US20110133304A1 - Structure and Method for Placement, Sizing and Shaping of Dummy Structures - Google Patents
Structure and Method for Placement, Sizing and Shaping of Dummy Structures Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20110133304A1 US20110133304A1 US12/980,268 US98026810A US2011133304A1 US 20110133304 A1 US20110133304 A1 US 20110133304A1 US 98026810 A US98026810 A US 98026810A US 2011133304 A1 US2011133304 A1 US 2011133304A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- functional areas
- size
- function
- dummy structure
- dummy
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L22/00—Testing or measuring during manufacture or treatment; Reliability measurements, i.e. testing of parts without further processing to modify the parts as such; Structural arrangements therefor
- H01L22/10—Measuring as part of the manufacturing process
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B81—MICROSTRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGY
- B81C—PROCESSES OR APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
- B81C1/00—Manufacture or treatment of devices or systems in or on a substrate
- B81C1/00436—Shaping materials, i.e. techniques for structuring the substrate or the layers on the substrate
- B81C1/00523—Etching material
- B81C1/00539—Wet etching
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F30/00—Computer-aided design [CAD]
- G06F30/30—Circuit design
- G06F30/39—Circuit design at the physical level
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/027—Making masks on semiconductor bodies for further photolithographic processing not provided for in group H01L21/18 or H01L21/34
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
- H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic System or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
- H01L21/30—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26
- H01L21/31—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26 to form insulating layers thereon, e.g. for masking or by using photolithographic techniques; After treatment of these layers; Selection of materials for these layers
- H01L21/3105—After-treatment
- H01L21/31051—Planarisation of the insulating layers
- H01L21/31053—Planarisation of the insulating layers involving a dielectric removal step
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
- H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic System or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
- H01L21/30—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26
- H01L21/31—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26 to form insulating layers thereon, e.g. for masking or by using photolithographic techniques; After treatment of these layers; Selection of materials for these layers
- H01L21/3205—Deposition of non-insulating-, e.g. conductive- or resistive-, layers on insulating layers; After-treatment of these layers
- H01L21/321—After treatment
- H01L21/32115—Planarisation
- H01L21/3212—Planarisation by chemical mechanical polishing [CMP]
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/70—Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components formed in or on a common substrate or of parts thereof; Manufacture of integrated circuit devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/71—Manufacture of specific parts of devices defined in group H01L21/70
- H01L21/76—Making of isolation regions between components
- H01L21/762—Dielectric regions, e.g. EPIC dielectric isolation, LOCOS; Trench refilling techniques, SOI technology, use of channel stoppers
- H01L21/76224—Dielectric regions, e.g. EPIC dielectric isolation, LOCOS; Trench refilling techniques, SOI technology, use of channel stoppers using trench refilling with dielectric materials
- H01L21/76229—Concurrent filling of a plurality of trenches having a different trench shape or dimension, e.g. rectangular and V-shaped trenches, wide and narrow trenches, shallow and deep trenches
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/70—Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components formed in or on a common substrate or of parts thereof; Manufacture of integrated circuit devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/77—Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components or integrated circuits formed in, or on, a common substrate
- H01L21/78—Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components or integrated circuits formed in, or on, a common substrate with subsequent division of the substrate into plural individual devices
- H01L21/82—Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components or integrated circuits formed in, or on, a common substrate with subsequent division of the substrate into plural individual devices to produce devices, e.g. integrated circuits, each consisting of a plurality of components
Definitions
- the present invention relates to microelectronic devices and micro-mechanical or micro-electromechanical devices (either type or both types hereinafter, “MEMs”), and more particularly, to a structure and method of providing dummy structures in a layer of material of a substrate during the fabrication of microelectronic devices and MEMs to achieve more uniform developer solution rates, etching rates, and rate at which the height of features of a layer are reduced during planarization processes such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP).
- CMP chemical mechanical polishing
- ICs and MEM dies also referred to herein as “chips”.
- ICs and MEM dies also referred to herein as “chips”.
- An example of such process is the development of an exposure pattern in a photoresist layer on a wafer.
- a photoresist (hereinafter “resist”) layer is deposited onto a wafer and a photolithographic image is cast on the layer.
- a developer solution is applied to the resist layer, which chemically reacts with the exposed areas of the resist layer to remove such areas, leaving only the areas that are unexposed by the photolithographic image.
- the etching of a material layer by a chemical etchant is another process that can vary in uniformity across a wafer depending upon the size and density of features. Again, variation in the size and density of features can cause the concentration of reactants and reaction products to vary, thus making the process nonuniform.
- polishing of material layers of a wafer is yet another process that can vary in uniformity across a wafer, depending upon the size and density of features.
- Polishing especially chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is often used in the fabrication of chips to reduce the topography of features in a material layer.
- Polishing may also be used to remove excess deposited material from above a patterned feature layer. For example, polishing is used to remove excess oxide after shallow trench isolations are filled and to remove excess metal after filling damascene metallization patterns. Polishing, especially CMP, is used to planarize a material layer.
- CMP chemical mechanical polishing
- a goal of such polishing processes is to smooth variations in the topography of features and, in some cases, to smooth a material layer to a uniformly planar surface. Failure to achieve such goals can hinder the function of features in a material layer and/or hinder subsequent processing in a manner that can cause device degradation and reduce yields.
- the density of raised areas in a material layer directly affects the aforementioned rates.
- the removal rate of material during polishing is inversely proportional to the surface area of the wafer in contact with the polisher.
- This surface area is also referred to herein as the “pattern density” which is directly proportional to the area of raised features on a wafer.
- Such raised features can be, for example, the result of material depositions to fill trenches and/or gaps within a dielectric material, a metal or semiconductor material.
- Two chips having different layouts can have different pattern densities, and even one chip can have material layers which vary in pattern density across the chip. Wafers on which such chips are fabricated can themselves have areas near the edge that are smaller than the chip die size, and therefore not have any layout features in such areas. Consequently, CMP processing results in different removal rates in different areas of each such chip or wafer. If the same process is used to polish a corresponding layer of two wafers from which two different types of chips having different pattern densities are formed, results will vary for the two wafers. On the wafer having the greater pattern density, the height of features will be reduced to a lesser extent than the wafer having the lower pattern density.
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,697 issued Jun. 17, 1997 to Weling et al. describes a method of using dummy structures in pattern layers of a wafer to provide more uniform pattern density across the wafer.
- the dummy structures serve to raise the pattern density in areas of the wafer.
- the dummy structures are not electrically active elements of the chip when fabrication is completed.
- these dummy structures can be any shape and size and can be placed uniformly or non-uniformly in areas of the wafer.
- areas of a wafer having different layouts can be made to approximate the same pattern density value to achieve, for example, improved planarization during CMP.
- pattern density is controlled by removing material from a region of high material density by etching away portions of the raised areas, thus lowering the density (and, therefore, the surface area) of that region.
- STI shallow trench isolation
- the location, size, and/or shape of a dummy structure added to a material layer is selected on the basis of distance from neighboring functional features.
- the location, size, and/or shape of a dummy structure that are/is added to a material layer is selected on the basis of pattern density of neighboring functional features.
- a material layer of a substrate comprises a number of functional structures.
- dummy fill structures of different sizes are added to the material layer at different distances from the functional structures of the material layer.
- the placement and size and shape of the dummy structures are determined as a function of a distance to, and density of, the functional structure(s) in the material layer of the substrate.
- dummy structures are placed on a semiconductor device such that the dummy structures have different sizes and shapes.
- the different sizes and shapes of the dummy structures are selected as a function of the density and distance to the functional structures of the semiconductor device.
- Another aspect of the invention relates to methods of fabricating a chip.
- the density ( ⁇ ), width ( ⁇ ) and location of functional structures of the chip are determined.
- the shape, size and placement of a dummy structure is determined as a function of the density ⁇ and the width ⁇ .
- the placement, C x of the dummy structure is a function of ⁇ and ⁇ ; and the size of the dummy structure, b x , is a function of the placement C x .
- the shape of the dummy structure is preferably a function of the size b x .
- the shape of the dummy structure is illustratively a regular polygon such that the enclosed area is illustratively maximized as a function of the size b x .
- FIGS. 1 and 2 show diagrams of an illustrative semiconductor device in accordance with the principles of the invention.
- FIG. 3 shows an illustrative flow chart embodying the principles of the invention.
- substrate 100 can be a semiconductor wafer, or can be any one of many different types of substrates on which processing is performed to pattern one or more layers thereof or formed thereon in the fabrication of microelectronic devices, MEMs and associated packaging.
- layer can be a layer formed on a substrate and can be a portion or all of the substrate itself.
- Substrate 100 comprises three functional areas: 105 , 110 and 115 arranged on layer 101 . These functional areas represent raised areas of a layer 101 and may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: active elements, passive elements, and conductive traces, for example.
- a layer 101 may have more or less functional areas and a substrate may include one or more additional layers.
- the functional areas may include raised features that are disposed in more than one layer 101 of the substrate.
- the inventive concept may also be applied to other layers.
- the inventive concept may also be applied to adding dummy structures to, e.g., an insulating oxide layer over a functional area such as a conductive trace.
- the topography of substrate 100 i.e., the physical location of functional areas 105 , 110 and 115 on layer 101 is merely illustrative.
- dummy structures are added to a layer 101 .
- dummy structures are added as a function of the distance to and density of the functional areas.
- methods for adding dummy structures to a layer are well known.
- dummy structures can be added to a layout of functional areas of a chip at the time of processing design data to create patterns of a photomask that include both functional areas and dummy structures. The photomask can then be used to produce corresponding structures on a layer 101 .
- a layer 101 having raised features already formed on a substrate 100 can be altered with the addition of dummy structures to produce the desired pattern.
- FIG. 2 an illustrative arrangement of dummy structures on layer 101 of substrate 100 in accordance with the principles of the invention is shown.
- a number of octagon shaped dummy structures have been added to layer 101 .
- seven octagon shapes have been added.
- Shapes 155 - 1 and 155 - 2 represent two octagon shapes having the same dimensions, i.e., surface area.
- shapes 160 - 1 to 160 - 5 represent five octagon shapes having the same dimensions, i.e., surface area.
- these octagonal shapes are regular polygons.
- functional areas 105 , 110 and 115 have similar dimensions.
- functional area 105 has a width, ⁇ 105 , and an associated density ⁇ 105 .
- the placement (C x ), size (b x ) and shape (S x ) of a dummy structure x to be added to a layer 101 is determined as a function of the width ⁇ and density ⁇ ( ⁇ ) of one or more functional areas of the substrate.
- C x the placement of a dummy structure, C x , is determined by:
- ⁇ is the width of a functional area
- ⁇ ( ⁇ ) represents the density of the functional area (where the density, ⁇ , is itself typically a function of the shape of the functional area).
- the size of a dummy structure, b x is determined by:
- ⁇ ( ⁇ , ⁇ ( ⁇ )) selects the placement, size and shape of dummy structures to be added to a layer to the size of functional areas as represented by ⁇ and the density of the shapes ⁇ ( ⁇ ).
- An illustrative formula for this function is:
- n is the number of nearest neighbor functional areas in the vertical direction to the location being processed
- d n is the distance over which the n nearest neighbor functional areas are distributed
- ⁇ i the size of each functional area in the vertical direction
- d i the distance between the ith functional area and the location being processed.
- the distance d n is a parameter preferably selected by a computer or operator of a computer performing the processing such that it can be adjusted in accordance with the density of patterns on a particular material layer or a particular portion of a material layer. For example, when the distance between functional areas of a layer is large, the distance d n that is selected for processing should also be large. On the other hand, when the distance between functional areas of a layer is small, the distance d n can be correspondingly small in order for processing to be performed with the correct granularity.
- the constants ⁇ and ⁇ are preferably selected based on experimental data. Preferably they are selected based on measurements of the width-control of the neighboring structures against different densities at which dummy structures are provided to fill a material layer.
- the first term of equation (4) weights the vertical width ⁇ i of each neighbor functional area with the distance d i of each such functional area from the location being processed.
- the second term of equation (4) depends on the numerical density (n/d n ) of functional areas within the distance d n surrounding the location being processed. Accordingly, the placement C x of a dummy structure x, in units of distance from the nearest neighboring functional area, is determined based on a weighted sum of the pattern density within a space of distance d n surrounding the location, as well as the numerical density of the functional areas.
- the size of the dummy structure b x is a function of the placement C x .
- requirements for patterning dummy structures are relaxed in areas of low pattern density such as near edges of a chip and within areas of low circuit density.
- the requirements for building and using critical dimensioned masks are relaxed because dummy structures having critical dimensions or near critical dimensions are not used except in such areas where they are specifically needed to match the numerical density of functional areas.
- the shape of a dummy structure is a function of the size b x .
- the shape of the dummy structure is a regular polygon such that the enclosed area is illustratively maximized as a function of the size b x .
- the shape of a dummy structure is selected based on the size b x of the dummy structure, such that larger dummy structures are patterned having a larger number of sides than smaller dummy structures.
- a small dummy structure x can be a regular polygon having few sides due to photolithographic process constraints, for example, in patterning small features in the material layer.
- the dummy structure can be a regular polygon having a greater number of sides such that its shape more nearly approximates that of a circular disk.
- dummy structures are provided as having octagonal shapes as an example of a regular polygon. Other types of shapes may be used and different shapes may be arranged on the same layer.
- FIG. 3 An illustrative flow chart of a method in accordance with the principles of the invention is shown in FIG. 3 .
- the density ( ⁇ ), width ( ⁇ ) and location of n functional areas of a layer within a distance d n surrounding a location being processed are determined in step 305 .
- the placement, size and shape of a dummy structure are determined as a function of ⁇ and ⁇ in step 310 .
- the placement, C x , of the dummy structure is a function of ⁇ and ⁇ .
- the size of the dummy structure b x is a function of the placement C x .
- the shape of the dummy structure is a function of the size b x .
- the shape is illustratively a regular polygon such that the enclosed area is maximized.
- the dummy structures are placed in step 315 .
- dummy structures are added to a photoresist layer on a substrate to aid in equilibrating developer solution rates.
- dummy structures are added to a pattern of a layer to aid in making rates of etching material from that layer more uniform.
- dummy structures are added to a material layer to help achieve better planarization through a process such as CMP.
Abstract
A chip includes a number a plurality of functional areas of a layer and a number of dummy structures within the layer. The dummy structures are spaced from the functional areas. Each dummy structure has a size that is a function of the size and density of the functional areas.
Description
- This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/353,193, which was filed on Jan. 13, 2009, which is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/441,649, which was filed on May 26, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,494,930, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/671,123, filed on Sep. 24, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,071,074. All of these applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
- The present invention relates to microelectronic devices and micro-mechanical or micro-electromechanical devices (either type or both types hereinafter, “MEMs”), and more particularly, to a structure and method of providing dummy structures in a layer of material of a substrate during the fabrication of microelectronic devices and MEMs to achieve more uniform developer solution rates, etching rates, and rate at which the height of features of a layer are reduced during planarization processes such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP).
- In the fabrication of microelectronic devices of integrated circuits (ICs) and MEM dies (ICs and MEM dies also referred to herein as “chips”), it is important that certain processes be conducted at uniform rates across the surface of a substrate or wafer on which the chips are fabricated. This is needed despite the fact that the size of layout features and their density may vary from one point to another on the substrate. An example of such process is the development of an exposure pattern in a photoresist layer on a wafer. In such process, a photoresist (hereinafter “resist”) layer is deposited onto a wafer and a photolithographic image is cast on the layer. Thereafter, a developer solution is applied to the resist layer, which chemically reacts with the exposed areas of the resist layer to remove such areas, leaving only the areas that are unexposed by the photolithographic image.
- A problem occurs when a resist layer contains features of different densities and sizes. Under such circumstances, the concentration of reactants and reaction products varies from the densely patterned areas to the other areas. As a result, the developer solution used to etch away the exposed areas of the resist layer may etch the resist in the densely patterned areas at a slower rate than in the less densely patterned areas.
- The etching of a material layer by a chemical etchant is another process that can vary in uniformity across a wafer depending upon the size and density of features. Again, variation in the size and density of features can cause the concentration of reactants and reaction products to vary, thus making the process nonuniform.
- The polishing of material layers of a wafer is yet another process that can vary in uniformity across a wafer, depending upon the size and density of features. Polishing, especially chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is often used in the fabrication of chips to reduce the topography of features in a material layer. Polishing may also be used to remove excess deposited material from above a patterned feature layer. For example, polishing is used to remove excess oxide after shallow trench isolations are filled and to remove excess metal after filling damascene metallization patterns. Polishing, especially CMP, is used to planarize a material layer.
- A goal of such polishing processes is to smooth variations in the topography of features and, in some cases, to smooth a material layer to a uniformly planar surface. Failure to achieve such goals can hinder the function of features in a material layer and/or hinder subsequent processing in a manner that can cause device degradation and reduce yields.
- It is known that the density of raised areas in a material layer directly affects the aforementioned rates. For example, it is known that the removal rate of material during polishing is inversely proportional to the surface area of the wafer in contact with the polisher. This surface area is also referred to herein as the “pattern density” which is directly proportional to the area of raised features on a wafer. Such raised features can be, for example, the result of material depositions to fill trenches and/or gaps within a dielectric material, a metal or semiconductor material.
- Two chips having different layouts can have different pattern densities, and even one chip can have material layers which vary in pattern density across the chip. Wafers on which such chips are fabricated can themselves have areas near the edge that are smaller than the chip die size, and therefore not have any layout features in such areas. Consequently, CMP processing results in different removal rates in different areas of each such chip or wafer. If the same process is used to polish a corresponding layer of two wafers from which two different types of chips having different pattern densities are formed, results will vary for the two wafers. On the wafer having the greater pattern density, the height of features will be reduced to a lesser extent than the wafer having the lower pattern density.
- A number of approaches have been developed in an effort to mitigate the effect of pattern density variations in wafer processing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,697 issued Jun. 17, 1997 to Weling et al. describes a method of using dummy structures in pattern layers of a wafer to provide more uniform pattern density across the wafer. The dummy structures serve to raise the pattern density in areas of the wafer. The dummy structures are not electrically active elements of the chip when fabrication is completed. As described in the above-mentioned patent, these dummy structures can be any shape and size and can be placed uniformly or non-uniformly in areas of the wafer. Thus, with the addition of dummy structures, areas of a wafer having different layouts can be made to approximate the same pattern density value to achieve, for example, improved planarization during CMP.
- As an alternative, it is also known to use a method known as reverse etchback to reduce the pattern density in some fabrication processes. In this method, pattern density is controlled by removing material from a region of high material density by etching away portions of the raised areas, thus lowering the density (and, therefore, the surface area) of that region.
- The article “Using Smart Dummy Fill and Selective Reverse Etchback for Pattern Density Equalization” by Lee et al., Proc. CMP-MIC, pp. 255-258, March 2000, describes another process for controlling pattern density of a layer during fabrication, for example, a shallow trench isolation (STI) fill layer. As described therein, variations in pattern density are reduced through a combination of reverse etchback and addition of dummy structures.
- Unfortunately, the above techniques still have limitations with respect to improving the yield and reliability of chip fabrication.
- Still, further improvements are desirable to control pattern density in processing material layers of a substrate. In particular, according to an aspect of the invention, the location, size, and/or shape of a dummy structure added to a material layer is selected on the basis of distance from neighboring functional features.
- According to another aspect of the invention, the location, size, and/or shape of a dummy structure that are/is added to a material layer is selected on the basis of pattern density of neighboring functional features.
- With the addition of dummy structures to the layout of a material layer of a substrate, it is possible to improve yield and reliability in the fabrication of chips. In an embodiment of the invention, a material layer of a substrate comprises a number of functional structures. In order to control pattern density during fabrication, dummy fill structures of different sizes are added to the material layer at different distances from the functional structures of the material layer. In particular, the placement and size and shape of the dummy structures are determined as a function of a distance to, and density of, the functional structure(s) in the material layer of the substrate.
- In another embodiment of the invention, dummy structures are placed on a semiconductor device such that the dummy structures have different sizes and shapes. In particular, the different sizes and shapes of the dummy structures are selected as a function of the density and distance to the functional structures of the semiconductor device.
- Another aspect of the invention relates to methods of fabricating a chip. First, the density (ρ), width (α) and location of functional structures of the chip are determined. Then, the shape, size and placement of a dummy structure is determined as a function of the density ρ and the width α. In particular, the placement, Cx of the dummy structure is a function of α and ρ; and the size of the dummy structure, bx, is a function of the placement Cx. The shape of the dummy structure is preferably a function of the size bx. The shape of the dummy structure is illustratively a regular polygon such that the enclosed area is illustratively maximized as a function of the size bx.
-
FIGS. 1 and 2 show diagrams of an illustrative semiconductor device in accordance with the principles of the invention; and -
FIG. 3 shows an illustrative flow chart embodying the principles of the invention. - Other than the inventive concept, the apparatus and methods for fabricating chips are well-known and are not described further herein. Also, like numbers on different figures represent similar elements.
- A top view of a
representative layer 101 of an illustrative substrate 100 or formed on such substrate 100 is shown inFIG. 1 . Illustratively, substrate 100 can be a semiconductor wafer, or can be any one of many different types of substrates on which processing is performed to pattern one or more layers thereof or formed thereon in the fabrication of microelectronic devices, MEMs and associated packaging. As defined herein, “layer” can be a layer formed on a substrate and can be a portion or all of the substrate itself. Substrate 100 comprises three functional areas: 105, 110 and 115 arranged onlayer 101. These functional areas represent raised areas of alayer 101 and may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: active elements, passive elements, and conductive traces, for example. - For illustrative purposes only, only three functional areas are shown. A
layer 101 may have more or less functional areas and a substrate may include one or more additional layers. In addition, the functional areas may include raised features that are disposed in more than onelayer 101 of the substrate. As such, although the inventive concept is described in the context oflayer 101, the inventive concept may also be applied to other layers. In addition, it should be noted that the inventive concept may also be applied to adding dummy structures to, e.g., an insulating oxide layer over a functional area such as a conductive trace. Further, the topography of substrate 100, i.e., the physical location offunctional areas layer 101 is merely illustrative. - In accordance with the inventive concept, in order to equilibrate developer solution rates and etching rates, and to maintain removal rate consistency during polishing (e.g., via use of CMP), dummy structures are added to a
layer 101. Illustratively, dummy structures are added as a function of the distance to and density of the functional areas. Other than the inventive concept, methods for adding dummy structures to a layer are well known. In an example, dummy structures can be added to a layout of functional areas of a chip at the time of processing design data to create patterns of a photomask that include both functional areas and dummy structures. The photomask can then be used to produce corresponding structures on alayer 101. In another example, alayer 101 having raised features already formed on a substrate 100 can be altered with the addition of dummy structures to produce the desired pattern. - Turning now to
FIG. 2 , an illustrative arrangement of dummy structures onlayer 101 of substrate 100 in accordance with the principles of the invention is shown. In particular a number of octagon shaped dummy structures have been added tolayer 101. Illustratively, seven octagon shapes have been added. Shapes 155-1 and 155-2 represent two octagon shapes having the same dimensions, i.e., surface area. Similarly, shapes 160-1 to 160-5 represent five octagon shapes having the same dimensions, i.e., surface area. Illustratively, these octagonal shapes are regular polygons. However, the inventive concept is not so limited. As can be further observed fromFIG. 2 ,functional areas functional area 105 has a width, α105, and an associated density ρ105. - In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the placement (Cx), size (bx) and shape (Sx) of a dummy structure x to be added to a
layer 101 is determined as a function of the width α and density ρ(α) of one or more functional areas of the substrate. - Illustratively, the placement of a dummy structure, Cx, is determined by:
-
C x=ƒ(α, ρ(α)), (1) - where, as noted above, α is the width of a functional area, while ρ(α) represents the density of the functional area (where the density, ρ, is itself typically a function of the shape of the functional area).
- The size of a dummy structure, bx, is determined by:
-
b x=ƒ(C x). (2) - Finally, the shape of a dummy structure, Sx, is determined by:
-
S x=ƒ(b x). (3) - Assume that processing to add dummy structures to a material layer of a substrate is performed in a vertical direction relative to location and width of functional areas therein. With respect to equation (1), the function ƒ(α, ρ(α)) selects the placement, size and shape of dummy structures to be added to a layer to the size of functional areas as represented by α and the density of the shapes ρ(α). An illustrative formula for this function is:
-
- where n is the number of nearest neighbor functional areas in the vertical direction to the location being processed, dn is the distance over which the n nearest neighbor functional areas are distributed, αi the size of each functional area in the vertical direction, and di the distance between the ith functional area and the location being processed.
- The distance dn is a parameter preferably selected by a computer or operator of a computer performing the processing such that it can be adjusted in accordance with the density of patterns on a particular material layer or a particular portion of a material layer. For example, when the distance between functional areas of a layer is large, the distance dn that is selected for processing should also be large. On the other hand, when the distance between functional areas of a layer is small, the distance dn can be correspondingly small in order for processing to be performed with the correct granularity.
- The constants α and β are preferably selected based on experimental data. Preferably they are selected based on measurements of the width-control of the neighboring structures against different densities at which dummy structures are provided to fill a material layer.
- The first term of equation (4) weights the vertical width αi of each neighbor functional area with the distance di of each such functional area from the location being processed. The second term of equation (4) depends on the numerical density (n/dn) of functional areas within the distance dn surrounding the location being processed. Accordingly, the placement Cx of a dummy structure x, in units of distance from the nearest neighboring functional area, is determined based on a weighted sum of the pattern density within a space of distance dn surrounding the location, as well as the numerical density of the functional areas.
- Thus, for example, when neighboring functional areas within distance dn surrounding the location being processed are disposed at relatively large distances di, the first term in equation (4) will be small. When there are relatively few such shapes over the distance dn selected for processing, the second term of equation (4) will be small. Accordingly, processing determines that the local pattern density and numerical density are low. The dummy structure is therefore placed at a distance Cx which is close to the nearest functional area of the material layer.
- Alternatively, when respective distances di from the location being processed to neighboring functional areas is small, the first term of equation (4) becomes larger, such that the placement Cx of a dummy structure is provided at a greater distance from the nearest functional area.
- As can be observed from equation (2), the size of the dummy structure bx is a function of the placement Cx. The greater the distance Cx at which a dummy structure is placed from a nearest neighbor functional area, the larger that the dummy structure is provided. In such manner, requirements for patterning dummy structures are relaxed in areas of low pattern density such as near edges of a chip and within areas of low circuit density. Moreover, the requirements for building and using critical dimensioned masks are relaxed because dummy structures having critical dimensions or near critical dimensions are not used except in such areas where they are specifically needed to match the numerical density of functional areas.
- From equation (3), the shape of a dummy structure is a function of the size bx. Illustratively, the shape of the dummy structure is a regular polygon such that the enclosed area is illustratively maximized as a function of the size bx. In an embodiment, the shape of a dummy structure is selected based on the size bx of the dummy structure, such that larger dummy structures are patterned having a larger number of sides than smaller dummy structures. For example, a small dummy structure x can be a regular polygon having few sides due to photolithographic process constraints, for example, in patterning small features in the material layer. On the other hand, when the size of the dummy structure is large and such constraints are not as imposing, the dummy structure can be a regular polygon having a greater number of sides such that its shape more nearly approximates that of a circular disk.
- As illustrated in
FIG. 2 , dummy structures are provided as having octagonal shapes as an example of a regular polygon. Other types of shapes may be used and different shapes may be arranged on the same layer. - An illustrative flow chart of a method in accordance with the principles of the invention is shown in
FIG. 3 . First, the density (ρ), width (α) and location of n functional areas of a layer within a distance dn surrounding a location being processed are determined instep 305. Then, the placement, size and shape of a dummy structure are determined as a function of ρ and α instep 310. In particular, the placement, Cx, of the dummy structure is a function of α and ρ. The size of the dummy structure bx is a function of the placement Cx. The shape of the dummy structure is a function of the size bx. The shape is illustratively a regular polygon such that the enclosed area is maximized. Finally, the dummy structures are placed instep 315. - As a result of the above, it is possible to further improve yield and reliability in semiconductor manufacturing processes. For example, in an example, dummy structures are added to a photoresist layer on a substrate to aid in equilibrating developer solution rates. In another example, dummy structures are added to a pattern of a layer to aid in making rates of etching material from that layer more uniform. In yet another example, dummy structures are added to a material layer to help achieve better planarization through a process such as CMP.
- Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, although the inventive concept is illustrated in the context of an octagon shape, the inventive concept is not so limited. Also, the inventive concept is valid for application to any kind of material layer including the manufacture of compact discs, and flat panel displays.
Claims (26)
1. A method for use in fabricating a chip comprising:
providing at least two functional areas of a layer; and
adding at least one dummy structure to the layer within a predetermined distance to at least one of the functional areas,
wherein the adding comprises:
determining a size for each dummy structure of the at least one dummy structure as a function of size and density of the at least two functional areas.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining a shape of each dummy structure as a function of the determined size.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the size of each dummy structure further comprises determining the size as a function of a functionality of the at least two functional areas.
4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising determining a placement of each dummy structure as a function of a functionality of the at least two functional areas.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the size of each dummy structure further comprises determining the size as a function of a local property of the at least two functional areas.
6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining placement of each dummy structure as a function of a width of a closer one of the at least two functional areas.
7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining placement of each dummy structure as a function of a width of a smaller one of the at least two functional areas.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the size of each dummy structure further comprises determining the size as a function of a shape of one of the at least two functional areas.
9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the size of each dummy structure further comprises determining the size as a function of functionality of the at least two functional areas and size of the at least two functional areas.
10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining placement of each dummy structure as a function of a width of at least one of said at least two functional areas and a distance between the at least two functional areas.
11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein determining the size of each dummy structure comprises determining the size as a function of the determined placement.
12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein providing the at least two functional areas of the layer and adding the at least one dummy structure comprises fabricating a chip that includes the at least two functional areas and the at least one dummy structure.
13. A chip comprising:
a plurality of functional areas of a layer; and
a plurality of dummy structures within the layer spaced from the functional areas, wherein each dummy structure has a size that is a function of the size and density of the functional areas.
14. The chip according to claim 13 , wherein the functional areas comprise active elements.
15. The chip according to claim 13 , wherein the functional areas comprise passive elements.
16. The chip according to claim 13 , wherein the functional areas comprise conductive traces.
17. The chip according to claim 13 , wherein each dummy structure has a shape that is a function of the size.
18. The chip according to claim 13 , wherein the size of the dummy structures is also a function of a functionality of at least one of the functional areas.
19. The chip according to claim 18 , wherein each dummy structure is located at a location that is a function of the functionality of at least one of the functional areas.
20. The chip according to claim 13 , wherein the size of each dummy structure is a function of local properties of the functional areas.
21. The chip according to claim 13 , wherein each dummy structure is located at a location that is a function of a width of a closer one of the functional areas.
22. The chip according to claim 13 , wherein each dummy structure is located at a location that is a function of a width of a smaller one of the functional areas.
23. The chip according to claim 13 , wherein the size of each dummy structure is also a function of a shape of one the functional areas.
24. The chip according to claim 13 , wherein the size of each dummy structure is a function of functionality of the functional areas and size of the functional areas.
25. The chip according to claim 13 , wherein the chip comprises a microelectronic device.
26. The chip according to claim 13 , wherein the chip comprises a MEMS device.
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/980,268 US20110133304A1 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2010-12-28 | Structure and Method for Placement, Sizing and Shaping of Dummy Structures |
US13/907,449 US8921166B2 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2013-05-31 | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US10/671,123 US7071074B2 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2003-09-24 | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
US11/441,649 US7494930B2 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2006-05-26 | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
US12/353,193 US7868427B2 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2009-01-13 | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
US12/980,268 US20110133304A1 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2010-12-28 | Structure and Method for Placement, Sizing and Shaping of Dummy Structures |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/353,193 Division US7868427B2 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2009-01-13 | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
Related Child Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13/907,449 Division US8921166B2 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2013-05-31 | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20110133304A1 true US20110133304A1 (en) | 2011-06-09 |
Family
ID=34313892
Family Applications (5)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/671,123 Expired - Lifetime US7071074B2 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2003-09-24 | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
US11/441,649 Expired - Lifetime US7494930B2 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2006-05-26 | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
US12/353,193 Expired - Fee Related US7868427B2 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2009-01-13 | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
US12/980,268 Abandoned US20110133304A1 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2010-12-28 | Structure and Method for Placement, Sizing and Shaping of Dummy Structures |
US13/907,449 Expired - Fee Related US8921166B2 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2013-05-31 | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
Family Applications Before (3)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/671,123 Expired - Lifetime US7071074B2 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2003-09-24 | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
US11/441,649 Expired - Lifetime US7494930B2 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2006-05-26 | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
US12/353,193 Expired - Fee Related US7868427B2 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2009-01-13 | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
Family Applications After (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13/907,449 Expired - Fee Related US8921166B2 (en) | 2003-09-24 | 2013-05-31 | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (5) | US7071074B2 (en) |
Families Citing this family (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP4198502B2 (en) * | 2003-03-28 | 2008-12-17 | 富士通マイクロエレクトロニクス株式会社 | Pattern generation method |
US7071074B2 (en) * | 2003-09-24 | 2006-07-04 | Infineon Technologies Ag | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
KR100580110B1 (en) * | 2004-05-28 | 2006-05-12 | 매그나칩 반도체 유한회사 | Structure of dummy pattern in semiconductor device |
US7777607B2 (en) * | 2004-10-12 | 2010-08-17 | Allegro Microsystems, Inc. | Resistor having a predetermined temperature coefficient |
JP2007250705A (en) * | 2006-03-15 | 2007-09-27 | Nec Electronics Corp | Semiconductor integrated circuit device and method for arranging dummy pattern |
US7565638B2 (en) * | 2006-11-21 | 2009-07-21 | Sun Microsystems, Inc. | Density-based layer filler for integrated circuit design |
US7795862B2 (en) | 2007-10-22 | 2010-09-14 | Allegro Microsystems, Inc. | Matching of GMR sensors in a bridge |
US7971158B2 (en) * | 2008-06-23 | 2011-06-28 | International Business Machines Corporation | Spacer fill structure, method and design structure for reducing device variation |
US8697537B2 (en) * | 2012-02-01 | 2014-04-15 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. | Method of patterning for a semiconductor device |
CN105144363B (en) * | 2012-11-27 | 2018-05-18 | 盛美半导体设备(上海)有限公司 | The forming method of interconnection structure |
US9767245B1 (en) * | 2014-06-30 | 2017-09-19 | Cadence Design Systems, Inc. | Method, system, and computer program product for improving mask designs and manufacturability of electronic designs for multi-exposure lithography |
KR102458359B1 (en) | 2018-01-31 | 2022-10-25 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Method of layout design and semiconductor device manufactured based on the same |
US11187764B2 (en) | 2020-03-20 | 2021-11-30 | Allegro Microsystems, Llc | Layout of magnetoresistance element |
Citations (14)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5639697A (en) * | 1996-01-30 | 1997-06-17 | Vlsi Technology, Inc. | Dummy underlayers for improvement in removal rate consistency during chemical mechanical polishing |
US5923563A (en) * | 1996-12-20 | 1999-07-13 | International Business Machines Corporation | Variable density fill shape generation |
US6253362B1 (en) * | 1997-10-22 | 2001-06-26 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Method of designing dummy wiring |
US20020061608A1 (en) * | 2000-11-20 | 2002-05-23 | Kenichi Kuroda | Semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same and designing the same |
US20020157076A1 (en) * | 2001-04-23 | 2002-10-24 | Kazuhiko Asakawa | Fabrication method for a semiconductor device with dummy patterns |
US6486066B2 (en) * | 2001-02-02 | 2002-11-26 | Matrix Semiconductor, Inc. | Method of generating integrated circuit feature layout for improved chemical mechanical polishing |
US6567964B2 (en) * | 2001-02-21 | 2003-05-20 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Continuously variable dummy pattern density generating systems, methods and computer program products for patterning integrated circuits |
US20030102562A1 (en) * | 1999-12-15 | 2003-06-05 | Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha | Semiconductor device and method of producing the same |
US6611045B2 (en) * | 2001-06-04 | 2003-08-26 | Motorola, Inc. | Method of forming an integrated circuit device using dummy features and structure thereof |
US6683382B2 (en) * | 2000-01-18 | 2004-01-27 | Agere Systems Inc. | Semiconductor device having an interconnect layer with a plurality of layout regions having substantially uniform densities of active interconnects and dummy fills |
US20050132306A1 (en) * | 2002-06-07 | 2005-06-16 | Praesagus, Inc., A Massachusetts Corporation | Characterization and reduction of variation for integrated circuits |
US6961915B2 (en) * | 2002-11-06 | 2005-11-01 | Lsi Logic Corporation | Design methodology for dummy lines |
US7071074B2 (en) * | 2003-09-24 | 2006-07-04 | Infineon Technologies Ag | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
US7124386B2 (en) * | 2002-06-07 | 2006-10-17 | Praesagus, Inc. | Dummy fill for integrated circuits |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6081272A (en) | 1997-09-30 | 2000-06-27 | Intel Corporation | Merging dummy structure representations for improved distribution of artifacts in a semiconductor layer |
TW408432B (en) * | 1998-08-25 | 2000-10-11 | United Microelectronics Corp | The manufacture method of shallow trench isolation |
US6638863B2 (en) * | 2001-04-24 | 2003-10-28 | Acm Research, Inc. | Electropolishing metal layers on wafers having trenches or vias with dummy structures |
JP4307022B2 (en) * | 2002-07-05 | 2009-08-05 | 富士通マイクロエレクトロニクス株式会社 | Semiconductor device design method, semiconductor device design program, and semiconductor device design apparatus |
TW569320B (en) * | 2002-08-14 | 2004-01-01 | Macronix Int Co Ltd | Method for defining a dummy pattern around alignment mark on a wafer |
-
2003
- 2003-09-24 US US10/671,123 patent/US7071074B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2006
- 2006-05-26 US US11/441,649 patent/US7494930B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2009
- 2009-01-13 US US12/353,193 patent/US7868427B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2010
- 2010-12-28 US US12/980,268 patent/US20110133304A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2013
- 2013-05-31 US US13/907,449 patent/US8921166B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (16)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5639697A (en) * | 1996-01-30 | 1997-06-17 | Vlsi Technology, Inc. | Dummy underlayers for improvement in removal rate consistency during chemical mechanical polishing |
US5923563A (en) * | 1996-12-20 | 1999-07-13 | International Business Machines Corporation | Variable density fill shape generation |
US6253362B1 (en) * | 1997-10-22 | 2001-06-26 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Method of designing dummy wiring |
US20030102562A1 (en) * | 1999-12-15 | 2003-06-05 | Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha | Semiconductor device and method of producing the same |
US6683382B2 (en) * | 2000-01-18 | 2004-01-27 | Agere Systems Inc. | Semiconductor device having an interconnect layer with a plurality of layout regions having substantially uniform densities of active interconnects and dummy fills |
US20020061608A1 (en) * | 2000-11-20 | 2002-05-23 | Kenichi Kuroda | Semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same and designing the same |
US6486066B2 (en) * | 2001-02-02 | 2002-11-26 | Matrix Semiconductor, Inc. | Method of generating integrated circuit feature layout for improved chemical mechanical polishing |
US6567964B2 (en) * | 2001-02-21 | 2003-05-20 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Continuously variable dummy pattern density generating systems, methods and computer program products for patterning integrated circuits |
US20020157076A1 (en) * | 2001-04-23 | 2002-10-24 | Kazuhiko Asakawa | Fabrication method for a semiconductor device with dummy patterns |
US6611045B2 (en) * | 2001-06-04 | 2003-08-26 | Motorola, Inc. | Method of forming an integrated circuit device using dummy features and structure thereof |
US20050132306A1 (en) * | 2002-06-07 | 2005-06-16 | Praesagus, Inc., A Massachusetts Corporation | Characterization and reduction of variation for integrated circuits |
US7124386B2 (en) * | 2002-06-07 | 2006-10-17 | Praesagus, Inc. | Dummy fill for integrated circuits |
US6961915B2 (en) * | 2002-11-06 | 2005-11-01 | Lsi Logic Corporation | Design methodology for dummy lines |
US7071074B2 (en) * | 2003-09-24 | 2006-07-04 | Infineon Technologies Ag | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
US7494930B2 (en) * | 2003-09-24 | 2009-02-24 | Infineon Technologies Ag | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
US7868427B2 (en) * | 2003-09-24 | 2011-01-11 | Infineon Technologies Ag | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20050064634A1 (en) | 2005-03-24 |
US20130267048A1 (en) | 2013-10-10 |
US20090124027A1 (en) | 2009-05-14 |
US7071074B2 (en) | 2006-07-04 |
US7494930B2 (en) | 2009-02-24 |
US7868427B2 (en) | 2011-01-11 |
US20060216905A1 (en) | 2006-09-28 |
US8921166B2 (en) | 2014-12-30 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US8921166B2 (en) | Structure and method for placement, sizing and shaping of dummy structures | |
US6323113B1 (en) | Intelligent gate-level fill methods for reducing global pattern density effects | |
US9553082B2 (en) | Process for improving critical dimension uniformity of integrated circuit arrays | |
US6109775A (en) | Method for adjusting the density of lines and contact openings across a substrate region for improving the chemical-mechanical polishing of a thin-film later disposed thereon | |
JPH04253322A (en) | Planar process utilizing three resist layers | |
US6825096B2 (en) | Method of forming an alignment mark structure using standard process steps for forming vertical gate transistors | |
US7315054B1 (en) | Decoupling capacitor density while maintaining control over ACLV regions on a semiconductor integrated circuit | |
US6759345B2 (en) | Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including etching of a peripheral area before chemical-mechanical polishing | |
US7759182B2 (en) | Dummy active area implementation | |
US6723646B2 (en) | Method for controlling and monitoring a chemical mechanical polishing process | |
US20080026542A1 (en) | Method of Manufacturing Semiconductor Device | |
US6094812A (en) | Dishing avoidance in wide soft metal wires | |
KR100319654B1 (en) | Integrated chip dummy trench patterns to ease trench etch process development | |
EP0982774A2 (en) | Avoidance of cross-sectional surface reduction in wide soft metal wires | |
KR100715600B1 (en) | Method of fabricating the fine pattern | |
US6617663B2 (en) | Methods of manufacturing semiconductor devices | |
KR100661728B1 (en) | Dummy layer of semiconductor device | |
KR20000016933A (en) | Dishing avoidance in wide soft metal wires | |
KR20020002785A (en) | Method for planarization of semiconductor device | |
KR100546767B1 (en) | Method for fabricating dummy layer of semiconductor device | |
CN116529854A (en) | Individualizing individual chips from a wafer with chiplets and small separation channels | |
KR19990053222A (en) | Fine conductive film pattern formation method of semiconductor device | |
JP2001274127A (en) | Method of manufacturing semiconductor device | |
JPH11274156A (en) | Manufacture of semiconductor device | |
KR19990074930A (en) | Metal wiring formation method of semiconductor device |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |