Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation

Jui-Cheng Lo

Chien-Kuo Lu

Chin-Hsin Peng

Chao-Jung Chang

Chung-Long Chang

Yu-Liang Lin

Ping-Hsu Chen

Shang-Ting Tsai

Chien-Ling Huang

Ben-Shu Chen

A method of unblinding an alignment mark comprising the following steps. A substrate having a cell area and an alignment mark within an alignment area is provided. An STI trench is formed into the substrate within the cell area. A silicon oxide layer is formed over the substrate, filling the STI trench and the alignment mark. The silicon oxide layer is planarized to form a planarized STI within the STI trench and leaving silicon oxide within the alignment mark to form a blinded alignment mark. A wet chemical etchant is applied within the alignment mark area over the blinded alignment mark to at least partially remove the silicon oxide within the alignment mark. The remaining silicon oxide is removed from within the blinded alignment mark to unblind the alignment mark. A drop etcher apparatus is also disclosed.

Method to solve alignment mark blinded issues and technology for application of semiconductor etching at a tiny area

A DMHC (dual mode hybrid control) system and method which facilitates enhanced control in the delivery of polishing slurry to a CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) apparatus. The DMHC comprises a linear table and a PID (proportional integrated differential) controller operably connected to a slurry pump provided in a slurry flow conduit which delivers the polishing slurry to the CMP apparatus. A bubble trap and a flowmeter provided in the slurry flow conduit downstream of the slurry pump are operably connected to the PID controller, and the CMP apparatus is located downstream of the flowmeter.

Dual mode hybrid control and method for CMP slurry

A system for controlling and monitoring a rate of flow of a fluid, such as a CMP slurry, comprising a pump for pumping the slurry; a flow meter for monitoring the rate of flow of the slurry; and a controller operably connected to the flow meter and the pump. The controller receives signals from the flow meter indicating the rate of flow of the slurry and controls the operational speed of the pump responsive to the flow meter signals. A degasser equipped with a level sensor may be further provided in the system for removing gas bubbles from the slurry.

Slurry flow control and monitor system for chemical mechanical polisher

A method for controlling the plasma etch bias of a patterned layer formed through plasma etching of a blanket layer formed beneath a patterned photoresist layer. There is first formed upon a semiconductor substrate a blanket layer. Formed upon the blanket layer is a patterned photoresist layer. The patterned photoresist layer is then treated through a pre-treatment method to form with a controlled degradation and a controlled flow a hardened patterned photoresist layer from the patterned photoresist layer. The hardened patterned photoresist layer is hardened against a further flow in a subsequent plasma etch method which is employed in etching the patterned layer from the blanket layer while employing the hardened patterned photoresist layer as an etch mask. Finally, the blanket layer is etched through the subsequent plasma etch method to form the patterned layer while employing the hardened patterned photoresist layer as the etch mask.

Method for controlling etch bias in plasma etch patterning of integrated

A method for forming metal patterns through use of a multi-step magnetically assisted reactive ion etch plasma process. A metal layer is formed upon a semiconductor substrate. The metal layer is patterned with a photoresist composition which leaves exposed those regions of metal to be removed. The exposed metal is removed through a multi-step magnetically assisted reactive ion etch process. The first etch step is a primary metal etch at elevated levels of radio frequency power and magnetic field strength. The last etch step is a secondary metal over-etch step at lower levels of radio frequency power and magnetic field strength. Intermediate to the first etch step and last etch step are a multiplicity of etch process steps where the radio frequency power and magnetic field strength are independently and sequentially reduced.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Jui-Cheng Lo