Abstract:
A reticle for holding a mask thereon with reduced particle contamination problem is described. The reticle is constructed by a base plate that is formed of an optically transparent material such as quartz and has a recessed slot in a top surface to enclose an area at least the size of a mask formed on the base plate. An adhesive partially fills the recessed slot such that a top surface of the adhesive is at least 0.5 mm below the top surface of the base plate. A pellicle frame is mounted in the recessed slot with a bottom end of the frame encased in the adhesive and a thin film covering the top end of the pellicle frame to from a hermetically sealed cavity for protecting the mask.
Abstract:
A method for making crown capacitors using a new and improved crown etch window process for DRAM cells is described. After forming FETs for the memory cells, a planar first insulating layer (IPO-1) is formed and bit lines are formed thereon. A second insulating layer (IPO-2) is deposited, and a first etch-stop layer and a disposable insulating layer are deposited. Contact openings are etched in the layers to the substrate, and are filled with a polysilicon to form capacitor node contact plugs. The disposable layer is removed to expose the upper portions of the plugs extending above the first etch-stop layer. A second etch-stop layer is deposited and a thick insulating layer is deposited in which capacitor openings are etched over and to the plugs. The capacitor openings can be over-etched in the thick insulating layer because the plugs extend upward thereby allowing all the plugs to be exposed across the wafer without overetching the underlying IPO-2 layer that would otherwise cause capacitor-to-bit-line shorts when the bottom electrodes are formed in the capacitor openings.
Abstract:
A new method of forming an improved buried contact junction is described. A gate silicon oxide layer is provided over the surface of a semiconductor substrate. A polysilicon layer is deposited overlying the gate oxide layer. A hard mask layer is deposited overlying the polysilicon layer. The hard mask and polysilicon layers are etched away where they are not covered by a mask to form a polysilicon gate electrode and interconnection lines having a silicon nitride layer thereover wherein gaps are left between the gate electrode and interconnection lines. A layer of dielectric material is deposited over the substrate to fill the gaps. The had mask layer is removed. Thereafter, the polysilicon layer is etched away where it is not covered by a buried contact mask to form an opening to the semiconductor substrate. Ions are implanted into the semiconductor substrate within the opening to form the buried contact. A tungsten layer is selectively deposited overlying the buried contact and the polysilicon gate electrode and interconnection lines to form polycide gate electrodes and interconnection lines. The dielectric material layer is anisotropically etched to leave spacers on the sidewalls of the polycide gate electrodes and interconnection lines to complete the formation of a buried contact junction in the fabrication of an integrated circuit.
Abstract:
A robust dual damascene process is disclosed where the substructure in a substrate is protected from damage caused by multiple etchings required in a damascene process by filling a contact or via hole opening with a protective material prior to the forming of the conductive line opening of the damascene structure having an etch-stop layer separating a lower and an upper dielectric layer. In the first embodiment, the protective material is partially removed from the hole opening reaching the substructure prior to the forming of the upper conductive line opening by etching. In the second embodiment, the protective material in the hole is removed at the same time the upper conductive line opening is formed by etching. In a third embodiment, the disclosed process is applied without the need of an etch-stop layer for the dual damascene process of this invention.
Abstract:
A new method for forming stacked capacitors for DRAMs having improved yields when the bottom electrode is misaligned to the node contact is achieved. A planar silicon oxide (SiO.sub.2) first insulating layer, a Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 etch-stop layer, and a disposable second insulating layer are deposited. First openings for node contacts are etched in the insulating layers. A polysilicon layer is deposited and etched back to form node contacts in the first openings. The node contacts are recessed in the second insulating layer, but above the etch-stop layer to form node contacts abutting the etch-stop layer. A disposable third SiO.sub.2 layer is deposited. Second openings for bottom electrodes are etched over and to the node contacts. A conformal second polysilicon layer is deposited and chem/mech polished back to form the bottom electrodes in the second openings. The third and second insulating layers are removed by wet etching to the etch-stop layer. When the second openings are misaligned over the node contact openings, the polysilicon plugs abutting the Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 etch-stop layer protect the SiO.sub.2 first insulating layer from being eroded over the devices on the substrate. The capacitors are completed by forming a thin dielectric layer on the bottom electrodes, and forming top electrodes from a patterned third polysilicon layer.
Abstract:
A process for forming crown shaped capacitor structures, for a DRAM device, has been developed. The process features the use of a disposable insulator layer, applied prior to photolithographic and dry etching procedures, used to define the capacitor upper plate structures. The disposable insulator layer alleviates the topography effects presented by crown shaped storage node structures, relaxing the complexity of the patterning of the capacitor upper plate structures.
Abstract:
A method of forming an etch stop layer 40 above a fuse 16 in a fuse opening (or window) 92 using a specialized 2 stage etch process. The invention has two important features: First, the etch stop layer 40 is formed from a polysilicon layer (P2 or P4) that is used to fabricate semiconductor devices on a substrate. The etch stop layer 40 is preferably formed of polysilicon layer to is used to from a contact to the substrate 10 (P2) or to form part of a capacitor (P4). Second, a specialized two stage etch process is used where the second stage etches the etch stop layer 40 while simultaneously forming a passivation layer 114 over a metal pad 85. The method comprises: forming fuses 16 over said isolation regions 10 over the fuse area 15; forming a first dielectric layer 30 overlying the fuses 16; forming an etch stop layer 40 over the first dielectric layer 30; forming an insulating layer 43 over the etch stop layer; forming a fuse opening 92 in the insulating layer 43 by etching, in a first etch stage, thorough fuse photoresist openings 90A and stopping the first etch stage on the etch stop layer 40; and etching though the etch stop layer 40 in the fuse opening 92 in a second etch stage.
Abstract:
A method for reducing bonding pad loss is achieved using a capping layer when contact openings are etched to the bonding pads, while concurrently etching much deeper fuse openings to the substrate. Bonding pads are used on the top surface of integrated circuit semiconductor chips to provide external electrical connections for I/Os and power. And fuses are used in the underlying insulating layers to remove redundant defective circuit elements and thereby repair defective chips. It is desirable (cost effective) to etch the contact openings in the passivation layer to the bonding pads near the top surface on the chip and to concurrently etch the much deeper fuse openings in the thick underlying insulating layers over the fuses. However, because of the difference in etch depth of the two types of openings, the bonding pads composed of Al/Cu are generally overetched causing bond-pad reliability problems. This invention uses a novel process in which a capping layer, having a low etch rate, is formed on the bonding pads to prevent overetching while the fuse openings are etched to the desired depth in the thicker insulating layers.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a control device for a cordless blind with willful stop at any positions according to user needs during switching operation. The control device primarily comprises a force-return mechanism, a shaft connector, and a braking buffer mechanism which are all installed inside a same housing. The force-return mechanism has a flat spring bevel gear and an elastic element. One end of the shaft connector is a transmission bevel gear meshed with the flat spring bevel gear. The braking buffer mechanism includes a friction ring and an impeding spring where the friction ring is immovably fixed inside the housing with a wear-proof annular inwall. The impeding spring is tightly plugged into the friction ring with an extrusion to prevent the rotation of the transmission bevel gear. Specifically, the shaft connector has a trigger to change the friction between the impeding spring and the friction ring.