Globalfoundries Inc.

Marvell International Limited

Marvell Asia Pte., Ltd.

Vikrant Kumar Chauhan

Jason Eugene Stephens

Atsushi Ogino

Brian Joseph Greene

Guillaume Bouche

Manjunatha Govinda Prabhu

Edward P Maciejewski

David C Pritchard

Mankyu Yang

Vara Govindeswara Reddy Vakada

Ahmed Hassan

Jaime Bravo

Heng Lan Lau

Shawn Walsh

Prianka Sengupta

Lawrence Alfred Clevenger

Peter Baars

Albert Manhee Chu

Mahbub Rashed

Andy C Wei

Ning Lu

George Jonathan Kluth

Ravi Prakash Srivastava

David E Brown

Ming He

Anurag Mittal

Catherine B Labelle

Tuhin Guha Neogi

Keith Donegan

Sudharshanan Raghunathan

Rick J Carter

Uwe Paul Schroeder

Shobhit Malik

Piyush Pathak

Sohan Singh Mehta

Ryan Scott Smith

Nader Magdy Hindawy

Mark Kelling

David Michael Permana

Anbu Selvam Km Mahalingam

Kong Boon Yeap

Terry J Bordelon

Andy Chi-Hung Wei

Colin Bombardier

Tong Qing Chen

Abbas Guvenilir

A method includes accessing, from a memory, a schematic diagram of a circuit that depicts components of the circuit and, connected to one or more of the components, single-pin imaginary devices associated with group properties of the components. The method further includes automatically generating a design layout for the circuit based on the schematic diagram. The design layout comprises shapes representing the components and, on each shape representing a specific component that is connected to a single-pin imaginary device, a specific group label corresponding to a specific group property of the specific component. Placement of the shapes within the design layout is group label dependent. Accessing of the schematic diagram and the automatically generating of the design layout are performed by a layout generator tool executed by a processor of a computer-aided design system.

Integrated circuit methods using single-pin imaginary devices

Structures for testing a field effect-transistor or Kelvin field-effect transistor, and methods of forming a structure for testing a field-effect transistor or Kelvin field-effect transistor. The structure includes a device-under-testing that has one or more source/drain regions and a first metallization level arranged over the device-under-testing. The first metallization level includes one or more first interconnect lines. The structure further includes a contact level having one or more first contacts arranged between the first metallization level and the device-under-testing. The one or more first contacts directly connect the one or more first interconnect lines with the one or more source/drain regions. The structure further includes a second metallization level arranged over the first metallization level. The second metallization level has a first test pad and one or more second interconnect lines connecting the one or more first interconnect lines with the first test pad.

Test structures connected with the lowest metallization levels in an interconnect structure

Structures for testing a field effect-transistor or Kelvin field-effect transistor, and methods of forming a structure for testing a field-effect transistor or Kelvin field-effect transistor. The structure includes a test pad, a device-under-testing having one or more source/drain regions, and a metallization level arranged over the device-under-testing. The metallization level includes one or more interconnect lines that are connected with the test pad. One or more contacts, which are arranged between the metallization level and the device-under-testing, directly connect the one or more interconnect lines with the one or more source/drain regions.

Test structure leveraging the lowest metallization level of an interconnect structure

In the disclosed design systems and methods, a schematic diagram includes nets and, connected to at least some nets, single-pin first and second imaginary devices. On any given net, a first imaginary device is associated with a tracking group property of the net (where nets in the same tracking group are in-phase) and a second imaginary device is associated with a voltage property of the net. A design layout generated based on the schematic diagram includes: net shapes representing the nets and, on net shapes that represent nets connected to the imaginary devices, tracking group and voltage labels corresponding to the tracking group and voltage properties. Net shape placement within the design layout and design rule checking are performed according to design rules that dictate placing net shapes with the same tracking group label together and further dictate minimum allowable spacing requirements depending upon the tracking group and voltage labels.

Integrated circuit (IC) design systems and methods using single-pin imaginary devices

A method of forming contacts includes forming a plurality of transistor devices separated by shallow trench insulator regions, the transistor devices each comprising a semiconductor substrate, a buried insulator layer on the semiconductor bulk substrate, a semiconductor layer on the buried insulator layer, a high-k metal gate stack on the semiconductor layer and a gate electrode above the high-k metal gate stack, raised source/drain regions on the semiconductor layer, and a silicide contact layer above the raised source/drain regions and the gate electrode, providing an interlayer dielectric stack on the silicide contact layer and planarizing the interlayer dielectric stack, patterning a plurality of contacts through the interlayer dielectric stack onto the raised source/drain regions, and, for at least some of the contacts, patterning laterally extended contact regions above the contacts, the laterally extended contact regions extending over shallow trench insulator regions neighboring the corresponding raised source/drain regions.

FDSOI semiconductor device with contact enhancement layer and method of manufacturing

Methodologies and a device for assessing integrated circuit and pattern for yield risk based on 3D simulation of semiconductor patterns are provided. Embodiments include generating, with a processor, a 3D simulation of semiconductor patterns; obtaining critical dimensions of distances between layers or within a layer of the 3D simulation of semiconductor patterns; comparing the set of critical dimensions with predefined minimum dimensions; and yield scoring each of the semiconductor patterns of the 3D simulation based on the comparing step.

Three-dimensional pattern risk scoring

At least one method, apparatus and system disclosed herein for forming a finFET device. A gate structure comprising a gate spacer on a semiconductor wafer is formed. A self-aligned contact (SAC) cap is formed over the gate structure. A TS structure is formed. At least one Mmetal structure void is formed. At least one CB structure void adjacent the Mmetal structure void is formed. An etch process is performed the Mand CB structures voids to the gate structure. At least one CA structure void adjacent the CB structure void is formed. The M, CB, and CA structure voids are metallized.

Method, apparatus and system for a high density middle of line flow

Interconnect structures and methods of fabricating an interconnect structure. First and second non-mandrel interconnects are formed in an interlayer dielectric layer. The first non-mandrel interconnect and the second non-mandrel interconnect have respective side surfaces that extend in a first direction. The connector interconnect extends in a second direction transverse to the first direction from the side surface of the first non-mandrel interconnect to the side surface of the second non-mandrel interconnect.

Multi-directional self-aligned multiple patterning

Structures for an on-chip capacitor and methods of forming an on-chip capacitor. A metal terminal is formed that has a side edge. Metal fingers are formed that have a parallel arrangement. Floating islands comprised of a metal are formed and are electrically isolated from the metal fingers. Each of the metal fingers has an end and extends from the side edge of the metal terminal toward the end. Each of the floating islands is arranged in a spaced relationship with the end of a respective one of the metal fingers.

On-chip capacitors with floating islands

Three reference resistors of the same resistance and a test structure are connected in a circuit having a Wheatstone Bride design. The circuit is electrically coupled between an input and ground. A voltage applied at the input resulting in an electrical characteristic difference between two midpoints of the circuit indicates the need for corrective action with respect to a design of the test structure for either OPC or etch bias.

Wafer level electrical test for optical proximity correction and/or etch bias

One illustrative method disclosed herein involves, among other things, decomposing an initial circuit layout into first and second mask patterns, for the first mask pattern, identifying a first four-polygon pattern in the first mask pattern that violates a multi-polygon constraint rule, wherein the first four-polygon pattern comprises four polygons positioned side-by-side in the first mask pattern, and recoloring one or two of the polygons in the first four-polygon pattern in the first mask pattern to the second mask pattern to eliminate the first four-polygon pattern from the first mask pattern without introducing any design rule violations in the initial circuit layout.

Multi-polygon constraint decomposition techniques for use in double patterning applications

A method includes forming a plurality of sacrificial lines embedded in a first dielectric layer. A line merge opening and a line cut opening are formed in a hard mask layer formed above the first dielectric layer. Portions of the first dielectric layer exposed by the line merge opening are removed to define a line merge recess. A portion of a selected sacrificial line exposed by the line cut opening is removed to define a line cut recess between first and second segments of the selected sacrificial line. A second dielectric layer is formed in the line cut recess. The hard mask is removed. The plurality of sacrificial lines is replaced with a conductive material to define at least one line having third and fourth segments in locations previously occupied by the first and second segments and to define a line-merging conductive structure in the line merge recess.

Forming merged lines in a metallization layer by replacing sacrificial lines with conductive lines

An illustrative test structure is disclosed herein that includes a plurality of first line features and a plurality of second line features. In this embodiment, each of the second line features have first and second opposing ends and the first and second line features are arranged in a grating pattern such that the first ends of the first line features are aligned to define a first side of the grating structure and the second ends of the first features are aligned to define a second side of the grating structure that is opposite the first side of the grating structure. The first end of the second line features has a first end that extends beyond the first side of the grating structure while the second end of the second line features has a first end that extends beyond the second side of the grating structure.

Critical dimension and pattern recognition structures for devices manufactured using double patterning techniques

Methodologies enabling BEoL VNCAPs in ICs and resulting devices are disclosed. Embodiments include: providing a plurality of mandrel recesses extending horizontally on a substrate, each of the mandrel recesses having an identical width and being separated from another one of the mandrel recesses by an identical distance; providing a plurality of routes, each of the plurality of routes being positioned in a different one of the mandrel recesses; and providing first and second vertical segments on the substrate, the first vertical segment being connected to a set of the plurality of routes and separated from the second vertical segment, and the second vertical segment being separated from the set of routes.

Capacitor designs for integrated circuits utilizing self-aligned double patterning (SADP)

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Cohoes, NY, United States of America

Vikrant Kumar Chauhan