Intel Corporation

Debashish Basu

Charles Henry Wallace

Ruth Amy Brain

Mohit K Haran

Reken Patel

James Jeong

Jason W Klaus

Marvin Young Paik

Deepak S Rao

Seungdo An

Daniel James Bahr

Kilhyun Bang

Curtis W Ward

Akm Shaestagir Chowdhury

Hyunsoo Park

Justin E Mueller

Githin F Alapatt

An integrated circuit structure comprises a first metal layer having first conductive features. A second metal layer has second conductive features. A via layer is in an insulating layer between the first metal layer and the second metal layer. First vias and second vias are formed in the insulating layer. The first vias have a first aspect ratio greater than a second aspect ratio of the second vias. A barrier-less metal partially fills the first vias and fills the second vias. A pure metal fills a remainder of the first vias.

Simultaneous filling of variable aspect ratio single damascene contact to gate and trench vias with low resistance barrierless selective metallization

An example via contact patterning method includes providing a pattern of alternating trench contacts and gates over a support structure. For each pair of adjacent trench contacts and gates, a trench contact is electrically insulated from an adjacent gate by a dielectric material and/or multiple layers of different dielectric materials, and the gates are recessed with respect to the trench contacts. The method further includes wrapping a protective layer of one or more dielectric materials, and a sacrificial helmet material on top of the trench contacts to protect them during the via contact patterning and etch processes for forming via contacts over one or more gates. Such a method may advantageously allow increasing the edge placement error margin for forming via contacts of metallization stacks.

Via contact patterning method to increase edge placement error margin

Conductive via and metal line end fabrication is described. In an example, an interconnect structure includes a first inter-layer dielectric (ILD) on a hardmask layer, where the ILD includes a first ILD opening and a second ILD opening. The interconnect structure further includes an etch stop layer (ESL) on the ILD layer, where the ESL includes a first ESL opening aligned with the first ILD opening to form a first via opening, and where the ESL layer includes a second ESL opening aligned with the second ILD opening. The interconnect structure further includes a first via in the first via opening, a second ILD layer on the first ESL, and a metal line in the second ILD layer, where the metal line is in contact with the first via, and where the metal line includes a first metal opening, and where the metal line includes a second metal opening aligned with the second ILD opening and the ESL opening to form a second via opening. The interconnect structure further includes a metal line end in the first metal opening and further includes a second via in the metal line, where the second via is in the second via opening.

Conductive via and metal line end fabrication and structures resulting therefrom

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Beaverton, OR, United States of America

Debashish Basu