Micron Technology Incorporated

Round Rock Research, LLC

Intel Corporation

Ramakanth Alapati

Gurtej S Sandhu

Ardavan Niroomand

Luan C Tran

Paul A Morgan

Zhiping Yin

John K Lee

D Mark Durcan

Mirzafer K Abatchev

Shuang Meng

William T Rericha

Jingyi Bai

Puneet Sharma

Sheron Honarkhah

Baosuo Zhou

Max F Hineman

Tuman Earl Allen, Iii

Xiaolong Fang

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprises patterning a layer of photoresist material to form a plurality of mandrels. The method further comprises depositing an oxide material over the plurality of mandrels by an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. The method further comprises anisotropically etching the oxide material from exposed horizontal surfaces. The method further comprises selectively etching photoresist material.

Simplified pitch doubling process flow

A method for selectively removing nano-crystals on an insulating layer. The method includes providing an insulating layer with nano-crystals thereon; exposing the nano-crystals to a high density plasma comprising a source of free radical chlorine, ionic chlorine, or both to modify the nano-crystals; and removing the modified nano-crystals with a wet etchant.

Nano-crystal etch process

An integrated circuit having differently-sized features wherein the smaller features have a pitch multiplied relationship with the larger features, which are of such size as to be formed by conventional lithography.

Integrated circuit having pitch reduced patterns relative to photoithography features

The invention includes methods of forming isolation regions for semiconductor constructions. A hard mask can be formed and patterned over a semiconductor substrate, with the patterned hard mask exposing a region of the substrate. Such exposed region can be etched to form a first opening having a first width. The first opening is narrowed with a conformal layer of carbon-containing material. The conformal layer is punched through to expose substrate along a bottom of the narrowed opening. The exposed substrate is removed to form a second opening which joins to the first opening, and which has a second width less than the first width. The carbon-containing material is then removed from within the first opening, and electrically insulative material is formed within the first and second openings. The electrically insulative material can substantially fill the first opening, and leave a void within the second opening.

Methods of forming semiconductor constructions

Some embodiments include formation of polymer spacers along sacrificial material, removal of the sacrificial material, and utilization of the polymer spacers as masks during fabrication of integrated circuitry. The polymer spacer masks may, for example, be utilized to pattern flash gates of a flash memory array. In some embodiments, the polymer is simultaneously formed across large sacrificial structures and small sacrificial structures. The polymer is thicker across the large sacrificial structures than across the small sacrificial structures, and such difference in thickness is utilized to fabricate high density structures and low-density structures with a single photomask.

Methods of forming high density structures and low density structures with a single photomask

Differently-sized features of an integrated circuit are formed by etching a substrate using a mask which is formed by combining two separately formed patterns. Pitch multiplication is used to form the relatively small features of the first pattern and conventional photolithography used to form the relatively large features of the second pattern. Pitch multiplication is accomplished by patterning a photoresist and then etching that pattern into an amorphous carbon layer. Sidewall spacers are then formed on the sidewalls of the amorphous carbon. The amorphous carbon is removed, leaving behind the sidewall spacers, which define the first mask pattern. A bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) is then deposited around the spacers to form a planar surface and a photoresist layer is formed over the BARC. The photoresist is next patterned by conventional photolithography to form the second pattern, which is then is transferred to the BARC. The combined pattern made out by the first pattern and the second pattern is transferred to an underlying amorphous silicon layer and the pattern is subjected to a carbon strip to remove BARC and photoresist material. The combined pattern is then transferred to the silicon oxide layer and then to an amorphous carbon mask layer. The combined mask pattern, having features of difference sizes, is then etched into the underlying substrate through the amorphous carbon hard mask layer.

Pitch reduced patterns relative to photolithography features

Semiconductor constructions

Trench isolation structures and methods to form same for use in the manufacture of semiconductor devices are described. The trench isolation structures are formed using several processing schemes that utilize disclosed dry etching processes to form a significant depth &#x394; between an array trench depth and a periphery trench depth. One etching method creates a trench delta depth utilizing a single dry etch step, while two other etching methods create a trench &#x394; depth by utilizing three dry etch steps.

Fabrication processes for forming dual depth trenches using a dry etch that deposits a polymer

Differently-sized features of an integrated circuit are formed by etching a substrate using a mask which is formed by combining two separately formed patterns. Pitch multiplication is used to form the relatively small features of the first pattern. Pitch multiplication is accomplished by patterning an amorphous carbon layer. Sidewall spacers are then formed on the amorphous carbon sidewalls which are then removed; the sidewall spacers defining the first mask pattern. A bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) is then deposited to form a planar surface and a photoresist layer is formed over the BARC. The photoresist is next patterned by conventional photolithography to form the second pattern, which is transferred to the BARC. The combined pattern is transferred to an underlying amorphous silicon layer. The combined pattern is then transferred to the silicon oxide layer and then to an amorphous carbon mask layer. The combined mask pattern, is then etched into the underlying substrate.

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprises patterning a layer of photoresist material to form a plurality of mandrels in a device array region. The method further comprises depositing an oxide material over the plurality of mandrels and over a device peripheral region. The method further comprises forming a pattern of photoresist material over the oxide material in the device peripheral region. The method further comprises anisotropically etching the oxide material from exposed horizontal surfaces in the device array region. The method further comprises selectively etching photoresist material from the device array region and from the device peripheral region.

A process may include forming a polysilicon pinnacle above and on a polysilicon island and further forming a floating gate from the polysilicon pinnacle and polysilicon island. The floating gate can bear an inverted T-shape. The floating gate can also be disposed above an isolated semiconductive substrate such as in a shallow-trench isolation semiconductive substrate. Electronic devices may include the floating gate as part of a field effect transistor.

Growing community of inventors

Boise, ID, United States of America

Ramakanth Alapati