Abstract:
A technique is provided which makes it possible to achieve both of a reduction in contact resistance in a memory device and a reduction in contact resistance in a logic device even when oxidation is performed during formation of dielectric films of capacitors. Conductive barrier layers (82) are provided in the top ends of contact plugs (83b) electrically connected to ones of source/drain regions (59). Lower electrodes (70) of capacitors (73) are formed in contact with the conductive barrier layers (82) of the contact plugs (83b) and then dielectric films (71) and upper electrodes (72) of the capacitors (73) are sequentially formed. In the logic region, contact plugs (25) are formed in an upper layer so that they are in contact respectively with contact plugs (33) electrically connected to source/drain regions (9).
Abstract:
With a recent shrinking semiconductor process, insulating layers formed between interconnect layers are becoming thin. To avoid parasitic capacitance between them, materials of a low dielectric constant have been used for an insulating layer in a multilevel interconnect. Low-k materials, however, have low strength compared with the conventional insulating layers. Porous low-k materials are structurally fragile. The invention therefore provides a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device having a multilevel interconnect layer including a low-k layer. According to the method, in a two-step cutting system dicing in which after formation of a groove in a semiconductor water with a tapered blade, the groove is divided with a straight blade thinner than the groove width, the multilevel interconnect layer portion is cut while being covered with a tapered face and then the wafer is separated with a thin blade which is not brought into contact with the multilevel interconnect layer portion. The wafer can be diced without damaging a relatively fragile low-k layer.
Abstract:
An LED driving circuit driving an LED array includes: n constant-current driving elements having a vertical structure, each of which is connected to each of LED strings in series and drives the LED string with a constant current; n constant-current control circuits controlling on voltages of the constant-current driving elements so that currents flowing to the LED strings become constant currents; a lowest-voltage detecting circuit to which terminal voltages of the constant-current driving elements on an LED string side are inputted, the lowest-voltage detecting circuit selecting a lowest voltage from among the terminal voltages and outputting a command signal based on difference between the lowest voltage and a predetermined set voltage; and a power-supply control circuit controlling a voltage applied to the LED array to a voltage lower than an initial set voltage based on the command signal.
Abstract:
To provide a power supply apparatus which realizes a high-speed response, a stable operation, and a low output ripple with low power consumption. The first stage switching regulator receives an input voltage and forms a first voltage. The second stage switching regulator receives the first voltage and forms a second voltage. The second stage switching regulator includes an N-phase (N is two or more) switching regulator, and the first voltage is set to be N times a target value of the second voltage. The input voltage is set to be higher than the first voltage.
Abstract:
A semiconductor device includes an interlayer insulation film, an underlying line provided in the interlayer insulation film, a liner film overlying the interlayer insulation film, an interlayer insulation film overlying the liner film. The underlying line has a lower hole and the liner film and the interlayer insulation film have an upper hole communicating with the lower hole, and the lower hole is larger in diameter than the upper hole. The semiconductor device further includes a conductive film provided at an internal wall surface of the lower hole, a barrier metal provided along an internal wall surface of the upper hole, and a Cu film filling the upper and lower holes. The conductive film contains a substance identical to a substance of the barrier metal. A highly reliable semiconductor device can thus be obtained.
Abstract:
Logic LSI includes first power domains PD1 to PD4, thick-film power switches SW1 to SW4, and power switch controllers PSWC1 to PSWC4. The thick-film power switches are formed by thick-film power transistors manufactured in a process common to external input/output circuits I/O. The first power domains include second power domains SPD11 to SPD42 including logic blocks, control circuit blocks SCB1 to SCB4, and thin-film power switches SWN11 to SWN42 that are connected to the thick-film power switches via virtual ground lines VSSM1 to VSSM4, and formed by thin-film power transistors manufactured in a process common to the logic blocks. In this way, power switches having different thickness of gate insulating films from one another are vertically stacked so as to be in a hierarchical structure, and each power switch is individually controlled by a power switch controller and a control circuit block correspondingly to each mode.
Abstract:
A shielded electronic component including a wiring board, at least one semiconductor chip mounted on a main surface of the wiring board, a sealant which seals the whole of an upper surface of the wiring board, and a nickel (Ni) plating film formed on an upper surface of the sealant is provided. The Ni plating film is formed on a palladium (Pd) pretreatment layer formed on the upper surface of the sealant with using high-pressure CO2 in a state of protecting a back surface of the wiring board, and is electrically connected with an end portion of a ground wiring layer of the wiring board or a ground (GND) connection through-hole connected with the end portion of the ground wiring layer.
Abstract:
An operation scheme for operating stably a semiconductor nonvolatile memory device is provided.When hot-hole injection is conducted in the semiconductor nonvolatile memory device of a split gate structure, the hot-hole injection is verified using a crossing point that does not change with time. Thus, an erased state can be verified without being aware of any time-varying changes.Also, programming or programming/erasure is conducted by repeating pulse voltage or multi-step voltage application to a gate section multiple times.
Abstract:
A technology is provided where a high performance Schottky-barrier diode and other semiconductor elements can be formed in the same chip controlling the increase in the number of steps. After a silicon oxide film is deposited over a substrate where an n-channel type MISFET is formed and the silicon oxide film over a gate electrode and n+ type semiconductor region is selectively removed, a Co film is deposited over the substrate and a CoSi2 layer is formed over the n+ type semiconductor region and the gate electrode by applying a heat treatment to the substrate. After a silicon nitride film is deposited over the substrate and an aperture reaching the substrate is formed by removing the silicon nitride film and the silicon oxide film at the anode formation part of the Schottky barrier diode, a Ti film is deposited over the substrate including the inside of the aperture, and a TiSi2 layer which becomes an anode electrode of the Schottky-barrier diode is formed at the bottom of the aperture by applying a heat treatment to the substrate.
Abstract:
In fuse program circuits, fuse element FS is implemented using metal interconnect at third or higher layer of multilayer metal interconnect. In each fuse program circuit, program information and fuse select information are sequentially transferred using a scan flip-flops, and fuses are selectively and electrically blown one by one. The fuse program circuit provided with fuse elements that can be programmed even after packaging is implemented with low power consumption and a low occupation area.