Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Yu Shih Wang

Ming-Hsi Yeh

Shian Wei Mao

Ming-Hsing Tsai

Kuo-Bin Huang

Wei-Jung Lin

Cheng-Wei Chang

Chun-Neng Lin

Ken-Yu Chang

Chun-I Tsai

Po-Nan Yeh

Yi-Wei Chiu

Wan Hsuan Hsu

Yean-Zhaw Chen

I-Hsiu Wang

Hsin-Yan Lu

Jian-Jou Lian

U-Ting Chiu

Po-Yuan Wang

Tzu Ang Chiang

Chih-Wei Chang

Sung-Li Wang

Chia-Ying Lee

Shuen-Shin Liang

Chia-Hung Chu

Hsu-Kai Chang

Chia-Han Lai

Yi-Ying Liu

Pin-Wen Chen

Ya-Yi Cheng

Mei-Hui Fu

I-Li Chen

Kao-Feng Lin

Hong-Jie Yang

In one exemplary aspect, a method comprises providing a semiconductor structure having a substrate, one or more first dielectric layers over the substrate, a first metal plug in the one or more first dielectric layers, and one or more second dielectric layers over the one or more first dielectric layers and the first metal plug. The method further comprises etching a via hole into the one or more second dielectric layers to expose the first metal plug, etching a top surface of the first metal plug to create a recess thereon, and applying a metal corrosion protectant comprising a metal corrosion inhibitor to the top surface of the first metal plug.

Wet cleaning with tunable metal recess for via plugs

Generally, the present disclosure provides example embodiments relating to conductive features, such as metal contacts, vias, lines, etc., and methods for forming those conductive features. In an embodiment, a barrier layer is formed along a sidewall. A portion of the barrier layer along the sidewall is etched back. After etching back the portion of the barrier layer, an upper portion of the barrier layer along the sidewall is smoothed. A conductive material is formed along the barrier layer and over the smoothed upper portion of the barrier layer.

Conductive feature formation and structure

A method for processing a substrate is provided. The method includes the following operations: placing a substrate over a first injector in a substrate processing apparatus, the substrate having a front surface and a back surface opposite to the front surface, and the front surface having a plurality of concentric regions; adjusting a temperature of each of the plurality of concentric regions by controlling at least one of a flow rate and a temperature associated with a fluid dispensing from the first injector; and rotating the substrate by a spin base disposed below the substrate, the substrate is rotated with respect to a center axis perpendicular to the front surface thereof when adjusting the temperature. The spin base includes a ring opening for rotating relative to the first injector, and the first injector is displaced from a projection of a center of the substrate from a top view perspective.

Method for processing substrate

In an embodiment, a device includes: a semiconductor substrate; a first inter-layer dielectric (ILD) over the semiconductor substrate; a first conductive feature extending through the first ILD; a first etch stop layer over the first conductive feature and the first ILD, the first etch stop layer being a first dielectric material; a second ILD over the first etch stop layer; a contact having a first portion extending through the second ILD and a second portion extending through the first etch stop layer, the contact being physically and electrically coupled to the first conductive feature; and a first protective layer surrounding the second portion of the contact, the first portion of the contact being free from the first protective layer, the first protective layer being a second dielectric material, the second dielectric material being different from the first dielectric material.

Semiconductor device and method

A semiconductor device includes a gate electrode, a source/drain structure, a lower contact contacting either of the gate electrode or the source/drain structure, and an upper contact disposed in an opening formed in an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer and in direct contact with the lower contact. The upper contact is in direct contact with the ILD layer without an interposing conductive barrier layer, and the upper contact includes ruthenium.

Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof

A substrate processing apparatus is provided. The substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of holding members and at least a first injector. The plurality of holding members are configured to hold a substrate. The substrate includes a front surface and a back surface opposite to the front surface. The first injector is below the holding members and is configured to face the back surface of the substrate. The first injector is displaced from a projection of a center of the substrate from a top view perspective. A method for processing a substrate is also provided.

Substrate processing apparatus and method for processing substrate

An apparatus includes a first source and a common drain and on opposite sides of a first gate surrounded by a first gate spacer, a second source and the common drain on opposite sides of a second gate surrounded by a second gate spacer, a first protection layer formed along a sidewall of the first gate spacer, wherein a top surface of the first protection layer has a first slope, a second protection layer formed along a sidewall of the second gate spacer, wherein a top surface of the second protection layer has a second slope, a lower drain contact between the first gate and the second gate and an upper drain contact over the lower drain contact and between the first gate and the second gate, wherein at least a portion of the upper drain contact is in contact with the first slope and the second slope.

Contact structure and method of fabricating the same

A photo resist layer is used to protect a dielectric layer and conductive elements embedded in the dielectric layer when patterning an etch stop layer underlying the dielectric layer. The photo resist layer may further be used to etch another dielectric layer underlying the etch stop layer, where etching the next dielectric layer exposes a contact, such as a gate contact. The bottom layer can be used to protect the conductive elements embedded in the dielectric layer from a wet etchant used to etch the etch stop layer.

Method of breaking through etch stop layer

A method for forming a semiconductor device includes forming a metal contact on a substrate, forming a first dielectric on the metal contact, forming a first opening in the first dielectric, and performing a wet etch on a bottom surface of the first opening through a first etch stop layer (ESL) over the metal contact. The wet etch forms a first recess in a top surface of the metal contact. An upper width of the first recess is smaller than a lower width of the first recess. A first conductive feature is formed in the first recess and the first opening.

Semiconductor device and method of forming same

Wet cleaning with tunable metal recess for VIA plugs

The present disclosure provides example embodiments relating to conductive features, such as metal contacts, vias, lines, etc., and methods for forming those conductive features. In some embodiments, a structure includes a first dielectric layer over a substrate, a first conductive feature through the first dielectric layer, the first conductive feature comprising a first metal, a second dielectric layer over the first dielectric layer, and a second conductive feature through the second dielectric layer having a lower convex surface extending into the first conductive feature, wherein the lower convex surface of the second conductive feature has a tip end extending laterally under a bottom boundary of the second dielectric layer.

Conductive feature formation and structure using bottom-up filling deposition

Growing community of inventors

Tainan, Taiwan

Yu Shih Wang