Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L23/00—Details of semiconductor or other solid state devices
  • H01L23/52—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames
  • H01L23/522—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames including external interconnections consisting of a multilayer structure of conductive and insulating layers inseparably formed on the semiconductor body
  • H01L23/5226—Via connections in a multilevel interconnection structure
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/70—Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components formed in or on a common substrate or of parts thereof; Manufacture of integrated circuit devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/71—Manufacture of specific parts of devices defined in group H01L21/70
  • H01L21/768—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics
  • H01L21/76801—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the dielectrics, e.g. smoothing
  • H01L21/76802—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the dielectrics, e.g. smoothing by forming openings in dielectrics
  • H01L21/76807—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the dielectrics, e.g. smoothing by forming openings in dielectrics for dual damascene structures
  • H01L21/76811—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the dielectrics, e.g. smoothing by forming openings in dielectrics for dual damascene structures involving multiple stacked pre-patterned masks
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/70—Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components formed in or on a common substrate or of parts thereof; Manufacture of integrated circuit devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/71—Manufacture of specific parts of devices defined in group H01L21/70
  • H01L21/768—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics
  • H01L21/76801—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the dielectrics, e.g. smoothing
  • H01L21/76802—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the dielectrics, e.g. smoothing by forming openings in dielectrics
  • H01L21/76816—Aspects relating to the layout of the pattern or to the size of vias or trenches
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/70—Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components formed in or on a common substrate or of parts thereof; Manufacture of integrated circuit devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/71—Manufacture of specific parts of devices defined in group H01L21/70
  • H01L21/768—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics
  • H01L21/76838—Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the conductors
  • H01L21/76877—Filling of holes, grooves or trenches, e.g. vias, with conductive material
  • H01L21/76879—Filling of holes, grooves or trenches, e.g. vias, with conductive material by selective deposition of conductive material in the vias, e.g. selective C.V.D. on semiconductor material, plating
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L23/00—Details of semiconductor or other solid state devices
  • H01L23/52—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames
  • H01L23/522—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames including external interconnections consisting of a multilayer structure of conductive and insulating layers inseparably formed on the semiconductor body
  • H01L23/5228—Resistive arrangements or effects of, or between, wiring layers
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L23/00—Details of semiconductor or other solid state devices
  • H01L23/52—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames
  • H01L23/522—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames including external interconnections consisting of a multilayer structure of conductive and insulating layers inseparably formed on the semiconductor body
  • H01L23/532—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames including external interconnections consisting of a multilayer structure of conductive and insulating layers inseparably formed on the semiconductor body characterised by the materials
  • H01L23/5329—Insulating materials
  • H01L23/53295—Stacked insulating layers
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L23/00—Details of semiconductor or other solid state devices
  • H01L23/52—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames
  • H01L23/522—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames including external interconnections consisting of a multilayer structure of conductive and insulating layers inseparably formed on the semiconductor body
  • H01L23/532—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames including external interconnections consisting of a multilayer structure of conductive and insulating layers inseparably formed on the semiconductor body characterised by the materials
  • H01L23/53204—Conductive materials
  • H01L23/53209—Conductive materials based on metals, e.g. alloys, metal silicides
  • H01L23/53228—Conductive materials based on metals, e.g. alloys, metal silicides the principal metal being copper
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L23/00—Details of semiconductor or other solid state devices
  • H01L23/52—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames
  • H01L23/522—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames including external interconnections consisting of a multilayer structure of conductive and insulating layers inseparably formed on the semiconductor body
  • H01L23/532—Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another, i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames including external interconnections consisting of a multilayer structure of conductive and insulating layers inseparably formed on the semiconductor body characterised by the materials
  • H01L23/53204—Conductive materials
  • H01L23/53209—Conductive materials based on metals, e.g. alloys, metal silicides
  • H01L23/53257—Conductive materials based on metals, e.g. alloys, metal silicides the principal metal being a refractory metal
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L2924/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
  • H01L2924/0001—Technical content checked by a classifier
  • H01L2924/0002—Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Definitions

• aspects of the present disclosure relate to semiconductor devices, and more particularly to routing conductive layers, such as the middle of line layers, within an integrated circuit.
• Front end of line processes include wafer preparation, isolation, well formation, gate patterning, spacers, and dopant implantation.
• Middle of line processes include gate and terminal contact formation.
• Back end of line processes include forming interconnects and dielectric layers for coupling to the FEOL devices.
• interconnects may be fabricated with damascene processes using plasma- enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) deposited interlayer dielectric (ILD) materials.
• PECVD plasma- enhanced chemical vapor deposition
• ILD interlayer dielectric
• These interconnect layers of semiconductor circuits have become smaller and more difficult to route because of the increased density of chip design. Because some materials that are used to connect various interconnect layers have higher resistance, this may affect the timing and/or resistance properties of these "vias" or electrical paths.
• tungsten is often used for vias between layers. The ratio of the depth to the diameter of a via is called the aspect ratio.
• Tungsten is often processed in a "single damascene" (SD) process to deposit or otherwise couple the tungsten material into the via. Copper is often processed in a "dual damascene" (DD) process.
• SD single damascene
• DD dual damascene
• a semiconductor interconnect may include a first via of a first conductive material between a first conductive interconnect layer and a first middle of line (MOL) interconnect layer.
• the first MOL interconnect layer is on a first level.
• the first via is fabricated with a single damascene process.
• Such a semiconductor interconnect also includes a second via of a second conductive material between the first conductive interconnect layer and a second MOL interconnect layer.
• the second MOL interconnect layer is on a second level.
• the second via is fabricated with a dual damascene process.
• the first conductive material is different than the second conductive material.
• a method of fabricating a middle of line (MOL) interconnect may include fabricating a first via of a first conductive material.
• the first via is coupled to a first MOL interconnect layer on a first level.
• the first via is made with a single damascene process.
• the method also includes fabricating a second via and a first conductive interconnect layer of a second conductive material.
• the second via is made with a dual damascene process.
• the first conductive interconnect layer couples to the first via.
• the first conductive material is different than the second conductive material.
• the second via is coupled to a second MOL interconnect layer on a second level.
• a semiconductor interconnect may include means for conducting current between a first conductive interconnect layer and a first middle of line (MOL) interconnect layer.
• the first MOL interconnect layer is on a first level.
• the first means is fabricated with a first conductive material in a single damascene process.
• the interconnect also includes means for conducting current between the first conductive interconnect layer and at least a second MOL interconnect layer.
• the second MOL interconnect layer is on a second level.
• the second means is fabricated with a second conductive material in a dual damascene process.
• the first conductive material is different than the second conductive material.
• FIGURES 1 A-1E illustrate a "single damascene” (SD) process in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure.
• FIGURES 2A-2K illustrates a "dual damascene" (DD) process in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure.
• FIGURE 3 illustrates two interconnect layers at different distances from a surface of a semiconductor chip.
• FIGURE 4 is a process flow diagram illustrating a method for fabricating middle of line (MOL) layers according to an aspect of the present disclosure.
• FIGURE 5 is a block diagram showing an exemplary wireless communication system in which an aspect of the disclosure may be advantageously employed.
• FIGURE 6 is a block diagram illustrating a design workstation used for circuit, layout, and logic design of a semiconductor component, such as the devices disclosed above.
• Various aspects of the disclosure provide techniques for routing conductive layers, such as the middle of line layers, within an integrated circuit.
• the process flow for semiconductor fabrication of an integrated circuit may include front-end-of-line (FEOL) processes, middle of line (MOL) processes, and back-end-of-line (BEOL) processes.
• FEOL front-end-of-line
• MOL middle of line
• BEOL back-end-of-line
• layer includes film and is not to be construed as indicating a vertical or horizontal thickness unless otherwise stated.
• semiconductor substrate may refer to a substrate of a diced wafer or may refer to the substrate of a wafer that is not diced.
• wafer and die may be used interchangeably unless such interchanging would tax credulity.
• a hybrid via structure and process of forming the hybrid via structure are described.
• a first material is coupled to a first interconnect layer using a single damascene process for some interconnect layers of a semiconductor device.
• a dual damascene process couples a second material to a second interconnect layer.
• the second material may also be coupled to the first material.
• the conductive layer may also be a first conductive layer (e.g., metal one (Ml )) in the semiconductor device.
• connections between conductive layers in semiconductor devices are used to route signals between devices or areas of the semiconductor chip. These pathways are often created using damascene processes.
• a “single damascene” (SD) process is shown in FIGURES 1 A-1 E.
• FIGURE 1 A illustrates a wafer 100, having a substrate 102, an etch stop layer 104, a dielectric layer 106, and a photoresist layer 108.
• the wafer 100 may be a die, chip, or other device without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
• the dielectric layer 106 may be an oxide, such as silicon oxide, or other insulating materials, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
• the photoresist layer 108 is selectively patterned, and openings 1 10, 1 12, and 1 14 are formed in the dielectric layer 106.
• the depth 1 16 of the openings 1 10-1 14 is based on the thickness of the dielectric layer 106.
• a width 1 18 of the opening 1 10 may be different than a width 120 of the opening 1 14.
• the ratio of the width to the depth of the opening is referred to as an "aspect ratio" of the openings 1 10-1 14.
• the dielectric layer 106 may be etched, using wet chemical etching, plasma etching, or other dielectric material removal techniques.
• the etch stop layer 104 may also be removed if desired.
• a conductive layer 122 is added to the die 100.
• the conductive layer 122 is deposited in the openings 1 10-1 14, as well as on exposed portions of the dielectric layer 106.
• the substrate 102 is electrically and/or mechanically coupled to the conductive layer 122 through the openings 1 10-1 14.
• the conductive layer may be deposited using an electro-deposition or electroplating process, or may be sputtered or otherwise coupled to the die 100, such that the openings 1 10-1 14 are substantially filled with the conductive layer 122 material.
• the openings 1 10-1 14 may be referred to as "vias" or "interconnection paths" once the conductive layer 122 is deposited.
• the conductive layer 122 may include a barrier layer to line the openings 1 10- 122 and surfaces of the dielectric layer 106.
• the barrier layer portion may be tantalum, tantalum nitride, titanium nitride, titanium-tungsten, or other materials.
• the barrier layer portion of the conductive layer 122 reduces diffusion of material from the conductive layer to the dielectric layer 106 and/or the substrate 102.
• the conductive layer 122 may also include a seed layer to assist in the mechanical and/or electrical coupling between the conductive layer 122 and the substrate 102 within the openings 1 10-1 14.
• FIGURE I D portions of the conductive layer 122 are removed, such that the conductive layer 122 and the dielectric layer 106 become planar.
• This process may be referred to as chemical mechanical planarization (CMP), although the planarization may be performed using other techniques without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
• FIGURE I E illustrates another dielectric layer 124 on the die 100 which encapsulates the conductive layer 122.
• the conductive layer 122 may be tungsten or aluminum.
• other materials such as copper, may be more desirable. Copper has a lower resistance than tungsten. Nevertheless, copper may not be suitable for vias having an aspect ratio greater than two (e.g., the width 1 18 is half as large as the depth 1 16). Copper vias of certain aspect ratios also may be applied or coupled to a lower interconnect layer when forming a first conductive layer, such as the "metal one (Ml )" layer.
• FIGURES 2A-2K illustrate a dual damascene process. Copper can be coupled to a semiconductor chip using a "dual damascene" process.
• FIGURE 2A illustrates a wafer 200, which may also be a die or other device, including a substrate 102, an etch stop layer 104, a dielectric layer 106, a hard mask layer 202, a and a photoresist layer 108.
• the photoresist layer 108 is patterned as shown in FIGURE 2B.
• FIGURE 2C illustrates the transfer of the photoresist layer 108 pattern to the hard mask layer 202.
• This portion of the dual damascene process may be known as a hard mask etch or a trench etch in some designs.
• FIGURE 2D illustrates a planarization layer 204 and a second photoresist layer 206 being applied to the wafer 200.
• the planarization layer 204 is placed within the trench etch to protect the etched portion of the hard mask layer 202.
• FIGURE 2E illustrates a second pattern being transferred to the second photoresist layer 206, which may be referred to as patterning a via.
• FIGURE 2F illustrates a partial etch of the second pattern, i.e., the via pattern, through the planarization layer 204, hard mask layer 202, and at least a part of the dielectric layer 106.
• FIGURE 2G illustrates removal of the second photoresist layer 206 and the planarization layer 204 from the wafer 200.
• FIGURE 2H illustrates another etching of the dielectric layer 106, which defines the trench portion of the interconnect in the dielectric layer 106. The via portion of the etch in the dielectric layer 1 106 is also extended through the dielectric layer 106 to the etch stop layer 104.
• FIGURE 21 illustrates opening the bottom of the via portion of the interconnect by etching the exposed portion of the etch stop layer 104. This etch now exposes the substrate 102.
• FIGURE 2 J illustrates deposition of a conductive layer 214 within the etched volume in the etch stop layer 104, the dielectric layer 106, and the hard mask layer 202. The conductive layer 214 may be processed similarly to the conductive layer 122 described in FIGURES 1A-1 E.
• FIGURE 2J illustrates removal ofportions ofthe conductive layer 214 and the hard mask layer 202. This removal may be performed through chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP), etching, or other processes.
• CMP chemical-mechanical planarization
• FIGURES 2A-2K a "trench first with hard mask” (TFHM) approach to the dual damascene process is described.
• TFHM trench first with hard mask
• other dual damascene processes such as “trench first then via” or “via first then trench” processes, or other dual damascene processes, may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
• FIGURES 1 A- IF and 2A-2K illustrate the conductive layers reaching the substrate 102
• the conductive layers created using damascene processes may be used within the middle-of-line, or from the back end of line into the middle of line interconnect layers.
• FIGURE 3 illustrates layer interconnects in accordance with an aspect ofthe disclosure.
• a device 300 includes a dielectric layer 106 in which a first MOL interconnect layer 302 and a second MOL interconnect layer 304 are provided.
• a single damascene process (similar to that shown in FIGURES 1 A- 1F) may be used.
• a first via 320 is opened, and filled with a first conductive material 306.
• the first conductive material 306 may be a material that can be deposited or otherwise placed into the via 320 with a large aspect ratio (e.g., the depth of the via is more than two times the width of the via).
• a dual damascene process (similar to that shown in FIGURES 2A-2J) may be used. Further, this process may also be used to access the first conductive material 306 of the first via 320.
• a dielectric layer 308 is patterned and the openings are filled with a second conductive material 310 to form a second via 330 and a first conductive interconnect layer 340 (340-1 , 340-2).
• the first conductive interconnect layer 340-1 accesses the second MOL interconnect layer 304 through the second via 330.
• first conductive interconnect layer 340-2 of the second conductive material 310 accesses the first MOL interconnect layer 302 through the first via 330 of the first conductive material 306.
• the second conductive material 310 may be a different material than the first conductive material 306, because the openings in the dielectric layer 308 may have different aspect ratios than that of dielectric layer 106. Further, the second conductive material 310 may be chosen based on material properties, such as conductivity, or desired interactions/desired non-interactions with other layers within the device 300.
• the dual damascene process used to access the first MOL interconnect layer 302 also acts as a portion of the single damascene process used to access the second MOL interconnect layer 304.
• different materials may access different interconnect layers based on different variables.
• the aspect ratio of the via may specify the use of certain materials (e.g., tungsten).
• the timing of the circuit accessed through the first conductive material 306 and the second conductive material 310 of the first and second vias 320 and 330 may be crucial.
• the size of the first and second vias 320 and 330, and the material characteristics of the first and second conductive material accessing that particular first MOL interconnect layer 302 can be selected through this aspect of the present disclosure.
• one aspect of the present disclosure describes a hybrid via structure and process of forming the hybrid via structure.
• a first conductive material 306 is depositing to form a first via 320 to a first MOL interconnect layer 302 using a single damascene process.
• a dual damascene process is used to deposit a second conductive material 310 to form a second via 340 to the second MOL interconnect layer 304.
• the second conductive material 310 may also be coupled to the first conductive material 306.
• the first conductive interconnect layer 340 may also be a first conductive layer (e.g., metal one (Ml)) in the device 300.
• Ml metal one
• FIGURE 4 is a process flow diagram illustrating a method 400 for fabricating middle of line (MOL) layers according to an aspect of the present disclosure.
• a first via of a first material, coupled to a first MOL interconnect layer on a first level, is fabricated in a single damascene process.
• the first via 320 is opened, and filled with a first conductive material 306.
• a second via and a first conductive layer of a second material are fabricated with a dual damascene process.
• a dielectric layer 308 is patterned and the openings are filled with the second conductive material 310 to form the second via 330 to the second MOL interconnect layer 304.
• the second conductive material 310 of the first conductive interconnect layer 340-2 also accesses the first MOL interconnect layer 302 through the first via 320 of the first conductive material 306.
• the first conductive material 306 may be different than the second conductive material 310.
• the second conductive material 310 may be a different material than the first conductive material 306, because the openings in the dielectric layer 308 may have different aspect ratios than those of dielectric layer 106.
• the second via 330 of the second conductive material 310 couples the first conductive interconnect layer 340-1 to the second MOL interconnect layer 304.
• the interconnect includes means for conducting current between a first conductive interconnect layer and at least a first middle of line (MOL) interconnect layer on a first level fabricated with a first conductive material in a single damascene process.
• the first means may be the via 320 shown in FIGURE 3.
• the device also includes means for conducting current between the first conductive interconnect layer and at least a second MOL interconnect layer on a second level fabricated with a second conductive material in a dual damascene process, the first conductive material differing from the second conductive material.
• the second means may be the via 330 shown in FIGURE 3.
• the aforementioned means may be any module or any apparatus configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.
• FIGURE 5 is a block diagram showing an exemplary wireless communication system 500 in which an aspect of the disclosure may be advantageously employed.
• FIGURE 5 shows three remote units 520, 530, and 550 and two base stations 540.
• Remote units 520, 530, and 550 include IC devices 525 A, 525C, and 525B that include the disclosed devices. It will be recognized that other devices may also include the disclosed devices, such as the base stations, switching devices, and network equipment.
• FIGURE 5 shows forward link signals 580 from the base station 540 to the remote units 520, 530, and 550 and reverse link signals 590 from the remote units 520, 530, and 550 to base stations 540.
• remote unit 520 is shown as a mobile telephone
• remote unit 530 is shown as a portable computer
• remote unit 550 is shown as a fixed location remote unit in a wireless local loop system.
• the remote units may be mobile phones, hand-held personal communication systems (PCS) units, portable data units such as personal data assistants, GPS enabled devices, navigation devices, set top boxes, music players, video players, entertainment units, fixed location data units such as meter reading equipment, or other devices that store or retrieve data or computer instructions, or combinations thereof.
• PCS personal communication systems
• FIGURE 5 illustrates remote units according to the aspects of the disclosure, the disclosure is not limited to these exemplary illustrated units. Aspects of the disclosure may be suitably employed in many devices, which include the disclosed devices.
• FIGURE 6 is a block diagram illustrating a design workstation used for circuit, layout, and logic design of a semiconductor component, such as the devices disclosed above.
• a design workstation 600 includes a hard disk 601 containing operating system software, support files, and design software such as Cadence or OrCAD.
• the design workstation 600 also includes a display 602 to facilitate design of a circuit 610 or a semiconductor component 612 such as a device in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure.
• a storage medium 604 is provided for tangibly storing the design of the circuit 610 or the semiconductor component 612. The design of the circuit 610 or the
• semiconductor component 612 may be stored on the storage medium 604 in a file format such as GDSII or GERBER.
• the storage medium 604 may be a CD-ROM, DVD, hard disk, flash memory, or other appropriate device.
• the design workstation 600 includes a drive apparatus 603 for accepting input from or writing output to the storage medium 604.
• Data recorded on the storage medium 604 may specify logic circuit
• the data may further include logic verification data such as timing diagrams or net circuits associated with logic simulations.
• the methodologies may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein.
• a machine-readable medium tangibly embodying instructions may be used in implementing the methodologies described herein.
• software codes may be stored in a memory and executed by a processor unit.
• Memory may be implemented within the processor unit or external to the processor unit.
• the term "memory" refers to types of long term, short term, volatile, nonvolatile, or other memory and is not to be limited to a particular type of memory or number of memories, or type of media upon which memory is stored.
• the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Examples include computer- readable media encoded with a data structure and computer-readable media encoded with a computer program.
• Computer-readable media includes physical computer storage media. A storage medium may be an available medium that can be accessed by a computer.
• such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer; disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.
• instructions and/or data may be provided as signals on transmission media included in a communication apparatus.
• a communication apparatus may include a transceiver having signals indicative of instructions and data. The instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to implement the functions outlined in the claims.
• DSP digital signal processor
• ASIC application specific integrated circuit
• FPGA field programmable gate array
• a general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine.
• a processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.
• a software module may reside in RAM, flash memory, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art.
• An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium.
• the storage medium may be integral to the processor.
• the processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC.
• the ASIC may reside in a user terminal.
• the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.
• the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium.
• Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another.
• a storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.
• such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store specified program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium.
• Disk and disc includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer- readable media.

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• 2014
  • 2014-05-09 US US14/274,470 patent/US9196583B1/en active Active
• 2015
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  • 2015-04-02 JP JP2016565680A patent/JP2017516305A/ja active Pending

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