Taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company, ltd. (20240136183). METHOD OF BREAKING THROUGH ETCH STOP LAYER simplified abstract

METHOD OF BREAKING THROUGH ETCH STOP LAYER

Organization Name

taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company, ltd.

Inventor(s)

Yu-Shih Wang of Tainan (TW)

Hong-Jie Yang of Hsinchu (TW)

Chia-Ying Lee of New Taipei (TW)

Po-Nan Yeh of Hsinchu (TW)

U-Ting Chiu of Hsinchu (TW)

Chun-Neng Lin of Hsinchu (TW)

Ming-Hsi Yeh of Hsinchu (TW)

Kuo-Bin Huang of Jhubei (TW)

METHOD OF BREAKING THROUGH ETCH STOP LAYER - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240136183 titled 'METHOD OF BREAKING THROUGH ETCH STOP LAYER

Simplified Explanation

A photo resist layer is used to protect a dielectric layer and conductive elements embedded in the dielectric layer when patterning an etch stop layer underlying the dielectric layer. The photo resist layer may further be used to etch another dielectric layer underlying the etch stop layer, where etching the next dielectric layer exposes a contact, such as a gate contact. The bottom layer can be used to protect the conductive elements embedded in the dielectric layer from a wet etchant used to etch the etch stop layer.

• Photo resist layer protects dielectric layer and conductive elements during patterning.
• Can be used to etch another dielectric layer, exposing contacts.
• Bottom layer protects conductive elements from wet etchant during etching.

Potential Applications

The technology described in this patent application could be applied in the semiconductor industry for the fabrication of integrated circuits and other electronic devices where precise patterning and protection of layers are required.

Problems Solved

1. Protection of delicate components during etching processes. 2. Precise patterning of multiple layers without damage to underlying elements.

Benefits

1. Improved accuracy in etching processes. 2. Enhanced protection of embedded conductive elements. 3. Increased efficiency in fabrication processes.

Potential Commercial Applications

• Semiconductor manufacturing
• Electronics industry
• Research and development in nanotechnology

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art could be the use of sacrificial layers in semiconductor manufacturing processes to protect underlying layers during etching.

Unanswered Questions

How does the photo resist layer interact with the etch stop layer during the etching process?

The article does not provide detailed information on the specific chemical interactions between the photo resist layer and the etch stop layer during the etching process.

What are the specific properties of the photo resist layer that make it suitable for protecting the dielectric layer and conductive elements?

The article does not delve into the specific characteristics or composition of the photo resist layer that enable it to effectively protect the underlying layers.

Original Abstract Submitted

a photo resist layer is used to protect a dielectric layer and conductive elements embedded in the dielectric layer when patterning an etch stop layer underlying the dielectric layer. the photo resist layer may further be used to etch another dielectric layer underlying the etch stop layer, where etching the next dielectric layer exposes a contact, such as a gate contact. the bottom layer can be used to protect the conductive elements embedded in the dielectric layer from a wet etchant used to etch the etch stop layer.