Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Chih-Jen Wu

Chen-Ming Huang

An-Chun Tu

Kuan-Chieh Huang

Dun-Nian Yaung

Chin-Hsiang Lin

You-Hua Chou

Chih-Tsung Lee

Shih-Chi Lin

Min Hao Hong

Soon-Kang Huang

Chih-Yuan Yang

Kun-Tai Wu

Chin-Hsiang Chang

Chi-Yuan Shih

Chun-Heng Chen

Chih-Hong Hwang

Yi Hsien Lu

Min-Hao Hong

Chen-Chien Li

Kuei-Shu Chang-Liao

Ming-Huei Lien

A method of using a polishing system includes securing a wafer to a support, wherein the wafer has a first diameter. The method further includes polishing the wafer using a first polishing pad rotating about a first axis, wherein the first polishing pad has a second diameter greater than the first diameter. The method further includes rotating the support about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis after polishing the wafer using the first polishing pad. The method further includes polishing the wafer using a second polishing pad after rotating the support, wherein the second polishing pad has a third diameter less than the first diameter. The method further includes releasing the wafer from the support following polishing the wafer using the second polishing pad.

Method of using a polishing system

A polishing system includes a wafer support that holds a wafer, the wafer having a first diameter. The polishing system further includes a first polishing pad that polishes a first region of the wafer, the first polishing pad having a second diameter greater than the first diameter. The polishing system further includes an auxiliary polishing system comprising at least one second polishing pad that polishes a second region of the wafer, wherein the second polishing pad has a third diameter less than the first diameter, and the wafer support is configured to support the wafer during use of the first polishing pad and the auxiliary polishing system.

Polishing system

A polishing system for polishing a semiconductor wafer includes a wafer support for holding the semiconductor wafer, and a first polishing pad for polishing a region of the semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor wafer has a first diameter, and the first polishing pad has a second diameter shorter than the first diameter.

Polishing system and polishing method

A method performed using a resistive device, where the resistive device includes a substrate with an active region separated from a gate electrode by a dielectric and electrical contacts along a longest dimension of the gate electrode, the method comprising, performing one or more processes to form the resistive device, measuring a resistance between the electrical contacts, and correlating the measured resistance with a variation in one or more of the processes.

Semiconductor test structures

A method of forming a nitrogen-containing oxide film is disclosed. The method comprises (a) exposing a substrate to a first gas pulse having one of an oxygen-containing gas and a metal-containing gas; (b) exposing the substrate to a second gas pulse having the other of the oxygen-containing gas and the metal-containing gas to form an oxide film over the substrate; and (c) exposing the oxide film to a third gas pulse having a nitrogen-containing plasma to form a nitrogen-containing oxide film, wherein the nitrogen-containing oxide film has a nitrogen concentration between about 0.1 and about 3 atomic percent (at %).

Nitrogen-containing oxide film and method of forming the same

A method of making a backside illuminated image sensor includes forming a first isolation structure in a pixel region of a substrate, where a bottom of the first isolation structure is exposed at a back surface of the substrate. The method further includes forming a second isolation structure in a peripheral region of the substrate, where the second isolation structure has a depth less than a depth of the first isolation structure. Additionally, the method includes forming an implant region adjacent to at least a portion of sidewalls of the first isolation structure, where the portion of the sidewalls is located closer to the back surface than a front surface of the substrate, and where the second isolation structure is free of the implant region.

Method of making backside illuminated image sensors

Provided is a method of fabricating a backside illuminated image sensor that includes providing a device substrate having a frontside and a backside, where pixels are formed at the frontside and an interconnect structure is formed over pixels, forming a re-distribution layer (RDL) over the interconnect structure, bonding a first glass substrate to the RDL, thinning and processing the device substrate from the backside, bonding a second glass substrate to the backside, removing the first glass substrate, and reusing the first glass substrate for fabricating another backside-illuminated image sensor.

Method of fabricating backside-illuminated image sensor

A backside illuminated image sensor includes a substrate with a substrate depth, where the substrate includes a pixel region and a peripheral region. The substrate further includes a front surface and a back surface. The backside illuminated image sensor includes a first isolation structure formed in the pixel region of the substrate, where a bottom of the first isolation structure is exposed at the back surface of the substrate. The backside illuminated image sensor includes a second isolation structure formed in the peripheral region of the substrate, where the second isolation structure has a depth less than a depth of the first isolation structure. The backside illuminated image sensor includes an implant region adjacent to at least a portion of sidewalls of each isolation structure in the pixel region.

Backside illuminated image sensors and method of making the same

A method for depositing a polysilazane on a semiconductor wafer is provided. The method includes steps of disposing a silazane onto the semiconductor wafer, and heating the silazane to form the polysilazane on the semiconductor wafer. An apparatus for preparing a polysilazane on a semiconductor wafer is also provided.

Method and apparatus for preparing polysilazane on a semiconductor wafer

Backside-illuminated image sensor having a supporting substrate

A resistive test structure that includes a semiconductor substrate with an active region, a gate stack formed over the active region, a first electrical contact in communication with the active region on opposing sides of the gate stack, the first electrical contact providing an electrical short across a first dimension of the gate stack, and a second electrical contact in communication with the active region on the opposing sides of the gate stack, the second electrical contact providing an electrical short across the first dimension of the gate stack, the first and second electrical contacts spaced along a second dimension of the gate stack perpendicular to the first dimension.

A backside illuminated image sensor includes an isolation structure passing through a substrate, a sensor element formed overlying the front surface of the substrate, and a color filter formed overlying the back surface of the substrate.

Isolation structure for backside illuminated image sensor

One of the broader forms of the present disclosure involves a method of enhanced defect inspection. The method includes providing a substrate having defect particles and providing a fluid over the substrate and the defect particles, the fluid having a refractive index greater than air. The method further includes exposing the substrate and the defect particles to incident radiation through the fluid, and detecting, through the fluid, radiation reflected or scattered by the defect particles.

Enhanced defect scanning

This description relates to a method for reducing CMOS Image Sensor (CIS) contact resistance, the CIS having a pixel array and a periphery. The method includes performing Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) at a pixel contact hole area, annealing for silicide formation at the pixel contact hole area and performing contact filling. This description also relates to a method for reducing CMOS Image Sensor (CIS) contact resistance, the CIS having a pixel array and a periphery. The method includes implanting N+ or P+ for pixel contact plugs at a pixel contact hole area, performing Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) at pixel contact hole area, annealing for silicide formation at the pixel contact hole area, performing contact filling and depositing a first metal film layer, wherein the first metal film layer links contact holes for a source, a drain, or a poly gate of a CMOS device.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Chih-Jen Wu