Globalfoundries Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Globalfoundries Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Xiang Hu

Sipeng Gu

Akshey Sehgal

Guillaume Bouche

Huang Liu

Andy Chih-Hung Wei

Alok Vaid

Taejoon Han

Dae Geun Yang

Dae-han Choi

Lokesh Subramany

Xusheng Kevin Wu

Andy C Wei

Paul Willard Ackmann

Habib Hichri

Changyong Xiao

Yuping Ren

Gabriel Padron Wells

Wanxun He

Mariappan Hariharaputhiran

Guoxiang Ning

Catherine B Labelle

Richard Stephen Wise

Sandeep Gaan

Sarasvathi Thangaraju

Duohui Bei

Jerome F Wandell

Mingmei Wang

Reinaldo Ariel Vega

Michael Patrick Chudzik

Richard Stephan Wise

Hong Yu

Jinping Liu

Byeong Yeol Kim

Yanxiang Liu

Jin Ping Liu

Andre P Labonte

Roderick Alan Augur

Jason Eugene Stephens

Yong Meng Lee

Daniel J Jaeger

Ying Li

Michael Vincent Aquilino

Zhao Lun

Richard J Carter

Min Dai

Linus Jang

Craig Child

Mark Alexander Zaleski

Abner Bello

Helen Wang

Chin Teong Lim

Xiaodong Yang

David Michael Permana

Hui Peng Koh

Shyam Pal

Guo Xiang Ning

David N Power

Arifuzzaman (Arif) Sheikh

Anbu Selvam K M Mahalingam

Lalit Shokeen

Jack Chao-Hsu Chang

Jill Hildreth

Liu Huang

Semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating the semiconductor devices with chamfer-less via multi-patterning are disclosed. One method includes, for instance: obtaining an intermediate semiconductor device; performing a trench etch into a portion of the intermediate semiconductor device to form a trench pattern; depositing an etching stack; performing at least one via patterning process; and forming at least one via opening into a portion of the intermediate semiconductor device. An intermediate semiconductor device is also disclosed.

Devices with chamfer-less vias multi-patterning and methods for forming chamfer-less vias

Approaches for providing a substrate having a planar metrology pad adjacent a set of fins of a fin field effect transistor (FinFET) device are disclosed. Specifically, the FinFET device comprises a finned substrate, and a planar metrology pad formed on the substrate adjacent the fins in a metrology measurement area of the FinFET device. Processing steps include forming a first hardmask over the substrate, forming a photoresist over a portion of the first hardmask in the metrology measurement area of the FinFET device, removing the first hardmask in an area adjacent the metrology measurement area remaining exposed following formation of the photoresist, patterning a set of openings in the substrate to form the set of fins in the FinFET device in the area adjacent the metrology measurement area, depositing an oxide layer over the FinFET device, and planarizing the FinFET device to form the planar metrology pad in the metrology measurement area.

Planar metrology pad adjacent a set of fins of a fin field effect transistor device

A method and apparatus for generating a final dielectric etch compensation table and a final hard mask etch compensation table for either OPC or MPC process flows are provided. Embodiments include performing an overlap pattern classification on a wafer; calibrating a dielectric etch bias or a hard mask etch bias based on the pattern classification; comparing either a CD overlap of a via layer with a metal layer and a CD overlap of the via layer with a lower connecting metal layer or a CD overlap of the metal layer with an upper connecting via layer and a CD overlap of the metal layer with the via layer against a criteria; outputting final dielectric etch compensation and hard mask etch compensation tables to either OPC or MPC process flows; and repeating the steps of calibrating, comparing, and outputting for either the via layer or metal layer remaining.

Hard mask etch and dielectric etch aware overlap for via and metal layers

A non-planar semiconductor structure includes raised semiconductor structures, e.g., fins, having epitaxial structures grown on top surfaces thereof, for example, epitaxial silicon naturally growing into a diamond shape. The surface area of the epitaxial structure may be increased by removing portion(s) thereof. The removal may create a multi-head (e.g., dual-head) epitaxial structure, together with the neck of the raised structure resembling a Y-shape. Raised structures that are not intended to include an epitaxial structure will be masked during epitaxial structure creation and modification. In addition, in order to have a uniform height, the filler material surrounding the raised structures is recessed around those to receive epitaxial structures.

Non-planar semiconductor device with multiple-head epitaxial structure on fin

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods of removing fin portions from a finFET. At a starting point, a high-K dielectric layer is disposed on a substrate. A fin hardmask and lithography stack is deposited on the high-k dielectric. A fin hardmask is exposed, and a first portion of the fin hardmark is removed. The lithography stack is removed. A second portion of the fin hardmask is removed. Fins are formed. A gap fill dielectric is deposited and recessed.

Semiconductor structure having gap fill dielectric layer disposed between fins

Methods are provided for dimension-controlled via formation over a circuit structure, including over multiple adjacent conductive structures. The method(s) includes, for instance, providing a patterned multi-layer stack structure above the circuit structure, the stack structure including at least one layer, and a pattern transfer layer above the at least one layer, the pattern transfer layer being patterned with at least one via opening; providing a sidewall spacer layer within the at least one via opening to form at least one dimension-controlled via opening; and etching through the at least one layer of the stack structure using the at least one dimension-controlled via opening to facilitate providing the via(s) over the circuit structure. In one implementation, the stack structure includes a trench-opening within a patterned hard mask layer disposed between a dielectric layer and a planarization layer, and the via(s) is partially self-aligned to the trench.

Dimension-controlled via formation processing

Provided are approaches for patterning multiple, dense features in a semiconductor device using a memorization layer. Specifically, an approach includes: patterning a plurality of openings in a memorization layer; forming a gap-fill material within each of the plurality of openings; removing the memorization layer; removing an etch stop layer adjacent the gap-fill material, wherein a portion of the etch stop layer remains beneath the gap-fill material; etching a hardmask to form a set of openings above the set of gate structures, wherein the etch to the hardmask also removes the gap-fill material from atop the remaining portion of the etch stop layer; and etching the semiconductor device to remove the hardmask within each of the set of openings. In one embodiment, a set of dummy S/D contact pillars is then formed over a set of fins of the semiconductor device by etching a dielectric layer selective to the gate structures.

FinFET devices comprising a dielectric layer/CMP stop layer/hardmask/etch stop layer/gap-fill material stack

A non-planar semiconductor structure includes mixed n-and-p type raised semiconductor structures, e.g., fins, having epitaxial structures grown on top surfaces thereof, for example, epitaxial silicon and silicon germanium, naturally growing into a diamond shape. The surface area of the epitaxial structures is increased by removing portion(s) thereof, masking each type as the other type is grown and then subsequently modified by the removal. The removal may create multi-head (e.g., dual-head) epitaxial structures, together with the neck of the respective raised structure resembling a Y-shape.

Mixed N/P-type fin semiconductor structure with epitaxial materials having increased surface area through multiple epitaxial heads

Integrated circuits with improved gate structures and methods for fabricating integrated circuits with improved gate structures are provided. In an embodiment, a method for fabricating an integrated circuit includes providing a semiconductor substrate with fin structures. A gate-forming material is deposited over the semiconductor substrate and fin structures. The method includes performing a first etch process to etch the gate-forming material to form a gate line having a first side and a second side. The first side and second side of the gate line are bounded with material. The method includes performing a second etch process to etch a portion of the gate line bound by the material to separate the gate line into adjacent gate structures and to define a tip-to-tip distance between the adjacent gate structures.

Integrated circuits having improved gate structures and methods for fabricating same

Embodiments of the present invention provide an improved contact and method of fabrication. A dielectric layer is formed over transistor structures which include gates and source/drain regions. A first etch, which may be a reactive ion etch, is used to partially recess the dielectric layer. A second etch is then used to continue the etch of the dielectric layer to form a cavity adjacent to the gate spacers. The second etch is highly selective to the spacer material, which prevents damage to the spacers during the exposure (opening) of the source/drain regions.

Self-aligned contacts and methods of fabrication

A lithographic stack over a raised structure (e.g., fin) of a non-planar semiconductor structure, such as a FinFET, includes a bottom layer of spin-on amorphous carbon or spin-on organic planarizing material, a hard mask layer of a nitride and/or an oxide on the spin-on layer, a layer of a developable bottom anti-reflective coating (dBARC) on the hard mask layer, and a top layer of photoresist. The stack is etched to expose and recess the raised structure, and epitaxial structure(s) are grown on the recess.

Lithographic stack excluding SiARC and method of using same

Etching a feature of a structure by an etch system is facilitated by varying supply of radio frequency (RF) power pulses to the etch system. The varying provides at least one RF power pulse, of the supplied RF power pulses, that deviates from one or more other RF power pulses, of the supplied RF power pulses, by at least one characteristic.

Feature etching using varying supply of power pulses

Embodiments of the present invention provide an improved structure and method of contact formation. A cap nitride is removed from a gate in a region that is distanced from a fin. This facilitates reduced process steps, allowing the gate and the source/drain regions to be opened in the same process step. Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) may be used to pattern the resist to form the contacts.

Semiconductor contacts and methods of fabrication

Measurement of thickness of layers of a circuit structure is obtained, where the thickness of the layers is measured using an optical critical dimension (OCD) measurement technique, and the layers includes a high-k layer and an interfacial layer. Measurement of thickness of the high-k layer is separately obtained, where the thickness of the high-k layer is measured using a separate measurement technique from the OCD measurement technique. The separate measurement technique provides greater decoupling, as compared to the OCD measurement technique, of a signal for thickness of the high-k layer from a signal for thickness of the interfacial layer of the layers. Characteristics of the circuit structure, such as a thickness of the interfacial layer, are ascertained using, in part, the separately obtained thickness measurement of the high-k layer.

Decoupling measurement of layer thicknesses of a plurality of layers of a circuit structure

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Clifton Park, NY, United States of America

Xiang Hu