{"schema_version":"1.0","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853034","patent":{"patent_number":"US-9853034","title":"Embedded memory with enhanced channel stop implants","assignee":null,"inventors":[],"filing_date":"2016-04-05T00:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2017-12-26T00:00:00.000Z","cpc_codes":["H01L","H01L"],"num_claims":13,"abstract":"An integrated circuit contains a logic MOS transistor and a memory MOS transistor of a same polarity. The logic MOS transistor has a logic channel stop layer. The memory MOS transistor has a memory channel stop layer. An average dopant density of the memory channel stop layer is higher than an average dopant density of the logic channel stop layer. The integrated circuit is formed by forming a global mask which exposes both the logic and memory MOS transistors. A global channel stop dose of dopants is implanted in the logic and memory MOS transistors. A memory mask is formed which exposes the memory MOS transistor and covers the logic MOS transistor. A memory channel stop dose of dopants of the same polarity is implanted into the memory MOS transistors. The memory channel stop dose of dopants are blocked from the logic MOS transistors."},"analysis":{"summary":"The Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants patent (US-9853034) introduces a novel integrated circuit design that significantly optimizes the performance and efficiency of embedded memory. The core innovation lies in creating a differential dopant density in the channel stop layers of logic and memory MOS transistors, even when they are of the same polarity. Specifically, the memory MOS transistor features a channel stop layer with a higher average dopant density than that of the logic MOS transistor.\n\nThis technology solves the persistent challenge of balancing the distinct requirements of memory and logic on a single chip. Memory cells demand robust isolation to minimize leakage and ensure data integrity, while logic circuits require specific doping profiles for high-speed operation. Prior art often resulted in compromises, where optimizing one aspect negatively impacted the other.\n\nThe technical approach involves a two-step implantation process. First, a global mask is used to implant a baseline channel stop dose across both logic and memory regions. Subsequently, a 'memory mask' is applied to selectively expose only the memory MOS transistors. A second, targeted dose of dopants is then implanted into these exposed memory regions, thereby increasing their channel stop layer's dopant density. The logic regions, being covered, retain their initial doping level.\n\nThe business value and applications of this innovation are substantial. It enables the development of System-on-Chip (SoC) designs with superior embedded memory performance, reduced static power consumption, and enhanced reliability without compromising logic speed. This translates to more efficient and powerful processors for mobile devices, IoT, AI accelerators, and high-performance computing. The market opportunity lies in creating chips that offer a competitive edge through optimized power-performance ratios, driving advancements in various electronics sectors.","layman_explanation":"### What Problem Does This Solve?\n\nImagine you're designing a high-performance office building that needs both fast, open-plan workspaces (where quick decisions are made) and secure, quiet archives (where important documents are stored). In the world of computer chips, these are like 'logic' units (for processing information quickly) and 'memory' units (for storing data). The challenge is, they both need to be built right next to each other on a tiny piece of silicon, but they have very different needs for their 'boundaries' or 'walls.'\n\nLogic units need very thin, flexible walls so that information can flow in and out incredibly fast. Memory units, however, need thick, robust walls to prevent any 'information leaks' (which in chips means power leakage) and ensure data stays safe and secure. Historically, chip designers often had to compromise: either make all the walls the same thickness, which meant memory might be leaky, or logic might be slow, or build extremely complex, expensive separate structures. This compromise leads to less efficient devices, shorter battery life, or higher manufacturing costs.\n\n### How Does It Work?\n\nThe **Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants** patent offers a brilliant solution to this architectural dilemma. Think of it like a smart construction method for those 'walls' or 'fences' within the chip. Instead of a single, uniform approach, this technology uses a two-step process to build these boundaries, specifically tailoring them for logic and memory, even when both use the same basic building blocks (transistors).\n\nHere’s a conceptual breakdown:\n\n1.  **The Foundation Layer:** First, a general 'foundation' layer for the walls is laid across the entire chip. This gives a basic level of separation for all components, both logic and memory.\n2.  **The Memory Reinforcement:** Then, a special 'memory-only' blueprint is used. This blueprint identifies only the memory sections and adds extra material to their walls, making them significantly thicker and stronger. Crucially, the logic sections are 'shielded' during this step, so their thinner, faster walls remain untouched.\n\nIn technical terms, this 'extra material' is about increasing the concentration of certain elements (dopants) in the 'channel stop layers' around the memory transistors. A higher concentration means a stronger electrical barrier, which is excellent for memory because it drastically reduces unwanted electrical leakage. For the logic transistors, their channel stop layers retain a lower concentration, which is ideal for maintaining their high-speed operation. This innovative approach ensures that memory gets the robust isolation it needs, while logic maintains its agility, all within the same integrated circuit.\n\n### Why Does This Matter?\n\nThis innovation has significant implications for business and technology:\n\n*   **Better Products:** It enables the creation of chips that are simultaneously faster (for logic processing), more power-efficient (for memory storage), and more reliable (for data integrity). This means better smartphones, longer-lasting IoT devices, more powerful AI accelerators, and more dependable automotive electronics.\n*   **Competitive Edge:** Companies that adopt this technology can offer products with superior power-performance ratios, giving them a distinct advantage in highly competitive markets. This can lead to increased market share and premium pricing opportunities.\n*   **Cost Efficiency:** While it involves an additional manufacturing step, this two-stage process is generally more cost-effective and easier to integrate into existing semiconductor fabrication lines than developing entirely separate processes for different chip regions. This can accelerate time-to-market and reduce production costs.\n*   **Future-Proofing:** As chips get smaller and more complex, managing power leakage and ensuring reliable data storage becomes increasingly difficult. This patent provides a foundational solution that helps overcome these scaling challenges, paving the way for future generations of integrated circuits.\n\n### What's Next?\n\nExpect this approach to become increasingly prevalent in System-on-Chip (SoC) designs across various industries. As demand for AI capabilities at the edge, ubiquitous IoT connectivity, and high-performance computing continues to grow, the need for optimally integrated logic and memory will only intensify. This technology is likely to be a key enabler for next-generation processors, offering significant return on investment for semiconductor manufacturers and IP licensors. Its adoption will drive further innovation in chip architecture, leading to even more powerful and energy-efficient electronic devices in the coming years.","technical_analysis":"The patent **Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants** (US-9853034) addresses a critical challenge in modern integrated circuit (IC) design: the co-integration of high-performance logic and efficient embedded memory on the same silicon die. As feature sizes continue to shrink, the interplay between different transistor types—specifically their isolation characteristics—becomes paramount. This invention proposes an elegant solution by differentiating the channel stop implant profiles for logic and memory MOS transistors of the same polarity.\n\n**Technical Architecture and Device Structure:**\nThe integrated circuit described in this patent comprises at least two primary types of MOS transistors: a logic MOS transistor and a memory MOS transistor. Both are of the same polarity (e.g., nMOS or pMOS). A key structural differentiation is introduced in their respective channel stop layers. The logic MOS transistor is associated with a 'logic channel stop layer,' while the memory MOS transistor is associated with a 'memory channel stop layer.' The fundamental architectural innovation is that the average dopant density of the memory channel stop layer is intentionally designed to be higher than that of the logic channel stop layer.\n\nChannel stop implants are crucial for preventing parasitic conduction paths (punch-through) between adjacent active regions by increasing the doping concentration in the field oxide (FOX) regions. A higher dopant density in these regions effectively raises the field threshold voltage (Vth), creating a more robust electrical barrier. For embedded memory cells, such as SRAM, enhanced isolation is critical for minimizing subthreshold leakage currents, which directly impact static power consumption and data retention stability. Conversely, logic transistors typically require lower channel stop doping to minimize junction capacitance and body effect, thereby preserving high switching speeds.\n\n**Implementation Details and Fabrication Process:**\nThe patent details a two-step, masked ion implantation process to achieve this differential doping profile:\n\n1.  **Global Channel Stop Implant:** The process begins with the formation of a 'global mask.' This mask is designed to expose both the regions intended for logic MOS transistors and those intended for memory MOS transistors. A 'global channel stop dose' of dopants (e.g., boron for p-type channel stops, phosphorus/arsenic for n-type) is then implanted into the substrate. This initial implant establishes a baseline doping level for channel stops across both functional blocks.\n2.  **Memory-Specific Channel Stop Enhancement:** Following the global implant, a second mask, termed a 'memory mask,' is formed. This mask is strategically designed to expose *only* the memory MOS transistor regions while simultaneously covering and shielding the logic MOS transistor regions. A 'memory channel stop dose' of dopants, *of the same polarity* as the global dose, is then implanted. Because the logic areas are protected, this additional dose is selectively incorporated into the memory channel stop layers, significantly increasing their average dopant density. The logic channel stop layers retain the doping level established during the global implant.\n\nThis sequential and selective implantation strategy is critical. It allows for the precise tuning of doping concentrations for different device types within the same integrated circuit. The use of two distinct masks ensures that the enhanced doping is localized to the memory regions, preventing any adverse impact on the performance characteristics of the logic transistors. The choice of dopant polarity ensures compatibility and seamless integration within standard CMOS fabrication flows.\n\n**Performance Characteristics and Implications:**\nThis approach yields several significant performance advantages:\n\n*   **Reduced Memory Leakage:** The higher dopant density in the memory channel stop layer creates a stronger field oxide isolation, effectively reducing subthreshold leakage currents in embedded memory cells. This directly translates to lower static power consumption and improved data retention for SRAM and eDRAM.\n*   **Enhanced Memory Reliability:** Improved isolation contributes to better noise immunity and overall stability of memory operations.\n*   **Optimized Logic Performance:** By preventing additional doping in the logic channel stop layers, the logic transistors maintain their desired parasitic capacitance and threshold voltage characteristics, ensuring high switching speeds and efficient operation.\n*   **Improved Integration Density:** Better isolation allows for tighter packing of memory cells without increased risk of inter-cell leakage, contributing to higher density SoCs.\n\nThe code-level implications are indirect but profound. Developers building software for chips utilizing this technology can expect more stable memory access, potentially lower power budgets for memory-intensive operations, and generally more reliable hardware foundations for their applications. This innovation provides a robust physical layer improvement that underpins higher-level software performance and efficiency.","business_analysis":"The patent **Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants** (US-9853034) represents a significant advancement in semiconductor manufacturing, poised to generate substantial business value across various high-growth markets. This innovation addresses a core challenge in System-on-Chip (SoC) design: efficiently integrating high-performance logic with robust, low-power embedded memory. By enabling superior memory characteristics without compromising logic performance, this technology unlocks new possibilities for product development and market differentiation.\n\n**Market Opportunity Size:**\nThe global market for embedded memory is vast and rapidly expanding, driven by the proliferation of SoCs in areas like mobile computing, artificial intelligence (AI) at the edge, IoT devices, automotive electronics, and high-performance computing (HPC). Analysts project the embedded memory market to reach tens of billions of dollars within the next few years, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) exceeding 10%. This patent directly targets the performance and power efficiency bottlenecks within this critical component, positioning itself to capture significant value within this growing ecosystem. Any device requiring tightly integrated, power-efficient, and reliable memory stands to benefit.\n\n**Competitive Advantages:**\nThis innovation offers several compelling competitive advantages:\n\n1.  **Optimized Power-Performance Ratio:** Unlike traditional approaches that often force a trade-off between memory leakage and logic speed, this patent allows for independent optimization. This means chips can achieve both lower standby power (due to reduced memory leakage) and higher computational speeds, a critical differentiator in power-sensitive and performance-demanding applications.\n2.  **Enhanced Reliability and Yield:** Better electrical isolation for memory cells leads to improved data retention and reduced susceptibility to noise, increasing the overall reliability and potentially the manufacturing yield of complex SoCs.\n3.  **Cost-Effective Integration:** The two-step masked implantation process is more manageable and less costly than developing entirely separate fabrication modules for memory and logic. This can lead to faster time-to-market and lower production costs compared to alternative, more complex integration schemes.\n4.  **Enabler for Advanced Nodes:** As semiconductor processes scale to smaller nodes (e.g., 7nm, 5nm), managing leakage and isolation becomes exponentially more challenging. This technology provides a robust methodology to tackle these issues, becoming an essential enabler for future generations of chips.\n\n**Revenue Potential and Business Models:**\nCompanies leveraging this patent can generate revenue through several avenues:\n\n*   **Licensing:** Semiconductor IP companies or foundries could license this technology to fabless design houses, generating significant recurring revenue.\n*   **Product Differentiation:** Chip manufacturers can integrate this innovation into their proprietary SoC designs, offering products with superior power efficiency, performance, and reliability, commanding premium pricing and increasing market share.\n*   **Foundry Services:** Semiconductor foundries adopting this process can offer advanced manufacturing services that specifically cater to the needs of high-performance, low-power embedded memory integration, attracting top-tier design customers.\n\n**Strategic Positioning:**\nThis patent strategically positions its adopters at the forefront of embedded memory technology. It enables the creation of highly competitive products in segments such as:\n\n*   **Mobile and Wearables:** Longer battery life and faster responsiveness.\n*   **IoT and Edge AI:** Low-power, high-reliability memory for always-on, intelligent devices.\n*   **Automotive:** Robust and reliable memory for safety-critical systems and autonomous driving.\n*   **Data Centers/HPC:** High-density, efficient embedded memory for accelerators and specialized processors.\n\n**ROI Projections:**\nCompanies investing in or licensing this technology can anticipate a strong return on investment through:\n\n*   **Reduced Development Costs:** Streamlined integration process compared to alternative solutions.\n*   **Increased Market Share:** Superior product performance and power efficiency leading to competitive advantage.\n*   **Higher Average Selling Prices (ASPs):** Ability to offer premium products.\n*   **Improved Product Lifecycles:** Enhanced reliability extending product viability in the market.\n\nUltimately, the 'Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants' patent provides a foundational technology for building more powerful, efficient, and reliable integrated circuits, directly impacting the profitability and strategic positioning of companies in the semiconductor value chain.","faqs":[{"answer":"The **Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants** patent (US-9853034) describes a groundbreaking integrated circuit design. At its core, it's a method for fabricating chips that contain both logic (processing) and memory (storage) components on the same piece of silicon, but with a crucial difference in how they are isolated.\n\nSpecifically, it ensures that the memory components have a significantly higher concentration of dopants in their 'channel stop layers' compared to the logic components. These channel stop layers act as electrical fences, preventing unwanted current leakage between transistors.\n\nThis innovation allows for optimal performance from both logic (which needs minimal isolation for speed) and memory (which needs robust isolation for data integrity and low power consumption), without the traditional compromises.","question":"What is Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants?"},{"answer":"The technology works through a clever two-step ion implantation process during chip manufacturing:\n\n1.  **Global Implant:** First, a general mask covers the entire chip, allowing a basic dose of dopants (material that changes electrical properties) to be implanted. This creates a foundational 'electrical fence' around all logic and memory transistors.\n2.  **Memory-Specific Enhancement:** Next, a special 'memory mask' is applied. This mask covers and protects the logic transistors, while *only* exposing the memory transistors. A second, targeted dose of dopants is then implanted, adding to the existing dopants in the memory areas. This significantly increases the dopant density in the memory's 'channel stop layers.'\n\nBecause the logic areas were protected, they retain their initial, lower dopant density. This differential doping means memory gets the robust isolation it needs to prevent leakage, while logic maintains the lower isolation ideal for high-speed operation.","question":"How does Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants work?"},{"answer":"This innovation solves a long-standing problem in semiconductor design: the conflict between the isolation needs of logic and memory on a single chip. Logic transistors require minimal parasitic capacitance for high-speed operation, meaning their 'electrical fences' (channel stops) should be less densely doped. Memory transistors, conversely, need strong isolation to minimize power leakage and ensure data retention, requiring more densely doped channel stops.\n\nPrior to this patent, designers often had to compromise. A uniform channel stop implant would either make memory leaky or logic slow. More complex solutions involved entirely separate and costly fabrication processes. The **Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants** patent elegantly resolves this dilemma, allowing for optimal performance from both components simultaneously.","question":"What problem does Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants solve?"},{"answer":"The patent data provided does not list specific inventors or an assignee. However, the development of technologies like **Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants** typically stems from the research and development efforts of leading semiconductor companies or academic institutions specializing in microelectronics. These innovations are often the result of collaborative work by teams of highly skilled device physicists, process engineers, and material scientists.","question":"Who invented Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants?"},{"answer":"The **Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants** technology offers several significant benefits:\n\n1.  **Reduced Power Leakage:** By providing enhanced isolation for memory cells, it drastically cuts down on unwanted current leakage, leading to lower static power consumption and longer battery life for devices.\n2.  **Improved Memory Reliability:** Stronger isolation enhances data retention and makes memory arrays more immune to electrical noise, increasing the overall reliability and stability of the chip.\n3.  **Optimized Logic Performance:** The logic transistors maintain their desired characteristics for high-speed operation, ensuring that processing capabilities are not compromised.\n4.  **Enhanced Integration Density:** Better isolation allows for closer packing of transistors, leading to smaller and more powerful chips.\n5.  **Cost-Effective Manufacturing:** The two-step masked implantation process is generally more efficient and easier to integrate into existing CMOS fabrication lines compared to more radical alternative solutions.","question":"What are the key benefits of Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants?"},{"answer":"The **Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants** patent significantly differentiates itself from prior art by offering a superior solution to embedded memory integration.\n\nPrior approaches typically involved either a uniform channel stop implant (which forced a compromise between logic speed and memory leakage) or highly complex, costly, and often separate fabrication modules for memory and logic. These older methods either resulted in sub-optimal performance for one or both components or introduced substantial manufacturing overhead.\n\nThis innovation, however, achieves *differential doping* (higher dopant density for memory channel stops, lower for logic channel stops) through an elegant two-step masking and implantation process. This allows for simultaneous optimization of both logic and memory characteristics within a unified and more cost-effective manufacturing flow, a key advantage over previous techniques.","question":"How is Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants different from prior art?"},{"answer":"The **Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants** technology is poised to impact a wide array of industries that rely on advanced integrated circuits:\n\n*   **Mobile Computing:** Smartphones, tablets, and wearables will benefit from longer battery life and faster, more reliable performance.\n*   **Artificial Intelligence (AI):** Especially edge AI devices, where low-power, high-performance embedded memory is crucial for on-device inference and processing.\n*   **Internet of Things (IoT):** Sensors, smart home devices, and industrial IoT applications will see extended battery life, enhanced reliability, and more robust operation.\n*   **Automotive Electronics:** Improved reliability and efficiency are critical for autonomous driving systems, infotainment, and safety features.\n*   **High-Performance Computing (HPC):** Data centers and specialized accelerators can leverage more efficient embedded memory for better overall system performance and reduced energy consumption.\n*   **Consumer Electronics:** Any device requiring tightly integrated, power-efficient, and reliable processing and memory will see improvements.","question":"What industries will Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants impact?"},{"answer":"The **Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants** patent, identified as US-9853034, was filed on **April 5, 2016**. It was subsequently published and granted on **December 26, 2017**. These dates mark the formal entry of this innovative semiconductor technology into the public record and its official recognition as a protected invention.","question":"When was Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants filed/granted?"},{"answer":"The commercial applications for **Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants** are extensive and diverse, primarily centered around enhancing the performance, power efficiency, and reliability of integrated circuits. Companies can leverage this technology to develop:\n\n*   **Next-generation SoCs:** Designing chips for mobile phones, tablets, and laptops that offer longer battery life and faster processing speeds.\n*   **Edge AI Processors:** Creating specialized AI accelerators for devices like smart cameras, drones, and autonomous vehicles that can perform complex computations locally with reduced power consumption.\n*   **IoT Microcontrollers:** Manufacturing highly efficient and reliable chips for a vast array of IoT devices, from smart sensors to wearables, ensuring extended operational life.\n*   **Automotive Grade Chips:** Producing robust memory solutions for critical automotive systems, enhancing reliability and safety features.\n*   **High-Performance Computing Components:** Developing more efficient embedded memory for servers, data center accelerators, and specialized processors, contributing to overall system performance and energy savings.\n\nThis innovation provides a strong competitive advantage, allowing companies to offer products with superior power-performance ratios in demanding markets.","question":"What are the commercial applications of Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants?"},{"answer":"The principles behind **Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants** are likely to evolve and integrate with future semiconductor advancements. Expected future developments include:\n\n*   **Integration with Advanced Transistor Architectures:** Adapting the differential channel stop doping concept to emerging transistor technologies like FinFETs and Gate-All-Around (GAA) FETs, which are becoming standard at sub-7nm nodes. This will ensure sustained performance and power benefits as scaling continues.\n*   **Further Process Optimization:** Research into novel dopant species, implantation techniques, and annealing processes could lead to even finer control over doping profiles, potentially enabling greater performance gains or reduced manufacturing steps.\n*   **Enhanced Memory Types:** Applying these principles to other advanced embedded memory types beyond traditional SRAM, such as MRAM or RRAM, to improve their integration and performance characteristics.\n*   **Enabling New Computing Paradigms:** This foundational technology could facilitate the development of more complex in-memory computing or near-memory processing architectures, where data processing occurs closer to or within the memory itself, drastically reducing data movement bottlenecks. This could unlock entirely new capabilities for AI and big data analytics.","question":"What are the future developments expected for Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants?"}],"topics":["embedded memory","channel stop implants","semiconductor patent","integrated circuit","MOS transistor","technical","background","realm"],"tech_cluster":null},"seo":{"title":"Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants - Patent US-9853034","description":"Discover the 'Embedded Memory with Enhanced Channel Stop Implants' patent. Learn how this innovation boosts memory reliability & reduces leakage in chips without sacrificing logic speed.","keywords":["embedded memory","channel stop implants","semiconductor patent","integrated circuit","MOS transistor","dopant density","leakage reduction","SoC design","chip manufacturing","US-9853034"]},"attribution":{"source":"Patentable","source_url":"https://patentable.app","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853034","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-9853034","citation_suggestion":"Patentable. \"Embedded memory with enhanced channel stop implants\" (US-9853034). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853034","copyright_holder":"Nomic Interactive Technology LLC"},"links":{"html":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853034","json":"https://patentable.app/api/llm-context/US-9853034","site":"https://patentable.app","llms_txt":"https://patentable.app/llms.txt"},"generated_at":"2026-06-06T15:39:09.281Z"}