United Microelectronics Corp.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Wen-Liang Huang

Chun-Chi Yu

Kai-Lin Chuang

En-Chiuan Liou

Chia-Hung Lin

Sho-Shen Lee

Chang-Mao Wang

Chien-Hao Chen

Kuo-Chun Huang

Po-Tsang Chen

Yu-Chin Huang

A method of forming gates includes the following steps. Dummy gates are formed on a substrate. A spacer material is deposited to conformally cover the dummy gates. A removing process is performed to remove parts of the spacer material and the dummy gates, thereby forming spacers and recesses in the spacers.

Method of forming gate

An overlay mark including at least one first overlay mark and at least one second overlay mark is provided. The first overlay mark includes a plurality of first bars and a plurality of first spaces arranged alternately, and the first spaces are not constant. The second overlay mark includes a plurality of second bars and a plurality of second spaces arranged alternately, and the second spaces are constant. Besides, the second overlay mark partially overlaps with the first overlay mark.

Alternately arranged overlay marks having asymmetric spacing and measurement thereof

A photomask including first opaque patterns and second opaque patterns is provided. The first opaque patterns are distributed in a first plane defined in the photomask, while the second opaque patterns are disposed above the first opaque patterns and spaced apart from the first opaque patterns. In other words, the first opaque pattern and second opaque pattern are not distributed in the same plane.

Photomask and fabrication method thereof

A patterning method is provided. First, a material layer is formed over a substrate. Thereafter, a plurality of directed self-assembly (DSA) patterns are formed on the material layer. Afterwards, a patterned photoresist layer is formed by using a single lithography process. The patterned photoresist layer covers a first portion of the DSA patterns and exposes a second portion of the DSA patterns. Further, the material layer is patterned by an etching process, using the patterned photoresist layer and the second portion of the DSA patterns as a mask.

Patterning method

A calculation method for generating a layout pattern in a photomask includes at least the following steps. A two-dimensional design layout including several geometric patterns distributed in a plane is provided to a computer system. The computer system is used to mark portions of the geometric patterns and generate at least one marked geometric pattern and at least one non-marked geometric pattern. The marked geometric pattern is then simulated and corrected by the computer system so as to generate a 3-D design layout. Through the simulation and correction, the marked geometric pattern and the non-marked geometric pattern are arranged alternately along an axis orthogonal to the plane. The 3-D design layout is outputted to a mask-making system afterwards.

Calculation method for generating layout pattern in photomask

An alignment accuracy (AA) mark is described, including N (N&#x2267;3) pattern sets defined by N exposure steps respectively. The N exposure steps are performed also to a device area disposed on a wafer together with the AA mark. The i-th (i=1, 2 . . . N&#x2212;1) pattern set surrounds the (i+1)-th pattern set. Each pattern set includes a 1set of x-directional linear patterns, a 2set of x-directional linear patterns arranged opposite to the 1set of x-directional linear patterns in the y-direction, a 1set of y-directional linear patterns, and a 2set of y-directional linear patterns arranged opposite to the 1set of y-directional linear patterns in the x-direction, wherein each set of x- or y-directional linear patterns include at least three separate parallel linear patterns.

Alignment accuracy mark

A method for detecting completion of reaction chamber cleaning, comprising monitoring the pressure within the reaction chamber, calculating and tracking voltage versus time gradient of the pressure within the reaction chamber, recognizing when positive and negative gradients of pressure change have occurred and, based on this recognition, terminating the cleaning process of the reaction chamber.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Wen-Liang Huang