International Business Machines Corporation

Nancy T Pascoe

Raymond James Bunkofske

John Z Colt, Jr

Maheswaran Surendra

David L Harmon

Marc A Taubenblatt

John F Rembetski

Asif Ghias

James J McGill

Perry G Hartswick

Brian Christopher Barker

Michael L Kerbaugh

John W Lewis

Pai-Hung Pan

John Colt

A semiconductor wafer including a plurality of pits in the semiconductor wafer. The pits are arranged in an information-providing pattern and are readable after completion of processing on the wafer.

Wafer identification mark

A method and structure for controlling a manufacturing tool includes measuring different manufacturing parameters of the tool, transforming a plurality of time series of the manufacturing parameters into intermediate variables based on restrictions and historical reference statistics, generating a surrogate variable based on the intermediate variables, if the surrogate variable exceeds a predetermined limit, identifying a first intermediate variable, of the intermediate variables, that caused the surrogate variable to exceed the predetermined limit and identifying a first manufacturing parameter associated with the first intermediate variable, and inhibiting further operation of the tool until the first manufacturing parameter has been modified to bring the surrogate value within the predetermined limit.

User configurable multivariate time series reduction tool control method

A method for forming high aspect ratio, deep trenches in a semiconductor substrate with a composite etch mask structure including a thermally grown oxide surface layer as a plasma etch mask.

Trench mask for forming deep trenches in a semiconductor substrate, and

An improved mask and method of forming a deep and width trench in a substrate and the resulting structure is disclosed. A substrate material such as silicon has deposited thereon a first layer of sacrificial material as a first component of an etch mask, the sacrificial material being a material such as polysilicon that is either etched by or absorbs the same ions which reactively ion etch the substrate. A second layer of material, which resists reactive ion etching, such as silicon dioxide, is deposited over the first layer of material as a second component of the etch mask. The silicon dioxide is patterned in the form of the trench to be formed in the substrate. The layer polysilicon material is then reactive ion etched and the reactive ion etching continued to form a trench in the silicon substrate. The polysilicon acts as a sacrificial material being etched by any ions that are reflected from the silicon dioxide or are directed at an angle such that they strike the layer of polysilicon material. Thus, only those ions which are directed essentially normal to the underlying substrate perform the trench etching. This allows the trench to have essentially straight side walls and to be of essentially uniform width.

Reactive ion etching buffer mask

An improved mask and method of forming a deep and uniform width trench in a substrate and the resulting structure is disclosed. A substrate material such as silicon has deposited thereon a first layer of sacrificial material as a first component of an etch mask, the sacrificial material being a material such as polysilicon that is either etched by or absorbs the same ions which reactively ion etch the substrate. A second layer of material, which resists reactive ion etching, such as silicon dioxide, is deposited over the first layer of material as a second component of the etch mask. The silicon dioxide is patterned in the form of the trench to be formed in the substrate. The layer polysilicon material is then reactive ion etched and the reactive ion etching continued to form a trench in the silicon substrate. The polysilicon acts as a sacrificial material being etched by any ions that are reflected from the silicon dioxide or are directed at an angle such that they strike the layer of polysilicon material. Thus, only those ions which are directed essentially normal to the underlying substrate perform the trench etching. This allows the trench to have essentially straight side walls and to be of essentially uniform width.

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South Burlington, VT, United States of America

Nancy T Pascoe