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:
Jul. 25, 2000
Filed:
Jan. 11, 1999
Jung-Hsien Hsu, Hsin-Chu, TW;
Jenn-Ming Huang, Hsin-Chu, TW;
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Hsin-Chu, TW;
Abstract
The outer box of a box-in-box alignment pattern can be difficult to see if implemented in damascene technology. The present invention solves this problem by forming its outline from a trench that is substantially deeper than the channel used to contain the damascene wiring. This trench is formed at the same time that first vias are etched so no extra processing steps are needed, only one extra mask. The metal used for the damascene wiring also lines the inside of the trench, resulting in a structure that is easily seen during the alignment step. These outer box trenches may be simple squares or they may be ring shaped (hollow squares). Three different embodiments of the invention are described.