{"schema_version":"1.0","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853115","patent":{"patent_number":"US-9853115","title":"Hybrid source and drain contact formation using metal liner and metal insulator semiconductor contacts","assignee":null,"inventors":[],"filing_date":"2016-09-22T00:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2017-12-26T00:00:00.000Z","cpc_codes":["H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L"],"num_claims":15,"abstract":"An electrical device including a first semiconductor device having a silicon and germanium containing source and drain region, and a second semiconductor device having a silicon containing source and drain region. A first device contact to at least one of said silicon and germanium containing source and drain region of the first semiconductor device including a metal liner of an aluminum titanium and silicon alloy and a first tungsten fill. A second device contact is in contact with at least one of the silicon containing source and drain region of the second semiconductor device including a material stack of a titanium oxide layer and a titanium layer. The second device contact may further include a second tungsten fill."},"analysis":{"summary":"The patent \"Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts\" introduces a pivotal advancement in semiconductor device fabrication, addressing the critical challenge of forming optimal electrical contacts for heterogeneous materials within a single device.\n\nAt its core, this innovation describes an electrical device that intelligently integrates two types of semiconductor devices: one featuring silicon and germanium (SiGe) containing source and drain regions, and another with pure silicon (Si) containing source and drain regions. The problem it solves is the inherent difficulty in creating consistently low-resistance, high-performance electrical contacts for these distinct materials using conventional, one-size-fits-all methods, which often lead to compromised device efficiency and scalability issues as transistors shrink.\n\nThe key technical approach lies in its 'hybrid' contact formation strategy. For the silicon and germanium regions, the patent specifies a first device contact utilizing a metal liner made from a sophisticated aluminum titanium and silicon alloy, complemented by a first tungsten fill. This specific alloy is chosen for its superior interfacial properties with SiGe, ensuring low contact resistance and robust connectivity. For the pure silicon regions, a second device contact is employed, featuring a unique material stack comprising a titanium oxide layer and a titanium layer. This Metal Insulator Semiconductor (MIS) contact approach, potentially augmented with a second tungsten fill, is optimized to overcome Fermi-level pinning effects in silicon, thereby achieving excellent ohmic characteristics.\n\nThis tailored approach provides significant business value by enabling the creation of higher-performance, more energy-efficient, and more reliable semiconductor devices. It facilitates greater integration density, which is crucial for the continued miniaturization and power enhancement of microprocessors, memory chips, and specialized logic. The market opportunity for this technology is vast, encompassing the entire electronics industry, from consumer devices and IoT to high-performance computing and automotive applications, all of which demand increasingly sophisticated and efficient chip architectures. By improving fundamental contact performance, this patent paves the way for the next generation of advanced CMOS technologies and heterogeneous integration.","layman_explanation":"## What Problem Does This Solve?\n\nImagine you're building a super-fast race car engine, and it uses two different types of exotic metals. One metal is great for high heat, the other for extreme pressure. The challenge is connecting all the wires and sensors to both metals perfectly. If your connectors aren't just right for each material, you lose power, things overheat, and the engine doesn't perform at its peak. In the world of computer chips, we face a similar, but microscopic, problem. Modern chips often use different semiconductor materials – like silicon-germanium (SiGe) for ultra-fast parts and pure silicon (Si) for standard logic. The difficulty lies in creating tiny, efficient electrical 'wires' (contacts) that connect equally well to *both* these distinct materials on the same chip. Current methods often compromise, leading to slower processing speeds, more power consumption (draining your battery faster), and less reliable devices. This patent aims to eliminate that compromise.\n\n## How Does It Work?\n\nThe \"Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts\" patent introduces a clever, two-pronged strategy, much like having specialized technicians for each type of exotic metal in our race car engine. Instead of a 'one-size-fits-all' connector, this invention custom-designs the electrical contacts for each semiconductor material:\n\n1.  **For Silicon-Germanium (SiGe) Regions:** Think of SiGe as the 'high-performance' metal. For these areas, the patent specifies a contact that includes a special 'metal liner' made from an alloy of aluminum, titanium, and silicon, followed by a 'fill' of tungsten. This combination is specifically chosen because it forms an exceptionally strong and low-resistance connection with SiGe, ensuring that the high-speed benefits of SiGe aren't lost at the connection point. It's like using a unique, super-conductive adhesive for the high-heat metal that wouldn't work as well on the pressure-resistant one.\n\n2.  **For Pure Silicon (Si) Regions:** Pure silicon is the 'workhorse' metal. For these parts, the patent uses a different, ingenious contact. It's a layered stack: a thin layer of titanium oxide, then a layer of titanium. This is known as a Metal Insulator Semiconductor (MIS) contact. This 'sandwich' structure acts like a carefully tuned gateway, allowing electricity to flow very efficiently into the silicon, even though direct metal-to-silicon connections can sometimes be problematic. This contact can also include a tungsten fill for added robustness. It's akin to using a different, specialized connector for the pressure-resistant metal that ensures smooth flow without any 'bottlenecks' at the connection.\n\nBy tailoring the contact materials and structures to each semiconductor type, this innovation ensures that every part of the chip performs at its absolute best, without one material's performance dragging down the other's.\n\n## Why Does This Matter?\n\nThis technology holds immense significance for the entire electronics industry. Its impact can be measured in several key business areas:\n\n*   **Market Impact and Opportunities:** This patent enables the continued miniaturization and performance enhancement of chips, which is vital for new generations of smartphones, AI accelerators, IoT devices, and data center servers. Companies adopting this can create products that are faster, more powerful, and more energy-efficient, capturing larger market shares in these rapidly growing sectors. The ability to integrate diverse materials optimally opens doors for entirely new chip architectures and functionalities.\n*   **Competitive Advantages:** Manufacturers leveraging this innovation will gain a significant edge. They can offer superior products that outperform competitors in terms of speed, battery life, and reliability. This translates into stronger brand loyalty and premium pricing opportunities. It helps them stay ahead in the intensely competitive semiconductor race.\n*   **Potential ROI and Business Value:** The investment in developing and implementing this technology will yield substantial returns. Reduced power consumption means lower operating costs for data centers. Improved reliability leads to fewer product returns and stronger customer satisfaction. Most importantly, the ability to build next-generation chips efficiently and effectively ensures a pipeline of high-value products, driving long-term revenue growth and profitability. This patent is a foundational technology that underpins the performance of virtually all future electronic devices.\n\n## What's Next?\n\nThis innovation sets the stage for even more advanced chip designs. We can expect to see wider adoption in leading-edge manufacturing processes, enabling more complex System-on-Chip (SoC) designs that seamlessly integrate various functionalities. This approach will be crucial for 3D stacking technologies and heterogeneous computing, where different types of processing units are combined. Ultimately, this patent helps ensure that the fundamental building blocks of our digital world continue to evolve, unlocking new possibilities for AI, quantum computing, and beyond, with significant investment implications for those looking to capitalize on the future of microelectronics.","technical_analysis":"The patent \"Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts\" (US-9853115) presents a sophisticated approach to forming electrical contacts in advanced semiconductor devices, specifically targeting heterogeneous integration challenges. The core technical innovation lies in its ability to simultaneously create optimized, low-resistance contacts for both silicon-germanium (SiGe) and pure silicon (Si) source/drain regions within a single electrical device, a critical requirement for next-generation CMOS technology.\n\n**Technical Architecture and Problem Statement:**\nModern semiconductor devices often employ SiGe in p-type MOSFETs to enhance hole mobility and Si in n-type MOSFETs for electron mobility. The challenge is that optimal contact formation materials and processes differ significantly for SiGe and Si due to their distinct band structures, surface chemistries, and Fermi-level pinning characteristics. A generic contact material often results in high contact resistance for at least one material type, acting as a performance bottleneck as device dimensions scale down. This patent addresses this by proposing a hybrid contact architecture.\n\n**Implementation Details and Material Specifics:**\n1.  **First Semiconductor Device (SiGe Source/Drain):** The patent describes a first device contact to a silicon and germanium containing source and drain region. This contact includes a metal liner of an aluminum titanium and silicon (Al-Ti-Si) alloy and a first tungsten (W) fill. The Al-Ti-Si alloy is a crucial selection. Titanium silicides are common, but the presence of germanium can alter their formation kinetics and electrical properties. An Al-Ti-Si alloy likely offers a more stable and lower resistance interface with SiGe. Aluminum is a good conductor, titanium can act as a diffusion barrier and promote silicide/germanide formation, and silicon ensures compatibility. The specific composition would be optimized to mitigate issues like dopant out-diffusion, junction spiking, and high Schottky barrier height (SBH) at the SiGe interface. The tungsten fill, typically deposited via Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), is used for its excellent gap-fill capabilities, low resistivity, and thermal stability, providing a robust connection to higher-level interconnects.\n\n2.  **Second Semiconductor Device (Si Source/Drain):** For the silicon containing source and drain region, a second device contact is employed. This contact features a material stack comprising a titanium oxide (TiO) layer and a titanium (Ti) layer. This configuration forms a Metal Insulator Semiconductor (MIS) contact, often referred to as a tunneling MIS contact. The TiO layer, typically very thin (e.g., 1-2 nm), acts as a tunneling dielectric. By carefully controlling its thickness and quality, it can effectively de-pin the Fermi level at the Ti-Si interface, allowing the effective SBH to be engineered for lower contact resistance. This is a well-known technique to achieve near-ohmic contacts to silicon, especially for n-type devices where direct metal contact often results in a high SBH. The titanium layer provides the primary metallic interface, and a second tungsten fill may be added to further reduce the overall contact resistance and ensure robust connection to the backend-of-line (BEOL) metallization.\n\n**Algorithm Specifics (Process Flow Implications):**\nWhile the patent abstract doesn't detail a specific algorithm, the implication is a sophisticated fabrication process flow capable of selectively forming these distinct contact structures. This would likely involve:\n*   **Selective Epitaxy:** Growing SiGe and Si in designated source/drain regions.\n*   **Patterning:** Lithography and etching to define contact openings.\n*   **Selective Deposition/Etch:** Precisely depositing the Al-Ti-Si alloy for SiGe regions and the TiO/Ti stack for Si regions, possibly using atomic layer deposition (ALD) for precise thickness control of TiO, and selective CVD or physical vapor deposition (PVD) for the metals. This might involve masking steps or area-selective deposition techniques.\n*   **Annealing:** Post-deposition annealing steps would be critical to form stable interfaces and activate dopants.\n\n**Integration Patterns:**\nThis technology enables advanced heterogeneous integration within the same planar or FinFET-like transistor structure. It allows for the co-existence of high-performance p-FETs (with SiGe) and n-FETs (with Si) with individually optimized contacts, overcoming the performance compromises of universal contact schemes. This is crucial for System-on-Chip (SoC) designs that demand diverse functionalities.\n\n**Performance Characteristics:**\nBy optimizing the contact resistance for both SiGe and Si, this invention directly contributes to:\n*   **Higher Drive Current (I_ON):** Reduced series resistance allows more current to flow through the transistor in the ON state.\n*   **Lower Static Power (I_OFF) / Leakage:** Better interface quality can reduce leakage currents.\n*   **Improved Switching Speed:** Lower RC delay due to reduced contact resistance.\n*   **Enhanced Reliability:** Stable material interfaces and robust fills contribute to device longevity.\n\n**Code-Level Implications:**\nWhile not directly impacting 'code-level' in software, the principles of this patent profoundly influence compact models used in circuit simulation (e.g., BSIM, FinFET models). Accurate modeling of contact resistance (R_contact) is essential. Innovations like this patent provide the physical basis for refining these models, allowing circuit designers to predict and optimize device performance more accurately. Furthermore, the material choices and stack designs will be incorporated into Process Design Kits (PDKs) for advanced technology nodes, guiding physical layout and design rule checking (DRC).","business_analysis":"The patent \"Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts\" (US-9853115) represents a significant leap in semiconductor manufacturing, with profound implications for the business landscape of the electronics industry. This innovation tackles a fundamental challenge in chip design: optimizing electrical contacts for diverse semiconductor materials within a single device, a prerequisite for continued performance scaling and energy efficiency.\n\n**Market Opportunity Size:**\nThe global semiconductor market is projected to exceed $1 trillion by the end of the decade, driven by demand from AI, IoT, 5G, automotive, and high-performance computing. A critical component of this growth is the ability to produce more powerful and efficient chips. This patent directly contributes to this goal by improving the efficiency of transistors, the building blocks of all integrated circuits. The total addressable market for this technology is effectively the entire advanced logic and memory segment of the semiconductor industry, representing hundreds of billions of dollars annually. As contact resistance becomes a dominant factor limiting transistor performance at advanced nodes (e.g., 7nm, 5nm, 3nm), solutions like this become indispensable.\n\n**Competitive Advantages:**\nCompanies that successfully implement this technology will gain a substantial competitive edge. The ability to achieve superior contact performance for both silicon-germanium (SiGe) and pure silicon (Si) within the same device flow offers several advantages:\n1.  **Performance Leadership:** Products incorporating this innovation can boast higher speeds, lower power consumption, and improved overall device reliability, differentiating them from competitors using less optimized contact schemes.\n2.  **Manufacturing Efficiency:** While initially requiring R&D investment, a streamlined hybrid contact process can reduce manufacturing complexity and increase yields compared to attempting to optimize a single contact type for disparate materials or developing entirely separate process flows.\n3.  **Future-Proofing:** This technology provides a pathway for continued scaling of CMOS devices, essential for staying ahead in the race for 'more than Moore' performance, particularly for heterogeneous integration and 3D stacking architectures.\n\n**Revenue Potential:**\nRevenue potential is realized through enhanced product value and market share gains. Chip manufacturers (e.g., Intel, TSMC, Samsung, AMD, NVIDIA) can leverage this technology to produce premium processors, GPUs, and memory chips that command higher prices due to their superior performance characteristics. Licensees of this patent could also generate significant revenue from royalties, as the underlying technology becomes standard practice for advanced nodes. Furthermore, the patent enables new product categories that were previously limited by contact performance, opening up fresh revenue streams.\n\n**Business Models:**\nThis patent supports several business models:\n*   **Internal R&D and Product Development:** Assignees can integrate this technology directly into their chip fabrication processes to enhance their own product lines.\n*   **Licensing:** The patent can be licensed to other semiconductor manufacturers, foundries, or IP providers, generating royalty income.\n*   **Strategic Partnerships:** Collaborations with material suppliers or equipment manufacturers could accelerate adoption and standardization, creating value through shared expertise and market penetration.\n\n**Strategic Positioning:**\nThis innovation strategically positions companies at the forefront of advanced semiconductor manufacturing. It allows them to overcome a critical physical barrier to transistor scaling, ensuring their continued relevance and leadership in high-performance computing, AI hardware, and edge computing where efficiency and speed are paramount. It also enables more flexible chip designs, allowing for optimal use of different materials for specific functions, which is key for complex System-on-Chip (SoC) designs.\n\n**ROI Projections:**\nThe return on investment (ROI) for developing and implementing this technology is expected to be substantial. The cost savings from improved yields, combined with the increased revenue from higher-performing, premium products, will quickly offset R&D expenses. Furthermore, the strategic value of intellectual property that underpins future technology nodes provides long-term competitive insulation and market dominance. The ability to unlock new levels of performance and efficiency translates directly into market leadership and sustained profitability in the highly competitive semiconductor industry.","faqs":[{"answer":"The Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts is a patented technology (US-9853115) that describes an innovative method for creating highly efficient electrical connections (contacts) within advanced semiconductor devices. It specifically addresses the challenge of integrating different semiconductor materials, such as silicon-germanium (SiGe) and pure silicon (Si), within a single chip.\n\nThis invention proposes a 'hybrid' approach, meaning it custom-designs the electrical contacts based on the specific material they need to connect to. This ensures optimal performance for each type of semiconductor, preventing performance bottlenecks that often arise when using a single, compromise contact material for diverse chip components.\n\nEssentially, this technology allows chip manufacturers to build more powerful, energy-efficient, and reliable microprocessors and memory chips by perfecting the microscopic connections that are crucial for electrical signal flow.","question":"What is Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts?"},{"answer":"The Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts works by employing two distinct and optimized contact structures, each tailored to a specific semiconductor material within the same electrical device.\n\nFor source and drain regions containing silicon and germanium (SiGe), the invention utilizes a first device contact featuring a metal liner made of an aluminum titanium and silicon alloy, combined with a tungsten fill. This alloy is specifically chosen for its superior compatibility and low resistance interface with SiGe, which has unique electrical properties.\n\nConversely, for source and drain regions containing pure silicon (Si), a second device contact is implemented. This contact consists of a material stack comprising a titanium oxide layer and a titanium layer, which may also include a second tungsten fill. This Metal Insulator Semiconductor (MIS) contact approach is designed to effectively manage the interface with silicon, overcoming common issues like Fermi-level pinning to ensure low contact resistance and efficient current flow. This dual strategy ensures that both types of semiconductor materials achieve optimal electrical performance.","question":"How does Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts work?"},{"answer":"The Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts patent solves a critical problem in advanced semiconductor manufacturing: the challenge of forming consistently low-resistance, high-performance electrical contacts for heterogeneous semiconductor materials within a single device. As transistors shrink to nanometer scales, chips increasingly integrate different materials like silicon-germanium (SiGe) for speed and pure silicon (Si) for stability.\n\nThe difficulty arises because a contact material optimized for SiGe often performs poorly with Si, and vice-versa. This leads to compromised device performance, higher contact resistance (slowing down signals), increased power leakage (wasting energy and generating heat), and limits the ability to further miniaturize and enhance chips. This invention overcomes these limitations by providing custom-engineered contact solutions for each material, ensuring optimal electrical efficiency across the entire chip.\n\nBy solving this fundamental contact problem, the technology enables the continued scaling of device performance and energy efficiency, which is vital for the next generation of electronics.","question":"What problem does Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts solve?"},{"answer":"The patent for Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts (US-9853115) does not list inventors in the provided data. Typically, such innovations are developed by teams of engineers and scientists within semiconductor research and development departments of major technology companies or academic institutions.\n\nThese teams specialize in materials science, device physics, and semiconductor process engineering, working to overcome fundamental challenges in microchip fabrication. The collective expertise in these fields is crucial for developing complex solutions like this hybrid contact formation, which involves intricate material selection and interface engineering.\n\nWhile the specific individuals are not listed here, the invention represents a significant achievement in collaborative R&D aimed at advancing the state of the art in semiconductor technology.","question":"Who invented Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts?"},{"answer":"The Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts offers several significant benefits for advanced semiconductor devices:\n\nFirstly, it leads to **enhanced device performance**. By optimizing electrical contacts for both silicon-germanium (SiGe) and pure silicon (Si) regions, this technology drastically reduces contact resistance, allowing for faster signal propagation and higher drive currents. This translates directly to quicker processing speeds and more responsive electronic devices.\n\nSecondly, it provides **improved energy efficiency**. Lower contact resistance means less energy is wasted as heat during operation. This results in longer battery life for portable devices and reduced power consumption for data centers, contributing to both user convenience and environmental sustainability.\n\nThirdly, the innovation supports **greater integration density and reliability**. The ability to seamlessly integrate diverse materials with tailored contact solutions facilitates the continued miniaturization of chips and the creation of more complex System-on-Chip (SoC) designs. Furthermore, the robust material interfaces contribute to the long-term stability and reliability of the semiconductor devices, reducing potential failure points. These advantages are crucial for the evolution of microelectronics, semiconductor manufacturing, and chip design.","question":"What are the key benefits of Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts?"},{"answer":"The Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts distinguishes itself from prior art by offering a truly tailored, dual-material contact solution, rather than a single, compromised approach. Previous methods often relied on conventional silicidation or generic metal contacts that, while effective for pure silicon (Si), performed suboptimally with silicon-germanium (SiGe) due to differing material properties and interface challenges like Fermi-level pinning or Ge segregation.\n\nPrior art often faced the dilemma of either accepting lower performance for one material or resorting to highly complex and costly separate fabrication processes for each. This patent avoids these compromises by ingeniously designing specific contact structures: an aluminum titanium and silicon alloy liner with tungsten for SiGe, and a titanium oxide/titanium stack (Metal Insulator Semiconductor contact) for Si. This material-specific optimization within a single electrical device process flow is a key differentiator, providing superior electrical characteristics for both semiconductor types simultaneously. This makes the Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts a more efficient and effective solution for advanced heterogeneous integration and microelectronics.","question":"How is Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts different from prior art?"},{"answer":"The Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts patent will have a profound impact across a wide array of industries that rely heavily on advanced semiconductor technology. Its improvements in chip performance and efficiency are foundational.\n\n**Consumer Electronics:** This includes smartphones, laptops, tablets, and wearables, where faster processing, longer battery life, and sleeker designs are constant demands. The technology will enable the next generation of these devices.\n\n**High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Data Centers:** Servers, supercomputers, and cloud infrastructure will benefit from more powerful and energy-efficient processors, reducing operational costs and enhancing computational capabilities for data analytics and complex simulations.\n\n**Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning:** AI accelerators and specialized processors require immense computational power. This patent's ability to create more efficient chips will directly enhance the performance of AI hardware, from edge devices to large-scale AI training systems.\n\n**Automotive Industry:** With the rise of autonomous vehicles and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), high-performance, reliable, and energy-efficient chips are critical. This technology will contribute to the development of safer and smarter cars.\n\n**Internet of Things (IoT):** Devices in the IoT ecosystem require low-power, high-performance chips. The efficiency gains from this invention will be crucial for the widespread deployment and longevity of IoT sensors and devices.\n\n**5G and Telecommunications:** Infrastructure for 5G networks and other communication technologies will benefit from faster, more efficient processing, enabling higher bandwidth and lower latency. The Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts is therefore a critical enabler for the future of digital infrastructure, impacting microelectronics, chip design, and semiconductor manufacturing across the board.","question":"What industries will Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts impact?"},{"answer":"The patent for Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts (US-9853115) was filed on **September 22, 2016**.\n\nIt was subsequently published and granted on **December 26, 2017**.\n\nThis timeline indicates a relatively swift examination and granting process, which can often be a sign of the innovation's clear novelty and non-obviousness in the eyes of patent examiners. The period between filing and grant is crucial for establishing intellectual property rights and securing a competitive position in the rapidly evolving semiconductor industry. The publication date marks the point at which the technology officially enters the public domain as a granted patent, allowing others to examine its details and implications for future microelectronics and chip design.","question":"When was Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts filed/granted?"},{"answer":"The commercial applications of the Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts are vast and span virtually every sector that utilizes advanced electronics. Its core benefit of improving chip performance and efficiency translates into tangible product advantages.\n\nOne primary application is in **high-performance microprocessors and graphics processing units (GPUs)** for computers, servers, and gaming consoles. By enabling faster transistors with lower power consumption, this technology allows for the creation of more powerful and energy-efficient computing platforms. This is crucial for tasks ranging from everyday computing to complex scientific simulations and AI model training.\n\nAnother significant area is **mobile and portable electronics**, including smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets. The patent's contribution to lower power consumption directly translates to longer battery life, a key differentiator in the consumer market. Additionally, faster processing enhances user experience across all applications.\n\nIn the **automotive industry**, particularly for autonomous driving and in-car infotainment systems, the demand for highly reliable and powerful chips is growing. This technology can contribute to the development of more sophisticated and dependable automotive electronics. Furthermore, it has strong implications for **Internet of Things (IoT) devices and 5G infrastructure**, where energy efficiency and high data throughput are paramount. The ability to create more robust and efficient semiconductor devices using the Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts will underpin the next generation of smart technologies across various market segments, driving innovation in microelectronics, semiconductor manufacturing, and chip design.","question":"What are the commercial applications of Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts?"},{"answer":"The Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts patent lays a crucial foundation for several future developments in semiconductor technology. Its principles are expected to evolve and integrate with emerging trends in microelectronics.\n\nOne key area is the **continued scaling of transistor architectures**. As the industry moves towards Gate-All-Around (GAA) and other novel transistor designs, the need for highly precise and optimized contacts for diverse materials will become even more critical. This technology provides a robust framework for adapting contact solutions to these advanced geometries, ensuring performance gains continue even as physical dimensions approach atomic limits.\n\nAnother significant development will be its role in **3D integration and heterogeneous computing**. As manufacturers begin stacking different functional layers (e.g., logic, memory, specialized accelerators) vertically, the ability to form efficient inter-layer contacts, especially across different materials, will be paramount. This patent's hybrid approach could be extended to enable complex, high-bandwidth connections in 3D-stacked chips. Furthermore, research into **novel materials** for both the semiconductor channels and the contact liners will likely continue, building upon the material science principles established by this invention. This could involve exploring new alloys or tunneling dielectrics to achieve even lower contact resistance and higher device reliability. The Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts is poised to remain a relevant and adaptable technology, driving future innovations in semiconductor manufacturing, chip design, and microelectronics for years to come.","question":"What are the future developments expected for Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts?"}],"topics":["Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts","semiconductor contacts","silicon germanium","metal insulator semiconductor","transistor scaling","relentless","march","moore"],"tech_cluster":null},"seo":{"title":"Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation - Patent US-9853115","description":"Discover the Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts patent. Optimized contacts for SiGe & Si, boosting chip performance.","keywords":["Hybrid Source and Drain Contact Formation Using Metal Liner and Metal Insulator Semiconductor Contacts","semiconductor contacts","silicon germanium","metal insulator semiconductor","transistor scaling","chip manufacturing","low resistance contacts","microelectronics","patent US-9853115","H01L"]},"attribution":{"source":"Patentable","source_url":"https://patentable.app","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853115","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-9853115","citation_suggestion":"Patentable. \"Hybrid source and drain contact formation using metal liner and metal insulator semiconductor contacts\" (US-9853115). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853115","copyright_holder":"Nomic Interactive Technology LLC"},"links":{"html":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853115","json":"https://patentable.app/api/llm-context/US-9853115","site":"https://patentable.app","llms_txt":"https://patentable.app/llms.txt"},"generated_at":"2026-06-06T09:17:12.747Z"}