Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

International Business Machines Corporation

Infineon Technologies North America Corp.

Infineon Technologies LLC

Dirk Tobben

Peter Weigand

Ulrike Gruening

Jochen C Beintner

Matthew J Sendelbach

Zvonimir Gabric

Matthias Ilg

Oswald Spindler

Martin Gutsche

Kathryn H Varian

Gill Lee

Jeffrey P Gambino

Jack Allan Mandelman

Carl John Radens

Chandrasekhar Narayan

Ronald J Schutz

Kenneth C Arndt

Rainer F Schnabel

Bruno Spuler

Gill Yong Lee

A method of filling gaps between adjacent gate electrodes of a semiconductor structure. A self-planarizing material is deposited over the structure. A first portion of such material flow between the gate electrode to fill the gaps and a second portion of such material becomes deposited over tops of the gate electrodes and over the gaps to form a layer with a substantially planar surface. A phosphorous dopant is formed in the second portion of the self-planarizing material. Thus, relatively small gaps may be filled effectively with a layer having a very planar surface for subsequent photolithography. The phosphorous dopant provides gettering to remove adverse effects of alkali contaminant ions which may enter the gap filling material. The dielectric constant of the material filing the gaps, i.e., the first portion of the gap filling material, being substantially free of such contaminants, has a relatively low dielectric constant thereby reducing electrical coupling between adjacent electrodes. The self-planarizing material is a flowable material. The flowable oxide may be spun on or may be deposited by gaseous deposition. The phosphorous dopant may be provided by, for example: implanting phosphorous ions into the second portion of the self-planarizing layer and heating the material to both cure such material and activate the phosphorous ions; depositing a phosphorous doped layer over the layer of self-planarizing material, heating the structure to out-diffuse the phosphorous dopant into the second portion of the self-planarizing material and selectively removing the deposited layer; or by curing the spun-on self-planarizing material in a phosphine environment.

Integrated circuits and manufacturing methods

A process for manufacturing a deep trench capacitor in a trench. The capacitor comprises a collar in an upper region of the trench and a buried plate in a lower region of the trench. The improvement comprises, before forming the collar in the trench upper region, filling the trench lower region with a non-photosensitive underfill material such as spin-on-glass. The process may comprise the steps of (a) forming a deep trench in a substrate; (b) filling the trench lower region with an underfill material; (c) forming a collar in the trench upper region; (d) removing the underfill; and (e) forming a buried plate in the trench lower region.

Process for manufacture of trench DRAM capacitor buried plates

A method for forming source/drain contacts to source/drain regions of an array of transistors. The method includes providing a semiconductor body with a gate oxide layer over the surface of the semiconductor body. The gate oxide layer extends over active areas in the semiconductor body. Gate stacks are provided on the gate oxide layer in columns across the rows of active areas. A dielectric material is deposited over the surface of the provided semiconductor body. Vias are etched through the dielectric material over source/drain regions in portions of the active area between the columns of gate stacks. First portion of sidewalls of such vias are formed over portions of adjacent columns of the gate stacks and second portions of the sidewalls of such vias are formed between adjacent columns of the gate stacks. The vias expose portions of the gate oxide layer over the source/drain regions. Source/drain contacts are formed in the vias, such formation comprising: forming spacers on the sidewalls of the regions of dielectric material; exposing the exposed portions of the gate oxide to an etch to remove such exposed portions of the gate oxide layer, such etch etching the gate oxide at a substantially higher etch rate that to the spacers; and forming conductive materials on the spacers and in contact with the source/drain regions.

Semiconductor structures and manufacturing methods

A method for controlling isolation layer thickness in trenches for semiconductor devices includes the steps of providing a trench having a conductive material formed therein, forming a liner on sidewalls of the trench above the conductive material, depositing a selective oxide deposition layer on the buried strap and the sidewalls, the selective oxide deposition layer selectively growing at an increased rate on the conductive material than on the liner of the sidewalls and top surface and removing the selective oxide deposition layer except for a portion in contact with the conductive to form an isolation layer on the conductive material in the trench. A method for fabricating vertical transistors by recessing a substrate to permit increased overlap between a transistor channel and buried strap outdiffusion when the transistor is formed is also included. A semiconductor device is also disclosed.

Formation of controlled trench top isolation layers for vertical transistors

A method of forming a patterned conductive multilayer arrangement on a semiconductor substrate is provided which prevents photoresist poisoning by reactive nitrogenous substances from a silicon oxynitride layer forming a dielectric antireflective coating (DARC) for an overlying photoresist layer. The substrate has a first level conductive layer, e.g., of a metal, disposed in a region thereon, and is coated in turn with a dielectric insulation layer, e.g., of silicon dioxide, which overlies the first level conductive layer region, a dielectric antireflective coating (DARC) silicon oxynitride layer, an essentially reactive nitrogenous substance-free dielectric spacer layer, e.g., of spin-on glass (SOG), and a photoresist layer. The dielectric spacer layer prevents reactive nitrogenous substance transport therethrough from the DARC silicon oxynitride layer to the photoresist layer, thereby preventing poisoning of the photoresist layer. The photoresist layer is exposed and developed to uncover pattern portions of the dielectric spacer layer. The uncovered portions of the dielectric spacer layer and corresponding portions of the DARC silicon oxynitride layer are removed together, and then corresponding portions of the insulation layer, e.g., by a pair of tandem etching steps, to expose portions of the first level conductive layer for subsequent metallization.

Prevention of photoresist poisoning from dielectric antireflective

A process for the manufacture of silicon integrated circuits uses a dual damascene metallization process with an organic intermetal dielectric (14). A pattern to be etched is first etched in a hard mask (16) without exposing the underlying intermetal dielectric (14) and then transferred into the intermetal dielectric (14) on an enlarged scale.y

Dual damascene process for metal layers and organic intermetal layers

A multi-level integrated circuit metalization system having a composite dielectric layer comprising a layer 22 of diamond or sapphire. A plurality of patterned metalization layers is disposed over a semiconductor substrate 10. A composite dielectric layer is disposed between a pair of the metalization layers. The composite dielectric layer 22 comprises a layer of diamond or sapphire. The diamond or sapphire layer has disposed on a surface thereof one of the patterned metalization layers. A conductive via 34 passes through the composite layer. One end of the conductive via is in contact with diamond or sapphire layer. The diamond or sapphire layer conducts heat laterally along from the metalization layer disposed thereon to a heat sink provided by the conductive via. The patterned diamond or sapphire layer provides a mask during the second metalization deposition. Thus, the leads of the next metalization layer will be deposited directly on the diamond or sapphire layer which will serve as an etch stop during the metal etching process.

Metalization system having an enhanced thermal conductivity

A semiconductor structure comprising a semiconductor substrate, an electrically conductive level on the substrate and a metal fuse located at the conductive level wherein the fuse comprises a self-aligned dielectric etch stop layer thereon is provided along with processes for its fabrication.

Semiconductor structure including a conductive fuse and process for

A method for manufacturing a dual damascene structure includes the use of a sacrificial stud and provides an improved defined edge on the interface between the conductive line openings and the via openings.

Dual damascene structure

A method for forming a microstructure includes photolithographically forming a vertically extending post on a portion of a surface of a substrate to provide a first structure. A flowable, sacrificial material is deposited over a surface of the first structure. The flowable, sacrificial materially flows off the top surface and sidewall portions of the post onto adjacent portions of the surface of the substrate to provide a second structure. A non-sacrificial material is deposited over a surface of the second structure. The non-sacrificial material is deposited to conform to the surface of the second structure. The non-sacrificial is deposited over the sacrificial material, over the sidewall portions and over the top surface of the post. The deposited sacrificial material is selectively removed while the non-sacrificial material remains to form a third structure with a horizontal member provided by the non-sacrificial material. The horizontal member is supported a predetermined distance above the surface of the substrate by a lower portion of the post. The flowable material is a flowable oxide, for example, hydrogensilsesquioxane glass, and the post has a width less than 20 .mu.m. The resulting structure, formed with a single photolithographic step, is used for supporting a capacitor deposited over it. The capacitor is formed as a sequence of deposition steps; i.e., depositing a first conductive layer over a surface of the support structure; depositing a dielectric layer over the conductive layer; and depositing a second conductive layer over the dielectric layer.

Microstructure and methods for fabricating such structure

A substantially planar surface is produced from a non-conformal device layer formed over a complex topography, which includes narrow features with narrow gaps and wide features and wide gaps. A conformal layer is deposited over the non-conformal layer. The surface is then polished to expose the non-conformal layer over the wide features. An etch selective to the non-conformal layer is then used to substantially remove the non-conformal layer over the wide features. The conformal layer is then removed, exposing the non-conformal layer. The thickness of the non-conformal layer is now more uniform as compared to before. This enables the polish to produce a planar surface with reduced dishing in the wide spaces.

Planarization of a non-conformal device layer in semiconductor

A method for forming a multi-level conductive structure on an integrated circuit. The method includes forming a first conductive layer 108 and forming a first dielectric layer 112 above the first conductive layer. The method further includes forming a second conductive layer 302 above the first dielectric layer. There is also included etching through the second conductive layer and at least partially into the first dielectric layer to form a trench 706 in the second conductive layer and the first dielectric layer, thereby removing at least a portion of the dielectric layer and forming a first conductive line 503 and a second conductive line 505 in the second conductive layer. Further, the method includes depositing a low capacitance material 908 into the trench. The low capacitance material represents a material having a dielectric constant lower than a dielectric constant of the first dielectric layer.

Multi-level conductive structure including low capacitance material

A method for planarizing a semiconductor structure having a first surface region with a high aspect ratio topography and a second surface region with a low aspect ratio topography. A flowable material is deposited over the first and second surface regions of the structure. A portion of the material fills gaps in the high aspect ratio topography to form a substantially planar surface over the high aspect ratio topography. A doped layer, for example phosphorus doped glass, is formed over the flowable oxide material. The doped layer is disposed over the high aspect ratio and over the low aspect ratio regions. Upper surface portions over the low aspect ratio region are higher than an upper surface of the flowable material. The upper portion of the doped layer is removed over both the first and second surface portions to form a layer with a substantially planar surface above both the high aspect ratio region and the low aspect ratio region. The method is used for filling gaps, such as gaps between adjacent gate electrodes formed in a gate electrode surface region of a semiconductor structure.

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Fishkill, NY, United States of America

Dirk Tobben