Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Jyh-Kang Ting

Tsung-Chieh Tsai

Juing-Yi Wu

Liang-Yao Lee

Tung-Heng Hsieh

Ru-Gun Liu

Hui-Zhong Zhuang

Chun-Yi Lee

Shun-Liang Hsu

Sheng-Hsiung Wang

Yen-Sen Wang

Ming-Yi Lin

Yu-Cheng Yeh

Chen-Hung Lu

Chin-An Chen

Pei-Tzu Wu

Shyh-Chyi Wong

Pin-Nan Tseng

Chun-Yi Shih

Chie-Iuan Lin

Yung-Che Albert Shih

Chih-Ming Chao

Chie-luan Lin

Jyh-Min Tsaur

Mou S Lin

A post placement abutment treatment for cell row design is provided. In an embodiment a first cell and a second cell are placed in a first cell row and a third cell and a fourth cell are placed into a second cell row. After placement vias connecting power and ground rails to the underlying structures are analyzed to determine if any can be merged or else removed completely. By merging and removing the closely placed vias, the physical limitations of photolithography may be by-passed, allowing for smaller structures to be formed.

Cell layout and structure

A conductive line structure includes two conductive lines in a layout. The two cut lines are over at least a part of the two conductive lines in the layout. The cut lines designate cut sections of the two conductive lines and the cut lines are spaced from each other within a fabrication process limit. The two cut lines are connected in the layout. The two conductive lines are patterned over a substrate in a physical integrated circuit using the two connected parallel cut lines. The two conductive lines are electrically conductive.

Conductive line patterning

A semiconductor device includes two elongated active regions that include source/drain regions for multiple transistor devices, a first contact layer that includes an electrical connection between the two active regions, a second contact layer that includes a connection between two gate lines, and a gate contact layer that provides connections to the gate lines.

Mask optimization for multi-layer contacts

A method for ameliorating corner rounding effects in a photolithographic process is provided. A semiconductor workpiece having an active device region is provided, and a photoresist layer is formed over the semiconductor workpiece. A mask is provided for patterning for the photoresist layer, wherein the mask comprises pattern having a sharp corner associated with the active device region. The sharp corner is separated from the active device region by a first distance in a first direction and a second distance in a second direction, wherein the first distance meets a minimum criteria for the photolithographic process, and wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance. The photoresist layer is then exposed to a radiation source, and the radiation source patterns the photoresist layer through the mask, defining an exposure region on the semiconductor workpiece having a rounded corner associated with the sharp corner. Accordingly, the second distance generally prevents the rounded corner of the exposure region from overlapping the active device region.

Method for preventing photoresist corner rounding effects

Among other things, one or more systems and techniques for defining one or more implant regions or for doping a semiconductor arrangement are provided. A first implant region is defined based upon a first implant mask overlaying a first active region of a semiconductor arrangement. A second implant region is defined based upon the first implant mask and a second implant mask overlaying a second active region of the semiconductor arrangement. A third implant region is defined based upon the second implant mask overlaying a third active region of the semiconductor arrangement. One or more doping processes are performed through the first implant mask and the second implant mask to dope the semiconductor arrangement. Because the first implant mask and the second implant mask overlap the second active region, doping area coverage is improved thus mitigating undesirable voltage threshold variations otherwise resulting from inadequate doping area coverage.

Implant region definition

A semiconductor arrangement and method of formation are provided. The semiconductor arrangement includes a metal connect over and connected to a first active region, over and connected to a second active region and over a shallow trench isolation (STI) region thereby connecting the first active region to the second active region. A metal contact is over and connected to a gate in the STI region. The metal connect is formed in a first opening and the metal contact is formed in a second opening, where the first opening and the second opening are formed concurrently using a single mask. The semiconductor arrangement formed using a single mask is less expensive to fabricate and requires fewer etching operations than a semiconductor arrangement formed using multiple masks.

Semiconductor arrangement and formation thereof

Some embodiments relate to a method of designing an integrated circuit layout. In this method, a plurality of design shapes are provided on different design layers over an active area within a graphical representation of the layout. A connection extends perpendicularly between a first design shape formed on a first design layer and a second design shape formed on the first design layer. First and second cut mask shapes on first and second cut mask design layers, respectively, are generated. The first cut shape removes portions of the first design layer and the second cut shape removes portions of the second design layer.

Cut mask design layers to provide compact cell height

A semiconductor device comprises a non-conductive gate feature over a substrate, and a metal gate electrode over the substrate. The metal gate electrode comprises a portion over an active region of the substrate, and a portion over an isolation feature of the substrate ending at an end cap. A vertical profile of the metal gate electrode at the end cap matches a vertical profile of the metal gate electrode in the portion over the active region.

Semiconductor device having a metal gate

A method for mask optimization, the method including moving any features of a gate contact mask that are in violation of a spacing rule to a second layer contact mask, splitting an elongated feature of the second layer mask that is too close to a feature moved to the second layer mask from the gate contact mask, and connecting two split features of a first layer contact mask, the split features corresponding to the elongated feature of the second layer mask.

A method includes placing two conductive lines in a layout. Two cut lines are placed over at least a part of the two conductive lines in the layout. The cut lines designate cut sections of the two conductive lines and the cut lines are spaced from each other within a fabrication process limit. The two cut lines are connected in the layout. The two conductive lines are patterned over a substrate in a physical integrated circuit using the two connected parallel cut lines. The two conductive lines are electrically conductive.

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Baoshan, China

Jyh-Kang Ting