The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 03, 2019
Filed:
Jun. 19, 2013
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hsin-Chu, TW;
Kuei-Sung Chang, Kaohsiung, TW;
Te-Hao Lee, Taipei, TW;
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hsin-Chu, TW;
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a method of etching a narrow gap using one or more parallel releasing structures to improve etching performance, and an associated apparatus. In some embodiments, the method provides a semiconductor substrate with a narrow gap having a sacrificial material. One or more parallel releasing structures are formed within the semiconductor substrate at positions that abut the narrow gap. An etching process is then performed to simultaneously remove the sacrificial material from the narrow gap along a first direction from the one or more parallel releasing structures and along a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction. By simultaneously etching the sacrificial material from both the direction of the narrow gap and from the direction of the one or more parallel releasing structures, the sacrificial material is removed in less time, since the etch is not limited by a size of the narrow gap.