Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd (corporation)

Daniel Yen

Elgin Kiok Quek

Jia Zhen Zheng

Eng Hua Lim

Randall Cha

Wei Hua Cheng

Mei Sheng Zhou

Mei-Sheng Zhou

Chew Hoe Ang

Chew-Hoe Ang

Jia-Zhen Zheng

Eng-Hua Lim

Yakub Aliyu

Randall Cher Liang Cha

Chit Hwei Ng

Marvin De-Dui Liao

Sanford Chu

Shao Kai

Chen Liang

Ming Lei

Cher-Liang Cha

Ching-Thiam Chung

Chester Nieh

Lee Yuan Ping

Wei-Hua Cheng

Kunihiko Takahashi

Thomas Joy

Wu-Guan Ping

Cheng-Wei Hua

Tong Boon Lee

Ding Yi

There is a need for adjustable capacitors for use in LC or RC matching networks in micro-circuits. This has been achieved by forming a set of individual capacitors that share a common bottom electrode. The areas of the top electrodes of these individual capacitors are chosen to be in an integral ratio to one another so that they can be combined to produce any capacitance within a range of unit values. For example, if four capacitors whose areas are in the ratio of 5:2:1:1, are provided, then any capacitance in a range of from 1 to 9 can be generated, depending on how the top electrodes are connected. Such connections can be hard-wired within the final wiring level to provide a factory adjustable capacitor or they can be connected through field programmable devices to produce a field programmable capacitor. A process for manufacturing the device is also described.

Adjustable 3D capacitor

A method of fabricating first and second gates comprising the following steps. A substrate having a gate dielectric layer formed thereover is provided. The substrate having a first gate region and a second gate region. A thin first gate layer is formed over the gate dielectric layer. The thin first gate layer within the second gate region is masked to expose a portion of the thin first gate layer within the first gate region. The exposed portion of the thin first gate layer is converted to a thin third gate layer portion. A second gate layer is formed over the thin first and third gate layer portions. The second gate layer and the first and third gate layer portions are patterned to form a first gate within first gate region and a second gate within second gate region.

Method to produce dual gates (one metal and one poly or metal silicide) for CMOS devices using sputtered metal deposition, metallic ion implantation, or silicon implantation, and laser annealing

A method of forming small features, comprising the following steps. A substrate having a dielectric layer formed thereover is provided. A spacing layer is formed over the dielectric layer. The spacing layer has a thickness equal to the thickness of the small feature to be formed. A patterned, re-flowable masking layer is formed over the spacing layer. The masking layer having a first opening with a width &ldquo;L&rdquo;. The patterned, re-flowable masking layer is re-flowed to form a patterned, re-flowed masking layer having a re-flowed first opening with a lower width &ldquo;1&rdquo;. The re-flowed first opening lower width &ldquo;1&rdquo; being less than the pre-reflowed first opening width &ldquo;L&rdquo;. The spacing layer is etched down to the dielectric layer using the patterned, re-flowed masking layer as a mask to form a second opening within the etched spacing layer having a width equal to the re-flowed first opening lower width &ldquo;1&rdquo;. Removing the patterned, re-flowed masking layer. A small feature material is then formed within the second opening and any excess small feature material above the etched spacing layer is removed. The etched spacing layer is removed to form the small feature comprised of the small feature material.

Method to pattern small features by using a re-flowable hard mask

A method for forming a via in a damascene process. In one embodiment, the present method comprises depositing a material into a via formed using a damascene process. More particularly, in one embodiment, the material which is comprised of a substantially conformal material which has an etch selectivity with respect to the substrate into which the via is formed. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the material is deposited along the sidewalls and the base of the via. Next, the present embodiment etches material such that the via is formed having a profile conducive to the adherence of overlying material thereto. In this embodiment, the etching of the material is performed without substantially etching the substrate into which the via is formed. In so doing, the present embodiment creates a via in a damascene process which allows for the formation of a metallized interconnect which is substantially free of voids.

Method for forming a via in a damascene process

A process for fabricating a CMOS device in which conductive gate structures are defined self-aligned to shallow trench isolation (STI), regions, without using a photolithographic procedure, has been developed. The process features definition of shallow trench openings in regions of a semiconductor substrate not covered by dummy gate structures, or by silicon oxide spacers located on sides of the dummy gate structures. Filling of the shallow trench openings with silicon oxide, and removal of the dummy gate structures, result in STI regions comprised of filled shallow trench openings, overlying silicon oxide shapes, and silicon oxide sidewall spacers on the sides of the overlying silicon oxide shapes. Formation of silicon nitride spacers on the sides of the STI regions, is followed by deposition of a high k gate insulator layer and of a conductive gate structure, with the conductive gate structure formed self-aligned to the STI regions.

Method of self-aligning a damascene gate structure to isolation regions

A method and apparatus for reducing gouging during via formation. In one embodiment, the present invention is comprised of a method which includes forming an opening into a substrate. The opening is formed extending into the substrate and terminating on at least a portion of a target to which it is desired to form an electrical connection. After the formation of the opening, the present embodiment lines the opening with a liner material. In this embodiment, the liner material is adapted to at least partially fill a portion of the opening which is not landed on the target. The liner material of the present embodiment prevents substantial further etching of the substrate conventionally caused by the opening being at least partially unlanded on the target. Next, the present embodiment subjects the liner material to an etching process such that the liner material is substantially removed from that region of the target where the opening was landed on the target. In this embodiment, liner material residing in the region where the opening is unlanded prevents further gouging of the substrate proximate to the target.

Method for reducing gouging during via formation

A method for forming a single gate having a dual work-function is described. A gate electrode is formed overlying a gate dielectric layer on a substrate. Sidewalls of the gate electrode are selectively doped whereby the doped sidewalls have a first work-function and whereby a central portion of the gate electrode not doped has a second work-function to complete formation of a single gate having multiple work-functions in the fabrication of integrated circuits.

Method to fabricate a single gate with dual work-functions

A process for fabricating vertical CMOS devices, featuring variable channel lengths, has been developed. Channel region openings are defined in composite insulator stacks, with the channel length of specific devices determined by the thickness of the composite insulator stack. Selective removal of specific components of the composite insulator stack, in a specific region, allows the depth of the channel openings to be varied. A subsequent epitaxial silicon growth procedure fills the variable depth channel openings, providing the variable length, channel regions for the vertical CMOS devices.

Method of fabricating variable length vertical transistors

A method for making metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors having insulators with high-dielectric-constant or ferroelectric interelectrode films compatible with the dual-damascene process is achieved. The method of integrating the MIM with a dual-damascene process is to form a planar a first insulating layer and to deposit an etch-stop layer and a second insulating layer. Capacitor node contact openings are etched to the substrate and first recesses are etched to the etch-stop layer. The contact openings and first recesses are filled with a conducting layer using a dual-damascene process. Second recesses are formed in the second insulating layer around the capacitor node contacts. A conformal first metal layer, an interelectrode dielectric layer, and a second metal layer are deposited, and are patterned at the same time to form the capacitors over the node contacts. The second recesses increase the capacitor area while the simultaneous patterning of the metal layers results in fewer processing steps.

Method for making three-dimensional metal-insulator-metal capacitors for dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and ferroelectric random access memory (FERAM)

A method of structures having dual gate oxide thicknesses, comprising the following steps. A substrate having first and second pillars is provided. The first and second pillars each having an outer side wall and an inner side wall. At least one of the outer or inner side walls of at least one of the first and second pillars is/are masked leaving at least one of the outer or inner side walls of at least one of the first and second pillars exposed. Dopants are then implanted through the at least one of the exposed outer or inner side walls modifying the surface of the at least one of the doped exposed outer or inner side walls. The at least one of the masked outer or inner side walls of at least one of the first and second pillars is/are unmasked. Gate oxide is grown on the outer side walls and the inner side walls of the first and second pillars wherein the gate oxide grown upon the modified surfaces of the at least one of the doped outer or inner side walls is thicker than the gate oxide grown upon the non-modified surfaces of the at least one of the non-doped outer or inner side walls.

Forming dual gate oxide thickness on vertical transistors by ion implantation

A method of forming narrow gates comprising the following steps. A substrate is provided having an overlying Si N or an SiO /Si N stack gate dielectric layer. A gate material layer is formed over the gate dielectric layer. A hard mask layer is formed over the gate material layer. The hard mask layer and the gate material layer are patterned to form a hard mask/gate material layer stack. A planarized dielectric layer is formed surrounding the hard mask/gate material layer stack. The patterned hard mask layer is removed from over the patterned gate material layer to form a cavity having exposed dielectric layer side walls. Masking spacers are formed on the exposed dielectric layer side walls over a portion of the patterned gate material layer. The patterned gate material layer is etched using the masking spacers as masks to expose a portion of the gate dielectric layer. The planarized dielectric layer is removed. The masking spacers are removed to form narrow gates comprising gate material.

Method of forming small transistor gates by using self-aligned reverse spacer as a hard mask

A new processing sequence is provided for the creation of a MIM capacitor. The process starts with the deposition of a first layer of metal. Next are deposited listed, a thin layer of metal, a layer of insulation, a second layer of metal and a layer of Anti Reflective Coating. An etch is then performed to form the second electrode of the MIM capacitor (using the etch stop layer to stop this etch), MIM spacers are formed on the sidewalls of the second electrode of the MIM capacitor (also using the etch stop layer to stop this etch). The dielectric and first electrode of the MIM capacitor are formed by etching through the second layer of insulation and the first layer of metal. This is followed by conventional processing to create contact points to the MIM capacitor.

Darc layer for MIM process integration

A new method of forming a sharp tip on a floating gate in the fabrication of a EEPROM memory cell is described. A first gate dielectric layer is provided on a substrate. A second gate dielectric layer is deposited overlying the first gate dielectric layer. A floating gate/control gate stack is formed overlying the second gate dielectric layer. One sidewall portion of the floating gate is covered with a mask. The second gate dielectric layer not covered by the mask is etched away whereby an undercut of the floating gate is formed in the second gate dielectric layer. The mask is removed. Polysilicon spacers are formed on sidewalls of the floating gate wherein one of the polysilicon spacers fills the undercut thereby forming a sharp polysilicon tip to improve the erase efficiency of the memory cell.

Method to form an asymmetrical non-volatile memory device using small in-situ doped polysilicon spacers

A method of forming a gate comprising the following steps. A substrate is provided. A pre-gate structure is formed over the substrate. The pregate structure includes a sacrificial metal layer between an upper gate conductor layer and a lower gate dielectric layer. The pre-gate structure is annealed to form the gate. The gate comprising: an upper silicide layer formed from a portion of the sacrificial metal layer and a portion of the upper gate conductor layer from the anneal; and a lower metal oxide layer formed from a portion of the gate dielectric layer and a portion of the sacrificial metal layer from the anneal.

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Singapore, Singapore

Daniel Yen