US 11251281

Patent Overview — US11251281B2

Title: "Contact resistance reduction employing germanium overlayer pre-contact metalization"

Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/[US11251281](/patent/US11251281)/en (fetched 2026-09-23)

Bibliographic data (as supplied):

• Publication number: US11251281B2; Application number: US16/881,541
• Inventors: Glenn A. Glass, Anand S. Murthy, Tahir Ghani
• Original assignee: Intel Corp; current assignee listed: MediaTek Inc
• Priority date (assumed, per source): 2010-12-21
• Filing date: 2020-05-22; publication date: 2022-02-15; application granted 2022-02-15
• Anticipated expiration (per source): 2030-12-21
• Status: Active

Purpose and plain-language scope (from the supplied text): The patent addresses reducing contact resistance in semiconductor devices by using a germanium overlayer applied before contact metalization. The "prior art keywords" listed in the source are source, layer, drain region, germanium, concentration, indicating subject matter directed to source/drain regions and germanium concentration. Classifications shown in the excerpt include H01L29/45 (electrodes), H01L21/28518, H01L21/28525, H01L21/76805, H01L21/76843, H01L21/76864, H01L21/76895, H01L29/0847, H01L29/165, H01L29/66545, H01L29/66636, H01L29/66795, H01L29/7833, H01L29/7848, H01L29/785, H01L29/7851, plus H10D classifications covering FET electrodes, gate electrode disposition (including buried/trench gates), nanostructure/nanowire/nanosheet bodies, FinFET manufacture, and source/drain formation — consistent with contact and transistor fabrication.

What the excerpt does not establish:

• The claims are not reproduced in the excerpt, so the actual claimed scope, claim language, and dependency structure cannot be stated.
• The written description, embodiments, figures, and any examples are not included; the specific germanium concentration values, layer thicknesses, or process steps are not shown.
• The excerpt contains only classification data and bibliographic/legal-status metadata, not technical text substantiating the purpose statement beyond keywords and class titles.
• The priority date, expiration date, assignee listings, and legal status are expressly noted in the source as assumptions or subject to disclaimer.
• No information is available in the excerpt on prosecution history, claim amendments, or the content of related family members.

Per instructions, litigation, ownership transfers, validity, and prior-art analysis are not addressed here.