Infineon Technologies Ag

International Business Machines Corporation

Jochen Schacht

Timothy Joseph Dalton

Erdem Kaltalioglu

Kaushik Arun Kumar

Douglas C La Tulipe, Jr

Chih-Chao Yang

Mark Hoinkis

Lawrence Alfred Clevenger

Andrew Herbert Simon

Andy Cowley

Steffen K Kaldor

Clement Hsingjen Wann

Terry Allen Spooner

Yun-Yu Wang

Andrew P Cowley

Larry Clevenger

Benjamin Szu-Min Lin

Uwe Schroeder

Markus Naujok

Yi-Hsiung Lin

Uwe Paul Schröder

An interconnect structure in the back end of the line of an integrated circuit forms contacts between successive layers by removing material in the top surface of the lower interconnect in a cone-shaped aperture, the removal process extending through the liner of the upper aperture, and depositing a second liner extending down into the cone-shaped aperture, thereby increasing the mechanical strength of the contact, which then enhance the overall reliability of the integrated circuit.

Back end interconnect with a shaped interface

In order to form a contact in a layer on a substrate, in particular a contact in a logic circuit in a semiconductor component, the mask layer is structured for etching of the contact holes with a photoresist layer which is exposed using two masks, with the first mask containing a regular pattern of contact structures with a period which corresponds to the order of magnitude of twice the edge length of the contact hole, and with the second mask containing a pattern with a structure which surrounds at least the contact hole area, and thus covers it.

Method of making an integrated circuit, including forming a contact

A metal hardmask for use with a Dual Damascene process used in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices. The metal hardmask has advantageous translucent characteristics to facilitate alignment between levels while fabricating a semiconductor device and avoids the formation of metal oxide residue deposits. The metal hardmask comprises a first or primary layer of TiN (titanium nitride) and a second or capping layer of TaN (tantalum nitride).

Bilayered metal hardmasks for use in dual damascene etch schemes

A dual damascene structure and method of fabrication thereof. An insulating layer comprises a first dielectric material and a second dielectric material, the second dielectric material being different from the first dielectric material. First conductive regions having a first pattern are formed in the first dielectric material, and second conductive regions having a second pattern are formed in the second dielectric material, the second pattern being different from the first pattern. One of the first dielectric material and the second dielectric material comprises an organic material, and the other dielectric material comprises an inorganic material. One of the first and second dielectric materials is etchable selective to the other dielectric material. A method of cleaning a semiconductor wafer processing chamber while a wafer remains residing within the chamber is also disclosed.

Dual damascene structure and method

A photomask with desired illumination conditions can be constructed by combining a base pattern of openings with an assist pattern which includes openings that are offset from respectively corresponding openings of the base pattern by a preset angular distance.

Effective assist pattern for nested and isolated contacts

Bilayered metal hardmasks for use in Dual Damascene etch schemes

Growing community of inventors

Hsin-Chu, Taiwan

Jochen Schacht