Intel Corporation

Shannon Daviess

Charles Henry Wallace

Swaminathan Sivakumar

Ruth Amy Brain

Sam Sivakumar

Martin Weiss

Bob Bigwood

Winged via structures to increase overlay margin are generally described. In one example, a method comprises depositing a sacrificial layer to an interlayer dielectric, the interlayer dielectric being coupled with a semiconductor substrate, forming at least one trench structure in the sacrificial layer wherein the trench structure comprises a first direction along a length of the trench structure and a second direction along a width of the trench structure wherein the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the first direction, depositing a light sensitive material to the trench structure and the sacrificial layer, and patterning at least one winged via structure in the light sensitive material to overlay the trench structure wherein the winged via structure extends in the second direction beyond the width of the trench structure onto the sacrificial layer.

Winged vias to increase overlay margin

Diagonal corner-to-corner sub-resolution assist features for use in photolithography are described. The diagonal features may be applied to one or a group of main features. Such features may be developed starting by synthesizing a photolithography mask having a first feature aligned along a linear axis and having a corner and a second feature aligned along a linear axis and having a corner, the corners of first and second features being separated from each other by a gap. The features may be developed by determining at least one diagonal line between the corners of the features to bridge the gap between the corners, applying a sub-resolution assist feature along the determined line, and modifying the synthesized photolithography mask to include the sub-resolution assist feature.

Diagonal corner-to-corner sub-resolution assist features for photolithography

Sub-resolution assist features for non-collinear features are described for use in photolithography. A photolithography mask with elongated features is synthesized. An end-to-end gap between two features if found for which the ends of the two features facing the gap are linearly offset from one another. A sub-resolution assist feature is applied to the end-to-end gap between the elongated features, and the synthesized photolithography mask is modified to include the sub-resolution assist feature.

Non-collinear end-to-end structures with sub-resolution assist features

Cross-shaped sub-resolution assist features may be utilized to print lithographic patterns in semiconductor fabrication processes. The crosses may be isolated structures or may be part of a grid arrangement. The main features, such as contacts, may be positioned on the mask so as to be intersected by the cross-shaped sub-resolution assist features. In some embodiments, the cross-shaped sub-resolution assist features may intersect the main feature at its center point in both the x and y directions.

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Hillsboro, OR, United States of America

Shannon Daviess