U.S. patent application number 17/076626 was filed with the patent office on 2021-02-04 for apparatus with a current-gain layout.
The applicant listed for this patent is Micron Technology, Inc.. Invention is credited to Takashi Ishihara.
Application Number | 20210035968 17/076626 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005162433 |
Filed Date | 2021-02-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210035968 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ishihara; Takashi |
February 4, 2021 |
APPARATUS WITH A CURRENT-GAIN LAYOUT
Abstract
An apparatus including separate first and second active regions
that are physically separate, with each region including one or
more sets of doped regions that each define a current channel. The
current channels on the first and second active regions are
activated by a common gate signal.
Inventors: |
Ishihara; Takashi; (Tokyo,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Micron Technology, Inc. |
Boise |
ID |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005162433 |
Appl. No.: |
17/076626 |
Filed: |
October 21, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16234358 |
Dec 27, 2018 |
10847508 |
|
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17076626 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 27/10897 20130101;
H01L 27/0207 20130101; G11C 11/4093 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01L 27/02 20060101
H01L027/02; H01L 27/108 20060101 H01L027/108; G11C 11/4093 20060101
G11C011/4093 |
Claims
1. An apparatus, comprising: a first active region including a
first set of regions configured to selectively provide a first
current channel according to a gate signal; a second active region
including a second set of regions configured to selectively provide
a second current channel according to the gate signal, wherein: the
first and second active regions have same dopants and are
physically separate, and the first and second current channels
correspond to parallel current flow directions; and conductive
structure linearly extending across and electrically connecting
matching regions within the first and second sets of regions,
wherein the conductive structure linearly extends along a direction
orthogonal to the parallel current flow directions.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the first set of regions are
configured to selectively provide a first adjacent channel
according to the gate signal, wherein the first adjacent channel is
(1) physically separate and adjacent to the first current channel
and (2) extends along the parallel current flow directions; the
second set of regions are configured to selectively provide a
second adjacent channel according to the gate signal, wherein the
second adjacent channel is (1) physically separate and adjacent to
the second current channel and (2) extends along the parallel
current flow directions; and the conductive structure includes a
first linear leg and a second linear leg electrically connecting
the first current channel, the second current channel, the first
adjacent channel, and the second adjacent channel in parallel,
wherein the first linear leg and the second linear leg extend along
the direction orthogonal to the extends along the parallel current
flow directions.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the first set of regions
includes a first source region and/or a first drain region
associated with the first current channel; the second set of
regions includes a second source region and/or a second drain
region associated with the second current channel; and the
conductive structure includes a linear leg that extends across the
first active region and the second active region, wherein the
linear leg is directly over and electrically connects either the
first and second source regions or the first and second drain
regions.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein: the first set of regions
includes a first gate region configured to receive and operate
according to the gate signal; and the second set of regions
includes a second gate region configured to receive and operate
according to the gate signal.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: an isolation
mechanism between the first active region and the second active
region, wherein the isolation mechanism physically separates the
first current channel from the second current channel; and wherein:
the conductive structure extends across the isolation
mechanism.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the isolation mechanism is a
shallow trench isolation (STI) mechanism.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the first current channel has
a first channel width; and the second current channel has a second
channel width different than the first channel width.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first current channel has
a first channel width and the second current channel has a second
channel width equal to the first channel width.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first current channel has
a first channel width and the second current channel has a second
channel width, wherein a sum of the first channel width and the
second channel width is a total channel width associated with a
source-drain current level for the apparatus.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a third active
region including a third set of regions configured to selectively
provide a third current channel according to the gate signal,
wherein: the third active region has the same dopant as the first
and second active regions and is physically separate from the first
and second active regions, and the third current channel extends
parallel to the parallel current flow directions; and wherein: the
conductive structure linearly extends across the third active
region and electrically connects matching regions within the first,
second and third sets of regions.
11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first active region, the
second active region, and the conductive structure comprise a
transistor device.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transistor device
comprises a data input buffer of the DRAM device.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the transistor device
comprises an amplifier circuit in the data input buffer.
14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein selectively providing the
first and second current channels includes activating the first and
second current channels in response to the gate signal.
15. An apparatus, comprising: a first active region comprising (1)
a first set of regions cooperating with each other to define a
first current channel and (2) a second set of regions cooperating
with each other to define a second current channel; a second active
region comprising (1) a third set of regions cooperating with each
other to define a third current channel and (2) a fourth set of
regions cooperating with each other to define a fourth current
channel, the second active region being isolated from the first
active region, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth current
channels extend along a first direction; a gate electrode
comprising first and second fingers, the first finger extending
along a second direction and over the first and third current
channels, and the second finger extending along the second
direction and over the second and fourth current channels; a first
electrode comprising third and fourth fingers, the third finger
extending in the second direction and defining ends of the first
and third current channels, the fourth finger extending in the
second direction and defining ends of the second and fourth current
channels; and a second electrode comprising a fifth finger, the
fifth finger extending in the second direction and defining
opposing ends of the first, second, third, and/or fourth current
channels.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein regions in each of the
first, second, third, and fourth sets of regions are arranged along
the first direction; wherein first matching regions in the first
and third sets of regions are arranged along a first line that
extends along the second direction; and wherein second matching
regions in the second and fourth sets of regions are arranged along
a second line that extends along the second direction.
17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first, second, third,
and fourth sets of regions each include a source region, a gate
region, and/or a drain region.
18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first, second, third,
and fourth current channels are activated according to a gate
signal.
19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second active region is
isolated from the first active region by a shallow trench isolation
(STI).
20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first electrode serves
as a source electrode and the second electrode serves as a drain
electrode.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 16/234,358, filed Dec. 27, 2018; which is incorporated herein
by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The disclosed embodiments relate to devices, and, in
particular, to semiconductor devices with a current-gain
layout.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Semiconductor devices (e.g., transistor devices) can include
semiconductor circuits configured to switch electronic signals. The
transistor devices can include at least three terminals (e.g.,
gate, source, and drain) that connect to external circuits. To
operate the transistor devices, voltage is controlled across a pair
of the terminals, which controls the current through another pair
of terminals. Accordingly, the transistor devices can operate in a
first state that enables current flow across the terminals and a
second state that restricts the current flow. For example, in
transistor devices, electric current from the source terminal to
the drain terminal can be restricted when a voltage, that is lower
than a threshold voltage, is applied between the gate and source
terminals.
[0004] The transistor devices can be configured to provide a
targeted amount of current (e.g., drain-source current (IDs))
through the corresponding terminals (e.g., drain and source). For
example, a layout, a total number of channels, a size of the
channel, etc. of the transistor devices can be controlled to
provide the targeted amount of current.
[0005] FIG. 1A is a plan view of a first transistor unit 102. The
first transistor unit 102 can be a base unit of circuit (e.g., a
single transistor and/or current channel) that can be used to
design a semiconductor device. The first transistor unit 102 can
include a substrate 112 (e.g., semiconductive material, such as
silicon, germanium, etc.) that serves as a diffusion area or active
area for the electrons.
[0006] The first transistor unit 102 can include a gate 122
attached to the substrate 112 between a source 124 and a drain 126.
The gate 122 can be the terminal or the electrical connection that
supplies the control voltage (e.g., a specific voltage relative to
the source 124) that regulates the operating state of the first
transistor unit 102. According to the gate voltage, the
drain-source current can flow between the drain 126 and the source
124. For transferring the current in and out of the circuit, the
first transistor unit 102 can include conductive structures (e.g.,
a terminal pad, a trace, etc.) that form and/or connect to the
drain 126 and the source 124, such as at contact regions 116.
[0007] The first transistor unit 102 can further have a size or a
dimension that influences the amount of drain-source current. For
example, the first transistor unit 102 can correspond to a first
width 132 (D1) that is orthogonal to a current flow direction 134
that goes across the gate 122 between the source 124 and the drain
126. The first width 132 can represent a size of the current
corridor or a number of electrons that can simultaneously travel
across the source 124 and the drain 126. Accordingly, the width of
the transistor can be a parameter that influences its drain-source
current capacity.
[0008] FIG. 1B is a plan view of a first transistor device 152 that
includes the first transistor unit 102 as a base circuit. For
example, the first transistor device 152 can include multiple
instances of the first transistor unit 102 combined along the
current flow direction 134 to form a single transistor device
having the first width 132. Accordingly, the first transistor
device 152 can include multiple current channels, which provides
increased drain-source current for a given width (e.g., the first
width 132). The number of current channels in the transistor device
can be a further parameter that influences its drain-source current
capacity.
[0009] As illustrated in FIG. 1B, the first transistor device 152
can include four overlapping instances of the first transistor unit
102. Accordingly, the first transistor device 152 can include four
current channels. The gate 122 can extend between each of the
source-drain combination. Each current channel (e.g., an adjacent
pair of a source and a drain with the gate therebetween) can
produce its own source-drain current. The contacts for the source
124 can be tied together (e.g., via a conductive structure, such as
a trace or a pad) to form a single terminal for the source 124, and
the contacts for the drain 126 can be tied together to form a
single terminal for the drain 126. Accordingly, the source-drain
current of each current channel can be combined to provide a total
source-drain current for the first transistor device 152.
[0010] For illustrative purposes, the first transistor unit 102 and
the transistor device 152 are shown with six contacts per each
drain and source. Also for illustrative purposes, the first
transistor device 152 is shown having four current channels.
However, it is understood that the first transistor unit 102 and
the transistor device 152 can have any number of contacts and/or
current channels.
[0011] FIG. 2A illustrates a second transistor unit 202. As an
alternative to the first transistor 102 of FIG. 1A, the second
transistor unit 202 can be a base unit of circuit that can be used
to design a semiconductor device. The second transistor unit 202
can include a first sub-unit 204 and a second sub-unit 206, both of
which are the same current channel as each other (e.g., N-channel
or P-channel). The first sub-unit 204 and the second sub-unit 206
can each include its own set of a gate 222, a source 224, and a
drain 226 on its own section of the substrate. For example, the
first sub-unit 204 can include a first substrate section 212 that
is doped to form the source 224 and the drain 226 on opposing sides
of the gate 222. The second sub-unit 206 can include a second
substrate section 214 that is doped to form the source 224 and the
drain 226 on opposing sides of the gate 222. Conductive structures
can be connected to control the voltage at their gates and
send/receive currents from the sources and the drains.
[0012] The first sub-unit 204 and the second sub-unit 206 can both
have a second width 232 (D2) along a direction orthogonal to a
current flow direction 234. For comparison, the second width 232
can be half of the first width 132 of FIG. 1, such that the
combined width of the second transistor unit 202 is the same as the
first transistor unit 102. For discussion purposes, the first width
132 will be assumed to be 2 .mu.m and the second width 232 will be
assumed to be 1 .mu.m for the following descriptions; both the
first transistor unit 102 and the second transistor unit 202 can
have a total width of 2 .mu.m. However, it is understood that the
transistor widths can be any size.
[0013] While the total width may be identical (along with other
characteristics, such as contact size/spacing, substrate
characteristics, biasing characteristics, etc.) across the first
transistor unit 102 and the second transistor unit 202 (i.e., when
the sub-units 204 and 206 are electrically connected), the second
transistor unit 202 can provide increased source-drain current
based on the additional current channel therein. In other words,
the second transistor unit 202 can be larger in current gain than
the first transistor unit 102.
[0014] FIG. 2B illustrates a second transistor device 252 that
includes the second transistor unit 202 as a base circuit. For
example, the second transistor device 252 can include multiple
instances of the second transistor unit 202 combined along the
current flow direction 234 to form a single transistor device
having the second width 232. Accordingly, the second transistor
device 252 can include multiple current channels, which provides
increased drain-source current for a given width (e.g., the second
width 232). As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the second transistor device
252 include four overlapping instances of the second transistor
unit 202. Accordingly, the second transistor device 252 can include
eight current channels across a common substrate.
[0015] In comparing the first transistor device 152 of FIG. 1B with
the second transistor device 252, the second transistor device 252
can have the same total width (e.g., based on having half of the
unit width and double the number of current channels) as the first
transistor device 152. Similar to the corresponding transistor
units, the second transistor device 252 can have greater
drain-source current than the first transistor device 152 due to
the larger number of current channels in the second transistor
device 252. In other words, as the width of the current channels
increases, such as for the first transistor device 152, threshold
voltage becomes smaller the drain-source current decreases.
However, increasing the number of current channels in a device,
such as for the second transistor device 252, the power consumption
increases. The increase in the number of current channels causes
increase in the interconnection (e.g., the conductive structure
that connects all of the sources and all of the drains, etc.),
which further increases parasitic capacitance. Accordingly, the
second transistor device 252 consumes more power than the first
transistor device 152.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1A is a plan view of a first transistor unit.
[0017] FIG. 1B is a plan view of a first transistor device that
includes the first transistor unit as a base circuit.
[0018] FIG. 2A is a plan view of a second transistor unit.
[0019] FIG. 2B is a plan view of a second transistor device that
includes the second transistor unit as a base circuit.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a plan view of an apparatus in accordance with an
embodiment of the present technology.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along a line A-A in FIG. 3
of the apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present
technology.
[0022] FIG. 5 is a plan view of an apparatus in accordance with an
embodiment of the present technology.
[0023] FIG. 6 is a plan view of an apparatus in accordance with an
embodiment of the present technology.
[0024] FIG. 7 is an example circuit diagram of an input buffer in
accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.
[0025] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method of
manufacturing an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the
present technology.
[0026] FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a system that includes a
memory device in accordance with an embodiment of the present
technology.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] As described in greater detail below, the technology
disclosed herein relates to semiconductor devices, systems with
semiconductor devices, and related methods for providing a
current-gain layout in the semiconductor devices. In the
embodiments described below, the semiconductor devices (e.g.,
transistors) can include sectional transistor devices that have at
least two separate sections (e.g., substrates) that are tied by
continuous and/or straight conductive structures for its gate,
source, and drain regions. In other words, the sectional transistor
devices can include two or more current channels or transistor
units connected in series.
[0028] FIG. 3 is a plan view of an apparatus (e.g., a sectional
transistor device 302) in accordance with an embodiment of the
present technology. The sectional transistor device 302 can include
a first section 304 and a second section 306. The first section 304
and the second section 306 can each include one or more current
channels (e.g., individual transistor units). In some embodiments,
the first section 304 and the second section 306 can include a same
number of current channels.
[0029] The first section 304 can include a first substrate (or
active region) 312 and the second section 306 can include a second
substrate (or active region) 314 that are separate (e.g.,
non-contiguous bodies of semiconductive material) from each other.
In some embodiments, the sectional transistor device 302 can
include a shallow trench isolation (STI) between the first section
304 and the second section 306 that separates the two sections. The
first substrate 312 and the second substrate 314 can each include
regions that are doped to form sources and drains. The sectional
transistor device 302 can include conductive structures (e.g.,
wires, traces, pads, etc.) that connect to the doped regions. For
example, a gate connector 322 (e.g., a conductive structure having
multiple legs/extensions) can be connected to the gates between
each pairing of source and drain. Also, at various contacts 316, a
source connector 324 can directly contact the source regions of the
substrates and a drain connector 326 can directly contact the drain
regions of the substrates.
[0030] Also, the first section 304 and the second section 306 can
each include current channels that are arranged parallel to each
other, such as in rows or columns. The first section 304 can
include current channels that have a first section width 334 (D3),
and the second section 306 can include current channels that have a
second section width 336 (D4). Further, the first section 304 and
the second section 306 can be separated by a separation distance
338 such as STI.
[0031] In some embodiments, the first section 304 and the second
section 306 can arranged such that the current channels of the
first section 304 extend along a first line and the current
channels of the second section 306 extend along a second line. For
example, for the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the first
section 304 can be located ahead (e.g., on top as illustrated in
FIG. 3) of the second section 306, and the sources, gates, drains
of the first section 304 can be aligned with those of the second
section 306. Accordingly, the gate connector 322, the source
connector 324, and the drain connector 326 can include parallel
legs that extend across (e.g., along the first section width 334
and the second section width 336) both the first substrate 312 and
the second substrate 314 and over the separation 338 between the
two sections. As such, each of the connector legs can connect the
corresponding components (e.g., gate, source, or drain) of a
current channel for both sections. As a result, the current
channels on the first substrate 312 can be connected electrically
with the current channels on the second substrate 314.
[0032] Based on connecting a set of current channels, the sectional
transistor device 302 can provide the increased number of current
channels without the increasing the interconnects. For comparison
to the first transistor device 152 of FIG. 1B and the second
transistor device 252 of FIG. 2B, the first section width 334 and
the second section width 336 can be the same as the second width
232 of FIG. 2A, which is half of the first width 132 of FIG. 1A
(i.e., D.sub.3=D.sub.4=D.sub.2=1/2 D.sub.1). Also, the sectional
transistor device 302 can have the same number of total current
channels (e.g., eight current channels) as the second transistor
device 252. Based on connecting a set of current channels, the
sectional transistor device 302 can have a total number (e.g.,
four) of current channels as the total number of current channels
in the first transistor device 152. Accordingly, the sectional
transistor device 302 can have the same total width for the set of
current channels as the channel width of the first transistor
device 152 and matching number of connector legs. As such, the
sectional transistor device 302 can provide increased drain-source
current (e.g., in comparison to the first transistor device 152)
with reduced parasitic interconnection capacitance (e.g., in
comparison to the second transistor device 252). The higher
operating speed and the reduced parasitic interconnection
capacitance (e.g., based on reduced number of connector legs),
allows the sectional transistor device 302 to operate at higher
speeds than the first transistor device 152 and the second
transistor device 252. Alternatively, the sectional transistor
device 302 can provide the same source-drain current with reduced
size (e.g., reduced total width of the device) in comparison to the
layouts illustrated in FIGS. 1A-2B.
[0033] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along a line A-A in FIG. 3
of the apparatus (e.g., the sectional transistor device 302) in
accordance with an embodiment of the present technology. The
diffusion regions (e.g., the first substrate 312, the second
substrate 314, etc.) of the sectional transistor device 302 can be
separated from each other by an isolation mechanism 402 (e.g.,
STI). In some embodiments, one or more additional isolation
mechanism (e.g., additional STIs) can be formed on opposing ends of
the first substrate 312 and/or the second substrate 314. The
isolation mechanism 402 can have a dimension (e.g., a width on top
of the STI) that provides the separation distance 338 of FIG. 3. In
some embodiments, the diffusion regions can be completely separated
from each other.
[0034] FIG. 5 is a plan view of an apparatus (e.g. a sectional
transistor device 502) in accordance with an embodiment of the
present technology. In some embodiments, the apparatus can have
separate diffusion regions that have different widths. For example,
the sectional transistor device 502 can include a first section
504, a second section 506, etc. The first section 504 can have a
first substrate 512 (e.g., one of the diffusion regions) and the
second section 506 (e.g., a separate diffusion region) can have a
second substrate 514. The first substrate 512 can correspond to a
first section width 534 (D.sub.3) and the second substrate 514 can
correspond to a second section width 536 (D.sub.4). The first
section width 534 can be different (e.g., greater or lesser) than
the second section width 536 (i.e., such that D.sub.3<D.sub.4 or
D.sub.3>D.sub.4).
[0035] Since the total channel width of the current channels in the
col-linear set affects the drain-source current, the difference in
the first section width 534 and the second section width 536 does
not affect the drain-source current. For comparison, in order to
match the 2 .mu.m channel width of the first transistor unit 102 of
FIG. 1A and/or the second transistor unit 202 of FIG. 2A, the first
section width 534 can be 0.66 .mu.m and the second section width
536 can be 1.34 .mu.m in some embodiments.
[0036] FIG. 6 is a plan view of an apparatus (e.g. a sectional
transistor device 602) in accordance with an embodiment of the
present technology. The apparatus can have any number of separate
diffusion regions, such as two, three, or more diffusion regions.
For example, the sectional transistor device 602 can include a
first section 604, a second section 606, a third section 608. etc.
the first section 604 can have a first substrate 612, the second
section 606 can have a second substrate 614, the third section 608
can have a third substrate 616, etc. Each of the diffusion regions
can have a width, such that the first substrate 612 can correspond
to a first section width 634 (D.sub.3), the second substrate 614
can correspond to a second section width 636 (D.sub.4), and/or the
third substrate 616 can correspond to a third section width 638
(D.sub.5). As discussed above, in some embodiments, one or more of
the widths can be the same. In some embodiments, one or more of the
widths can be unique and different from each other.
[0037] In some embodiments, the input buffer 700 can be employed at
a data (DQ) connection in a memory device (e.g., a dynamic
random-access memory (DRAM) 701). FIG. 7 is an example circuit
diagram of an input buffer 700 in accordance with an embodiment of
the present technology. In some embodiments, the input buffer 700
including the sectional transistor device 302 at one or more
portions therein can be implemented for a memory device (e.g., a
dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) device). For example, the input
buffer 700 can be included in one or more data terminal (DQ)
connections (e.g., within input buffers) that are configured to
receive a data (DQ) signal to be written into a memory
location.
[0038] The input buffer 700 can include one or more transistors
(e.g., N-channel transistors and/or P-channel transistors)
configured to receive and process corresponding input signals such
as a write enable signal, a DQ system signal (e.g., DQSB, DQST,
etc.), the data (DQ) signal, or a combination thereof. In some
embodiments, the DQ system signal can include the DQSB signal
corresponding to a bar signal of a data strobe signal (DQS), the
DQST corresponding to a true signal of DQS, or a combination
thereof. Accordingly, the input buffer 700 can generate an output
signal based on receiving and processing the input signals.
[0039] In some embodiments, the input buffer 700 can include a
P-channel transistor (M31) controlled by the write enable signal
(e.g., supplied to a gate of M31) to connect a supply voltage (VDD;
e.g., connected to a source of M31) to the other transistors. For
example, M31 can be OFF when the write enable signal is at an
inactive high level, such as when no data signal to be written is
supplied to the input buffer 700, thereby reducing a leakage
current. A source of another P-channel transistor (M30; controlled
by the DQSB supplied to a gate thereof) can be connected to a drain
of M31. A drain of M30 can be connected to sources of one or more
further P-channel transistors (M1 and/or M2) operated by the DQ
signal connected to gates thereof. In one or more embodiments, M1
and/or M2 can be a differential amplifier or a portion thereof such
that the gate of M1 is connected to a positive connection of the DQ
signal and M2 is connected to a negative connection of the DQ
signal (e.g. a reference node (Vref)). Drains of M1 and/or M2 can
be connected to ground through corresponding precharging
transistors (e.g., N-channel transistors M7 and M8, respectively)
that are operated by the DQST signal connected to the gates of the
M7 and/or M8. The precharging transistors (M7, M8, M30, M27, M28,
M29, or a combination thereof) can be operated according to a data
strobe signal (DQS) or derivatives thereof (e.g., the DQST and/or
the DQSB signals) to precharge the respective nodes.
[0040] In some embodiments, the drains of M1 and/or M2 can further
be connected to gates of corresponding N-channel transistors (M26
and M27, respectively) for further amplifying an output of the
differential amplifier (e.g., M1 and M2). Sources and drains of the
amplifying transistors (M26 and/or M27) can be connected to a
series of transistors connected to a source of M31 and a drain of
M30. For example, the sources of the amplifying transistors M26
and/or M27 can be connected to ground through one or more current
control transistors (e.g., N-channel transistors M40 and/or M41).
Also, the drains of the amplifying transistors M26 and/or M27 can
be connected to one or more latching transistors (e.g., M14, M15,
M16, and/or M17 for holding logic level amplified by M1, M2, M26,
and/or M27) and/or one or more precharging transistors (e.g., M28
and/or M29). In some embodiments, sources of the latching
transistors and/or the precharging transistors (e.g., M14, M15,
M28, and/or M29) can be connected to the drain of M31 and the
source of M30. Drains of the upstream output transistors can
generate the output signal. For example, the drains of M28 and M14
can generate a differential high portion of the output signal
(OUT+) and the drains of M29 and M15 can generate a differential
negative portion of the output signal (OUT-). One or more of the
upstream output transistors (e.g., M14 and/or M15) can be operated
according to the opposing differential output connected to the
gates thereof. For example, the gate of M14 can be connected to
OUT- and/or the gate of M15 can be connected to OUT+. Some of the
other upstream output transistors (e.g., M28 and/or M29) can be
operated according to the DQST signal connected to the gates
thereof. In some embodiments, the nodes that corresponding to OUT+
and/or OUT- can be further connected to one or more downstream
transistors (e.g., N-channel transistors M16 and/or M17). For
example, drain of M16 can be connected to the OUT+ node, and drain
of M17 can be connected to the OUT- node. Also, source of M16 can
be connected to drain of M26, and source of M17 can be connected to
drain of M27. The gates of the downstream transistors can be
operated by the opposing differential output, such as by having
gate of M16 connected to the OUT- node and by having gate of M17
connected to the OUT+ node.
[0041] The input buffer 700 can include the sectional transistor
device 302 for one or more of the transistors described above. For
example, the sectional transistor device 302 can be used at one or
more locations in the DQ input buffer, such as for amplifying the
logic level (e.g., increasing a gain to operate at a high speed).
In one or more embodiments, the sectional transistor device 302 can
be used to initially receive the DQ signal, such as for the
P-channel transistors M1 and/or M2 where the DQ signal is connected
to the gate connector 322. In one or more embodiments, one or more
sets of the sectional transistor device 302 can be implemented in
the DQ input buffer as differential amplifiers (e.g., M1 and/or
M2), second stage amplifier (e.g., M26 and M27), etc.
[0042] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method 800
of manufacturing an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of
the present technology. for example, the method 800 can be for
manufacturing the sectional transistor device 302 of FIG. 3, the
sectional transistor device 502 of FIG. 5, the sectional transistor
device 602 of FIG. 6 or a portion thereof, etc.
[0043] At block 802, a semiconductor substrate (e.g., silicon,
germanium, etc.) can be provided. At block 804, various regions of
the semiconductor substrate can be doped to form one or more
current channels. For example, different regions of the
semiconductor substrate can be doped using acceptors or p-type
dopants (e.g., boron, aluminum, gallium, etc.), donors or n-type
dopants (e.g., phosphorous, arsenic, lithium, etc.), or other
dopants. Also, the various regions can be doped to form doped
substrate, wells, depletion layer, and/or other doped regions that
correspond to the source, the gate, the drain, etc. The various
regions (e.g., the source regions, the gate regions, the drain
regions, etc.) can be formed extending along a common direction
such that the resulting current channels are parallel to each
other. For example, the substrate can be doped to form alternating
columns/rows of source and drain with a gate region between
abutting a pair of sour-drain or drain-source.
[0044] At block 806, the semiconductor substrate can be separated
to form a targeted number of separate substrates that include at
least a first substrate (e.g., the first substrate 312 of FIG. 3)
and a second substrate (e.g., the second substrate 314 of FIG. 3).
In some embodiments, such as represented at block 812, the
substrate can be separated based on forming an isolation mechanism
(e.g., STI) that extends across the current channels (e.g.,
perpendicular to the channel width), and thus electrically and/or
physically separating the current channels into the divided
sections. For example, the isolation mechanism can be formed based
on forming a trench (e.g., via masking and dry or wet etching) and
filling the trench with an insulator (e.g., an oxide). Since
existing linear current channels are divided into sections, the
current channels on the divided substrates can be parallel with
each other.
[0045] In some embodiments, such as represented at block 822, the
isolation mechanism can be formed at a location that corresponds to
targeted channel widths (e.g., the first channel width, the second
channel width, the third channel width, etc.) for the first and
second current channels. Further, the isolation mechanism can be
formed having a dimension that corresponds to the separation
distance 338 of FIG. 3. A targeted total channel width for the
sectional transistor device can be based on (e.g., the sum of) the
targeted channels widths of the divided substrates.
[0046] At block 808, one or more conductive structures can be
formed to electrically connect matching or corresponding regions
across the first and second substrates. For example, a gate
connector (e.g., a trace, a contact, a pad, etc.) can be formed
(e.g., via depositing conductive metal) connecting a set or all of
the gate regions on the divided substrates. Similarly, a source
connector and a drain connector can be formed connecting the source
regions and the drain regions, respectively. Forming each of the
connectors can include forming one or more legs that each
correspond to a current channel, such as illustrated at block 832.
Each of the legs can be formed extending along a direction (e.g., a
direction parallel to the channel width) across the divided
sections and the isolation mechanism. For example, each of the legs
can be directly over and extend along the corresponding regions of
a set of current channels.
[0047] The method 800 is illustrated using some of the processing
steps in an example order. However, one of ordinary skill in the
art can appreciate that the method 800 includes other associated
steps (e.g., masking, planarization, etc.) associated with
semiconductor processing. Further, in some embodiments, the method
of manufacture can be different. For example, the various
substrates can be separately provided, processed (e.g., doped) and
then attached to opposing sides of the isolation mechanism such
that the current channels are parallel.
[0048] FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a system that includes the
apparatus (e.g., the sectional transistor device described above)
in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. Any one
of the foregoing embodiments described above with reference to
FIGS. 3-8 can be incorporated into any of a myriad of larger and/or
more complex systems, a representative example of which is system
980 shown schematically in FIG. 9. The system 980 can include a
memory device 900, a power source 982, a driver 984, a processor
986, and/or other subsystems or components 988. The system 980 can
include devices/transistors having features generally similar to
those of the sectional transistor devices described above with
reference to FIGS. 3-8, and can therefore include various features
for performing a direct read request from a host device. The
resulting system 980 can perform any of a wide variety of
functions, such as memory storage, data processing, and/or other
suitable functions. Accordingly, representative systems 980 can
include, without limitation, hand-held devices (e.g., mobile
phones, tablets, digital readers, and digital audio players),
computers, vehicles, appliances and other products. Components of
the system 980 may be housed in a single unit or distributed over
multiple, interconnected units (e.g., through a communications
network). The components of the system 980 can also include remote
devices and any of a wide variety of computer readable media.
[0049] From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific
embodiments of the technology have been described herein for
purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be
made without deviating from the disclosure. In addition, certain
aspects of the new technology described in the context of
particular embodiments may also be combined or eliminated in other
embodiments. Moreover, although advantages associated with certain
embodiments of the new technology have been described in the
context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit
such advantages and not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit
such advantages to fall within the scope of the technology.
Accordingly, the disclosure and associated technology can encompass
other embodiments not expressly shown or described herein.
[0050] In the illustrated embodiments above, the sectional
transistor devices have been described in the context of CMOS
devices. Transistor devices configured in accordance with other
embodiments of the present technology, however, can include other
types of suitable transistor types in addition to or in lieu of
CMOS devices, such as, FET, MOSFET, or BJT devices, etc.
[0051] The term "processing" as used herein includes manipulating
signals and data, such as writing or programming, reading, erasing,
refreshing, adjusting or changing values, calculating results,
executing instructions, assembling, transferring, and/or
manipulating data structures. The term data structures includes
information arranged as bits, words or code-words, blocks, files,
input data, system generated data, such as calculated or generated
data, and program data. Further, the term "dynamic" as used herein
describes processes, functions, actions or implementation occurring
during operation, usage or deployment of a corresponding device,
system or embodiment, and after or while running manufacturer's or
third-party firmware. The dynamically occurring processes,
functions, actions or implementations can occur after or subsequent
to design, manufacture, and initial testing, setup or
configuration.
[0052] The above embodiments are described in sufficient detail to
enable those skilled in the art to make and use the embodiments. A
person skilled in the relevant art, however, will understand that
the technology may have additional embodiments and that the
technology may be practiced without several of the details of the
embodiments described above with reference to FIGS. 3-9.
* * * * *