Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Macronix International Co., Ltd.

Wei-Liang Lin

Ru-Gun Liu

Yung-Sung Yen

Yu-Tien Shen

Chih-Ming Lai

Chin-Yuan Tseng

Chin-Hsiang Lin

Ya-Wen Yeh

Chi-Cheng Hung

Ya Hui Chang

Li-Te S Lin

Chun-Kuang Chen

Shih-Chun Huang

Jiann-Tyng Tzeng

Chih-Liang Chen

Pinyen Lin

Charles Chew-Yuen Young

Kam-Tou Sio

Ken-Hsien Hsieh

Kuei-Shun Chen

Po-Chin Chang

Tsai-Sheng Gau

Shi Ning Ju

Wen-Jer Tsai

Wei-Hao Wu

De-Fang Chen

Hsin-Chih Chen

Shih-Ming Chang

Chien-Wen Lai

L C Chou

Ching-Yu Chang

Kuan-Hsin Lo

Wei-Cheng Lin

Chien-Wei Wang

Lei-Chun Chou

Chien Wen Lai

Chiu-Hsiang Chen

Yen-Ming Chen

Huicheng Chang

Jyu-Horng Shieh

Liang-Yin Chen

Chih-Yuan Ting

Chia-Cheng Chen

Min Cao

Yi-Nien Su

Shu-Huei Suen

Yuan-Hsiang Lung

Chun-Chang Lu

Ming-Huei Weng

Chia-Fong Chang

Kuo-Cheng Ching

Li-Jui Chen

Ziwei Fang

Huan-Just Lin

Chien-Chih Chen

Tzung-Chi Fu

Yao-Wen Chang

Joy Cheng

Guan-Wei Wu

Chih-Chieh Cheng

Ko-Bin Kao

Fu-Jye Liang

Chia-Hsiang Lin

Meng-Wei Chen

Jui-Ching Wu

Siao-Shan Wang

Jhih-Yu Wang

Ta-Ching Yu

Ya-Ling Cheng

Chien-Yu Li

Ming-Sen Tung

Iu-Ren Chen

Ai-Jen Jung

The present disclosure provides a method for semiconductor manufacturing in accordance with some embodiments. The method includes forming a hard mask layer over a substrate, the substrate having one or more regions to receive a treatment process, forming a resist layer over the hard mask layer, patterning the resist layer to form a plurality of openings in the resist layer, each of the openings free of concave corners, performing an opening expanding process to enlarge at least one of the openings in the resist layer, transferring the openings in the resist layer to the hard mask layer, and performing the treatment process to the one or more regions in the substrate through the openings in the hard mask layer.

Pattern fidelity enhancement

In a method of forming a groove pattern extending in a first axis in an underlying layer over a semiconductor substrate, a first opening is formed in the underlying layer, and the first opening is extended in the first axis by directional etching to form the groove pattern.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor devices

In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, an underlying structure is formed over a substrate. A film is formed over the underlying structure. Surface topography of the film is measured and the surface topography is stored as topography data. A local etching is performed by using directional etching and scanning the substrate so that an entire surface of the film is subjected to the directional etching. A plasma beam intensity of the directional etching is adjusted according to the topography data.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor devices using directional process

In a method of forming a pattern, a photo resist layer is formed over an underlying layer, the photo resist layer is exposed to an actinic radiation carrying pattern information, the exposed photo resist layer is developed to form a developed resist pattern, a directional etching operation is applied to the developed resist pattern to form a trimmed resist pattern, and the underlying layer is patterned using the trimmed resist pattern as an etching mask.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, in a pattern forming method for a semiconductor device, a first opening is formed in an underlying layer disposed over a substrate. The first opening is expanded in a first axis by directional etching to form a first groove in the underlying layer. A resist pattern is formed over the underlying layer. The resist pattern includes a second opening only partially overlapping the first groove. The underlying layer is patterned by using the resist pattern as an etching mask to form a second groove.

A memory device and a method for operating selective erase scheme are provided. In an erase operation, a switch voltage is applied to at least one of a string select line or a ground select line of a selected sub-block of a selected block, a gate control voltage is applied to selected word lines of the selected sub-block, and an erase voltage is applied to bit lines and a common source line of the selected sub-block. The switch voltage is smaller than the erase voltage. The gate control voltage is smaller than the switch voltage and the erase voltage.

Memory device and method for operating selective erase scheme

A method includes providing a substrate having a surface such that a first hard mask layer is formed over the surface and a second hard mask layer is formed over the first hard mask layer, forming a first pattern in the second hard mask layer, where the first pattern includes a first mandrel oriented lengthwise in a first direction and a second mandrel oriented lengthwise in a second direction different from the first direction, and where the first mandrel has a top surface, a first sidewall, and a second sidewall opposite to the first sidewall, and depositing a material towards the first mandrel and the second mandrel such that a layer of the material is formed on the top surface and the first sidewall but not the second sidewall of the first mandrel.

Directional deposition for semiconductor fabrication

Exemplary methods of patterning a device layer are described, including operations of patterning a protector layer and forming a first opening in a first patterning layer to expose a first portion of the protector layer and a first portion of the hard mask layer, which are then are exposed to a first etch to form a first opening in the first portion of the hard mask layer. A second opening is formed in a second patterning layer to expose a second portion of the protector layer and a second portion of the hard mask layer. The second portion of the protector layer and the second portion of the hard mask layer are exposed to an etch to form a second opening in the second portion of the hard mask layer. Exposed portions of the device layer are then etched through the first opening and the second opening.

Method for improved critical dimension uniformity in a semiconductor device fabrication process

A method of reducing corner rounding during patterning of a substrate to form a prescribed pattern comprising a corner includes dividing the pattern into a first pattern and a second pattern, the first pattern forming a first edge of the corner and the second pattern forming a second edge of the corner. At least a portion of the second pattern overlaps the first pattern such that the first edge intersects with the second edge to form a corner of the prescribed pattern. The method further includes forming the first pattern in a first mask layer disposed on a substrate to expose the substrate and forming the second pattern in the first mask layer to expose the substrate. The substrate exposed through the first mask layer is then etched to obtain the pattern.

Method of patterning

A directional patterning method includes following steps. A substrate is provided with a mask layer thereon, and the mask layer has at least one opening pattern therein. A cyclic deposition and etching process is performed to increase a length of the at least one opening pattern.

Method of forming metal features

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including operations of forming a first hard mask over an underlying layer on a substrate by a photolithographic and etching method, forming a sidewall spacer pattern having a first sidewall portion and a second sidewall portion on opposing sides of the first hard mask, etching the first sidewall portion, etching the first hard mask and leaving the second sidewall portion bridging a gap of the etched first hard mask, and processing the underlying layer using the second hard mask.

Fine line patterning methods

A method for forming a semiconductor device structure is provided. The method includes forming a first spacer over a substrate. The method includes partially removing the first spacer to form a gap dividing the first spacer into a first part and a second part. The method includes forming a filling layer covering a first top surface and a first sidewall of the first spacer. The filling layer and the first spacer together form a strip structure. The method includes forming a second spacer over a second sidewall of the strip structure. The method includes forming a third spacer over a third sidewall of the second spacer. The third spacer is narrower than the second spacer.

Method for forming semiconductor device structure

The present disclosure provides a method for semiconductor manufacturing in accordance with some embodiments. The method includes providing a substrate and a patterning layer over the substrate and forming a plurality of openings in the patterning layer. The substrate includes a plurality of features to receive a treatment process. The openings partially overlap with the features from a top view while a portion of the features remains covered by the patterning layer. Each of the openings is free of concave corners. The method further includes performing an opening expanding process to enlarge each of the openings and performing a treatment process to the features through the openings. After the opening expanding process, the openings fully overlap with the features from the top view.

In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, a trench pattern is formed in a first layer disposed over an underlying layer, and a first dimension of the trench pattern is reduced by first directional deposition. In the first directional deposition, a deposition rate on a first side wall of the trench pattern extending in a first axis is greater than a deposition rate on a second side wall of the trench pattern extending in a second axis crossing the first axis, the first axis and the second axis being horizontal and parallel to a surface of the underlying layer.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Wei-Liang Lin