以技術探勘、主路徑分析與多準則決策法分析次世代半導體製程與元件之鰭式場效電晶體專利

Abstract

近年來，由於科學與技術的進步，積體電路的材料、製程、與元件進展快速，而鰭式場效電晶體(Fin Field Effect Transistor, FinFET)的發明，更大幅改善傳統金屬氧化物半導體場效電晶體(Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor, MOSFET)元件的不足，成為半導體領域之新興技術，更是延長摩爾定律的重要元件之一。專利是科技廠商奠定市場地位的關鍵要素，半導體產業屬於技術密集型產業，必須創新技術以維持競爭優勢，故掌握核心的鰭式場效電晶體專利對於半導體廠商非常重要，以邏輯製程為主的晶圓代工廠尤其如此。唯學界與後進廠商少有關於鰭式場效電晶體專利之分析，因此本研究擬探勘鰭式場效電晶體之專利。首先，本研究定義所要探勘之專利範圍，其次，探勘美國專利商標局(USPTO)之專利資訊，再運用邊緣中介性群落分析法(edge betweenness clustering)和主路徑分析法(main path analysis)找出鰭式場效電晶體專利的主要路徑以及相似技術的專利，透過決策實驗室分析法(Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory)和決策實驗室網路流程法(DEMATEL based Network Process)分別找出每個專利之間的影響關係以及權重值，了解此領域的專利之發展過程以及重要的專利，實證研究之結果，可以分析領先的晶圓代工廠商的主要技術，提供後進晶圓代工廠商在未來五年進行專利佈局之參考依據。

Over nearly two decades, due to the advances in science and technology, the materials, fabrication processes and devices of integrated circuits have faced tremendous changes. The proposal of the Fin Field-Effect Transistor (FinFET) has greatly improved upon the traditional deficiencies of the metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) in the new process technology, becoming the emerging alternative technology, and it is also one of the important device for extending Moore's Law. Patents are a potential key for high technology firms to establish and sustain market positions. The semiconductor industry is a technology-intensive industry that must innovate technologically to maintain its competitive advantage, and patent litigation will directly affect the performance of semiconductor companies. Therefore, mastering the core FinFET patents is very important for semiconductor companies in general, and semiconductor foundries in special. However, the analysis of FinFET is rarely discussed, so this study intends to analyze the patents of FinFET by defining the scope of the prospecting data, using patent mining to examine USPTO patent data, using EBC and MPA to derive the main path of FinFET patents and patents of similar technologies, using the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and the DEMATEL based network process (DANP) to derive the impact relationship and weight value of patents, and deriving the development process of patents in the field of FinFET. The results of the empirical research can identify the main technologies of the leader foundry and provide a reference basis for the late-coming semiconductor foundries for patent landscaping over the next five years.