US6057239A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Dual damascene process using sacrificial spin-on materials
Assignee: Lone Star Silicon Innovations LLC
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Filing: 1997-12-17
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Granted: 2000-05-02
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Expires: 2017-12-17
Abstract
Abstract A dual damascene process includes the steps of forming a contact hole in an oxide layer disposed above a semiconductor substrate, disposing a layer of anti-reflective coating material on top of the oxide layer and in the contact hole, and partially etching the layer of anti-reflective coating material and the oxide layer to form the wiring trough. The partial etching step includes the steps of spin coating photoresist on top of the anti-reflective coating material, exposing the photoresist through a mask containing a pattern of the wiring trough, developing the photoresist to expose portions of the anti-reflective coating material, dry etching the exposed portions of the anti-reflective coating material to expose portions of the oxide layer, and wet etching the exposed portions of the oxide layer to form the wiring trough.
Inventors
- 👤 Fei Wang
- 👤 Bhanwar Singh
- 👤 James K. Kai
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 16:31
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/01; H10W20/071; H10W20/081; H10W20/084; H10W20/085
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
81 words
A dual damascene process comprising the steps of: forming a contact hole in an oxide layer; disposing a layer of anti-reflective coating material on top of the oxide layer and filling the contact hole with the anti-reflective coating material; etching the anti-reflective coating material to expose portions of the oxide layer; etching the exposed portions of the oxide layer to form a wiring trough; removing the anti-reflective coating material; and filling the contact hole and the wiring trough with a metal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
81 words
A dual damascene process comprising the steps of: forming a contact hole in an oxide layer; disposing a layer of anti-reflective coating material on top of the oxide layer and filling the contact hole with the anti-reflective coating material; etching the anti-reflective coating material to expose portions of the oxide layer; etching the exposed portions of the oxide layer to form a wiring trough; removing the anti-reflective coating material; and filling the contact hole and the wiring trough with a metal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
63 words
The process as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of etching the anti-reflective coating material includes the steps of: depositing photoresist on top of the anti-reflective coating material; exposing the photoresist through a mask containing a pattern of the wiring trough; developing the photoresist to expose portions of the anti-reflective coating material; and etching the exposed portions of the anti-reflective coating material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process as recited in claim 1, wherein the contact hole is formed through the oxide layer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process as recited in claim 1, wherein the contact hole has a narrower width than the wiring trough.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
The process as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of disposing the layer of anti-reflective coating material includes the step of spin coating the layer of anti-reflective coating material.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
The process as recited in claim 5, wherein the step of spin coating the layer of anti-reflective coating material includes the step of selecting an anti-reflective coating material that is non-photosensitive.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
69 words
A dual damascene process for forming a semiconductor structure having a wiring trough and a contact hole defined contiguously therein, said process comprising the steps of: forming the contact hole in an oxide layer; disposing a layer of anti-reflective coating material on top of the oxide layer and in the contact hole; and etching the layer of anti-reflective coating material and the oxide layer to form the wiring trough.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
69 words
A dual damascene process for forming a semiconductor structure having a wiring trough and a contact hole defined contiguously therein, said process comprising the steps of: forming the contact hole in an oxide layer; disposing a layer of anti-reflective coating material on top of the oxide layer and in the contact hole; and etching the layer of anti-reflective coating material and the oxide layer to form the wiring trough.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
84 words
The process as recited in claim 7, wherein the step of etching to form the wiring trough includes the steps of: depositing photoresist on top of the anti-reflective coating material; exposing the photoresist through a mask containing a pattern of the wiring trough; developing the photoresist to expose portions of the anti-reflective coating material; etching the exposed portions of the anti-reflective coating material to expose portions of the oxide layer; and etching the exposed portions of the oxide layer to form the wiring trough.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The process as recited in claim 5, wherein the step of disposing the layer of anti-reflective coating material includes the step of spin coating the layer of anti-reflective coating material.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process as recited in claim 7, wherein the contact hole is formed through the oxide layer.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process as recited in claim 7, wherein the contact hole has a narrower width than the wiring trough.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
The process as recited in claim 8, wherein the step of etching the exposed portions of the anti-reflective coating material includes the step of anisotropic etching.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
The process as recited in claim 8, wherein the step of etching the exposed portions of the oxide layer includes the step of buffered-oxide etching.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
31 words
The process as recited in claim 9, wherein the step of spin coating the layer of anti-reflective coating material includes the step of selecting an anti-reflective coating material that is non-photosensitive.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
77 words
A method of forming an opening in a semiconductor device having an insulating layer disposed on top of a semiconductor substrate, said method comprising the steps of: forming a hole in the insulating layer; filling the hole with an anti-reflective coating material; etching the insulating layer on both sides of the hole to form a wiring trough; removing the anti-reflective coating material from within the hole; and filling the hole and the wiring trough with a metal.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
77 words
A method of forming an opening in a semiconductor device having an insulating layer disposed on top of a semiconductor substrate, said method comprising the steps of: forming a hole in the insulating layer; filling the hole with an anti-reflective coating material; etching the insulating layer on both sides of the hole to form a wiring trough; removing the anti-reflective coating material from within the hole; and filling the hole and the wiring trough with a metal.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising the step of spin coating a layer of the anti-reflective coating material on top of the insulating layer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the hole is formed through the insulating layer.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the hole has a narrower width the wiring trough.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the semiconductor substrate is exposed through the hole in the insulating layer.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-05-02 | 2003-11-01 | 2004-05-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-05-02 | 2007-11-01 | 2008-05-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-05-02 | 2011-11-01 | 2012-05-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |