International Business Machines Corporation

Kenneth L DeVries

Nancy Anne Greco

Stephen Larry Runyon

Joan Preston

Chau-Hwa J Yang

Wayne T Babie

Bang C Nguyen

Richard Anthony Conti

James F White

Methods and structures and methods of designing structures for charge dissipation in an integrated circuit on an SOI substrate. A first structure includes a charge dissipation ring around a periphery of the integrated circuit chip and one or more charge dissipation pedestals physically and electrically connected to the charge dissipation pedestals. The silicon layer and bulk silicon layer of the SOI substrate are connected by the guard ring and the charge dissipation pedestals. The ground distribution grid of the integrated circuit chip is connected to an uppermost wire segment of one or more charge dissipation pedestals. A second structure, replaces the charge dissipation guard ring with additional charge dissipation pedestal elements.

Methods for charge dissipation in integrated circuits

Method and structure for charge dissipation in integrated circuits

A two step method of etching a silicon nitride layer carrying a surface oxygen film from a substrate in a plasma reactor employs the steps of (1) a breakthrough step of employing a plasma of oxygen free etchant gases to break through and to remove the surface oxygen containing film from the surface of the silicon nitride layer, and (2) a main step of etching the newly exposed silicon nitride with etchant gases having high selectivity with respect to the silicon oxide underlying the silicon nitride. The plasma etching can be performed while employing magnetic- enhancement of the etching. The plasma etching is performed in a plasma reactor comprising a low pressure, single wafer tool. Plasma etching is performed while employing magnetic-enhancement of the etching. The etchant gases include a halide such as a bromide and a fluoride in the breakthrough step. The etchant gases include an oxygen and bromine containing gas in the main step.

Selective silicon nitride plasma etching process

A metal connection for an integrated circuit device is effectively 'cast' in place at any level of an integrated circuit. The 'mold' for the connection is formed by depositing and patterning a sacrificial material, such as aluminum oxide or other metal oxides, and covering the sacrificial material with a protective material such as silicon dioxide or other insulators. After forming bore holes to the deposit of sacrificial material through the protective layer, the sacrificial material is removed by isotropic etching to form a cavity beneath and at least partially overlaid by the protective layer. Alternatively, a defect may be produced below the protective layer and filled with metal either with or without enlargement by further removal of material. This cavity is then filled with metal by deposition of the metal by, for instance, evaporation, sputtering and chemical vapor deposition or combinations thereof. Connections formed by this technique can be produced at any level of the integrated circuit and do not interfere with surface wiring. A plurality of such connections may be simultaneously formed at the same or different levels of the integrated circuit and the method may be repeated to form multi-level wiring patterns.

Method of forming metal connections

A two step method of etching a silicon nitride layer carrying a surface oxygen film from a substrate in a plasma reactor employs the steps of (1) a breakthrough step of employing a plasma of oxygen free etchant gases to break through and to remove the surface oxygen containing film from the surface of the silicon nitride layer, and (2) a main step of etching the newly exposed silicon nitride with etchant gases having high selectivity with respect to the silicon oxide underlying the silicon nitride. The plasma etching can be performed while employing magnetic-enhancement of the etching. The plasma etching is performed in a plasma reactor comprising a low pressure, single wafer tool. Plasma etching is performed while employing magnetic-enhancement of the etching. The etchant gases include a halide such as a bromide and a fluoride in the breakthrough step. The etchant gases include an oxygen and bromine containing gas in the main step.

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Hopewell Junction, NY, United States of America

Kenneth L DeVries