichi Nishimori, Atsushi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11855124
    Abstract: A semiconductor device has a package substrate, a system-on-chip (SoC) die, and a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) die, arranged in a vertical stack. The SoC die is disposed on a first surface of the package substrate, and the PMIC die is mechanically coupled to a second surface of the package substrate. The PMIC die is electrically coupled to the SOC die via first via connectors of the package substrate and configured to provide DC power to the SOC die via DC connectors electrically coupled to the via connectors of the package substrate. The PMIC die includes thin film inductors, corresponding to the DC connectors, on a surface of the PMIC die and located adjacent to the second surface of the package substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Peng Zou, Syrus Ziai
  • Patent number: 11848239
    Abstract: A method includes depositing a first work function layer over a gate dielectric layer, forming a first hard mask layer over the first work function layer, forming a photoresist mask over the first hard mask layer, where forming the photoresist mask includes depositing a bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) layer over the first hard mask layer, etching a portion of the BARC layer, etching a portion of the first hard mask layer using the BARC layer as a mask, etching a portion of the first work function layer to expose a portion of the gate dielectric layer through the first hard mask layer and the first work function layer, removing the first hard mask layer, and depositing a second work function layer over the first work function layer and over the portion of the gate dielectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chieh-Wei Chen, Jian-Jou Lian, Tzu-Ang Chiang, Chun-Neng Lin, Ming-Hsi Yeh
  • Patent number: 11842908
    Abstract: An arrangement of linear heat lamps is provided which allows for localized control of temperature nonuniformities in a substrate during semiconductor processing. A reactor includes a substrate holder positioned between a top array and a bottom array of linear heat lamps. At least one lamp of the arrays includes a filament having a varying density and power output along the length of the lamp. In particular, at least one lamp of the arrays includes a filament having a higher filament winding density within a central portion of the lamp relative to peripheral portions of the lamp. In some embodiments, the at least one lamp is a central lamp extending across a central portion of the substrate heated by the lamp. Furthermore, at least one lamp of the arrays has a higher power output within a central portion of the lamp than at peripheral portions of the lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V.
    Inventors: Shiva K. T. Rajavelu Muralidhar, Sam Kim
  • Patent number: 11839079
    Abstract: Embodiments of structure and methods for forming a three-dimensional (3D) memory device are provided. In an example, the memory device includes a stack structure having interleaved a plurality of conductor layers and a plurality of dielectric layers over a substrate along a vertical direction. The memory device also includes a channel structure extending in the stack structure along the vertical direction. A thickness of at least one of the plurality of dielectric layers is nominally inversely proportional to a width of the channel structure at the same depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: YANGTZE MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Qiguang Wang, Wenxi Zhou
  • Patent number: 11832446
    Abstract: A three-dimensional (3D) memory device includes a channel structure extending along a first direction and a control gate structure extending along a second direction around the channel structure. Preferably, channel structure includes a negative capacitance (NC) insulating layer, a charge trap structure, and a channel layer, in which the NC insulating layer includes HfZrOx and the charge trap structure includes a blocking layer, a charge trap layer, and a tunneling layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventor: Hock Chun Chin
  • Patent number: 11798917
    Abstract: A stack package includes a core die disposed over a package substrate, and a controller die disposed between the core die and the package substrate to control the core die. The core die includes banks each including memory cell arrays, an interbank region in which row decoders and column decoders are arranged, and a pad region in which first connection pads electrically connected to the row decoders and column decoders through first wirings are disposed. The controller die includes a through via region in which controller die through vias penetrating the controller die to be connected to the first connection pads are disposed, and a circuit region in which controlling circuitry electrically connected to the controller die through vias through second wirings is disposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Bok Kyu Choi
  • Patent number: 11792985
    Abstract: A semiconductor storage device includes: a first conductive layer extending in a first direction; a second conductive layer that is disposed apart from the first conductive layer in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and extends in the first direction; a plurality of semiconductor layers provided between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer and arranged in the first direction, each of which includes a first portion facing the first conductive layer, and a second portion facing the second conductive layer; a plurality of first memory cells provided between the first conductive layer and the semiconductor layers, respectively; and a plurality of second memory cells provided between the second conductive layer and the semiconductor layers, respectively. A gap is provided between the two semiconductor layers adjacent in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: KIOXIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatsuya Kato, Satoshi Nagashima, Yefei Han, Takayuki Ishikawa