| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080265333 | STRUCTURE AND METHOD FOR ENHANCED TRIPLE WELL LATCHUP ROBUSTNESS - Disclosed is a triple well CMOS device structure that addresses the issue of latchup by adding an n+ buried layer not only beneath the p-well to isolate the p-well from the p-substrate but also beneath the n-well. The structure eliminates the spacing issues between the n-well and n+ buried layer by extending the n+ buried layer below the entire device. The structure also addresses the issue of threshold voltage scattering by providing a p+ buried layer below the entire device under the n+ buried layer or below the p-well side of the device only either under or above the n+ buried layer) Latchup robustness can further be improved by incorporating into the device an isolation structure that eliminates lateral pnp, npn, or pnpn devices and/or a sub-collector region between the n+ buried layer and the n-well. | 10-30-2008 |
| 20090110898 | HIGH RESISTIVITY SOI BASE WAFER USING THERMALLY ANNEALED SUBSTRATE - A method of forming a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate using a thermal annealing process to provide a semiconductor base wafer having a thin high resistivity surface layer that is positioned at the interface with the buried insulating layer is provided. Specifically, the inventive method fabricates an a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate having an SOI layer and a semiconductor base wafer that are separated, at least in part, by a buried insulating layer, wherein the semiconductor base wafer includes a high resistivity (HR) surface layer located on a lower resistivity semiconductor portion of the semiconductor base wafer, and the HR surface layer forms an interface with the buried insulating layer. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090219508 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING LOCAL MECHANICAL STRESS IN INTEGREATED DEVICES - A method of detecting local mechanical stress in integrated devices is provided, the method comprising: enabling the detection of a photovoltage difference between a scan probe device and a surface portion of an integrated device, the scan probe device being configured to deflect in response to the photovoltage difference; measuring the deflection of the scan probe device in response to the photovoltage difference between the scan probe device and the surface portion of the integrated device; and calculating a local stress level within the integrated device by determining a local work function of the surface portion of the integrated device based upon the deflection of the scan probe device. | 09-03-2009 |
| 20100117122 | Optimized Device Isolation - A structure for a semiconductor device includes an isolated MOSFET (e.g., NFET) having triple-well technology adjacent to an isolated PFET which itself is adjacent to an isolated NFET. The structure includes a substrate in which is formed a deep n-band region underneath any n-wells, p-wells and p-band regions within the substrate. One p-band region is formed above the deep n-band region and underneath the isolated p-well for the isolated MOSFET, while another p-band region is formed above the deep n-band region and underneath all of the p-wells and n-wells, including those that are part of the isolated PFET and NFET devices within the substrate. The n-wells for the isolated MOSFET are connected to the deep n-band region. The resulting structure provides for improved device isolation and reduction of noise propagating from the substrate to the FETs while maintaining the standard CMOS spacing layout spacing rules and electrical biasing characteristics both external and internal to the triple-well isolation regions. | 05-13-2010 |
| 20100156510 | SOI RADIO FREQUENCY SWITCH FOR REDUCING HIGH FREQUENCY HARMONICS - First doped semiconductor regions having the same type doping as a bottom semiconductor layer and second doped semiconductor regions having an opposite type doping are formed directly underneath a buried insulator layer of a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. The first doped semiconductor regions and the second doped semiconductor regions are electrically grounded or forward-biased relative to the bottom semiconductor layer at a voltage that is insufficient to cause excessive current due to forward-biased injection of minority carriers into the bottom semiconductor layer, i.e., at a potential difference not exceeding 0.6 V to 0.8V. The electrical charges formed in an induced charge layer by the electrical signal in semiconductor devices on the top semiconductor layer are drained through electrical contacts connected to the first and second doped semiconductor regions, thereby reducing of harmonic signals in the semiconductor devices above and enhancing the performance of the semiconductor devices as a radio-frequency (RF) switch. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100156526 | SOI RADIO FREQUENCY SWITCH WITH ENHANCED SIGNAL FIDELITY AND ELECTRICAL ISOLATION - A doped contact region having an opposite conductivity type as a bottom semiconductor layer is provided underneath a buried insulator layer in a bottom semiconductor layer. At least one conductive via structure extends from an interconnect-level metal line through a middle-of-line (MOL) dielectric layer, a shallow trench isolation structure in a top semiconductor layer, and a buried insulator layer and to the doped contact region. The doped contact region is biased at a voltage that is at or close to a peak voltage in the RF switch that removes minority charge carriers within the induced charge layer. The minority charge carriers are drained through the doped contact region and the at least one conductive via structure. Rapid discharge of mobile electrical charges in the induce charge layer reduces harmonic generation and signal distortion in the RF switch. A design structure for the semiconductor structure is also provided. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100200927 | SEMICONDUCTOR-ON-INSULATOR SUBSTRATE AND STRUCTURE INCLUDING MULTIPLE ORDER RADIO FERQUENCY HARMONIC SUPRESSING REGION - A semiconductor-on-insulator substrate and a related semiconductor structure, as well as a method for fabricating the semiconductor-on-insulator substrate and the related semiconductor structure, provide for a multiple order radio frequency harmonic suppressing region located and formed within a base semiconductor substrate at a location beneath an interface of a buried dielectric layer with the base semiconductor substrate within the semiconductor-on-insulator substrate. The multiple order radio frequency harmonic suppressing region may comprise an ion implanted atom, such as but not limited to a noble gas atom, to provide a suppressed multiple order radio frequency harmonic when powering a radio frequency device, such as but not limited to a radio frequency complementary metal oxide semiconductor device (or alternatively a passive device), located and formed within and upon a surface semiconductor layer within the semiconductor structure. | 08-12-2010 |
| 20100244934 | SOI RADIO FREQUENCY SWITCH WITH ENHANCED ELECTRICAL ISOLATION - At least one conductive via structure is formed from an interconnect-level metal line through a middle-of-line (MOL) dielectric layer, a shallow trench isolation structure in a top semiconductor layer, and a buried insulator layer to a bottom semiconductor layer. The shallow trench isolation structure laterally abuts at least two field effect transistors that function as a radio frequency (RF) switch. The at least one conductive via structure and the at interconnect-level metal line may provide a low resistance electrical path from the induced charge layer in a bottom semiconductor layer to electrical ground, discharging the electrical charge in the induced charge layer. The discharge of the charge in the induced charge layer thus reduces capacitive coupling between the semiconductor devices and the bottom semiconductor layer, and thus secondary coupling between components electrically disconnected by the RF switch is reduced. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20110127529 | SILICON-ON-INSULATOR (SOI) STRUCTURE CONFIGURED FOR REDUCED HARMONICS AND METHOD OF FORMING THE STRUCTURE - Disclosed is semiconductor structure with an insulator layer on a semiconductor substrate and a device layer is on the insulator layer. The substrate is doped with a relatively low dose of a dopant having a given conductivity type such that it has a relatively high resistivity. Additionally, a portion of the semiconductor substrate immediately adjacent to the insulator layer can be doped with a slightly higher dose of the same dopant, a different dopant having the same conductivity type or a combination thereof. Optionally, micro-cavities are created within this same portion so as to balance out any increase in conductivity due to increased doping with a corresponding increase in resistivity. Increasing the dopant concentration at the semiconductor substrate-insulator layer interface raises the threshold voltage (Vt) of any resulting parasitic capacitors and, thereby reduces harmonic behavior. Also disclosed herein are embodiments of a method for forming such a semiconductor structure. | 06-02-2011 |
| 20110131542 | SILICON-ON-INSULATOR (SOI) STRUCTURE CONFIGURED FOR REDUCED HARMONICS, DESIGN STRUCTURE AND METHOD - Disclosed is semiconductor structure with an insulator layer on a semiconductor substrate and a device layer is on the insulator layer. The substrate is doped with a relatively low dose of a dopant having a given conductivity type such that it has a relatively high resistivity. Additionally, a portion of the semiconductor substrate immediately adjacent to the insulator layer can be doped with a slightly higher dose of the same dopant, a different dopant having the same conductivity type or a combination thereof. Optionally, micro-cavities are created within this same portion so as to balance out any increase in conductivity with a corresponding increase in resistivity. Increasing the dopant concentration at the semiconductor substrate-insulator layer interface raises the threshold voltage (Vt) of any resulting parasitic capacitors and, thereby reduces harmonic behavior. Also disclosed herein are embodiments of a method and a design structure for such a semiconductor structure. | 06-02-2011 |