International Business Machines Corporation

Globalfoundries Inc.

Adeia Semiconductor Bonding Technologies Inc.

Kisup Chung

Andrew Mark Greene

Sivananda K Kanakasabapathy

Hemanth Jagannathan

Michael Rizzolo

Ruqiang Bao

Chi-Chun Liu

Rajasekhar Venigalla

David Lee Rath

Yann A M Mignot

Hao Tang

Isabel C Estrada-Raygoza

Indira P V Seshadri

Ekmini Anuja De Silva

Indira P Seshadri

Siva Kanakasabapathy

Choonghyun Lee

Theodorus E Standaert

Daniel C Edelstein

Chanro Park

Soon-Cheon Seo

Fee Li Lie

Injo Ok

Seyoung Kim

John Christopher Arnold

Isabel Cristina Chu

Xin Miao

Su Chen Fan

Victor Chan

Catherine B Labelle

Koji Watanabe

Aspects of the invention are directed to a method of forming an integrated circuit. Both a dielectric layer and a bottom contact are formed with the bottom contact disposed at least partially in the dielectric layer. The bottom contact is subsequently recessed into the dielectric layer to cause the dielectric layer to define two sidewalls bordering regions of the bottom contact removed during recessing. Two sidewall spacers are then formed along the two sidewalls. A landing pad is formed on the recessed bottom contact and between the two sidewall spacers. Lastly, an additional feature is formed on top of the landing pad at least in part by anisotropic etching. In one or more embodiments, the additional feature includes a magnetic tunnel junction patterned at least in part by ion beam etching.

Patterning magnetic tunnel junctions and the like while reducing detrimental resputtering of underlying features

The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses related to the deposition of a protective layer selective to an interlayer dielectric layer so that the protective layer is formed onto a top portion associated with the interlayer dielectric layer. In some embodiments, a method comprises: forming an interlayer dielectric layer on a substrate; covering a trench region with a metal liner, wherein the trench region is situated above the substrate and formed within the interlayer dielectric layer; and depositing a protective layer selective to the interlayer dielectric layer so that the protective layer is formed onto a top portion associated with the interlayer dielectric layer. In various embodiments, the depositing the protective layer comprises: repeatedly depositing the protective layer via a multi-deposition sequence; or depositing a self-assembled monolayer onto the top portion.

Metal cut patterning and etching to minimize interlayer dielectric layer loss

An additive core subtractive liner method is described for forming electrically conductive contacts. The method can include forming a first trench in an first dielectric layer to expose a first portion of a metal liner, and filling said first trench with a second dielectric layer. A metal cut trench is formed in the second dielectric layer. A portion of the metal liner exposed by the metal cut trench is removed with a subtractive method. The method continues with filling the metal cut trench with a dielectric fill, and replacing the remaining portions of the second dielectric layer with an additive core conductor to provide contacts to remaining portions of the metal liner.

Additive core subtractive liner for metal cut etch processes

An additive core subtractive liner method is described for forming electrically conductive contacts. The method can include forming a first trench in a first dielectric layer to expose a first portion of a metal liner, and filling said first trench with a second dielectric layer. A metal cut trench is formed in the second dielectric layer. A portion of the metal liner exposed by the metal cut trench is removed with a subtractive method. The method continues with filling the metal cut trench with a dielectric fill, and replacing the remaining portions of the second dielectric layer with an additive core conductor to provide contacts to remaining portions of the metal liner.

A capacitor includes a stack. The stack has a first metallic layer formed over a substrate, an insulator formed over the first metallic layer, and a second metallic layer formed over the insulator. The first metallic layer has at least one high domain and at least one low domain, where a surface of the substrate in the at least one low domain has a height that is lower than a surface of the substrate in the at least one high domain.

Efficient metal-insulator-metal capacitor

A method of forming a bottom electrode for MRAM comprises: depositing a conductive material into a trench in a substrate and planarizing; depositing a selective cap on the conductive material; depositing a layer of high stress material on upper surfaces of the substrate and the cap; patterning the high stress material to remove the layer of high stress material on the upper surfaces of the substrate and leaving the layer of high stress material on the upper surfaces of the cap; depositing a layer of dielectric material on the upper surfaces of the substrate and on upper surfaces of the high stress material on the cap; planarizing the layer of dielectric material; and forming a magnetic tunnel junction stack on the dielectric material over the conductive material.

Method and structure for forming MRAM device

Multilayered hardmask structures are provided which can prevent degradation of the performance of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structure. The multilayered hardmask structures include at least a halogen barrier hardmask layer and an upper hardmask layer. The halogen barrier hardmask layer can prevent halogen ions that are used to pattern the upper hardmask layer from diffusing into the MTJ structure.

Multilayer hardmask for high performance MRAM devices

Methods for MTJ patterning for a MTJ device are provided. For example, a method includes (a) providing an MTJ device comprising a substrate comprising a plurality of bottom electrodes, a MTJ layer disposed on the substrate, and a plurality of pillars disposed on the MTJ layer and over the plurality of bottom electrodes, wherein the plurality of pillars comprise a metal layer and a hard mask layer disposed on the metal layer, (b) conducting a first ion beam etching of the MTJ device; (c) rotating the MTJ device by 90 degrees in a clockwise or a counter clockwise direction about an axis perpendicular to a top surface of the MTJ device from a starting position; (d) conducting a second ion beam etching of the MTJ device; and (e) repeating steps (c) and (d).

MTJ stack etch using IBE to achieve vertical profile

Capacitors include a stack that has a first metallic layer formed over a substrate with at least one high domain and at least one low domain, an insulator formed over the first metallic layer, and a second metallic layer formed over the insulator. A bottom contact is formed in the substrate having a top surface that is even with a top surface of the substrate in the at least one high domain. A cap layer is formed directly on the substrate in the high domains, under the stack.

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Slingerlands, NY, United States of America

Kisup Chung