An object is to provide a semiconductor device of which a manufacturing process is not complicated and by which cost can be suppressed, by forming a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor film typified by zinc oxide, and a manufacturing method thereof. For the semiconductor device, a gate electrode is formed over a substrate; a gate insulating film is formed covering the gate electrode; an oxide semiconductor film is formed over the gate insulating film; and a first conductive film and a second conductive film are formed over the oxide semiconductor film. The oxide semiconductor film has at least a crystallized region in a channel region.

Semiconductor device, and manufacturing method thereof

An Interferometric Modulator (IMod) is a microelectromechanical device for modulating light using interference. The colors of these devices may be determined in a spatial fashion, and their inherent color shift may be compensated for using several optical compensation mechanisms. Brightness, addressing, and driving of IMods may be accomplished in a variety of ways with appropriate packaging, and peripheral electronics which can be attached and/or fabricated using one of many techniques. The devices may be used in both embedded and directly perceived applications, the latter providing multiple viewing modes as well as a multitude of product concepts ranging in size from microscopic to architectural in scope.

Interferometric modulation of radiation

An interference modulator (Imod) incorporates anti-reflection coatings and/or micro-fabricated supplemental lighting sources. An efficient drive scheme is provided for matrix addressed arrays of IMods or other micromechanical devices. An improved color scheme provides greater flexibility. Electronic hardware can be field reconfigured to accommodate different display formats and/or application functions. An IMod's electromechanical behavior can be decoupled from its optical behavior. An improved actuation means is provided, some one of which may be hidden from view. An IMod or IMod array is fabricated and used in conjunction with a MEMS switch or switch array. An IMod can be used for optical switching and modulation. Some IMods incorporate 2-D and 3-D photonic structures. A variety of applications for the modulation of light are discussed. A MEMS manufacturing and packaging approach is provided based on a continuous web fed process. IMods can be used as test structures for the evaluation of residual stress in deposited materials.

Photonic mems and structures

A flash non-volatile memory system that normally operates its memory cells in multiple storage states is provided with the ability to operate some selected or all of its memory cell blocks in two states instead. The two states are selected to be the furthest separated of the multiple states, thereby providing an increased margin during two state operation. This allows faster programming and a longer operational life of the memory cells being operated in two states when it is more desirable to have these advantages than the increased density of data storage that multi-state operation provides.

Selective operation of a multi-state non-volatile memory system in a binary mode

Light in the visible spectrum is modulated using an array of modulation elements, and control circuitry connected to the array for controlling each of the modulation elements independently, each of the modulation elements having a surface which is caused to exhibit a predetermined impedance characteristic to particular frequencies of light. The amplitude of light delivered by each of the modulation elements is controlled independently by pulse code modulation. Each modulation element has a deformable portion held under tensile stress, and the control circuitry controls the deformation of the deformable portion. Each deformable element has a deformation mechanism and an optical portion, the deformation mechanism and the optical portion independently imparting to the element respectively a controlled deformation characteristic and a controlled modulation characteristic. The deformable modulation element may be a non-metal. The elements are made by forming a sandwich of two layers and a sacrificial layer between them, the sacrificial layer having a thickness related to the final cavity dimension, and using chemical (e.g., water) or a plasma based etch process to remove the sacrificial layer.

Visible spectrum modulator arrays

A method or utilizing electroless copper deposition to selectively form encapsulated copper plugs to connect conductive regions on a semiconductor. A via opening in an inter-level dielectric (ILD) provides a path for connecting two conductive regions separated by the ILD. Once the underlying metal layer is exposed by the via opening, a SiN or SiON dielectric encapsulation layer is formed along the sidewalls of the via. Then, a contact displacement technique is used to form a thin activation layer of copper on a barrier metal, such as TiN, which is present as a covering layer on the underlying metal layer. After the contact displacement of copper on the barrier layer at the bottom of the via, an electroless copper deposition technique is then used to auto-catalytically deposit copper in the via. The electroless copper deposition continues until the via is almost filled, but leaving sufficient room at the top in order to form an upper encapsulation layer. The SiN or SiON sidewalls, the bottom barrier layer and the cap barrier layer function to fully encapsulate the copper plug in the via. The plug is then annealed.

Selective electroless copper deposited interconnect plugs for ULSI applications

A globally planarized binary optical mask has absorbers embedded (buried) in the mask substrate, instead of on the surface of the mask. Light scattering at rough vertical edges of absorbers of prior art masks are reduced or eliminated. Also, due to the buried nature of the absorbers, a triple singularity point encountered in prior art masks at the interface of three environments of quartz, absorber and air, no longer exists. The buried absorbers have an offset distance from the surface of the substrate so that with a minimum effective offset distance, defects and contaminants at the surface of the mask are no longer in the image plane, wherein alleviating a need for a pellicle to protect the mask surface. By reducing light scattering and distortion, the mask of the present invention allows for conventional optical lithography to be extended to ranges of shorter wavelength.

Globally planarized binary optical mask using buried absorbers

Electroless barrier deposition for copper metallization potentially provides many advantages, among which are the selectivity to dielectrics, possibility of an amorphous alloy deposition, binary alloy properties enhancement by an addition of a third component, high conformity and low cost. Electroless cobalt-rich CoWP ternary alloys with high phosphorus content (approximately 11 weight percent) and a low weight percent of the third component, tungsten (approximately 2 percent), were deposited in basic solution onto copper and cobalt in integrated circuit structures. A capability of the electroless CoWP deposition to form thin selective and conformal barrier/protection films was demonstrated. Extendibility of these thin films to extremely small, nano- scale dimensions was observed. Conformal 10 nm thick CoWP layer was formed on the sidewalls of 30 - 40 nm wide seam of aspect ratio about 5:1 on the top of 0.4 micrometer wide in- laid Cu line. Thermal stability of electroless CoWP/Cu films investigated by Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS), Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) was extended to 500 degrees Celsius for 15 nm thick barrier. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) images of the electroless CoWP film surface and sectional analysis showed small grain sizes of CoWP on either electroless or Physical Vapor Deposited (PVD) Cu films. Several passivation schemes to protect the exposed Cu surface and adhesion promotion/barrier layers to stabilize the Cu/dielectric interface in a damascene process were demonstrated.

Thin electroless barrier for copper films

An attenuated phase shifting mask has absorbers embedded (buried) in the mask substrate, instead of on the surface of the substrate. The buried absorbers allow for controlling attenuation and phase shifting parameters. The material composition and the thickness of the absorber regions determine the amount of attenuation that is to be achieved, as well as phase shifting in some instances. In other instances, offset distances of the absorbers from the surface of the mask control the phase shift. Light scattering and diffraction is reduced or eliminated by having the absorbers below the surface of the mask. By reducing light scattering and distortion, the mask of the present invention allows for PSM lithography techniques to be extended to ranges of shorter wavelength.

Attenuated phase shifting mask with buried absorbers

A phase shifting mask has phase shifters in which the sidewalls of the shifters are coated with a light absorbing or attenuating material. The light absorption at the sidewalls reduces the edges scattering and improves the resolution by obtaining similar transmission profiles from phase shifted and unshifted regions of the PSM.

P. K. Vasudev

Papers

Selective electroless copper deposited interconnect plugs for ULSI applications

Globally planarized binary optical mask using buried absorbers

Thin electroless barrier for copper films

Attenuated phase shifting mask with buried absorbers

Phase shifting mask structure with absorbing/attenuating sidewalls for improved imaging