| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080242195 | CMP SYSTEM HAVING AN EDDY CURRENT SENSOR OF REDUCED HEIGHT - By providing an eddy current sensor element in a polishing tool at a reduced height level in combination with a corresponding optical endpoint detection system, standard polishing pads may be used, thereby enhancing the lifetime of the polishing pad and increasing tool utilization. | 10-02-2008 |
| 20080242196 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING CHEMICAL MECHANICAL POLISHING BY TAKING ZONE SPECIFIC SUBSTRATE DATA INTO ACCOUNT - A system for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is disclosed which includes a polishing apparatus for polishing a surface of a substrate and a sensor for determining zone-specific substrate data respectively related to at least two zones of the substrate. A controller is provided for generating, in response to the zone-specific substrate data, at least one set-point value, e.g., a set-point window of values for at least one operating parameter of the polishing apparatus in a subsequent CMP process. The set-point value/set-point window of values may be displayed on a display device or automatically taken into account by the controller for controlling subsequent CMP processes. | 10-02-2008 |
| 20090061745 | POLISHING HEAD USING ZONE CONTROL - A polishing head for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus is provided which includes at least two polishing head zones configured to provide different temperatures for transferring heat to at least two zones of a substrate corresponding to the at least two polishing head zones. The present disclosure addresses chemical mechanical polishing which allows a control of the polishing profile even if slurries are used, which show almost no dependency between polishing rate and down force. | 03-05-2009 |
| 20090170320 | CMP SYSTEM AND METHOD USING INDIVIDUALLY CONTROLLED TEMPERATURE ZONES - By creating a temperature profile across a polishing pad, a respective temperature profile may be obtained in a substrate to be polished, which may result in a respective varying removal rate across the substrate for a chemically reactive slurry material or for an electro-chemically activated polishing process. Hence, highly sensitive materials, such as material comprising low-k dielectrics, may be efficiently polished with a high degree of controllability. | 07-02-2009 |
| 20100112816 | METHOD OF REDUCING NON-UNIFORMITIES DURING CHEMICAL MECHANICAL POLISHING OF MICROSTRUCTURE DEVICES BY USING CMP PADS IN A GLAZED MODE - In sophisticated CMP recipes, the material removal may be accomplished on the basis of a chemically reactive slurry material and a reduced down force, wherein the surface topography of a finally obtained material layer may be enhanced by using, at least in a final phase, a glazed state of the polishing pad. | 05-06-2010 |
| 20110073920 | SUPERIOR FILL CONDITIONS IN A REPLACEMENT GATE APPROACH BY CORNER ROUNDING BASED ON A SACRIFICIAL FILL MATERIAL - In a replacement gate approach, a top area of a gate opening may receive a superior cross-sectional shape on the basis of a material erosion process, wherein a sacrificial material may protect sensitive materials, such as a high-k dielectric material, in the gate opening. In one illustrative embodiment, the sacrificial material may be applied after depositing a work function adjusting species in the gate opening. | 03-31-2011 |
| 20110073956 | FORMING SEMICONDUCTOR RESISTORS IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING METAL GATES BY INCREASING ETCH RESISTIVITY OF THE RESISTORS - In a replacement gate approach, the polysilicon material may be efficiently removed during a wet chemical etch process, while the semiconductor material in the resistive structures may be substantially preserved. For this purpose, a species such as xenon may be incorporated into the semiconductor material of the resistive structure, thereby imparting a significantly increased etch resistivity to the semiconductor material. The xenon may be incorporated at any appropriate manufacturing stage. | 03-31-2011 |
| 20110076844 | SUPERIOR FILL CONDITIONS IN A REPLACEMENT GATE APPROACH BY PERFORMING A POLISHING PROCESS BASED ON A SACRIFICIAL FILL MATERIAL - In a replacement gate approach, a top area of a gate opening may receive a superior cross-sectional shape after the deposition of a work function adjusting species on the basis of a polishing process, wherein a sacrificial material may protect the sensitive materials in the gate opening. | 03-31-2011 |
| 20110101460 | SEMICONDUCTOR FUSES IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING METAL GATES - In a replacement gate approach, the semiconductor material of the gate electrode structures may be efficiently removed during a wet chemical etch process, while this material may be substantially preserved in electronic fuses. Consequently, well-established semiconductor-based electronic fuses may be used instead of requiring sophisticated metal-based fuse structures. The etch selectivity of the semiconductor material may be modified on the basis of ion implantation or electron bombardment. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110104880 | CORNER ROUNDING IN A REPLACEMENT GATE APPROACH BASED ON A SACRIFICIAL FILL MATERIAL APPLIED PRIOR TO WORK FUNCTION METAL DEPOSITION - In a replacement gate approach, a top area of a gate opening has a superior cross-sectional shape which is accomplished on the basis of a plasma assisted etch process or an ion sputter process. During the process, a sacrificial fill material protects sensitive materials, such as a high-k dielectric material and a corresponding cap material. Consequently, the subsequent deposition of a work function adjusting material layer may not result in a surface topography which may result in a non-reliable filling-in of the electrode metal. In some illustrative embodiments, the sacrificial fill material may also be used as a deposition mask for avoiding the deposition of the work function adjusting metal in certain gate openings in which a different type of work function adjusting species is required. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110129980 | CAP REMOVAL IN A HIGH-K METAL GATE ELECTRODE STRUCTURE BY USING A SACRIFICIAL FILL MATERIAL - Dielectric cap layers of sophisticated high-k metal gate electrode structures may be efficiently removed on the basis of a sacrificial fill material, thereby reliably preserving integrity of a protective sidewall spacer structure, which in turn may result in superior uniformity of the threshold voltage of the transistors. The sacrificial fill material may be provided in the form of an organic material that may be reduced in thickness on the basis of a wet developing process, thereby enabling a high degree of process controllability. | 06-02-2011 |
| 20110156162 | SEMICONDUCTOR RESISTORS FORMED AT A LOWER HEIGHT LEVEL IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING METAL GATES - In sophisticated semiconductor devices comprising high-k metal gate electrode structures formed on the basis of a replacement gate approach, semiconductor-based resistors may be provided without contributing to undue process complexity in that the resistor region is recessed prior to depositing the semiconductor material of the gate electrode structure. Due to the difference in height level, a reliable protective dielectric material layer is preserved above the resistor structure upon exposing the semiconductor material of the gate electrode structure and removing the same on the basis of selective etch recipes. Consequently, well-established semiconductor materials, such as polysilicon, may be used for the resistive structures in complex semiconductor devices, substantially without affecting the overall process sequence for forming the sophisticated replacement gate electrode structures. | 06-30-2011 |
