Abstract:
Disclosed herein are semiconductor devices and methods for fabricating a semiconductor device. In an embodiment, a method of fabricating a semiconductor device comprises providing a substrate. The method further comprises forming, on the substrate, an array region having a first height, a peripheral region having a second height greater than the first height, and a border region, the border region separating the array region from the peripheral region. The method further comprises forming a plurality of alternating insulative and conductive layers over at least a portion of the array region and the border region. The method further comprises forming a trench through the plurality of alternating insulative and conductive layers in at least a portion of the border region, the trench having sloping sidewalls.
Abstract:
A wafer holder and a semiconductor wafer carrying tool including the wafer holder are provided. The wafer holder includes a frame portion, a wafer centering unit and a plurality of support pins for supporting the wafer carried by the wafer holder. The wafer centering unit comprises a plurality of pin cassettes, and the plurality of pin cassettes is arranged on the frame portion in diagonal positions. Each of the plurality of pin cassettes individually includes a retractable pin, and the retractable pins can be protruded out of the pin cassettes to function together as a space limiting tool to force the carried wafer to calibrate its position.
Abstract:
A patterning method is provided. A substrate including a material layer thereon is provided. A patterned hard mask layer, having a plurality of first holes, is formed on the material layer. Afterward, a mask layer, including a plurality of line pattern masks extending in a direction and dividing each first hole into a second hole and a third hole, is formed. The material layer is patterned using the patterned hard mask layer and the mask layer as masks to form a patterned material layer having a plurality of fourth and fifth holes. Furthermore, a semiconductor structure is provided.
Abstract:
Provided is a semiconductor device including a substrate and a stack layer. The substrate includes a first region, a second region, and a third region. The third region is disposed between the first region and the second region. Since a top surface of the substrate in the first region is lower than the top surface of the substrate in the second region, the substrate in the third region has a first step height. The stack layer is disposed on the substrate in the first and third regions. The top surface of the stack layer in the first region and the third region and the top surface of the substrate in the second region are substantially coplanar.
Abstract:
A scanner and a method for performing an exposure process through a photomask on a wafer are provided. The exposure process includes an alignment step and an exposure step. The method includes the steps of moving a wafer table to align the wafer with an alignment apparatus, wherein the wafer table includes at least one chuck hole to attach the wafer to the wafer table by vacuum chucking, detecting an actual position of each of a plurality of alignment marks on the wafer, calculating an index value based on a difference between a predicted position and the actual position of each alignment mark, adjusting a vacuum pressure of the at least one chuck hole in the alignment step when the index value is larger than a first threshold value, and finishing the exposure process when the index value is smaller than or equal to the first threshold value.