Infineon Technologies Ag

Jens Zimmermann

Sebastian Schmidt

Stephan Wege

Thorsten Schedel

Ines Uhlig

Hans-Peter Sperlich

Martin Welzel

Bernd Stottko

A field-effect transistor is formed with a gate stack, which is patterned by a hard mask and contains a first part of a gate electrode and a second part of the gate electrode that is disposed on the first part. The second part of the gate electrode, which is disposed between the patterned hard mask and the first part of the gate electrode, is laterally recessed, so that the second part of the gate electrode, in a contact hole which is subsequently formed, is at a greater distance from a contact plug with which the contact hole is filled, in order to avoid short circuits.

Field-effect transistor having a contact to one of its doping regions, and method for fabricating the transistor

After exposing a semiconductor wafer, quality parameters, for example, the critical dimension, the overlay accuracy, and alignment parameters, etc. are measured in successive inspections and are compared with tolerance range widths that are specified dynamically by calculating the range from measured values of one or more of the other quality parameters. For example, the tolerance range width for the overlay accuracy can be increased for smaller measured critical dimension values of the same structures without affecting the functionality of the integrated circuit. Using a forward mechanism, the tolerance ranges can also be adjusted with the quality parameter measurements from a first layer to the quality parameter tolerance range width of a second layer.

Method for controlling the quality of a lithographic structuring step

A method for fabricating a trench isolation for electrically active components in a semiconductor component. A mask is applied to a semiconductor substrate. Subsequently, a trench having side walls is formed in the semiconductor substrate by performing a dry etching process using at least one etching gas such that during the dry etching process, polymers are produced that at least partly cover the side walls of the trench and thereby at least partially protect the side walls against an etching attack from the etching gas. The etching gas is provided with a compound that is selected from the group consisting of at least one hydrocarbon compound and a fluorinated hydrocarbon compound. The trench is filled with an insulating oxide.

Method for fabricating a trench isolation for electrically active components

The fabrication method provides for an etched isolation trench to be lined, if appropriate firstly with a thin thermal oxide layer, and then with an oxidizable auxiliary layer. The auxiliary layer consumes oxygen during subsequent thermal processes, thereby avoiding oxidation of deeper structures, in particular of an insulation collar in a capacitor trench.

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Dresden, Germany

Jens Zimmermann