{"schema_version":"1.0","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9852956","patent":{"patent_number":"US-9852956","title":"Extraction of resistance associated with laterally diffused dopant profiles in CMOS devices","assignee":null,"inventors":[],"filing_date":"2015-02-04T00:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2017-12-26T00:00:00.000Z","cpc_codes":["H01L","H01L"],"num_claims":20,"abstract":"Various embodiments provide systems, computer program products and computer implemented methods. In some embodiments, a system includes a computer-implemented method of determining a laterally diffuse dopant profile in semiconductor structures by providing first and second semiconductor structures having plurality of gate array structures in a silicided region separated from each other by a first distance and second distance. A potential difference is applied across the plurality of gate array structures and resistances are determined. A linear-regression fit is performed on measured resistance versus the first distance and the second distance with an extrapolated x equals 0 and a y-intercept to determine a laterally diffused dopant-profile under the plurality of gate array structures based on a semiconductor device model."},"analysis":{"summary":"The patent, \"Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices,\" introduces a pivotal computer-implemented method for accurately determining laterally diffused dopant profiles within advanced semiconductor structures. This core innovation addresses a long-standing challenge in CMOS manufacturing: precisely characterizing the spread of dopants under gate arrays, which critically impacts device performance and yield.\n\nThe problem it solves stems from the increasing complexity and miniaturization of CMOS devices. As transistors shrink, the precise spatial distribution of dopants, particularly their lateral diffusion, becomes a dominant factor in device characteristics like resistance, threshold voltage, and leakage. Traditional measurement techniques often lack the necessary precision or are destructive, leading to inaccuracies in device modeling and costly, iterative design cycles.\n\nThis invention's key technical approach involves providing first and second semiconductor structures, each featuring multiple gate array structures situated within a silicided region. These structures are intentionally separated by distinct distances. A potential difference is applied across these gate array structures, and the resulting electrical resistances are meticulously measured. The genius lies in the subsequent analytical step: a linear-regression fit is performed on these measured resistances against their respective separation distances. Crucially, this regression includes an extrapolated x-intercept set to zero and a y-intercept. These fitted parameters, when integrated with a robust semiconductor device model, enable the precise determination of the laterally diffused dopant-profile directly under the gate array structures.\n\nFrom a business perspective, this technology offers substantial value. It enables semiconductor manufacturers and designers to achieve unprecedented accuracy in device characterization, leading to faster design optimization, reduced development costs, and improved manufacturing yields. The ability to precisely control and understand dopant profiles translates directly into more reliable, higher-performing chips for a wide range of applications, from consumer electronics to high-performance computing and AI.\n\nThe market opportunity for this patent is significant, as it addresses a fundamental metrology gap in advanced CMOS fabrication. With the continuous scaling of semiconductor technology, the demand for such precise characterization tools will only grow, making this innovation an indispensable asset for companies aiming to maintain a competitive edge and push the boundaries of silicon technology.","layman_explanation":"### What Problem Does This Solve?\n\nImagine you're building a highly intricate miniature city, like a tiny silicon metropolis where every building (transistor) needs to be perfectly placed and connected. In this city, there are special 'power lines' (dopants) that determine how electricity flows. As these cities get smaller and smaller, the challenge isn't just building the main roads, but also precisely controlling how the 'power lines' spread out, especially under the tiny 'bridges' (gate electrodes). If these power lines spread too much, or not enough, the entire city's power grid can become inefficient, leading to slow traffic, power outages, or even complete breakdowns.\n\nHistorically, understanding this precise spread of 'power lines' (known as lateral dopant diffusion) has been incredibly difficult. Engineers often had to make educated guesses or use methods that destroyed parts of the city just to get a measurement. This led to a lot of trial and error, wasted resources, and delays in getting new, more efficient cities built. The core business problem is the lack of a reliable, non-destructive, and accurate way to characterize these critical internal structures, which directly impacts device performance, manufacturing yield, and time-to-market for new electronic products.\n\n### How Does It Work?\n\nThe patent, \"Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices,\" provides an elegant solution to this problem, akin to having an advanced, non-invasive diagnostic tool for our miniature silicon cities. Instead of destructive testing, this approach uses clever electrical measurements and smart data analysis.\n\nFirst, imagine building two slightly different versions of a small section of our silicon city. Each version has several identical 'bridges' (gate array structures) over a 'power line' area, but the distance between these bridges is slightly different in the two versions. We then apply a small electrical signal across these bridges and measure how much resistance the electricity encounters. It's like measuring how much effort it takes for a car to drive across a certain stretch of road.\n\nNext, a computer takes these resistance measurements and performs a sophisticated mathematical analysis called a linear-regression fit. This analysis looks for patterns in how the resistance changes with the different distances between the bridges. Crucially, it extrapolates this data to a hypothetical 'zero distance' point, helping to isolate the resistance that comes specifically from the 'power lines' spreading under the bridges themselves. This information is then fed into a detailed computer model of the silicon city. This model, understanding the physics of how electricity flows and how 'power lines' behave, uses the measured resistance data to precisely map out the exact spread of those 'power lines' (dopant profiles) under the bridges. It's like using a combination of traffic flow data and city planning blueprints to determine the exact layout of hidden underground utilities.\n\n### Why Does This Matter?\n\nThis technology matters immensely because it brings unprecedented precision and efficiency to the semiconductor industry. For businesses, this translates into several key advantages:\n\n*   **Faster Innovation:** Companies can design and develop new, more powerful chips much quicker because they get accurate feedback on their 'power line' layouts without delays from destructive testing. This accelerates product cycles and allows them to capture market share faster.\n*   **Cost Reduction:** Fewer design iterations, reduced material waste from destructive testing, and improved manufacturing yields all lead to significant cost savings. Better control over 'power line' spread means fewer faulty chips and more perfect ones rolling off the production line.\n*   **Competitive Edge:** Companies utilizing this innovation can produce chips that are inherently more reliable and perform better. This superior quality can be a major differentiator in a crowded market, enhancing brand reputation and customer loyalty.\n*   **Future-Proofing:** As silicon cities get even smaller and more complex, the ability to precisely characterize these internal structures becomes non-negotiable. This patent provides a foundational tool for pushing the boundaries of technology for future generations of electronics, from AI processors to advanced mobile devices, ensuring continued growth and profitability.\n\n### What's Next?\n\nLooking ahead, this technology is poised to become an indispensable component in advanced semiconductor manufacturing facilities worldwide. We can expect to see its principles integrated into next-generation metrology equipment, allowing for real-time process monitoring and optimization. Its applications will extend beyond current CMOS devices to emerging architectures and new materials, where precise dopant control is even more critical. For investors, this represents an opportunity in a foundational technology that underpins the entire digital economy, offering long-term value as the demand for ever-more powerful and efficient computing continues to grow.","technical_analysis":"The patent, \"Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices,\" presents a sophisticated computer-implemented method designed to overcome a critical metrology challenge in advanced CMOS fabrication: the accurate determination of laterally diffused dopant profiles. This analysis delves into the technical architecture, algorithmic specifics, and implications for semiconductor engineering.\n\n**Technical Architecture and Problem Context**\nModern CMOS devices, particularly at sub-10nm nodes, rely on precise control of dopant distributions. Lateral diffusion of source/drain dopants under the gate electrode significantly influences the effective channel length, series resistance, and short-channel effects. Traditional electrical characterization techniques often struggle to isolate these specific resistance components from other parasitic elements (e.g., contact resistance, sheet resistance of un-gated regions). Physical methods like TEM or SIMS are destructive, costly, and may not provide sufficient throughput for process monitoring. The invention addresses this by proposing a non-destructive, electrical-based method integrated with computational modeling.\n\nThe system's architecture conceptually involves: \n1.  **Test Structure Fabrication:** Creation of semiconductor structures with specific geometries. The patent specifies providing 'first and second semiconductor structures having a plurality of gate array structures in a silicided region separated from each other by a first distance and second distance.' This design is crucial as the variation in separation distance provides the necessary differential data for extraction.\n2.  **Electrical Measurement Module:** A system for applying a potential difference across these gate array structures and accurately measuring the resulting resistances. This typically involves precision current/voltage sources and measurement units (e.g., SMUs).\n3.  **Data Processing Unit:** A computer system capable of receiving and processing the measured resistance data.\n4.  **Modeling and Analysis Engine:** Software implementing the linear-regression fit and integrating a semiconductor device model.\n\n**Algorithm Specifics and Implementation Details**\nAt the core of this technology is a sophisticated algorithm that bridges empirical measurement with physical modeling:\n\n*   **Resistance Measurement:** For each test structure, the total resistance (R_total) is measured. R_total can be conceptualized as a sum of various components: R_contact (contact resistance), R_sheet (sheet resistance of diffused regions, including lateral extensions), and potentially R_channel (resistance under the gate, which is influenced by the effective channel length determined by lateral diffusion).\n*   **Differential Measurement Principle:** By using structures with varying separation distances (d1, d2), the invention exploits the fact that certain resistance components scale with distance, while others (like contact resistance or the intrinsic resistance of the laterally diffused region under the gate) remain relatively constant or vary in a predictable, non-linear fashion. The patent specifically refers to a 'plurality of gate array structures' which implies a series of gate-like elements, and the resistance measurement across them.\n*   **Linear-Regression Fit:** The measured resistances are subjected to a linear-regression fit against the varying distances. The abstract specifies 'a linear-regression fit is performed on measured resistance versus the first distance and the second distance with an extrapolated x equals 0 and a y-intercept'. This is a critical step. If we consider a simplified model where total resistance R = R_0 + R_s * L_eff (where R_0 is a lumped series resistance independent of specific channel length variation, and R_s * L_eff is the resistance component that scales with the effective length or distance), then plotting R vs. distance allows R_0 to be extracted as a y-intercept. The 'extrapolated x equals 0' condition implies a specific interpretation of the distance variable, potentially focusing on the intrinsic resistance contribution from the region *beneath* the gate arrays, independent of the spacing between them.\n*   **Semiconductor Device Model Integration:** The extracted parameters from the linear regression (particularly the y-intercept or other derived values) are not standalone results. They are fed into or interpreted within the context of a 'semiconductor device model'. This model is typically a physics-based simulation (e.g., using drift-diffusion equations, Poisson's equation, and dopant activation models) that can translate electrical resistance components into a spatial dopant distribution. The model can then iteratively adjust dopant profiles until the simulated electrical characteristics match the extracted resistance components, thereby determining the true laterally diffused dopant profile.\n\n**Integration Patterns and Performance Characteristics**\nThis technology integrates seamlessly into existing semiconductor characterization flows. Test structures can be fabricated alongside functional circuits (e.g., in scribe lines or dedicated test chips). The measurement process is electrical, making it fast and scalable for high-volume manufacturing. Performance is significantly enhanced over prior art by offering:\n*   **High Accuracy:** The combination of differential measurements, linear regression, and a physics-based device model provides a more accurate determination of dopant profiles than empirical curve fitting alone.\n*   **Non-Destructive:** Unlike SIMS, this method is entirely electrical, preserving the wafer for further processing or analysis.\n*   **Efficiency:** Electrical measurements are inherently faster than physical analysis techniques, enabling quicker feedback loops for process optimization.\n\n**Code-Level Implications**\nImplementation would involve:\n*   **Measurement Automation Software:** To control SMUs and acquire data.\n*   **Data Analysis Libraries:** For performing linear regression, statistical analysis, and potentially non-linear fitting if the relationship is more complex than purely linear.\n*   **TCAD/Device Simulation Integration:** APIs or interfaces to commercial or proprietary TCAD tools (e.g., Sentaurus TCAD, SILVACO ATLAS) to run device simulations based on assumed dopant profiles and compare results with extracted resistance data, iterating to find the best fit.\n*   **Profile Extraction Algorithms:** Code to manage the iterative process of profile fitting and parameter extraction. This could involve optimization algorithms to minimize the error between simulated and measured resistance components.\n\nIn essence, this patent provides a crucial methodology for advanced semiconductor engineering, allowing for unprecedented insight into the critical, often hidden, aspects of dopant diffusion. It represents a significant step forward in ensuring the continued scaling and performance improvement of CMOS technologies.","business_analysis":"The patent, \"Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices,\" represents a significant advancement in semiconductor metrology with profound implications for the business landscape of the microelectronics industry. As device scaling continues, the challenges in manufacturing and characterizing advanced CMOS devices grow exponentially. This invention directly addresses a critical pain point, offering substantial market opportunity, competitive advantages, and revenue potential.\n\n**Market Opportunity Size**\nThe global semiconductor market is a multi-trillion-dollar industry, with CMOS technology forming its bedrock. Every advanced logic, memory, or analog chip relies on precise dopant profiles. The market for semiconductor metrology and inspection equipment alone is projected to reach tens of billions of dollars annually, driven by the increasing complexity of sub-10nm and future process nodes. This patent targets a fundamental need within this market: accurate, non-destructive characterization of lateral dopant diffusion. This is not a niche requirement but a universal challenge across all leading-edge foundries, IDMs (Integrated Device Manufacturers), and fabless companies. The market opportunity is therefore vast, extending to every player involved in advanced CMOS fabrication and design.\n\n**Competitive Advantages**\nThis technology provides several distinct competitive advantages:\n\n1.  **Enhanced Accuracy & Reliability:** By offering a more precise method for dopant profile extraction, this invention enables companies to build more reliable and higher-performing chips. This directly translates to a better product and brand reputation in a highly competitive market.\n2.  **Reduced Time-to-Market:** Accurate characterization reduces the need for costly and time-consuming design iterations and fabrication runs. Companies can bring new products to market faster, capturing early revenue and market share.\n3.  **Improved Manufacturing Yield:** Precise process control, informed by accurate dopant profiles, leads to higher yields in high-volume manufacturing. Even a percentage point increase in yield can translate to millions, if not billions, in revenue for high-volume chip producers.\n4.  **Cost Efficiency:** Minimizing re-spins and improving yield directly lowers overall R&D and manufacturing costs, leading to better profit margins.\n5.  **Data-Driven Optimization:** The method provides critical data for optimizing fabrication processes, particularly ion implantation and annealing, giving companies a scientific edge in process development.\n\n**Revenue Potential and Business Models**\nRevenue generation from this patent could take several forms:\n\n*   **Licensing:** The most direct path. Semiconductor equipment manufacturers could license the technology to integrate it into their metrology tools. Foundries and IDMs could license it for internal use in their process development and monitoring. This could involve upfront fees, per-tool royalties, or per-wafer royalties.\n*   **Proprietary Metrology Tools:** A company could develop and sell specialized metrology equipment and software that embodies this patented method. This would target R&D labs, foundries, and advanced packaging houses.\n*   **Design-Enablement Services:** Offering consulting services or IP blocks (e.g., test structure designs, analysis software) to fabless companies and IDMs for integrating this characterization capability into their design flows.\n*   **Foundry Differentiation:** A foundry that implements this technology could market itself as having superior process control and characterization capabilities, attracting premium customers and advanced process node designs.\n\n**Strategic Positioning**\nThis patent positions its owner as a leader in advanced semiconductor metrology and process control. It addresses a fundamental technical challenge that is only becoming more acute with further scaling. Companies adopting this technology will be strategically better positioned to:\n*   **Lead in Advanced Nodes:** Develop and optimize chips at the leading edge (e.g., 5nm, 3nm, 2nm) where dopant control is paramount.\n*   **Differentiate Product Performance:** Design chips with superior electrical characteristics due to tighter control over parasitic resistances and effective channel lengths.\n*   **Mitigate Supply Chain Risks:** Improve internal process robustness, reducing reliance on external corrective measures for yield issues.\n\n**ROI Projections**\nThe return on investment for implementing this technology is substantial. For a major semiconductor manufacturer, the cost savings from reduced design iterations, improved yield, and faster time-to-market can easily run into hundreds of millions of dollars per process node. The ability to launch a leading-edge product even a few months earlier can translate into billions in revenue. Furthermore, the long-term strategic advantage of having superior process understanding and control is invaluable for sustaining innovation and market leadership in the fiercely competitive semiconductor industry. This patent represents not just a technical improvement but a critical enabler for the continued economic growth and technological advancement of the entire microelectronics ecosystem.","faqs":[{"answer":"Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices is a patented computer-implemented method designed to accurately determine the laterally diffused dopant profiles within semiconductor structures, specifically advanced CMOS devices. Dopants are impurities intentionally added to semiconductors to alter their electrical conductivity, and their precise distribution is critical for device performance.\n\nThis invention addresses a long-standing challenge in semiconductor manufacturing: the difficulty in precisely characterizing how these dopants spread out sideways (laterally) under the tiny gate electrodes of transistors. Such lateral diffusion significantly impacts key device parameters like resistance, threshold voltage, and leakage current.\n\nThe patent provides a systematic approach that combines electrical measurements on specially designed test structures with advanced mathematical analysis and a semiconductor device model. This allows for a non-destructive and highly accurate mapping of these crucial internal profiles, which was previously difficult to achieve with existing methods.\n\nUltimately, this technology offers chip designers and manufacturers unprecedented insight into the physical structure of their devices, enabling better optimization, improved performance, and higher manufacturing yields. It's a fundamental tool for pushing the boundaries of miniaturization in electronics.","question":"What is Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices?"},{"answer":"The technology described in Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices works through a clever multi-step process that integrates empirical measurement with computational modeling.\n\nFirst, the method involves providing at least two semiconductor structures. These structures are specifically designed to include a plurality of gate array structures within a silicided region, with the crucial detail that they are separated from each other by distinct first and second distances. This variation in separation is key to the analytical process.\n\nNext, a potential difference (voltage) is applied across the gate array structures in each of these test configurations, and the resulting electrical resistances are precisely measured. These raw resistance values encapsulate various contributions, including the resistance from the laterally diffused dopant profiles.\n\nThe innovative core of this patent then comes into play: a computer-implemented linear-regression fit is performed on these measured resistance values, correlating them with the varying separation distances. This regression includes an extrapolated x-intercept set to zero and a y-intercept. These fitted parameters, particularly the y-intercept, provide critical electrical signatures related to the dopant diffusion.\n\nFinally, these extracted electrical parameters are integrated with a robust semiconductor device model. This model, which simulates the physics of the device, uses the electrical data to precisely determine the actual spatial distribution of the laterally diffused dopant-profile directly under the gate array structures. This synergistic approach allows for highly accurate and physically meaningful characterization.","question":"How does Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices work?"},{"answer":"Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices solves the critical problem of accurately and efficiently characterizing laterally diffused dopant profiles in advanced CMOS semiconductor devices. As transistors continue to shrink to nanoscale dimensions, the precise distribution of dopants becomes paramount for device functionality and performance.\n\nIn modern chip manufacturing, dopants are intentionally introduced, but during subsequent high-temperature processing steps, they tend to spread laterally under the gate electrode. This 'lateral diffusion' affects the effective channel length, parasitic series resistance, and short-channel effects, all of which are vital for a chip's speed, power consumption, and reliability. Prior to this invention, accurately measuring this invisible spread was a significant bottleneck.\n\nTraditional methods often suffered from limitations: some were imprecise, providing only lumped resistance values without detailed spatial information; others were destructive, requiring the destruction of the chip to obtain measurements; and many were too time-consuming or costly for efficient process monitoring. These limitations led to uncertainties in device modeling, increased design iterations, higher manufacturing variability, and slower time-to-market for new technologies.\n\nThis patent provides a non-destructive, highly accurate, and efficient electrical method that directly addresses these shortcomings, enabling engineers to gain unprecedented insight into the physical characteristics that underpin device performance. Keywords: semiconductor manufacturing, dopant diffusion, CMOS scaling, device characterization, metrology gap, process control.","question":"What problem does Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices solve?"},{"answer":"The patent document for Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices (US-9852956) does not list specific inventors or an assignee in the provided abstract. Often, in patent filings, especially for large corporations, the inventors are individuals or a team of engineers and scientists employed by the assignee, which is the entity (company or institution) that owns the patent rights.\n\nIn such cases, the innovation is typically a result of collaborative research and development efforts within a dedicated R&D department. The absence of specific names in this snippet is common for initial data summaries, but the full patent document would contain this information.\n\nRegardless of the specific individuals, the invention represents a significant advancement in semiconductor technology, highlighting the ongoing efforts within the industry to overcome fundamental challenges in chip design and manufacturing. The collective expertise of those involved contributed to this critical solution for characterizing advanced CMOS devices. Keywords: patent inventors, assignee, semiconductor R&D, innovation, CMOS technology.","question":"Who invented Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices?"},{"answer":"The Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices patent offers several transformative benefits for the semiconductor industry and, by extension, for all electronic devices:\n\n1.  **Enhanced Accuracy and Precision:** This technology provides an unprecedented level of accuracy in determining lateral dopant profiles. This means engineers can have a much clearer and more precise understanding of the physical structures within their chips, leading to more accurate device models and simulations.\n2.  **Faster Design and Development Cycles:** By offering accurate and efficient characterization, the invention significantly reduces the need for iterative design-fabrication-test cycles. This accelerates the R&D process, allowing new chip designs and process nodes to be developed and brought to market much faster.\n3.  **Improved Manufacturing Yields:** Precise dopant profiling enables finer control over critical fabrication steps like ion implantation and annealing. This leads to higher manufacturing yields, meaning more functional chips per silicon wafer, which directly translates to significant cost savings for manufacturers.\n4.  **Non-Destructive Measurement:** Unlike many physical characterization techniques, this method is entirely electrical and non-destructive. This means the wafer can be measured and then continue through the manufacturing process, or be used for further analysis, saving time and resources.\n5.  **Optimized Device Performance and Reliability:** With a better understanding and control of lateral dopant diffusion, engineers can design chips with optimized electrical characteristics, leading to faster processing speeds, lower power consumption, and enhanced long-term reliability for end-user devices. Keywords: CMOS optimization, device performance, manufacturing yield, R&D acceleration, non-destructive testing, semiconductor benefits.","question":"What are the key benefits of Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices?"},{"answer":"Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices differentiates itself from prior art by offering a unique combination of non-destructive electrical measurement and sophisticated computational modeling to precisely characterize lateral dopant profiles, overcoming limitations inherent in previous methods.\n\nPrior electrical methods, such as basic Transmission Line Models (TLM), often provided only lumped resistance values. These methods struggled to accurately isolate the specific resistance contribution from the laterally diffused dopant regions under the gate from other parasitic resistances. This invention, through its use of differential test structures with varying gate separations and a linear-regression fit with specific extrapolation, effectively deconvolves these components to pinpoint the precise information needed.\n\nOn the other hand, physical characterization techniques like Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) or Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) can provide direct compositional or structural information. However, they are inherently destructive, requiring extensive sample preparation, are time-consuming, and have limited throughput, making them impractical for in-line process monitoring or rapid R&D feedback. This patent offers a non-destructive, electrical alternative that is both accurate and efficient.\n\nThe key distinction lies in the synergistic approach: it doesn't just measure resistance, but intelligently processes that data through a linear regression with specific intercepts, and critically, integrates these results with a physics-based semiconductor device model. This allows for a direct and accurate determination of the physical dopant profile from electrical measurements, a level of insight and efficiency not achieved by prior art. Keywords: prior art comparison, semiconductor metrology, dopant profiling, electrical characterization, physical analysis, non-destructive testing, linear regression, device modeling.","question":"How is Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices different from prior art?"},{"answer":"The Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices patent will have a profound impact across a wide array of industries that rely on advanced semiconductor technology. Its direct beneficiaries are primarily within the microelectronics ecosystem, but its effects will ripple outwards.\n\n1.  **Semiconductor Manufacturing (Foundries & IDMs):** This is the most direct impact. Large foundries (e.g., TSMC, Samsung Foundry, Intel) and Integrated Device Manufacturers (IDMs) will leverage this technology to improve process control, increase manufacturing yields, and accelerate the development of next-generation process nodes (e.g., 5nm, 3nm). This means more efficient and cost-effective production of chips.\n2.  **Fabless Semiconductor Companies:** Companies that design chips but outsource manufacturing (e.g., Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Apple, AMD) will benefit from more accurate device models provided by their foundry partners, leading to better-performing and more predictable chip designs.\n3.  **Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturers:** Companies producing metrology, test, and process equipment (e.g., KLA, Applied Materials, Lam Research) can integrate this patented methodology into their tools, offering enhanced capabilities to their customers.\n4.  **High-Performance Computing (HPC) & Data Centers:** Chips for servers and supercomputers demand peak performance and reliability. This technology will enable the creation of more optimized CPUs and GPUs, crucial for AI, machine learning, and big data processing.\n5.  **Consumer Electronics:** Faster, more power-efficient, and reliable chips will directly translate to better smartphones, laptops, wearables, and smart home devices for end-users.\n6.  **Automotive & IoT:** As vehicles become more autonomous and connected, and as IoT devices proliferate, the need for robust and reliable embedded processors increases. This patent contributes to building more dependable chips for these critical applications. Keywords: semiconductor industry, microelectronics, CMOS devices, manufacturing, foundries, fabless, HPC, consumer electronics, automotive, IoT.","question":"What industries will Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices impact?"},{"answer":"The patent, Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices, was filed on **February 4, 2015**. This is the date when the application was formally submitted to the patent office, marking the beginning of the patent prosecution process.\n\nThe patent was subsequently published on **December 26, 2017**. This publication date signifies when the patent office made the details of the invention publicly available. The granting of the patent, where it officially becomes an enforceable intellectual property right, typically occurs on the publication date unless otherwise specified.\n\nThe period between the filing and publication/granting dates allows for examination by the patent office, during which the invention's novelty, non-obviousness, and utility are assessed against prior art. The successful grant of this patent underscores its recognized inventiveness and its contribution to the field of semiconductor technology.\n\nThese dates are important for understanding the timeline of the innovation and its entry into the public domain, as well as its enforceability as intellectual property. Keywords: patent filing date, publication date, patent grant, intellectual property, semiconductor innovation timeline.","question":"When was Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices filed/granted?"},{"answer":"The commercial applications of Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices are broad and impactful, primarily centered around enhancing the design, manufacturing, and quality control of advanced semiconductor devices. This technology provides a critical tool that can be integrated at various stages of the microchip lifecycle.\n\n1.  **Process Development and Optimization:** Semiconductor foundries and R&D labs can use this method to fine-tune critical fabrication steps, such as ion implantation and annealing. By precisely understanding how dopants diffuse, they can optimize process parameters to achieve desired device characteristics, leading to more robust and higher-performing process nodes.\n2.  **In-line Metrology and Quality Control:** The non-destructive nature and efficiency of this electrical measurement make it suitable for in-line process monitoring during manufacturing. This allows for early detection of process variations or drifts, enabling corrective actions to prevent yield loss and ensure consistent product quality across wafers and batches.\n3.  **Device Design and Modeling:** Chip designers can leverage the accurate dopant profile information to create more precise Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD) models. These improved models lead to more accurate device simulations, reducing the need for costly physical prototypes and accelerating the design cycle for new integrated circuits.\n4.  **Failure Analysis and Yield Improvement:** When yield issues or device failures occur, this technology can be used for detailed characterization to pinpoint underlying physical causes related to dopant distribution, facilitating faster root cause analysis and yield recovery.\n5.  **Competitive Differentiation:** Companies that adopt or license this patent can market their superior process control and characterization capabilities, attracting premium customers and design wins for cutting-edge products. This can be a significant competitive advantage in the highly competitive semiconductor market.\n\nIn essence, the commercial value of this patent lies in its ability to enable higher performance, greater reliability, faster time-to-market, and reduced costs in the production of virtually all advanced electronic devices. Keywords: commercial applications, semiconductor design, manufacturing optimization, quality control, process metrology, TCAD, yield improvement, competitive advantage.","question":"What are the commercial applications of Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices?"},{"answer":"The principles and methodology outlined in Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices lay a strong foundation for several exciting future developments, especially as semiconductor technology continues its rapid evolution.\n\n1.  **Adaptation to 3D Architectures:** As the industry moves towards more complex 3D transistor architectures like FinFETs and Gate-All-Around (GAA) FETs, where dopant distribution in multiple dimensions is critical, the core concepts of this patent can be adapted. Future developments might involve designing 3D test structures and refining the analytical models to account for the increased complexity of lateral and vertical diffusion in these advanced geometries.\n2.  **Integration with Machine Learning and AI:** The accurate data generated by this characterization method is an ideal input for machine learning algorithms. Future developments could involve using AI to automate the linear-regression fit, optimize the integration with semiconductor device models, or even predict dopant profiles based on a wider array of process parameters, leading to highly intelligent process control systems.\n3.  **Real-time, In-line Monitoring:** While currently efficient, future iterations could aim for even faster, near-real-time feedback directly on the manufacturing line. This would enable dynamic process adjustments to mitigate variations instantly, leading to unprecedented levels of process control and yield.\n4.  **Extension to Novel Materials and Devices:** The fundamental approach of correlating electrical measurements with physical models can be extended beyond traditional silicon CMOS. This could include characterizing dopant-like impurities or charge distributions in emerging materials (e.g., 2D materials, wide-bandgap semiconductors) or for novel device concepts (e.g., neuromorphic computing, quantum devices) where precise control of charge carriers is essential.\n5.  **Enhanced Model Fidelity:** Future research will likely focus on developing even more sophisticated semiconductor device models that can capture complex physical phenomena with greater accuracy, further improving the precision of the extracted dopant profiles. This could involve advanced quantum mechanical models or more detailed transport simulations. Keywords: future developments, 3D architectures, FinFET, GAA FET, machine learning, AI, real-time monitoring, novel materials, quantum computing, semiconductor modeling.","question":"What are the future developments expected for Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices?"}],"topics":["CMOS devices","dopant profiles","semiconductor manufacturing","resistance extraction","device modeling","relentless","scaling","complementary"],"tech_cluster":null},"seo":{"title":"CMOS Dopant Profile Extraction - Patent US-9852956","description":"Discover the Extraction of Resistance Associated with Laterally Diffused Dopant Profiles in Cmos Devices patent. Accurate dopant profiling for advanced semiconductor manufacturing.","keywords":["CMOS devices","dopant profiles","semiconductor manufacturing","resistance extraction","device modeling","lateral diffusion","chip design","metrology","patent US-9852956","semiconductor innovation","H01L"]},"attribution":{"source":"Patentable","source_url":"https://patentable.app","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9852956","license":"CC-BY-4.0-like","license_terms":"AI-generated analysis on this page (summary, layman_explanation, technical_analysis, business_analysis, faqs) may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL above. Patent abstracts, claims, and bibliographic data are USPTO public domain.","required_link":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9852956","citation_suggestion":"Patentable. \"Extraction of resistance associated with laterally diffused dopant profiles in CMOS devices\" (US-9852956). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9852956","copyright_holder":"Nomic Interactive Technology LLC"},"links":{"html":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9852956","json":"https://patentable.app/api/llm-context/US-9852956","site":"https://patentable.app","llms_txt":"https://patentable.app/llms.txt"},"generated_at":"2026-06-06T15:31:52.212Z"}