Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Epistar Corporation

Epitech Technology Corporation

Tse-Liang Ying

Wen-Chuan Chiang

Kuo Ching Huang

Kuo-Ching Huang

Cheng-Ming Wu

Chen-Jong Wang

Kuo-Chyuan Tzeng

Yu-Hua Lee

Shi-Ming Chen

Jin-Yuan Lee

Mong-Song Liang

Min-Hsiung Chiang

Yu Hua Lee

Cheng Yeh Shih

Chia-Shiung Tsai

Hsiao-Hui Tseng

Jenn Ming Huang

Chue-San Yoo

Chung-Wei Chang

Cheng-Yeh Shih

Julie Huang

Jin Yuan Lee

Ming-Hsiung Chiang

Kevin Chiang

Ming-Hsiang Chiang

Ming-Hsin Li

A method for forming a transparent electrode on a visible light-emitting diode is described. A visible light-emitting diode element is provided, and the visible light-emitting diode element has a substrate, an epitaxial structure and a metal electrode. The metal electrode and the epitaxial structure are located on the same side of the substrate, or located respectively on the different sides of the substrate. An ohmic metal layer is formed on a surface of the epitaxial structure. The ohmic metal layer is annealed. The ohmic metal layer is removed to expose the surface of the epitaxial structure. A transparent electrode layer is formed on the exposed surface. A metal pad is formed on the transparent electrode layer.

Fabrication method of transparent electrode on visible light-emitting diode

A method is described for making capacitor-under-bit line (CUB) DRAM cells with improved overlay margins between bit lines and capacitor top electrodes. After forming FETs for the memory cells, an interpolysilicon oxide (IPO) layer is deposited, and first and second plug contacts are formed in the IPO to the FET source/drain areas for capacitors and bit line contacts, respectively. A capacitor node oxide is deposited, and first openings are etched in which crown capacitor bottom electrodes are formed. After etching back the node oxide a thin interelectrode dielectric layer is formed and a conformal conducting layer is deposited to form capacitor top electrodes. A photoresist mask is used to etch openings in the conducting layer over the second plug contacts, and an isotropic etch is used to recess the openings under the mask to increase the spacing between the capacitor top electrodes and the bit line contacts to improve the overlay margin. The photoresist mask is removed and an interlevel dielectric (ILD) layer is deposited. Bit-line contact openings are etched in the ILD layer aligned over the recessed openings and in the node oxide to the second contact plugs. Bit-line contact plugs are formed extending through the recessed openings, and a first conducting layer is deposited and patterned to form bit lines and to complete the memory cells for the DRAM.

Method for improving bit line to capacitor electrical failures on DRAM circuits using a wet etch-back to improve the bit-line-to-capacitor overlay margins

An improved thin film inductor design is described. A spiral geometry is used to which has been added a core of high permeability material located at the center of the spiral. If the high permeability material is a conductor, care must be taken to avoid any contact between the core and the spiral. If a dielectric ferromagnetic material is used, this constraint is removed from the design. Several other embodiments are shown in which, in addition to the high permeability core, provide low reluctance paths for the structure. In one case this takes the form of a frame of ferromagnetic material surrounding the spiral while in a second case it has the form of a hollow square located directly above the spiral.

High efficiency thin film inductor

This invention relates to a novel fuse structure and method for deleting redundant circuit elements on integrated circuits. This fuse structure is useful for increasing the repair yield on RAM chips by deleting defective rows of memory cells. The method involves forming a fuse area in a patterned electrically conducting layer also used to form interconnections. A relatively thin (0.4 um) insulating layer is deposited having a uniform thickness across the substrate. The next level of patterned interconnections is formed with a portion of the layer aligned over the fuse area to serve as an etch-stop layer. For example, the conducting layers can be the first and second poly-silicon layers on a RAM chip. The remaining multilevel of interconnections is then formed having a number of relatively thick interlevel dielectric (ILD) layers interposed which can have an accumulative large variation in thickness across the substrate. Fuse windows (openings) are then selectively etched in the ILD layers to the etch-stop layer and the etch-stop layer is selectively etched in the fuse window to the insulating layer over the fuse area. This process allows fuse structures to be built without overetching that can cause fuse damage. The uniform thick insulating layer allows repeatable and reliable laser abrading (evaporation) to open the desired fuses.

Method for making a fuse structure for improved repaired yields on semiconductor memory devices

Within a method for forming a patterned layer there is first provided a topographic substrate. There is then formed conformally over the topographic substrate a blanket target layer formed of a target material, where the blanket target layer has a lower substantially horizontal portion, an upper substantially horizontal portion and an intermediate portion therebetween. There is then formed upon the lower substantially horizontal portion of the blanket target layer a first masking layer formed of a first masking material and formed upon the upper substantially horizontal portion of the blanket target layer a second masking layer formed of a second masking material. There is then etched, while employing an etch method having an enhanced sequential selectivity for the first masking material and the target material with respect to the second masking material, the first masking layer and the lower substantially horizontal portion of the blanket target layer to form a patterned target layer which leaves exposed a portion of the substrate beneath the lower horizontal portion of the blanket target layer while leaving unetched the upper substantially horizontal portion of the blanket target layer. The method is particularly useful for forming patterned capacitor plate layers.

Self-aligned etching method for forming high areal density patterned microelectronic structures

The invention provides a method for fabricating a shallow trench isolation which is not susceptable to buried contact trench formation. The invention also provides immunity from the STI &ldquo;kink effect,&rdquo; as well as benefits associated with nitridation. The process begins by forming a pad oxide layer on a semiconductor substrate. A nitride layer is formed on the pad oxide layer. The nitride layer, the pad oxide layer, and the semiconductor substrate are patterned to form trenches. Next, a fill oxide layer is formed over the nitride layer, the pad oxide layer, and the semiconductor substrate. The fill oxide layer is chemical-mechanical polished, stopping on the nitride layer to form fill oxide regions. N,ions are implanted into the fill oxide regions. An anneal is performed to form a buried oxynitride layer. The buried oxynitride layer is partially above the level of the top surface of the semiconductor substrate and partially below the level of the top surface of the semiconductor substrate. The nitride layer is removed. Then, the pad oxide layer and portions of the fill oxide regions are removed using the buried oxynitride layer as an etch stop, forming shallow trench isolations.

Method for fabricating a shallow trench isolation which is not susceptible to buried contact trench formation

This invention provides a method for forming a self aligned contact without key holes using a two step sidewall spacer deposition. The process begins by providing a semiconductor structure having a device layer, a first inter poly oxide layer (IPO-,), and a conductive structure (such as a bit line) thereover, and having a contact area on the device layer adjacent to the conductive structure. The semiconductor structure can further include an optional etch stop layer overlying the first inter poly oxide layer. The conductive structure comprises at least one conductive layer with a hard mask thereover. A first spacer layer is formed over the hard mask and the IPO-,layer and anisotropically etched to form first sidewall spacers on the sidewalls of the conductive structure up to a level above the bottom of the hard mask and below the level of the top of the hard mask such that the profile of the first sidewall spacers are not concave at any point. A second spacer layer is formed over the first sidewall spacers and anisotropically etched to form second sidewall spacers, having a profile that is not concave at any point. A second inter poly oxide layer is formed over the second sidewall spacers, the hard mask, and the IPO-,layer, whereby the second inter poly oxide layer is free from key holes. A contact opening is formed in the second inter poly oxide layer and the first inter poly oxide layer over the contact area. A contact plug is formed in the contact openings.

Method for fabricating a self aligned contact which eliminates the key hole problem using a two step spacer deposition

A process for forming logic devices with salicide shapes on gate structures, as well as on heavily doped source/drain regions, while simultaneously forming embedded DRAM devices with salicide shapes only on gate structures, has been developed. The process features silicon oxide blocking shapes, formed in the spaces between gate structures, in the embedded DRAM device region. The silicon oxide blocking shapes are formed using a high density plasma deposition procedure which deposits a thick silicon oxide layer in the narrow spaces between gate structures in the embedded DRAM device region, and a thin silicon oxide layer in the wider spaces between gate structures in the logic device region, and on the top surface of all gate structures. A blanket, dry etch procedure is then employed to remove the thin silicon oxide layers from the top surface of all gate structures, as well as from the spaces between gate structures in the logic device region, while forming the desired silicon oxide blocking shapes between gate structures in the embedded DRAM device region, therefore allowing subsequent salicide shapes to be formed only on the top surface of gate structures, and on heavily doped source/drain regions in the logic device region.

Common gate and salicide word line process for low cost embedded DRAM devices

A new method based on measuring the weight of a wafer (on which the layer of HSG has been deposited) before (W1) and after (W2) the surface of the HSG layer is coated with a layer of either photoresist or SOG. The difference delta W&equals;W2&minus;W1 provides an indicator of the roughness or smoothness of the surface of the deposited layer of HSG. This new method can also be based on measuring the weight W of rejected or dropped PR or SOG after the surface of the HSG layer has been coated with a layer of either photoresist or SOG. The weight of the rejected or dropped PR or SOG also provides an indicator of the roughness or smoothness of the surface of the deposited layer of HSG.

Method to evaluate hemisperical grain (HSG) polysilicon surface

A new method is provided to create a gradated dopant concentration in the contact plug of DRAM devices whereby a high dopant concentration is present at the bottom of the plug and a low dopant concentration is present at the top of the plug. Two layers of dielectric are deposited; the upper layer serves as a layer to adjust the dopant concentration in the lower layer. This adjustment is done by Rapid Thermal anneal of both layers of dielectric. After the dopant concentration has been adjusted, the upper layer of dielectric is removed and the upper section of the contact node is formed using lightly doped poly. The high dopant concentration at the bottom of the contact plug results in low contact resistance between the plug and the underlying silicon substrate. A low dopant concentration at the top surface of the contact plug results in low oxidation of the surface of the plug.

Node process integration technology to improve data retention for logic based embedded dram

A method for forming a self aligned contact without key holes using a two step contact deposition. The process begins by providing a semiconductor structure having conductive structures (such as bit lines) thereover with sidewalls and having a contact area adjacent to the conductive structures. The conductive structures comprise at least one conductive layer with a hard mask thereover. A spacer layer is formed over the hard mask and the substrate structure and anisotropically etched to form sidewall spacers on the sidewalls of the conductive structure. A second dielectric (IPO) layer is formed over the sidewall spacers, the hard mask, and the substrate structure, whereby the second dielectric layer has a keyhole. A contact opening is formed in the second dielectric layer over the contact area. A first contact layer having poor step coverage is formed in the contact openings and over the second dielectric layer, thereby plugging the keyhole without filling it. A second contact layer is formed over the first contact layer.

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Hsin-Chu, Taiwan

Tse-Liang Ying