Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Yu-Lung Yang

Chao-Cheng Chen

Chun-Hung Lee

Yu Chao Lin

Chin-Hsiang Lin

Ying Xiao

Hung-Bin Lin

Li-Chao Yin

Yuling Chiu

A vacuum apparatus includes process chambers, and a transfer chamber coupled to the process chambers. The transfer chamber includes one or more vacuum ports, thorough which a gas inside the transfer chamber is exhausted, and vent ports, from which a vent gas is supplied. The one or more vacuum ports and the vent ports are arranged such that air flows from at least one of the vent ports to the one or more vacuum ports are line-symmetric with respect to a center line of the transfer chamber.

Apparatus for processing substrates or wafers

A method includes forming mandrel patterns over a substrate; depositing a spacer layer over the mandrel patterns and onto sidewalls of the mandrel patterns; trimming the spacer layer to reduce a thickness of the spacer layer along a pattern width direction; and etching the spacer layer to expose the mandrel patterns, resulting in a patterned spacer layer on the sidewalls of the mandrel patterns. The trimming of the spacer layer and the etching of the spacer layer are performed in separate processes. After the trimming of the spacer layer and the etching of the spacer layer, the method further includes removing the mandrel patterns.

Method for mandrel and spacer patterning

An integrated circuit manufacturing method includes forming mandrel patterns over a patterning layer of a substrate; and forming a spacer layer over the patterning layer, over the mandrel patterns, and onto sidewalls of the mandrel patterns. The method further includes trimming the spacer layer using a dry etching technique such that a space between adjacent sidewalls of the spacer layer substantially matches a dimension of the mandrel patterns along a pattern width direction. The method further includes etching the spacer layer to expose the mandrel patterns and the patterning layer, resulting in a patterned spacer layer on the sidewalls of the mandrel patterns. After the trimming of the spacer layer and the etching of the spacer layer, the method further includes removing the mandrel patterns. The method further includes transferring a pattern of the patterned spacer layer to the patterning layer.

A chuck and a wafer supported thereon are rotated during a plasma process or a film deposition process to reduce thickness non-uniformity of a film processed or deposited on the wafer.

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Taichung, Taiwan

Yu-Lung Yang