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US 2003/0075751 A1Published application
Gapped-plate capacitor
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorsDavid Y. Kao, James Beacher
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a semiconductor device, a capacitor is provided which has a gap in at least one of its plates. The gap is small enough so that fringe capacitance between the sides of this gap and the opposing plate at least compensates, if not overcompensates, for the missing conductive material that would otherwise fill the gap and add to parallel capacitance. As a result, the capacitance of a storage device can be increased without taking up more die area. Alternatively, the size of a capacitor can be reduced with no decrease in capacitance. Various gap configurations and methods for providing them are also within the scope of the current invention.
Claims110
A capacitor, comprising:
- a first electrically conductive member;
- a dielectric contacting said first electrically conductive member;
- and
- a second electrically conductive member contacting said dielectric and having at least one gap free of an electrically conductive material.
1 more element
A capacitor, comprising:
- a generally planar semiconductor substrate;
- an insulative layer over said substrate;
- and
- an electrode over said insulative layer and having a gap.
1 more element
A charge storage device, comprising:
- a first electrode having a gap;
- a second electrode generally adjacent said first electrode and outside of said gap;
- and
- an insulator between said first electrode and said second electrode.
1 more element
A first electrode for a capacitor further comprising a second electrode and a dielectric layer contacting said second electrode, wherein said first electrode comprises:
- a capacitor plate having a hole excluding said second electrode, wherein said capacitor plate further comprises a side, a top, and a bottom contacting said dielectric layer.
A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a first electrode;
- an insulative material over said first electrode;
- a second electrode, further comprising:
- a first layer over said insulative material and having a first opening, and
- a second layer over said first layer;
- and
- a first portion of dielectric material spanning said first opening.
4 more elements
A capacitor plate, comprising:
- a first electrically conductive member configured to contact a dielectric portion of a capacitor and further configured to cooperate with a second electrically conductive member of said capacitor across said dielectric portion, wherein said first electrically conductive member defines a first hole excluding said second electrically conductive member.
A storage device, comprising:
- an oxide layer;
- a bottom electrode under said oxide layer;
- and
- a top plate over said oxide layer and further comprising:
- a first portion over said bottom electrode and defining a first cavity.
2 more elements
A capacitor, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a patterned conductive layer over said substrate, including a first hole;
- an oxide between said substrate and said patterned conductive layer and within said first hole.
A capacitor, comprising:
- a top plate having a thickness T and further comprising:
- a first conductive portion defining said thickness T,
- a second conductive portion having said thickness T and physically coupled to said first conductive portion in a first area and physically separated from said first conductive portion by a gap space S in a second area;
- an oxide under said top plate defining a height H;
- and
- a substrate under said oxide;
- wherein said gap space S is sized to allow a capacitance greater than a similar capacitor having no gap space S.
4 more elements
A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a substrate;
- and
- a conductive plate within a plate site, generally over said substrate and separated from said substrate by an insulator, wherein said conductive plate and said substrate define:
- a parallel capacitance region within said plate site, and
- a fringe capacitance region within said plate site and non-intersecting with said substrate.
2 more elements
A capacitor plate, comprising:
- a capacitor electrode material defining an opening;
- a conductive spacer lining said opening;
- and
- an insulating material filling said opening.
1 more element
A capacitor plate, comprising:
- a capacitor electrode material defining an opening;
- an insulating spacer lining said opening;
- and
- a conductive material filling said opening and coupled to said capacitor electrode material.
1 more element
A capacitor electrode, comprising:
- a first capacitor-plate material having a perimeter and defining an opening within said perimeter;
- a dielectric material within said opening;
- and
- a second capacitor-plate material within said opening.
1 more element
A capacitor, comprising:
- a first electrically conductive plate having a first portion;
- a second electrically conductive plate, further comprising:
- a second portion generally parallel to said first portion of said first electrically conductive plate and configured to allow for parallel capacitance in cooperation with said first electrically conductive plate, and
- a third portion defining a primary slot within said second electrically conductive plate and configured to allow for fringe capacitance in cooperation with said first portion of said first electrically conductive plate, wherein said fringe capacitance is at least equal to said parallel capacitance per a unit of measurement;
- and
- a dielectric between said first electrically conductive plate and said second electrically conductive plate and within said primary slot.
3 more elements
A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a substrate;
- an oxide over said substrate;
- and
- a conductive layer over said oxide, wherein said conductive layer and said substrate are configured to generate a parallel capacitance, and wherein a selection of said substrate and said conductive layer is untextured and defines a gap associated with a fringe capacitance that is at least as great as said parallel capacitance per a unit of width.
1 more element
A capacitor, comprising:
- a first electrode;
- a second electrode defining an opening separate from said first electrode;
- and
- a dielectric between said first electrode and said second electrode.
1 more element
A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a first capacitor electrode;
- a second capacitor electrode generally conformal to said first capacitor electrode and defining a nonconformity with respect to said first capacitor electrode, wherein said nonconformity is configured to generate fringe capacitance in cooperation with said first capacitor electrode;
- and
- a dielectric layer interposed between said first capacitor electrode and said second capacitor electrode.
1 more element
A capacitor, comprising:
- a dielectric layer;
- a first plate on one side of said dielectric layer;
- and
- a second plate on another side of said dielectric layer and defining a generally continuous surface and a discontinuity at said surface, wherein said surface is configured to generate parallel capacitance with said first plate and said discontinuity is configured to generate fringe capacitance with said first plate.
1 more element
A method of storing an electrical charge, comprising:
- generating parallel capacitance within an area between two electrodes of a capacitor;
- and
- generating fringe capacitance within said area.
A method of forming a charge storage device allotted a given capacitor plate area on a die, comprising:
- forming a conductive material within said capacitor plate area having a gap within said conductive material;
- configuring said gap to overcome an absence of parallel capacitance from said gap with fringe capacitance;
- and
- providing an insulative material for said gap.
1 more element
A method of patterning a capacitor plate, comprising:
- forming a layer of electrically conductive material within a capacitor plate site, wherein said layer of electrically conductive material is configured to generate a parallel capacitance per unit area;
- and
- forming a gap within said layer of electrically conductive material, wherein fringe capacitance related to said gap exceeds said parallel capacitance.
A method of of forming a capacitor, comprising:
- providing a semiconductor substrate;
- forming an oxide over said substrate;
- forming a conductive layer over said oxide;
- forming a pattern over said conductive layer;
- defining a plate site having a gap with said pattern;
- and
- etching a portion of said conductive layer uncovered by said pattern.
4 more elements
A method of forming a top plate of a capacitor further comprising a substrate and an oxide overlying said substrate, comprising:
- forming a first plate layer over said oxide;
- forming a hole within said first plate layer;
- forming a second plate layer over said first plate layer;
- defining said top plate from said first plate layer;
- and
- further defining said top plate from said second plate layer.
3 more elements
A method of forming a capacitor on a semiconductor substrate, comprising:
- forming an oxide over said semiconductor substrate;
- forming a first plate layer over said oxide;
- forming a first hole within said first plate layer;
- forming a second plate layer over said first plate layer;
- defining an outer plate perimeter from said first plate layer and said second plate layer, wherein said outer plate perimeter at least partially encompasses said first hole;
- doping said substrate in a first area corresponding to said first hole;
- and
- doping said substrate in a second area extending from said outer plate perimeter.
5 more elements
A method of forming a plate of a capacitor further comprising an insulative layer over a substrate, comprising:
- forming a first plate layer;
- etching a hole into said first plate layer;
- forming a second plate layer;
- etching a plate perimeter from said first plate layer and said second plate layer;
- doping said substrate under said hole;
- and
- doping said substrate external to said plate perimeter.
4 more elements
A method of forming an electrode for a capacitor, comprising:
- layering a first conductive material for said electrode over a support surface;
- creating a recess within said first conductive material;
- layering a second conductive material for said electrode over said first conductive material;
- layering a capacitor dielectric material over said first conductive material;
- and
- forming a spacer within said recess.
3 more elements
A method of processing a capacitor plate, comprising:
- depositing at least one capacitor plate material over a surface;
- etching a hole in said capacitor plate material;
- and
- filling said hole with a dielectric material.
1 more element
A method of forming a capacitor plate, comprising:
- depositing a dielectric layer over a surface;
- etching a capacitor plate-site from said dielectric layer;
- retaining a first portion of dielectric within said capacitor plate-site;
- and
- filling said capacitor plate-site with a conductive material.
2 more elements
A method of constructing a capacitor, comprising:
- providing a first capacitor plate;
- making a first hole in said first capacitor plate;
- filling said first hole with a first portion of insulating material;
- providing a second capacitor plate next to said first capacitor plate;
- and
- providing a dielectric material between said first capacitor plate and said second capacitor plate.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.