Texas Instruments Corporation

Agere Systems Inc.

Stephen Arlon Meisner

Bhaskar Srinivasan

Shih Chang Chang

Guru Mathur

Lee Alan Stringer

Corinne Ann Gagnet

Scott Robert Summerfelt

Lin Li

Byron Lovell Williams

Scott William Jessen

John Martin McIntosh

Seungmoo Choi

William Thomas Cochran

Guruvayurappan Mathur

Poornika Fernandes

John Paul Campbell

Alfred J Griffin, Jr

Maxwell Walthour Lippitt, Iii

David Matthew Curran

Cheryl Anne Bollinger

William K McDonald

Adrian Salinas

Russell Duane Fields

Scott Alexander Johannesmeyer

Daniel Mark Wroge

Thomas Michael Wolf

Gerard Zaneski

Thomas Terrance Lynch

Neel A Bhatt

Cynthia C Lee

Stephen Fredrick Clark

Fred Percy Debnam, Ii

Lisa A Fritz

Charles Leighton

Robert Paul Luckin

Alberto Santoni

In some examples, an integrated circuit comprises a substrate; a first metal layer and a second metal layer positioned above the substrate; a first composite dielectric layer located on the first metal layer, wherein the first composite dielectric layer comprises a first anti-reflective coating; a second composite dielectric layer positioned on the second metal layer, wherein the second composite dielectric layer comprises a second anti-reflective coating; and a capacitor metal layer disposed over the first composite dielectric layer.

Integrated circuits having dielectric layers including an anti-reflective coating

In examples, a method of manufacturing an integrated circuit comprises locating a photomask between a light source and a semiconductor wafer having a photoresist layer in a wafer scribe lane of the wafer, wherein the photomask comprises: a first mask scribe lane pattern; a second mask scribe lane pattern matching the first mask scribe lane pattern; and at least one circuit pattern of the integrated circuit located between the first and second mask scribe lane patterns. The method further includes illuminating the photomask to produce in the photoresist layer of the wafer scribe lane a first exposed portion corresponding to the second mask scribe lane pattern; locating the first mask scribe lane pattern between the light source and the first exposed portion; and illuminating the photomask, wherein the first mask scribe lane pattern substantially shields non-exposed portions of the photoresist layer of the wafer scribe lane from light exposure.

Integrated circuit with scribe lane patterns for defect reduction

An integrated circuit includes a capacitor located over a semiconductor substrate. The capacitor includes a first conductive layer having a first lateral perimeter, and a second conductive layer having a second smaller lateral perimeter. A first dielectric layer is located between the second conductive layer and the first conductive layer. The first dielectric layer has a thinner portion having the first lateral perimeter and a thicker portion having the second lateral perimeter. An interconnect line is located over the substrate, and includes a third conductive layer that is about coplanar with and has about a same thickness as the first conductive layer. A second dielectric layer is located over the third conductive layer. The second dielectric layer is about coplanar with and has about a same thickness as the thinner portion of the first dielectric layer.

Analog capacitor on submicron pitch metal level

A microelectronic device includes a capacitor having a lower plate of interconnect metal, a capacitor dielectric layer with a lower silicon dioxide layer, a silicon oxy-nitride layer, and an upper silicon dioxide layer, and an upper plate over the capacitor dielectric layer. The silicon oxy-nitride layer has an average index of refraction of 1.85 to 1.95 at a wavelength of 248 nanometers. To form the microelectronic device, the lower silicon dioxide layer, the silicon oxy-nitride layer, and the upper silicon dioxide layer are formed in sequence over an interconnect metal layer. The upper plate is formed, leaving the lower silicon dioxide layer, the silicon oxy-nitride layer, and at least a portion of the upper silicon dioxide layer over the interconnect metal layer. An interconnect mask is formed of photoresist over the upper plate and the silicon oxy-nitride layer, using the silicon oxy-nitride layer as an anti-reflection layer.

An improved alignment structure for photolithographic pattern alignment is disclosed. A topographical alignment mark in an IC under a low reflectivity layer may be difficult to register. A reflective layer is formed on top of the low reflectivity layer so that the topography of the alignment mark is replicated in the reflective layer, enabling registration of the alignment mark using common photolithographic scanners and steppers. The reflective layer may be one or more layers, and may be metallic, dielectric or both. The reflective layer may be global over the entire IC or may be local to the alignment mark area. The reflective layer may be removed during subsequent processing, possibly with assist from an added etch stop layer, or may remain in the completed IC. The disclosed alignment mark structure is applicable to an IC with a stack of ferroelectric capacitor materials.

Increasing exposure tool alignment signal strength for a ferroelectric capacitor layer

A method is disclosed for passivating and contacting a capacitor in an IC above a top level of interconnect metallization, without adding process steps. Passivation is accomplished by a dielectric layer, part of the IC protective overcoat, deposited directly on the capacitor, overlapping the electrode edges. Contact is made to the top electrode of the capacitor by etching small capacitor vias during a bond pad via etch process, followed by depositing and patterning bond pad metal in the capacitor vias to connect the top electrode to other circuit elements in the IC. The top electrode thickness is increased to accommodate the bond pad via etch process.

Capacitor contact formed concurrently with bond pad metallization

Methods for removing contaminants from a semiconductor device that includes a plurality of aluminum-comprising bond pads on a semiconductor surface of a substrate. A plurality of aluminum-including bond pads are formed on the semiconductor surface of the substrate. A patterned passivation layer is then formed on the semiconductor surface, wherein the patterned passivation layer provides an exposed area for the plurality of bond pads. Wet etching with a basic etch solution is used to etch a surface of the exposed area of the aluminum-including bond pads, wherein the wet etching removes at least 100 Angstroms from the surface of the bond pads to form a cleaned surface.

Methods for removing contaminants from aluminum-comprising bond pads and integrated circuits therefrom

A method for nondestructively characterizing alignment overlay between two layers of a semiconductor wafer. An incident beam of radiation is directed upon the wafer surface and the properties of the resulting diffracted beam are determined, in one embodiment as a function of wavelength or incident angle. The spectrally or angularly resolved characteristics of the diffracted beam are related to the alignment of the overlay features. A library of calculated diffraction spectra is established by modeling a full range of expected variations in overlay alignment. The spectra resulting from the inspection of an actual wafer having alignment targets in at least two layers is compared against the library to identify a best fit to characterize the actual alignment. The results of the comparison may be used as an input for upstream and/or downstream process control.

Overlay metrology using scatterometry profiling

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor wafer uses a reticle having a plurality of spaced apart circuit images of identical patterns or images of a common level of a single integrated circuit formed on the reticle and arranged in columns and rows about its central point. At least one column of spaced apart test images are formed outside of and adjacent an outermost column of circuit images. Radiation is projected through the reticle for exposing the patterns on the reticle onto an underlying wafer. A reticle holder having a pair of shutter elements aligned parallel to the columns of images selectively blocks the projection of radiation through the columns of the test images but are exposed in order to form test circuits on the wafer at selected locations.

Multiple purpose reticle layout for selective printing of test circuits

Growing community of inventors

Allen, TX, United States of America

Stephen Arlon Meisner