Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Chia-Jen Chen

Hsin-Chang Lee

Anthony Yen

Ta-Cheng Lien

Pei-Cheng Hsu

Yun-Yue Lin

Chien-Cheng Chen

Chih-Tsung Shih

Chih-Cheng Lin

Ping-Hsun Lin

Shinn-Sheng Yu

Tran-Hui Shen

Wen-Chang Hsueh

Shih-Ming Chang

Ming-Ching Chang

Chih-Chang Hung

Kuan-Wen Lin

Yen-Cheng Ho

Chen-Yang Lin

Chin-Hsiang Lin

Shang-Chieh Chien

Jeng-Horng Chen

Shu-Yuan Ku

Yi-Hsuan Hsiao

I-Wei Yang

Chen-Shao Hsu

Huan-Ling Lee

Da-Wei Yu

Chao-Cheng Chen

Chia-Hao Hsu

An Chyi Wei

Chen-Huang Huang

Yih-Chen Su

Tao-Min Huang

Shiang-Bau Wang

Hung-Chang Hsieh

Sheng-Chi Chin

Tsiao-Chen Wu

Cheng-Chung Chang

Chang-Cheng Hung

Ming-Jhe Sie

Shao-Hua Hsu

Szu-Ping Lee

Li-Hsin Wang

Chung-Hsuan Liu

Tien-Hsi Lee

Lee-Chih Yeh

Ku-Hsiang Sung

Gaston Lee

Chih-Chiang Tu

Chia-Chen Chen

Yu Chao Lin

Chun-Lang Chen

Jong-Yuh Chang

Ching-Fang Yu

Hung Chang Hsieh

Jui-Ching Wu

Chia-Ching Huang

Kuo-Yu Wu

Ren-Guey Hsieh

Hong-Chang Hsieh

Ken Wu

Luke Hsu

Yeh Lee-Chih

Wen-Chih Chiou

Tze-Liang Lee

Shih-Chang Chen

Hun-Jan Tao

Jyu-Horng Shieh

Burn Jeng Lin

Chien-Hao Chen

Kuo-Chiang Ting

Yen-Cheng Lu

Wen-Chuan Wang

Chih-Wei Kuo

Shih-Hsun Chang

Chi-Lun Lu

Yuan-Sheng Huang

Peng-Fu Hsu

Ting-Hao Hsu

Baw-Ching Perng

Shu-Hao Chang

Tzu-Yen Hsieh

Jr Jung Lin

Tomonari Yamamoto

Shun-Hui Yang

Yen-Bin Huang

Tzu-Yi Wang

Yun-Ju Sun

Ming-Jiun Yao

Chen-Yuan Hsia

Yu-Ling Cheng

Chia-I Lin

Yen-CHeng Ho

Meng-Yi Sun

Chia-Tsung Shih

Pei-Chung Hsu

Kai-Chung Liu

Shang-Shuo Huang

In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device a semiconductor wafer is retrieved from a load port. The semiconductor wafer is transferred to a treatment device. In the treatment device, the surface of the semiconductor wafer is exposed to a directional stream of plasma wind to clean a particle from the surface of the semiconductor wafer. The stream of plasma wind is generated by an ambient plasma generator and is directed at an oblique angle with respect to a perpendicular plane to the surface of the semiconductor wafer for a predetermined plasma exposure time. After the cleaning, a photo resist layer is disposed on the semiconductor wafer.

Method and device for cleaning substrates

A lithography mask including a substrate, a phase shift layer on the substrate and an etch stop layer is provided. The phase shift layer is patterned and the substrate is protected from etching by the etch stop layer. The etch stop layer can be a material that is semi-transmissive to light used in photolithography processes or it can be transmissive to light used in photolithography processes.

Lithography mask and methods

A method of making a semiconductor device includes forming at least one fiducial mark on a photomask. The method further includes defining a pattern including a plurality of sub-patterns on the photomask in a pattern region. The defining the pattern includes defining a first sub-pattern of the plurality of sub-patterns having a first spacing from a second sub-pattern of the plurality of sub-patterns, wherein the first spacing is different from a second spacing between the second sub-pattern and a third sub-pattern of the plurality of sub-patterns.

Photomask including fiducial mark and method of making a photomask

In a method of manufacturing a photo mask for lithography, circuit pattern data are acquired. A pattern density, which is a total pattern area per predetermined area, is calculated from the circuit pattern data. Dummy pattern data for areas having pattern density less than a threshold density are generated. Mask drawing data is generated from the circuit pattern data and the dummy pattern data. By using an electron beam from an electron beam lithography apparatus, patterns are drawn according to the mask drawing data on a resist layer formed on a mask blank substrate. The drawn resist layer is developed using a developing solution. Dummy patterns included in the dummy pattern data are not printed as a photo mask pattern when the resist layer is exposed with the electron beam and is developed.

Method of manufacturing photo masks

An extreme ultraviolet mask including a substrate, a reflective multilayer stack on the substrate and a capping layer on the reflective multilayer stack is provided. The reflective multilayer stack is treated prior to formation of the capping layer on the reflective multilayer stack. The capping layer is formed by an ion-assisted ion beam deposition or an ion-assisted sputtering process.

EUV mask blank and method of making EUV mask blank

A semiconductor device structure, along with methods of forming such, are described. The structure includes a first channel region disposed over a substrate, a second channel region disposed adjacent the first channel region, a gate electrode layer disposed in the first and second channel regions, and a first dielectric feature disposed adjacent the gate electrode layer. The first dielectric feature includes a first dielectric material having a first thickness. The structure further includes a second dielectric feature disposed between the first and second channel regions, and the second dielectric feature includes a second dielectric material having a second thickness substantially less than the first thickness. The second thickness ranges from about 1 nm to about 20 nm.

Semiconductor device structure and methods of forming the same

Methods of cutting gate structures, and structures formed, are described. In an embodiment, a structure includes first and second gate structures over an active area, and a gate cut-fill structure. The first and second gate structures extend parallel. The active area includes a source/drain region disposed laterally between the first and second gate structures. The gate cut-fill structure has first and second primary portions and an intermediate portion. The first and second primary portions abut the first and second gate structures, respectively. The intermediate portion extends laterally between the first and second primary portions. First and second widths of the first and second primary portions along longitudinal midlines of the first and second gate structures, respectively, are each greater than a third width of the intermediate portion midway between the first and second gate structures and parallel to the longitudinal midline of the first gate structure.

Semiconductor structure cutting process and structures formed thereby

In a method of manufacturing a reflective mask, a photo resist layer is formed over a mask blank. The mask blank includes a substrate, a reflective multilayer on the substrate, a capping layer on the reflective multilayer, an absorber layer on the capping layer and a hard mask layer, and the absorber layer is made of Cr, CrO or CrON. The photo resist layer is patterned, the hard mask layer is patterned by using the patterned photo resist layer, the absorber layer is patterned by using the patterned hard mask layer, and an additional element is introduced into the patterned absorber layer to form a converted absorber layer.

EUV photo masks and manufacturing method thereof

A reticle is provided. The reticle includes a first reflective multilayer (ML) over a mask substrate and a capping layer over the first reflective ML. The reticle also includes a first absorption layer over the capping layer and a second reflective multilayer (ML) over the first absorption layer. The reticle further includes an etch stop layer over the second reflective ML and a third reflective multilayer (ML) over the etch stop layer. In addition, the reticle includes an absorption film pair over the third reflective ML.

Extreme ultraviolet mask with reduced wafer neighboring effect

In an embodiment, a method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming a dummy gate stack over a substrate; forming a first spacer layer over the dummy gate stack; oxidizing a surface of the first spacer layer to form a sacrificial liner; forming one or more second spacer layers over the sacrificial liner; forming a third spacer layer over the one or more second spacer layers; forming an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) layer over the third spacer layer; etching at least a portion of the one or more second spacer layers to form an air gap, the air gap being interposed between the third spacer layer and the first spacer layer; and forming a refill layer to fill an upper portion of the air gap.

Air spacer and method of forming same

A photolithographic apparatus includes a particle removing cassette, a pump and a compressor. The particle removing cassette includes a first slit that includes an array of parallel wind blade nozzles arranged along a length of the first slit, protruding from the first slit, and configured to eject and direct pressurized cleaning material to a patterning surface of a mask to remove debris particles on the patterning surface. The pump and the compressor are controlled by a controller to adjust a flow rate and a pressure of the pressurized cleaning material based on an amount of debris particles on the patterning surface of the mask.

Particle removing assembly and method of cleaning mask for lithography

A method of fabricating a photomask includes selectively exposing portions of a photomask blank to radiation to change an optical property of the portions of the photomask blank exposed to the radiation, thereby forming a pattern of exposed portions of the photomask blank and unexposed portions of the photomask blank. The pattern corresponds to a pattern of semiconductor device features.

Photomask and method of fabricating a photomask

A mask for use in a semiconductor lithography process includes a substrate, a mask pattern disposed on the substrate, and a light absorbing border surrounding the mask pattern. The light absorbing border is inset from at least two edges of the substrate to define a peripheral region outside of the light absorbing border. In some designs, a first peripheral region extends from an outer perimeter of the light absorbing border to a first edge of the substrate, and a second peripheral region that extends from the outer perimeter of the light absorbing border to a second edge of the substrate, where the first edge of the substrate and the second edge of the substrate are on opposite sides of the mask pattern.

Lithography mask

Growing community of inventors

Jhudong, Taiwan

Chia-Jen Chen