Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Lien-Jung Hung

Ping-Wei Wang

Shih-Hao Lin

Yu-Kuan Lin

Hsin-Wen Su

Chia-Hao Pao

Chih-Chuan Yang

Feng-Ming Chang

Kian-Long Lim

Kuo-Hsiu Hsu

Chia-En Huang

Jing-Yi Lin

Huai-Ying Huang

Chao-Yuan Chang

Chien-Yuan Chen

Chih-Wei Lee

Chien-Jung Wang

Chia-en Huang

Chih-Hsuan Chen

Yung-Hsiang Chan

Chingfu Lin

Jo-Chun Hung

Choh Fei Yeap

Jui-Wen Chang

A memory device includes a substrate, an active region, a first gate structure, a second gate structure, a first word line, and a second word line. The active region protrudes from a top surface of the substrate. The active region has at least one ring structure, in which when viewed from above, the ring structure has a first linear portion, a second linear portion, a first curved portion, and a second curved portion, the first curved portion connects first sides of the first and second linear portions, and the second curved portion connects second sides of the first and second linear portions. The first gate structure and the second gate structure are over the substrate and cross the active region. The first word line and the second word line are electrically connected to the first gate structure and the second gate structure, respectively.

Memory device and method for forming the same

A memory device includes a memory array having a plurality of memory cells. Each memory cell of the plurality of memory cells is connected to a word line to apply a first signal to select the memory cell to read data from or write the data to the memory cell and a bit line to read the data from the memory cell or provide the data to write to the memory cell upon selecting the memory cell by the word line. A first bit line portion of the bit line connected to a first memory cell of the plurality of memory cells abuts a second bit line portion of the bit line connected to a second memory cell of the plurality of memory cells. The first memory cell is adjacent to the second memory cell.

Macro and SRAM bit cell cooptimizatoin for performance (long/shortwordline combo SRAM)

A test structure on a wafer is provided. The test structure includes a plurality of cells under test, a plurality of first input pads, and a plurality of second input pads. The cells are arranged in rows and columns of a test array. Each of the first input pads is coupled to the cells in respective column of the test array. Each of the second input pads is coupled to the cells in respective row of the test array. one of the cells which is coupled to one of the first input pads and one of the second input pads is turned on, and a current flowing through the turned-on cell is measured.

Test structure and test method thereof

A method includes receiving a workpiece. The workpiece includes a first dummy gate, a second dummy gate adjacent the first dummy gate, a first gate spacer disposed along sidewalls of the first dummy gate, and a second gate spacer disposed along sidewalls of the second dummy gate. The method further includes removing the first dummy gate and the second dummy gate to form a first gate trench and a second gate trench, respectively, enlarging the first gate trench and the second gate trench, forming a first metal gate structure in the enlarged first gate trench, and forming a second metal gate structure in the enlarged second gate trench. The enlarged second gate trench is wider than the enlarged first gate trench.

Semiconductor memory structure

A method includes forming a first semiconductor fin and a second semiconductor fin over a substrate; forming a first gate structure over the substrate and crossing the first semiconductor fin; forming a second gate structure over the substrate and crossing the second semiconductor fin; forming a first gate spacer on a sidewall of the first gate structure; and forming a second gate spacer on a sidewall of the second gate structure, wherein in a top view, an outer sidewall of the first gate spacer farthest from the first gate structure is coterminous with an outer sidewall of the second gate spacer farthest from the second gate structure, and an inner sidewall of the first gate spacer in contact with the first gate structure is misaligned with an inner sidewall of the second gate spacer in contact with the second gate structure.

The present disclosure describes a memory structure including a memory cell array. The memory cell array includes memory cells and first n-type wells extending in a first direction. The memory structure also includes a second n-type well formed in a peripheral region of the memory structure. The second n-type well extends in a second direction and is in contact with a first n-type well of the first n-type wells. The memory structure further includes a pick-up region formed in the second n-type well. The pick-up region is electrically coupled to the first n-type well of first n-type wells.

Shared pick-up regions for memory devices

Gate structures having neutral zones to minimize metal gate boundary effects and methods of fabricating thereof are disclosed herein. An exemplary metal gate includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion. The second portion is disposed between the first portion and the third portion. The first portion includes a first gate dielectric layer, a first p-type work function layer, and a first n-type work function layer. The second portion includes a second gate dielectric layer and a second p-type work function layer. The third portion includes a third gate dielectric layer, a third p-type work function, and a second n-type work function layer. The second p-type work function layer separates the first n-type work function layer from the second n-type work function layer, such that the first n-type work function layer does not share an interface with the second n-type work function layer.

Gate structures having neutral zones to minimize metal gate boundary effects and methods of fabricating thereof

A memory device includes a substrate, a first transistor and a second transistor, a first word line, a second word line, and a bit line. The first transistor and the second transistor are over the substrate and are electrically connected to each other, in which each of the first and second transistors includes first semiconductor layers and second semiconductor layers, a gate structure, and source/drain structures, in which the first semiconductor layers are in contact with the second semiconductor layers, and a width of the first semiconductor layers is narrower than a width of the second semiconductor layers. The first word line is electrically connected to the gate structure of the first transistor. The second word line is electrically connected to the gate structure of the second transistor. The bit line is electrically connected to a first one of the source/drain structures of the first transistor.

Semiconductor device including alternating semiconductor layers with different widths and method for forming the same

A memory device includes a substrate, first semiconductor fin, second semiconductor fin, first gate structure, second gate structure, first gate spacer, and a second gate spacer. The first gate structure crosses the first semiconductor fin. The second gate structure crosses the second semiconductor fin, the first gate structure extending continuously from the second gate structure, in which in a top view of the memory device, a width of the first gate structure is greater than a width of the second gate structure. The first gate spacer is on a sidewall of the first gate structure. The second gate spacer extends continuously from the first gate spacer and on a sidewall of the second gate structure, in which in the top view of the memory device, a width of the first gate spacer is less than a width of the second gate spacer.

A method includes providing a substrate, a dummy fin, and a stack of semiconductor channel layers; forming an interfacial layer wrapping around each of the semiconductor channel layers; depositing a high-k dielectric layer, wherein a first portion of the high-k dielectric layer over the interfacial layer is spaced away from a second portion of the high-k dielectric layer on sidewalls of the dummy fin by a first distance; depositing a first dielectric layer over the dummy fin and over the semiconductor channel layers, wherein a merge-critical-dimension of the first dielectric layer is greater than the first distance thereby causing the first dielectric layer to be deposited in a space between the dummy fin and a topmost layer of the stack of semiconductor channel layers, thereby providing air gaps between adjacent layers of the stack of semiconductor channel layers and between the dummy fin and the stack of semiconductor channel layers.

Gate-all-around semiconductor device and method

A memory device is provided. The memory device includes a memory cell array having a plurality of memory cells arranged in a matrix of a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns. Each of the plurality of columns include a first plurality of memory cells connected to a first bit line and a second bit line. A pre-charge circuit is connected to the memory cell array. The pre-charge circuit pre-charges each of the first bit line and the second bit line from a first end. A pre-charge assist circuit is connected to the memory cell array. The pre-charge assist circuit pre-charges each of the first bit line and the second bit line from a second end, the second end being opposite the first end.

Static random access memory (SRAM) with a pre- charge assist circuit

A test structure on a wafer is provided. The test structure includes a plurality of cells under test, a first output pad and a second output pad coupled to different cells, a plurality of first input pads, and a plurality of second input pads. The cells are arranged in rows and columns of a test array. Each of the first input pads is coupled to the cells in respective column of the test array. Each of the second input pads is coupled to the cells in respective row of the test array. A first voltage is applied to one of the first input pads and a second voltage is applied to one of the second input pads to turn on a cell, and a current flowing through the turned-on cell is measured.

A semiconductor device according to the present disclosure includes a gate extension structure, a first source/drain feature and a second source/drain feature, a vertical stack of channel members extending between the first source/drain feature and the second source/drain feature along a direction, and a gate structure wrapping around each of the vertical stack of channel members. The gate extension structure is in direct contact with the first source/drain feature.

Connection between source/drain and gate

A memory device includes a substrate, a first transistor and a second transistor, a Schottky diode, a first word line, a second word line, and a bit line. The first transistor and the second transistor are over the substrate, wherein a first source/drain structure of the first transistor is electrically connected to a first source/drain structure of the second transistor. The Schottky diode is electrically connected to a gate structure of the first transistor. The first word line is electrically connected to the gate structure of the first transistor through the Schottky diode. The second word line is electrically connected to a gate structure of the second transistor. The bit line is electrically connected to a second source/drain structure of the second transistor.

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Taipei, Taiwan

Lien-Jung Hung