Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090085095 | Profile Engineered Thin Film Devices and Structures - The present invention relates to electrically active devices (e.g., capacitors, transistors, diodes, floating gate memory cells, etc.) having dielectric, conductor, and/or semiconductor layers with smooth and/or dome-shaped profiles and methods of forming such devices by depositing or printing (e.g., inkjet printing) an ink composition that includes a semiconductor, metal, or dielectric precursor. The smooth and/or dome-shaped cross-sectional profile allows for smooth topological transitions without sharp steps, preventing feature discontinuities during deposition and allowing for more complete step coverage of subsequently deposited structures. The inventive profile allows for both the uniform growth of oxide layers by thermal oxidation, and substantially uniform etching rates of the structures. Such oxide layers may have a uniform thickness and provide substantially complete coverage of the underlying electrically active feature. Uniform etching allows for an efficient method of reducing a critical dimension of an electrically active structure by simple isotropic etch. | 04-02-2009 |
20090095818 | Wireless Devices Including Printed Integrated Circuitry and Methods for Manufacturing and Using the Same - Printed integrated circuitry and attached antenna and/or inductor for sensors, electronic article surveillance (EAS), radio frequency (RF) and/or RF identification (RFID) tags and devices, and methods for its manufacture. The tag generally includes printed integrated circuitry on one carrier and an antenna and/or inductor on another carrier, the integrated circuitry being electrically coupled to the antenna and/or inductor. The method of manufacture generally includes of printing an integrated circuit having a plurality of first pads on a carrier, forming an antenna and/or inductor having a plurality of second pads on a substrate, and attaching at least two of the first pads of the printed integrated circuit to corresponding second pads of the antenna and/or inductor. The present invention advantageously provides a low cost RFID tag capable of operating at MHz frequencies that can be manufactured in a shorter time period than conventional RFID tags that manufacture all active electrical devices on a conventional wafer. | 04-16-2009 |
20090109035 | High Reliability Surveillance and/or Identification Tag/Devices and Methods of Making and Using the Same - The present invention relates to methods of making capacitors for use in surveillance/identification tags or devices, and methods of using such surveillance/identification devices. The capacitors manufactured according to the methods of the present invention and used in the surveillance/identification devices described herein comprise printed conductive and dielectric layers. The methods and devices of the present invention improve the manufacturing tolerances associated with conventional metal-plastic-metal capacitor, as well as the deactivation reliability of the capacitor used in a surveillance/identification tag or device. | 04-30-2009 |
20090137071 | High Reliability Surveillance and/or Identification Tag/Devices and Methods of Making and Using the Same - The present invention relates to methods of making capacitors for use in surveillance/identification tags or devices, and methods of using such surveillance/identification devices. The capacitors manufactured according to the methods of the present invention and used in the surveillance/identification devices described herein comprise printed conductive and dielectric layers. The methods and devices of the present invention improve the manufacturing tolerances associated with conventional metal-plastic-metal capacitor, as well as the deactivation reliability of the capacitor used in a surveillance/identification tag or device. | 05-28-2009 |
20090195289 | Process-Variation Tolerant Diode, Standard Cells Including the Same, Tags and Sensors Containing the Same, and Methods for Manufacturing the Same - Process variation-tolerant diodes and diode-connected thin film transistors (TFTs), printed or patterned structures (e.g., circuitry) containing such diodes and TFTs, methods of making the same, and applications of the same for identification tags and sensors are disclosed. A patterned structure comprising a complementary pair of diodes or diode-connected TFTs in series can stabilize the threshold voltage (V | 08-06-2009 |
20100123582 | Surveillance Devices with Multiple Capacitors - The present invention relates to surveillance and/or identification devices having capacitors connected in parallel or in series, and methods of making and using such devices. Devices with capacitors connected in parallel, where one capacitor is fabricated with a relatively thick capacitor dielectric and another is fabricated with a relatively thin capacitor dielectric achieve both a high-precision capacitance and a low breakdown voltage for relatively easy surveillance tag deactivation. Devices with capacitors connected in series result in increased lateral dimensions of a small capacitor. This makes the capacitor easier to fabricate using techniques that may have relatively limited resolution capabilities. | 05-20-2010 |
20100163962 | Printed Non-Volatile Memory - A nonvolatile memory cell is disclosed, having first and second semiconductor islands at the same horizontal level and spaced a predetermined distance apart, the first semiconductor island providing a control gate and the second semiconductor island providing source and drain terminals; a gate dielectric layer on at least part of the first semiconductor island; a tunneling dielectric layer on at least part of the second semiconductor island; a floating gate on at least part of the gate dielectric layer and the tunneling dielectric layer; and a metal layer in electrical contact with the control gate and the source and drain terminals. In one advantageous embodiment, the nonvolatile memory cell may be manufactured using an “all-printed” process technology. | 07-01-2010 |
20100231362 | Multi-Mode Tags and Methods of Making and Using the Same - Multi-mode (e.g., EAS and RFID) tags and methods for making and using the same are disclosed. The tag generally includes an antenna, an electronic article surveillance (EAS) function block coupled to the antenna, and one or more identification function blocks coupled to the antenna in parallel with the EAS function block. The method of reading the tag generally includes the steps of applying an electric field to the tag, detecting the tag when the electric field has a relatively low power, and detecting an identification signal from the tag when the electric field has a relatively high power. The present invention advantageously enables a single tag to be used for both inventory and anti-theft purposes, thereby improving inventory management and control at reduced system and/or “per-article” costs. | 09-16-2010 |
20100244133 | Printed Dopant Layers - A method for making an electronic device, such as a MOS transistor, including the steps of forming a plurality of semiconductor islands on an electrically functional substrate, printing a first dielectric layer on or over a first subset of the semiconductor islands and optionally a second dielectric layer on or over a second subset of the semiconductor islands, and annealing. The first dielectric layer contains a first dopant, and the (optional) second dielectric layer contains a second dopant different from the first dopant. The dielectric layer(s), semiconductor islands and substrate are annealed sufficiently to diffuse the first dopant into the first subset of semiconductor islands and, when present, the second dopant into the second subset of semiconductor islands. | 09-30-2010 |
20100296225 | Tunable Capacitors - The present invention relates to tunable capacitors, devices including tunable capacitors, and methods of making and using tunable capacitors and devices. One or more secondary tunable capacitors can be connected to a primary capacitor by printing a connector conducting layer or feature to obtain a desired net capacitance. Digitally printing the connector conducting layer allows the number of secondary capacitors connected into the circuit to be determined during the integrated circuit fabrication process, without the need for individual masks connecting the appropriate number of secondary capacitors. This provides an in-process or post-process trimming method to obtain the desired precision and accuracy for capacitors. Various sizes and combinations of secondary capacitors can be connected to obtain high precision capacitors and/or improved matching of capacitance values. | 11-25-2010 |
20110018692 | Methods and Systems for Validating Code from a Wireless Device - Methods, algorithms, architectures, circuits, and/or systems for managing POR-less integrated circuits are disclosed. The method of validating code from a wireless device can include: (i) broadcasting a signal from a reader to the wireless device, (ii) reading a code transmitted, re-radiated, and/or backscattered from the wireless device, the code having a predetermined quality, characteristic, and/or property, (iii) comparing the code to a reference quality, characteristic, and/or property, and (iv) validating the code when the predetermined quality, characteristic, and/or property matches the reference quality, characteristic, and/or property. Embodiments of the present invention can advantageously provide a reliable approach for validating integrated circuits that do not incorporate a POR circuit, and which therefore may transmit spurious bits of data upon being energized. In addition, embodiments of the present invention advantageously allow an Aloha-type anti-collision function to be implemented in a reader based on POR-less integrated circuits. | 01-27-2011 |
20110234289 | Process-Variation Tolerant Diode, Standard Cells Including the Same, Tags and Sensors Containing the Same, and Methods for Manufacturing the Same - Process variation-tolerant diodes and diode-connected thin film transistors (TFTs), printed or patterned structures (e.g., circuitry) containing such diodes and TFTs, methods of making the same, and applications of the same for identification tags and sensors are disclosed. A patterned structure comprising a complementary pair of diodes or diode-connected TFTs in series can stabilize the threshold voltage (V | 09-29-2011 |
20120307569 | Printed Non-Volatile Memory - A nonvolatile memory cell is disclosed, having first and second semiconductor islands at the same horizontal level and spaced a predetermined distance apart, the first semiconductor island providing a control gate and the second semiconductor island providing source and drain terminals; a gate dielectric layer on at least part of the first semiconductor island; a tunneling dielectric layer on at least part of the second semiconductor island; a floating gate on at least part of the gate dielectric layer and the tunneling dielectric layer; and a metal layer in electrical contact with the control gate and the source and drain terminals. In one advantageous embodiment, the nonvolatile memory cell may be manufactured using an “all-printed” process technology. | 12-06-2012 |
20130069785 | High Reliability Surveillance and/or Identification Tag/Devices and Methods of Making and Using the Same - The present invention relates to methods of making capacitors for use in surveillance/identification tags or devices, and methods of using such surveillance/identification devices. The capacitors manufactured according to the methods of the present invention and used in the surveillance/identification devices described herein comprise printed conductive and dielectric layers. The methods and devices of the present invention improve the manufacturing tolerances associated with conventional metal-plastic-metal capacitor, as well as the deactivation reliability of the capacitor used in a surveillance/identification tag or device. | 03-21-2013 |
20130189823 | Profile Engineered Thin Film Devices and Structures - The present invention relates to electrically active devices (e.g., capacitors, transistors, diodes, floating gate memory cells, etc.) having dielectric, conductor, and/or semiconductor layers with smooth and/or dome-shaped profiles and methods of forming such devices by depositing or printing (e.g., inkjet printing) an ink composition that includes a semiconductor, metal, or dielectric precursor. The smooth and/or dome-shaped cross-sectional profile allows for smooth topological transitions without sharp steps, preventing feature discontinuities during deposition and allowing for more complete step coverage of subsequently deposited structures. The inventive profile allows for both the uniform growth of oxide layers by thermal oxidation, and substantially uniform etching rates of the structures. Such oxide layers may have a uniform thickness and provide substantially complete coverage of the underlying electrically active feature. Uniform etching allows for an efficient method of reducing a critical dimension of an electrically active structure by simple isotropic etch. | 07-25-2013 |
20140091909 | Surveillance Devices with Multiple Capacitors - The present invention relates to surveillance and/or identification devices having capacitors connected in parallel or in series, and methods of making and using such devices. Devices with capacitors connected in parallel, where one capacitor is fabricated with a relatively thick capacitor dielectric and another is fabricated with a relatively thin capacitor dielectric achieve both a high-precision capacitance and a low breakdown voltage for relatively easy surveillance tag deactivation. Devices with capacitors connected in series result in increased lateral dimensions of a small capacitor. This makes the capacitor easier to fabricate using techniques that may have relatively limited resolution capabilities. | 04-03-2014 |
20140094004 | Printed Dopant Layers - A method for making an electronic device, such as a MOS transistor, including the steps of forming a plurality of semiconductor islands on an electrically functional substrate, printing a first dielectric layer on or over a first subset of the semiconductor islands and optionally a second dielectric layer on or over a second subset of the semiconductor islands, and annealing. The first dielectric layer contains a first dopant, and the (optional) second dielectric layer contains a second dopant different from the first dopant. The dielectric layer(s), semiconductor islands and substrate are annealed sufficiently to diffuse the first dopant into the first subset of semiconductor islands and, when present, the second dopant into the second subset of semiconductor islands. | 04-03-2014 |
20150030217 | SIGNAL STRENGTH ENHANCEMENT IN A BIOMETRIC SENSOR ARRAY - A biometric imager may comprise a plurality of sensor element traces formed in or on a sensor substrate which may comprise at least a portion of a display screen defining a biometric sensing area and forming in-active pixel locations; an auxiliary active circuit formed in or on the sensor substrate on the periphery of the biometric sensing area and in direct or indirect electrical contact with the sensor element traces; and providing a signal processing interface to a remotely located controller integrated circuit. The sensor element traces may form a portion of one dimensional linear sensor array or pixel locations in a two dimensional grid array capacitive gap biometric imaging sensor. The auxiliary circuit may provide pixel location selection or pixel signal amplification. The auxiliary circuit may be mounted on a surface of the display screen. The auxiliary circuit further comprising a separate pixel location selection controller circuit. | 01-29-2015 |