International Business Machines Corporation

Globalfoundries Inc.

Tokyo Electron Limited

Stmicroelectronics Gmbh

Douglas M Trickett

Frank Wilhelm Mont

Shariq Siddiqui

Brown Cornelius Peethala

Mark L Lenhardt

Jessica P Striss

Yann Mignot

Joe Lee

Yannick Feurprier

Lars W Liebmann

Terry Allen Spooner

Mehmet Yilmaz

Xunyuan Zhang

Rodney Lee Robison

Masaru Nishino

Atsushi Yamashita

Chamferless via structures and methods of manufacture are provided. The method includes: forming at least one self-aligned via within at least dielectric material; plugging the at least one self-aligned via with material; forming a protective sacrificial mask over the material which plugs the at least one self-aligned via, after a recessing process; forming at least one trench within the dielectric material, with the protective sacrificial mask protecting the material during the trench formation; removing the protective sacrificial mask and the material within the at least one self-aligned via to form a wiring via; and filling the wiring via and the at least one trench with conductive material.

Chamferless via structures

Chamferless via structures and methods of manufacture are provided. The method includes: forming at least one non-self-aligned via within at least dielectric material; plugging the at least one non-self-aligned via with material; forming a protective sacrificial mask over the material which plugs the at least one non-self-aligned via, after a recessing process; forming at least one trench within the dielectric material, with the protective sacrificial mask protecting the material during the trench formation; removing the protective sacrificial mask and the material within the at least one non-self-aligned via to form a wiring via; and filling the wiring via and the at least one trench with conductive material.

A method includes, for example, providing an intermediate semiconductor structure comprising a metallic layer, a patternable layer disposed over the metallic layer, and a hard mask disposed over the patternable layer, the intermediate semiconductor structure comprising a plurality of vias extending through the hard mask onto the metallic layer, depositing a sacrificial barrier layer over the intermediate semiconductor structure and in the plurality of vias, removing a portion of the sacrificial barrier layer between the plurality of vias while maintaining a portion of the sacrificial barrier layer in the plurality of vias, forming a trench in the patternable layer between the removed portion of the sacrificial barrier layer and the plurality of vias, and removing the remaining portions of the sacrificial barrier layer from the plurality of vias.

Methods employing sacrificial barrier layer for protection of vias during trench formation

A method for forming a via in an integrated circuit comprises patterning a first opening in a first hardmask, the first hardmask disposed on a first organic self-planarizing polymer (OPL) layer, removing an exposed portion of the first OPL layer to define a cavity, removing an exposed portion of a second hardmask in the cavity, removing an exposed portion of a first dielectric layer disposed under the second hardmask to further define the cavity, removing an exposed portion of a first cap layer in the cavity, removing an exposed portion of a second dielectric layer to further define the cavity, removing an exposed portion of a second cap layer to further define the cavity, removing an exposed portion of a liner layer over a second conductive material in the cavity, and depositing a conductive material in the cavity.

Self aligned via in integrated circuit

A method includes forming a stack of materials including a first dielectric layer having a conductive feature positioned therein, and a second dielectric layer positioned above the first dielectric layer. An etch mask including a plurality of spaced apart mask elements is formed above the second dielectric layer. The mask elements define at least a first via opening exposing the second dielectric layer. A patterning layer is formed above the etch mask. A second via opening is formed in the patterning layer to expose the first via opening in the etch mask. The second dielectric layer is etched through the second via opening to define a third via opening in the second dielectric layer exposing the conductive feature. The patterning layer and the etch mask are removed. A conductive via contacting the conductive feature is formed in the third via opening.

Forming interconnect features with reduced sidewall tapering

After completely etching through a material stack comprising an oxide hard mask layer and an underlying interlevel dielectric (ILD) layer formed on a substrate to provide at least one opening, top corners of the at least one opening are rounded by performing a plasma etch employing a combination of an etching gas and a deposition gas comprising a hydrofluorocarbon compound. The hydrofluorocarbon compound forms a hydrofluorocarbon polymer layer on sidewalls of the at least one opening and helps to preserve the profile of the at least one opening.

Method for top oxide rounding with protection of patterned features

A method is provided for thinning a wafer, for example a wafer containing Through Silicon Vias (TSV). The method includes providing a bonding wafer coupled to a handling wafer, and performing a wafer edge trimming process that forms a trimmed bonding wafer, where the wafer edge trimming process removes an edge portion of the bonding wafer and exposes an upper surface of the handling wafer. The method further includes forming a protective mask on the trimmed bonding wafer and on the exposed upper surface of the handling wafer, planarizing the protective mask and the trimmed bonding wafer, and selectively removing the planarized protective mask by an etching process. In one embodiment, the removing includes performing a first wet etching process that selectively removes a portion of the planarized trimmed bonding wafer relative to the planarized protective mask, and performing a second wet etching process that selectively removes the planarized protective mask.

Method for thinning a bonding wafer

A method for patterning an insulation layer and selectively removing a capping layer overlying the insulation layer is described. The method utilizes a dry non-plasma removal process. The dry non-plasma removal process may include a self-limiting process.

Method to remove capping layer of insulation dielectric in interconnect structures

Embodiments of the invention describe electrical contacts for integrated circuits and methods of forming using gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) processing. The electrical contacts contain a fused metal-containing layer formed by exposing a patterned structure to a gas cluster ion beam containing a transition metal precursor or a rare earth metal precursor.

Growing community of inventors

Altamont, NY, United States of America

Douglas M Trickett