Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Chih-Fu Chang

Jen-Pan Wang

Ru-Shang Hsiao

Ling-Sung Wang

Chih-Mu Huang

Sheng Chiang Hung

Hsiu-Jung Yen

Yu-Hong Pan

Yu-Chun Huang

Yao-Jen Tsai

Ching-Hwanq Su

Chi-Yen Lin

Hung-Jen Lin

Chih-Kang Chao

Pu-Fang Chen

Yen-Hsiu Chen

David Yen

Yen Chuang

Tsung-Che Lu

Wei-Barn Chen

Bone-Fong Wu

Chin-Yuan Ko

Ming-Chu King

Hung Pin Chen

Huang Jiun-Jie

Yun Chen Chang

Shao Hua Wang

Chih-Kang Chuang

Yee-Ren Wuang

Yuan-Jen Liao

Shih-Che Fang

Hung-Che Hsueh

Chih Mou Huang

Tse-En Chang

Chieh Chih Ting

An interconnect structure and methods of forming the same are described. In some embodiments, the structure includes a first intermetal dielectric (IMD) layer disposed over a plurality of conductive features and a first passive component disposed on the first IMD layer in a first region of the substrate. The structure further includes a second passive component disposed on the first IMD layer in a second region of the substrate. The second passive component includes a first conductive layer, and the first conductive layer has a first thickness. The structure further includes a second IMD layer disposed on the first passive component in the first region and on the second passive component and a portion of the first IMD layer in the second region. The second IMD layer has a second thickness ranging from about five times to about 20 times the first thickness.

Interconnect structure and methods of forming the same

A plurality of openings is formed in a dielectric layer formed on a semiconductor substrate. The plurality of openings comprises a first opening extending to the semiconductor substrate, a second opening extending to a first depth that is substantially less than a thickness of the dielectric layer, and a third opening extending to a second depth that is substantially greater than the first depth. A multi-layer gate electrode is formed in the first opening. A thin resistor structure is formed in the second opening, and a connection structure is formed in the third opening, by filling the second and third openings substantially simultaneously with a resistor metal.

Resistor structure

A semiconductor structure and a method for forming the same are provided. The semiconductor structure comprises a substrate, a fin structure, a metal gate and a first polysilicon strip. The fin structure is on the substrate. The metal gate is over the fin structure and is substantially perpendicular to the fin structure. The first polysilicon strip is at a first edge of the fin structure and is substantially parallel to the metal gate.

Semiconductor mixed gate structure

The present disclosure relates a back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) metallization stack having an air gap disposed between adjacent metal interconnect features, which provides for an inter-level dielectric material with a low dielectric constant. In some embodiments, the BEOL metallization stack has an inter-level dielectric (ILD) layer disposed over a substrate. A metal interconnect layer is disposed within the ILD layer, and an air gap is arranged disposed within the ILD layer at a position between a first feature and a second feature of the metal interconnect layer. The air gap has an upper surface with a first curve that meets a second curve at a peak arranged below a top of the metal interconnect layer. The first curve becomes steeper as a distance from the peak decreases and the second curve becomes steeper as a distance from the peak decreases.

Air-gap scheme for BEOL process

A passive device and method of fabricating the passive device are disclosed herein. The capacitor structure incorporates a resistor and a capacitor. An exemplary method includes receiving a substrate that has undergone front end of line (FEOL) processing, and performing back end of line (BEOL) processing on the substrate, wherein a capacitor structure is formed over the substrate during the BEOL processing, the capacitor structure incorporating a resistor with a capacitor. The BEOL processing can include performing a first metallization process to form a bottom plate of the capacitor structure; forming a dielectric spacer of the capacitor structure over the bottom plate; forming a top plate of the capacitor structure over the dielectric spacer; and performing a second metallization process to form contacts coupled to the top plate and the bottom plate of the capacitor structure.

Resistor and metal-insulator-metal capacitor structure and method

Structure of resistor

The present disclosure relates a method of forming a back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) metallization layer having an air gap disposed between adjacent metal interconnect features, which provides for an inter-level dielectric material with a low dielectric constant, and an associated apparatus. In some embodiments, the method is performed by forming a metal interconnect layer within a sacrificial dielectric layer overlying a substrate. The sacrificial dielectric layer is removed to form a recess extending between first and second features of the metal interconnect layer. A protective liner is formed onto the sidewalls and bottom surface of the recess, and then a re-distributed ILD layer is deposited within the recess in a manner that forms an air gap at a position between the first and second features of the metal interconnect layer. The air gap reduces the dielectric constant between the first and second features of the metal interconnect layer.

A passive circuit device incorporating a resistor and a capacitor and a method of forming the circuit device are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the circuit device comprises a substrate and a passive device disposed on the substrate. The passive device includes a bottom plate disposed over the substrate, a top plate disposed over the bottom plate, a spacing dielectric disposed between the bottom plate and the top plate, a first contact and a second contact electrically coupled to the top plate, and a third contact electrically coupled to the bottom plate. The passive device is configured to provide a target capacitance and a first target resistance. The passive device may also include a second top plate disposed over the bottom plate and configured to provide a second target resistance, such that the second target resistance is different from the first target resistance.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, an active region and a trench isolation. The active region is formed in the semiconductor substrate. The trench isolation is disposed adjacent to the active region. The trench isolation includes a lower portion and an upper portion. The upper portion is located on the lower portion. The upper portion has a width gradually decreased from a junction between the upper portion and the lower portion toward a top of the trench isolation. In a method for fabricating the semiconductor device, at first, the semiconductor substrate is etched to form a trench in the semiconductor substrate. Then, an insulator fills the trench to form the trench isolation. Thereafter, the gate structure is formed on the semiconductor substrate. Then, the semiconductor substrate is etched to form a recess adjacent to the trench isolation. Thereafter, at least one doped epitaxial layer grows in the recess.

Shallow trench isolation structure

A method of reliability testing of a semiconductor device is described. The embodiment, includes providing a capacitor including an insulating layer interposing two conductive layers. A plurality of voltages are provided to the capacitor including providing a first voltage and a second voltage greater than the first voltage. A leakage associated with the capacitor is measured while applying the second voltage. In an embodiment, the leakage measured while applying the second voltage indicates that a failure of the insulating layer of the capacitor has occurred. In an embodiment, the capacitor is an inter-digitated metal-oxide-metal (MOM) capacitor. The reliability testing may be correlated to TDDB test results. The reliability testing may be performed at a wafer-level.

Reliability assessment of capacitor device

As will be appreciated in more detail herein, the present disclosure provides for FinFET techniques whereby a FinFET channel region has a particular orientation with respect to the crystalline lattice of the semiconductor device to provide enhanced mobility, compared to conventional FinFETs. In particular, the present disclosure provides FinFETs with a channel region whose lattice includes silicon atoms arranged on (551) lattice plane. In this configuration, the sidewalls of the channel region are particularly smooth at the atomic level, which tends to promote higher carrier mobility and higher device performance than previously achievable.

N/P MOS FinFET performance enhancement by specific orientation surface

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, an epi-layer, an etch stop layer, an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer, a silicide layer cap and a contact plug. The substrate has a first portion and a second portion neighboring to the first portion. The etch stop layer is disposed on the second portion. The ILD layer is disposed on the etch stop layer. The silicide cap is disposed on the epi-layer. The contact plug is disposed on the silicide cap and surrounded by the ILD layer.

Semiconductor device with silicide cap

An embodiment is an integrated circuit (IC) structure. The structure comprises a deep n well in a substrate, a first pickup device in the deep n well, a first signal device in the deep n well, a dissipation device in the substrate, a second signal device in the substrate, a first electrical path between the first pickup device and the dissipation device, and a second electrical path between the first signal device and the second signal device. The dissipation device is outside of the deep n well, and the second signal device is outside of the deep n well. A highest point of the first electrical path is lower than a highest point of the second electrical path.

Integrated circuit structure and method of forming the same

A method of forming a dopant implant region in a MOS transistor device having a dopant profile having a target dopant concentration includes implanting a first concentration of dopants into a region of a substrate, where the first concentration of dopants is less than the target dopant concentration, and without annealing the substrate after the implanting step, performing at least one second implanting step to implant at least one second concentration of dopants into the region of the substrate to bring the dopant concentration in the region to the target dopant concentration.

Dopant implantation method using multi-step implants

A novel, low-temperature metal deposition method which is suitable for depositing a metal film on a substrate, such as in the fabrication of metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors, is disclosed. The method includes depositing a metal film on a substrate using a deposition temperature of less than typically about 270 degrees C. The resulting metal film is characterized by enhanced thickness uniformity and reduced grain agglomeration which otherwise tends to reduce the operational integrity of a capacitor or other device of which the metal film is a part. Furthermore, the metal film is characterized by intrinsic breakdown voltage (V) improvement.

Growing community of inventors

Neipu, Taiwan

Chih-Fu Chang