18194224. Semiconductor Structures And Methods Of Forming The Same simplified abstract (TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.)

Semiconductor Structures And Methods Of Forming The Same

Organization Name

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.

Inventor(s)

Wen-Chiung Tu of New Taipei City (TW)

Dian-Hau Chen of Hsinchu (TW)

Chen-Chiu Huang of Taichung City (TW)

Hsiang-Ku Shen of Hsinchu City (TW)

Semiconductor Structures And Methods Of Forming The Same - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18194224 titled 'Semiconductor Structures And Methods Of Forming The Same

Simplified Explanation

The patent application describes a method for forming a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor in a semiconductor structure, involving various steps such as forming conductive features, passivation structures, contact via openings, and metal features.

• Forming a first conductive feature in a dielectric layer
• Creating a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor over the dielectric layer
• Applying a first passivation structure over the MIM capacitor
• Forming a contact via opening to expose the first conductive feature
• Depositing conductive material to fill the contact via opening
• Etching the conductive material to form a metal feature with a barrel shape

Potential Applications

This technology can be applied in the semiconductor industry for the manufacturing of advanced electronic devices such as integrated circuits, memory devices, and sensors.

Problems Solved

This innovation addresses the need for improved methods of forming metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors in semiconductor structures with precise control over the shape and dimensions of the metal features.

Benefits

The benefits of this technology include enhanced performance and reliability of semiconductor devices, increased capacitance density, and improved manufacturing efficiency.

Potential Commercial Applications

The potential commercial applications of this technology include the production of high-performance electronic components for various industries such as telecommunications, automotive, and consumer electronics.

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art in this field is the use of similar methods for forming metal features in semiconductor structures, but with different etching techniques or materials.

How does this technology compare to existing methods for forming metal features in semiconductor structures?

This article does not provide a direct comparison with existing methods, so it is unclear how this technology differs in terms of efficiency, cost, or performance.

What are the specific performance improvements achieved by the barrel-shaped metal features in the MIM capacitor?

The article mentions the shape of the metal features but does not elaborate on the specific performance benefits or advantages of the barrel shape in the MIM capacitor design.

Original Abstract Submitted

Semiconductor structures and methods are provided. An exemplary method includes forming a first conductive feature in a dielectric layer, forming a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor over the dielectric layer, forming a first passivation structure over the MIM capacitor, forming a first contact via opening extending through the first passivation structure and the MIM capacitor to expose the first conductive feature, depositing a conductive material to fill the first contact via opening, performing a first etching process to the conductive material to form a first metal feature, the first metal feature comprising a first portion filling the first contact via opening and a second portion over the first passivation structure, and performing a second etching process to trim the second portion of the first metal feature, after the second etching process, a shape of a cross-sectional view of the second portion of the first metal feature comprises a barrel shape.