Globalfoundries Inc.

Globalfoundries U.S. Inc.

Ahmed Hassan

Daniel James Dechene

Vikrant Kumar Chauhan

Lars W Liebmann

Fee Li Lie

Shreesh Narasimha

Brian Joseph Greene

Guillaume Bouche

Stuart A Sieg

James A Culp

Jason Eugene Stephens

David C Pritchard

David E Brown

Mahender Kumar

Atsushi Ogino

Xintuo Dai

Lei L Zhuang

Heng Yang

Nader Magdy Hindawy

Terry J Bordelon

Kong Boon Yeap

Abbas Guvenilir

Jaladhi Mehta

One illustrative system includes a processor and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to receive a device layout including a curvilinear feature, define a plurality of vertices for the curvilinear feature, determine a radius of curvature between a selected vertex in the plurality of vertices and a neighboring vertex in the plurality of vertices, and identify a design rule violation for the curvilinear feature responsive to the radius of curvature being less than a predetermined threshold.

Design-rule checking for curvilinear device features

Structures that include a passive device, such as a metal-based resistor, and methods of forming a structure that includes a passive device. The structure includes a semiconductor substrate, an interconnect structure including a passive device, and a dummy fill region arranged between the passive device and the semiconductor substrate. The dummy fill region includes a plurality of shallow trench isolation regions in the semiconductor substrate, a plurality of semiconductor fins, a plurality of source/drain regions in the plurality of semiconductor fins, and a plurality of contacts arranged over the plurality of shallow trench isolation regions.

Dummy fill scheme for use with passive devices

A single critical mask process flow and associated structure eliminate the formation of narrow polysilicon defects at the ends of polysilicon gate arrays, and obviate the need to implement complicated ground rules and post-design fill methods to avoid generation of the defects.

Substantially defect-free polysilicon gate arrays

Structures for an on-chip capacitor and methods of forming an on-chip capacitor. A metal terminal is formed that has a side edge. Metal fingers are formed that have a parallel arrangement. Floating islands comprised of a metal are formed and are electrically isolated from the metal fingers. Each of the metal fingers has an end and extends from the side edge of the metal terminal toward the end. Each of the floating islands is arranged in a spaced relationship with the end of a respective one of the metal fingers.

On-chip capacitors with floating islands

A method includes providing a semiconductor structure having a substrate including a longitudinally extending plurality of fins formed thereon. A target layout pattern is determined, which overlays active areas devices disposed on the fins. The target layout pattern includes a first group of sections overlaying devices having more fins than adjacent devices and a second group of sections overlaying devices having less fins than adjacent devices. A first extended exposure pattern is patterned into the structure, and includes extensions that extend sections of the first group toward adjacent sections of the first group. A second extended exposure pattern is patterned into the structure, and includes extensions that extend sections of the second group toward adjacent sections of the second group. Portions of the first and second extended exposure patterns are combined to form a final pattern overlaying the same active areas as the target pattern.

Methods to control fin tip placement

One illustrative method disclosed herein involves, among other things, decomposing an initial circuit layout into first and second mask patterns, for the first mask pattern, identifying a first four-polygon pattern in the first mask pattern that violates a multi-polygon constraint rule, wherein the first four-polygon pattern comprises four polygons positioned side-by-side in the first mask pattern, and recoloring one or two of the polygons in the first four-polygon pattern in the first mask pattern to the second mask pattern to eliminate the first four-polygon pattern from the first mask pattern without introducing any design rule violations in the initial circuit layout.

Multi-polygon constraint decomposition techniques for use in double patterning applications

Growing community of inventors

Clifton Park, NY, United States of America

Ahmed Hassan