# US 10,483,214 B2 · Overlay structures

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- Number: US 10,483,214 B2
- Document ID: US10483214B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/860,775
- Filed: 2018-01-03
- Published: 2019-07-04
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2018-01-03
- Assignees: Globalfoundries Inc.
- Applicants: Globalfoundries Inc.
- Inventors: Xintuo Dai; Dongsuk Park; Guoxiang Ning; Mert Karakoy
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10483214B2

## CPC

- H10W 46/00: Marks applied to devices, e.g. for alignment or identification
- G03F 7/70633: {Overlay, i.e. relative alignment between patterns printed by separate exposures in different layers, or in the same layer in multiple exposures or stitching}
- G03F 7/70683: {Mark designs}
- H10P 74/203: {Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects}
- H10P 74/27: {Structural arrangements therefor}
- H10W 46/301: {for alignment}
- H10W 46/507: {Located in dummy chips or in reference chips}
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G)
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to semiconductor structures and, more particularly, to overlay structures and methods of manufacture. The method includes locating a first plurality of offset dummy features in a first layer; locating a second plurality of offset dummy features in a second layer; measuring a distance between the first plurality of offset dummy features and the second plurality of offset dummy features; and determining that the first layer or the second layer is shifted with respect to one another based on the measurement.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
locating a first plurality of offset dummy features in a first layer;
locating a second plurality of offset dummy features in a second layer;
measuring a distance between each offset dummy feature of the first plurality of offset dummy features in the first layer with respect to one another and each offset dummy feature of the second plurality of offset dummy features in the second layer with respect to one another; and
determining that the first layer or the second layer is shifted with respect to one another by comparing the measurement from the first layer or the second layer to a known value.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of offset dummy features and the second plurality of offset dummy features are dummy interconnect structures.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of offset dummy features and the second plurality of offset dummy features are offset in an x-direction.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of offset dummy features and the second plurality of offset dummy features are offset in a y-direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring the distance comprises measuring across a surface of the second layer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of offset dummy features and the second plurality of offset dummy features are located in unused space in the first layer and the second layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the unused space in the first layer and the unused space in the second layer maintains the integrity of the first plurality of offset dummy features and the second plurality of offset dummy features during a dicing process.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the first plurality of offset dummy features are different structures than the second plurality of offset dummy features.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the first plurality of offset dummy features are interconnect structures.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the second plurality of offset dummy features are gate structures.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the first plurality of offset dummy features are negatively offset.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the second plurality of offset dummy features are positively offset.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the measuring the distance for the first layer comprises measuring across a surface of the first layer.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the measuring across the surface of the first layer is implemented by a scanning electron microscope overlay technique.