Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation

Ming-Horn Tsai

Erik S Jeng

Yue-Feng Chen

Hung-Yi Luo

Bin Liu

Shih-Yin Lan

A method for forming a self-aligned contact, (SAC), opening, for a semiconductor device, has been developed. The process features the formation of partial silicon nitride spacers, on the sides of polycide gate structures, via a partial anisotropic RIE procedure, applied to a silicon nitride layer, also resulting in a thin layer of silicon nitride remaining on regions between polycide gate structures. After deposition of an overlying insulator layer, a two step, anisotropic RIE procedure is used to create the SAC opening in the insulator layer, and in the underlying, thin silicon nitride layer. The first step, of the two step, SAC opening procedure, selectively removes first insulator layer, while the second step, of the two step, SAC opening procedure, selectively removes the thin silicon nitride layer.

Method of fabricating sidewall spacers for a self-aligned contact hole

A method for photo-exposing a blanket conformal photosensitive layer upon a high step height topography substrate layer. There is first provided a high step height topography substrate layer having a blanket conformal photosensitive layer formed thereupon. The high step height topography substrate layer has a first region having a first step height separated from a third region having a third step height by a second region having a second step height. The second step height is intermediate to the first step height and the third step height. The blanket conformal photosensitive layer is photo-exposed to form a first pattern upon the first region and the second region through use of a first reticle and a first photo-exposure condition. The first photo-exposure condition provides a first depth of focus suitable for at least the first region. In a separate process step, the blanket conformal photosensitive layer is photo-exposed to form a second pattern upon the second region and the third region through use of a second reticle and a second photo-exposure condition. The second photo-exposure condition provides a second depth of focus suitable for at least the third region. The first pattern upon the second region and the second pattern upon the second region overlap.

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Hsinchu, Taiwan

Ming-Horn Tsai