SamsungPatent applicationChips & hardwareInterest 3/10

Samsung patents snake-shaped design for tiny electronic resistors

Samsung has filed a patent for a method to create thin film resistors, which are tiny components that control electrical current in chips. The design uses a winding, snake-like path to fit more resistance into a small space on a semiconductor substrate.

Why it mattersThis is a standard manufacturing improvement that helps engineers pack more components into computer chips without increasing the physical size of the device.

In the filing’s own words

A method of forming a TFR and a semiconductor device are provided. The method includes depositing a first interlayer dielectric (ILD) film on a substrate to define a vertical dimension of the TFR; patterning a first photoresist using a photomask to define a horizontal dimension of the TFR; etching the first ILD film using the patterned first photoresist to form a trench in the first ILD film; and depositing a resistive thin film material on the first ILD film and within the trench.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method of forming a thin film resistor (TFR), the method comprising: depositing a first interlayer dielectric (ILD) film on a substrate to define a vertical dimension of the TFR; patterning a first photoresist using a photomask to define a horizontal dimension of the TFR; etching the first ILD film using the patterned first photoresist to form a trench in the first ILD film; and depositing a resistive thin film material on the first ILD film and within the trench.

Facts

Company: Samsung (Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.)
Official title: SERPENTINE STRUCTURE FOR THIN FILM RESISTORS AND A METHOD OF FABRICATING THE SAME
Publication number: US20260271705A1
Application number: 19240912
Filed: Jun 17, 2025
Published: Sep 10, 2026
Inventors: 2
Claims: 20

Classified under

H10W 20/498 Electricity & electronicsH10D 1/021 Electricity & electronicsH10D 1/474 Electricity & electronics

Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.