Macronix International Co., Ltd.

Chih-Hao Huang

Chin-Cheng Yang

Chiao-Wen Yeh

Chia-Hua Lin

Tzong-Hsien Wu

Tien-Chu Yang

Wei-Hung Wang

Chiung-Jung Tu

A line structure for fan-out circuit having a dense-line area and a fan-out area is provided. The line structure includes a plurality of dense lines arranged in the dense-line area parallel to a first direction, a plurality of pads disposed in the fan-out area, and a plurality of connecting lines arranged in the fan-out area parallel to a second direction. The connecting lines respectively connect one of the dense lines with one of the pads, wherein at least one of the connecting lines is a wavy line.

Line structure for fan-out circuit and manufacturing method thereof, and photomask pattern for fan-out circuit

A structure of a patterned material layer including separate patterns arranged in rows and columns is described. The separate patterns in at least one row including the outmost row each have a larger dimension in the column direction than the separate patterns in the other rows. The separate patterns in at least one column including the outmost column each have a larger dimension in the row direction than the separate patterns in the other columns.

Patterned material layer and patterning method

A layout pattern and a photomask including the layout pattern are provided. The layout pattern includes a plurality of main patterns and at least one auxiliary pattern. The main patterns are arranged in parallel to one another and extend in a first direction. The at least one auxiliary pattern is located between two outermost main patterns and connects the two outermost main patterns. The at least one auxiliary pattern is arranged in a second direction. The second direction is different from the first direction.

Layout pattern and photomask including the same

The invention is directed to a method for patterning a material layer. The method comprises steps of providing a material layer. The material layer has a first hard mask layer and a second hard mask layer successively formed thereon. Then, the second hard mask layer is patterned to form a plurality of openings therein. A patterned photoresist layer is formed to cover the second hard mask layer and the patterned photoresist layer exposes a portion of the openings. The first hard mask layer with the patterned photoresist layer and the patterned second hard mask layer together as a mask. Then, the patterned photoresist layer and the patterned second hard mask layer are removed. The material layer is patterned with the patterned first hard mask layer as a mask.

Method for patterning material layer

A method of protecting alignment marks from damage in a planarization process includes providing a substrate including a surface, forming trenches in the substrate from the surface, forming a first dielectric layer on the substrate, forming a second dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer, forming a patterned second dielectric layer by removing second dielectric over the trenches, resulting in openings defined by the trenches and the patterned second dielectric layer, forming a third dielectric layer on the patterned second dielectric layer, the third dielectric layer filling the openings, and planarizing the third dielectric layer by using the patterned second dielectric layer as a stop layer, resulting in residual third dielectric in the openings that includes a first portion in the substrate and a second portion above the surface of the substrate.

Semiconductor device with a structure to protect alignment marks from damage in a planarization process

An overlay mark is used in pattern registration on a semiconductor wafer with an oxide layer. Four sets of two trenches each are formed in the oxide layer. Each trench in a set is parallel to the other trench of the same set. The trenches are configured such that each set forms one side of a box shape.

Overlay mark

An overlay mark is described, including a portion of a lower layer having two x-directional and two y-directional bar-like patterns therein, and two x-directional and two y-directional photoresist bars defined by the lithography process for defining an upper layer and surrounded by the bar-like patterns. At least one of the patterning process for defining the lower layer and the above lithography process includes two exposure steps respectively for defining a first device area and a second device area. When the patterning process includes two exposure steps, one x-directional and one y-directional bar-like patterns are defined simultaneously and the other x-directional and the other y-directional bar-like patterns are defined simultaneously. When the lithography process includes two exposure steps, one x-directional and one y-directional photoresist bars are defined simultaneously and the other x-directional and the other y-directional photoresist bars are defined simultaneously.

Overlay mark, and fabrication and application of the same

An alignment mark on a wafer is described, including at least one dense pattern and at least one block-like pattern adjacent thereto and shown as at least one dark image and at least one bright image adjacent thereto. A method of getting a position reference for a wafer is also described. An above alignment mark is formed. The alignment mark, which is shown as at least one dark image and at least one bright image adjacent thereto that are formed by the at least one dense pattern and the at least one block-like pattern, is then detected.

Alignment mark and method of getting position reference for wafer

An exposure process is described, for defining in a photoresist layer a plurality of first patterns having a first pitch and a second pattern between them that is wider than one first pattern. A first exposure step is conducted to the photoresist layer with a first photomask that has a plurality of the first patterns without a second pattern between them, wherein the first patterns on the first photomask have the first pitch only. A second exposure step is conducted to the photoresist layer with a second photomask that has a third pattern narrower than the second pattern at a position corresponding to the second pattern. The exposure dose of the first or second exposure step alone is not sufficient to define any pattern in the photoresist layer.

Exposure process and photomask set used therein

The invention is directed to a method for determining an overlay correlation set between two successive patterned material layers on a substrate. The method comprises steps of providing a first material layer having a first overlay mark formed therein over the substrate and then using an exposure tool with a first overlay correlation set to form a patterned photoresist layer on the first material layer, wherein the patterned photoresist layer comprises a mark pattern and the mark pattern is located over the first overlay mark for defining a later formed second material layer on the first material layer to be a second overlay mark. Thereafter, a pre-process metrology overlay parameter set between the first overlay mark and the mark pattern is obtained. The first overlay correlation set at the exposure tool is adjusted according to the pre-process metrology overlay parameter set.

Method for determining an overlay correlation set

An overlay mark for checking the alignment accuracy between a lower layer and a lithography process for defining an upper layer is described, including a part of the lower layer having two first x-directional trenches, two first y-directional trenches, two second x-directional trenches and two second y-directional trenches therein, and two x-directional and two y-directional photoresist bars thereover that are surrounded by the trenches and formed in the lithography process. When the lower layer is fully aligned with the lithography process, the intersection of the central line of the two first x-directional trenches and that of the two first y-directional trenches, the intersection of the central line of the two second x-directional trenches and that of the two second y-directional trenches and the intersection of the central line of the two x-directional photoresist lines and that of the two y-directional photoresist lines coincide with each other.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Chih-Hao Huang